What the rules ask for
Directive (EU) 2023/2673 adds a withdrawal function to the rules for distance selling. It applies to contracts a consumer concludes online, so to ordinary orders and to subscriptions. In short:
- Your store has a function labelled 'Withdraw from contract here', or words that are just as clear (the Dutch page uses 'Overeenkomst hier herroepen'). It is easy to find for the whole withdrawal period.
- The consumer sends a withdrawal statement online with their name, the contract they withdraw from and the email address the confirmation should go to.
- They send the statement with a button labelled 'Confirm withdrawal', or words that are just as clear.
- You send an acknowledgement of receipt without undue delay on a durable medium, such as email, with the content of the statement and the date and time it was received.
Loyalo provides the function; whether your store meets all the rules also depends on your terms, your withdrawal period and the exceptions that apply to your products. Have a lawyer check that.
Switching the page on
- Open Subscriptions › WithdrawalsThe withdrawal page is on by default. The address of the page is at the top: yourstore.com/apps/loyalo/herroepen.
- Put the link in your footerIn Shopify go to Online Store › Navigation, open your footer menu and add a link to the address of the page. For a Dutch store name it exactly: Overeenkomst hier herroepen. For an English store: Withdraw from contract here.
- Choose where the notice goesLoyalo emails you for every new withdrawal. By default that goes to your store's email address in Shopify; you can enter another address.
- Run a testOpen the page in your store, fill in the form with your own email address and check that the confirmation arrives and the withdrawal is in the dashboard.
The page takes the look of your theme and works without the customer logging in. It is shown in Dutch, English or German, depending on the language the customer views your store in. The addresses /apps/loyalo/withdraw and /apps/loyalo/widerruf show the same page.
What the customer sees
The customer enters their name, their email address and the order number or subscription. To withdraw from part of an order they add which part. Below the fields is the statement 'I hereby withdraw from the contract stated above', and the button 'Confirm withdrawal'.
After sending they see when the withdrawal was received. They immediately get an email in the name of your store with their name, their email address, the order or subscription, the statement and the date and time of receipt.
In the portal 'My subscription' the link 'Withdraw from contract here' is at the bottom of the page. For a subscription that started less than 45 days ago it is also shown with the subscription itself; the form then knows which subscription it is about.
What happens to a subscription
When a logged-in customer withdraws from their running subscription through the link in the portal in your store, Loyalo pauses that subscription until you have handled the withdrawal. Nothing is charged in the meantime. You can switch this off with 'Pause the subscription on a withdrawal'. Logged in means: logged in to their account in your store, or in the portal through the login link by email.
If you use the portal on its own address outside your store, the link takes the customer to the withdrawal page in your store. If they are not logged in there, Loyalo pauses nothing and the withdrawal is listed as 'Not logged in' in your dashboard.
For a customer who is not logged in, Loyalo changes nothing about a subscription. Anyone can fill in the form, so Loyalo cannot be sure who sent it. The withdrawal is in your dashboard, marked 'Not logged in', with whether a customer with that email address is known.
Handling a withdrawal
Every withdrawal is listed under Subscriptions › Withdrawals, newest first. While one is open, every page of the dashboard shows a notice. You choose from:
| Button | What happens |
|---|---|
| Accept: stop subscription | The subscription stops right away, without minimum term or notice period. The withdrawal is handled |
| Accept, resume subscription | For a subscription Loyalo paused for the withdrawal: the withdrawal is handled and the subscription runs again, for example when the customer withdraws from one delivery |
| Accept, keep subscription | For a subscription that was not paused by the withdrawal: the withdrawal is handled and nothing changes about the subscription |
| Reject and resume subscription | For a withdrawal that is not valid, for example outside the withdrawal period. The paused subscription runs again |
| Reject | The withdrawal is handled; nothing else changes |
You refund the customer yourself from the order in Shopify; Loyalo refunds nothing. Every open withdrawal shows the date by which you refund if the withdrawal is valid: 14 days after receipt. You may wait with the refund until the products are back or the customer proves they sent them. Use the note field to record what you did; the customer does not see that note.
Loyalo only confirms receipt. What you do with the withdrawal you email the customer yourself, for example by replying to the notice Loyalo sent you: the reply goes to the customer.
Frequently asked questions
Is the page only for subscriptions?
No. The customer enters an order number or a subscription, so the page works for everything you sell in your store.
Is this in my plan?
Yes. The withdrawal page works in every plan and in the trial. Handling withdrawals also stays possible after your trial has ended.
Does Loyalo judge whether a withdrawal is valid?
No. Loyalo records what the customer sends and when. Whether the withdrawal period still runs and whether an exception applies is for you to judge.
What if the confirmation does not arrive?
Loyalo tries again. If it keeps failing, for example because the email address does not exist, the withdrawal shows 'Confirmation failed' with the reason. Confirm receipt yourself in that case.
Can someone abuse the form?
There is a limit on the number of withdrawals per email address and per store, and web addresses in the fields are refused. A withdrawal from someone who is not logged in changes nothing about a subscription. For a logged-in customer you see which account they were logged in with; whether the order they name is theirs is for you to check.
How long are withdrawals kept?
A handled withdrawal stays for two years and is then deleted. When a customer asks for their data to be erased, their name, email address and what they entered go; that a withdrawal came in, when and with which outcome stays.
Can I switch the page off?
Yes, with 'Withdrawal page on' under Subscriptions › Withdrawals. The page then no longer exists and the link disappears from the portal. Remove the link from your footer as well.
Customer portal
Customers manage their subscription and points themselves: in the Shopify customer account, by login link or on your own address. You decide what they may do.
Retention and dunning
Make an offer when a customer wants to cancel, win back customers who stopped and have failed payments retried automatically.
Emails and brand style
Loyalo sends emails about subscriptions and points in your own brand style, in the customer's language. Per email you choose whether Loyalo or Klaviyo sends it.