A new cancellation feature is coming to online stores, what does this mean for merchants?

From 19 June onwards, all online stores selling to consumers must provide an easy-to-find, clearly visible feature that allows customers to cancel an order placed online. Stores must offer a concrete button or link that opens a cancellation form, simply including cancellation instructions in the terms and conditions is no longer sufficient.

What is this about?

The cancellation feature is a concrete piece of functionality that allows consumers to exercise their statutory right of cancellation directly where the contract was made.

The new obligation is based on amendments to the Finnish Consumer Protection Act. The EU Directive on consumer rights (2023/2673) has been updated to reflect the digital age, and these changes are now being incorporated into Finnish law. The aim is to ensure that consumers can exercise their right of cancellation effectively, and that cancelling a contract is just as straightforward as entering into one.

The aim is to ensure that cancelling a contract is just as straightforward as entering into one.

Previously, it was sufficient for an online store to inform customers of their right of cancellation in the terms and conditions and to offer a separate form or email address for cancellations.
From June onwards, online stores are required to provide a dedicated cancellation feature on the same website or app where the contract was made. In practice, this means a button or link that takes the customer directly to a cancellation form. The standard 14-day right of cancellation remains unchanged, the new cancellation feature must be added alongside any existing cancellation options.

The change applies to online stores and other digital services where consumers enter into contracts via an app or website and the contract carries a statutory right of cancellation.

What does the online store need to consider?

The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) has outlined four requirements that a legally compliant cancellation feature must meet.

1. Findability: The cancellation feature must be easy to find, in the same place where the contract is made. It must be clearly visible and accessible for the entire period during which the consumer has the right to cancel (typically 14 days from delivery).
   
2. Information collected from the customer: The cancellation feature must allow the consumer to provide their name, details of the contract being cancelled (such as an order number or other identifier), and information on how the confirmation of cancellation will be delivered to them.
   
3. Confirmation before submission: The consumer must be required to confirm the cancellation before submitting it. This confirmation step must be clearly and prominently displayed — for example, by ticking a box stating “I hereby cancel the above order.”
   
4. Confirmation message to the customer: Once the cancellation has been submitted, the store must send the customer a confirmation by email. The confirmation must state the content of the cancellation along with the exact date and time.

According to the FCCA, consumers must be informed of the conditions, deadlines and procedures for exercising their right of cancellation before entering into a contract.

What should merchants do next?

For online stores serving consumer customers, adding a cancellation feature may require changes or additions to the checkout flow, customer account, or a dedicated cancellation page. At Evermade, we can help ensure your online store meets the legal requirements.

Get in touch, let’s look together at what your store needs.