EU Warranty and Guarantee Label in Online Shops: Mandatory from 27 September 2026

Introduction: Why the warranty and guarantee label is important in online retail

Anyone who sells online knows the basic problem: customers often confuse statutory warranty and voluntary guarantee – or assume that “guarantee” always applies automatically. This leads to queries, misunderstandings and, in the worst case, disputes. This is exactly where the EU steps in with a new, Europe-wide standardized notice and labeling system: consumers are to be informed in a standardized, clear and comparable way – directly where the purchasing decision is made. (European Commission)

For retailers, this is not just “another label”, but an opportunity: fewer misunderstandings, more trust – and above all legal certainty, because the presentation no longer has to be freely “interpreted”, but is bindingly specified. (EUR-Lex)

New legal obligation from 27 September 2026

From 27 September 2026, new information obligations regarding warranty and guarantees will apply in EU online retail. The basis is Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960, which defines the design and content of two standardized elements: 

  • Harmonised Notice (Legal warranty notice): the standardized notice on the statutory warranty.

  • Harmonised Label (Durability guarantee label): the standardized guarantee label for a specific type of voluntary manufacturer’s guarantee, namely the free durability guarantee. 

Particularly important: The EU guarantee label becomes mandatory if a manufacturer grants a free durability guarantee that

  • covers the entire product and

  • lasts longer than two years.

And: Design, color scheme and presentation are strictly specified and may not be “creatively adapted”. This makes it binding – but also fair and comparable. 

Virtually all shops that offer goods, services, digital content or subscriptions online in a B2C or B2B context (with consumers as the target group) are affected – as well as retailers who additionally list their products on marketplaces. In the event of missing or incorrect implementation, warnings or official measures may be imposed depending on the country and specific case – in short: unnecessary risk. (IT-Recht Kanzlei)

What challenges have retailers faced so far?

To date, information on warranty and guarantees often works as follows:

  • The warranty is mentioned somewhere in the terms and conditions or in the footer (in other words: barely visible).

  • Guarantees are sometimes communicated as advertising promises, without clearly distinguishing what is legally required and what is voluntary.

  • On marketplaces, structured information is often missing – or must be maintained differently on each platform.

  • In multilingual shops, the wording is inconsistent or not uniform.

The result: customers are uncertain (“Do I have 1 year? 2 years? Does it apply everywhere?”), support teams are burdened and retailers risk that their communication is legally vulnerable. The EU requirements deliberately remove this variance: same presentation, same core statements, same clarity.

Advantages for shop operators

1) Greater legal certainty
If a notice is standardized, the risk of inadvertently providing incomplete or misleading information decreases. Retailers no longer have to “guess” what the best way to present the information is – it is clearly defined. 

2) Clearer processes in everyday business
A good system clearly distinguishes between:

  • statutory warranty (always relevant) and

  • voluntary durability guarantee (only for certain products).

This helps in customer service, with complaints and in internal coordination with manufacturers: “Is there a durability guarantee of more than two years – yes or no?” then becomes clear product information instead of a gut feeling.

3) Better user experience
For customers, it is convenient when information is easy to find – without having to search through the “fine print”. A clearly visible notice on the product page builds trust and can reduce purchase abandonments because questions are answered early on. (IFH KÖLN)

4) Consistent across shop and marketplaces
Many retailers sell not only in their own shop, but also via marketplaces. For this, the relevant information must be properly stored at product level so that it can be correctly displayed everywhere. Centralized maintenance saves time and prevents inconsistencies.

Conclusion and outlook

The EU warranty and guarantee label will no longer be a “nice-to-have” from 27 September 2026, but a mandatory requirement. And yes: It introduces new requirements – but it also brings clarity. Retailers benefit from less legal gray area, better communication and standardized, Europe-wide comparable information.

Our goal at Smartstore is therefore: an implementation that does not become a nuisance in everyday shop operations, but provides support – with a clear presentation on the product page, properly maintained product information and an output that can also be used for marketplaces. In this way, an obligation becomes an advantage: more trust, fewer queries, greater security.

Do you have questions about this topic? Or would you like to send us your feedback? Then you can reach us via the contact form, by email at info@smartstore.com or by phone from Monday to Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at +4923153350.