How many clicks is One Click Return? Clarification for e-commerce

How many clicks is still not One Click? - introduction

From June 2026 in the EU, all online shops must allow customers to make a simple online return, the so-called One Click Return, in accordance with EU Directive 2023/2673.

The directive raises a lot of questions and doubts in e-commerce – especially about what the One Click Return mechanism actually means. In this article, we will explain in detail:

• What does “One Click Return” mean exactly?
• What is it based on?
• What practices are not allowed, and what is contrary to the new legislation?
• What does an example of a proper return process complying with the Directive look like?
• What are the consequences of violating the Directive guidelines?

This article will help you understand the requirements and prepare your shop to implement One Click Return in a compliant, user-friendly and operationally feasible manner.

What does One Click Return mean?

The term One Click Return refers to a simple process that allows the customer to report product returns or unsubscribe in the same way they make a purchase.

Key features:

• The process should be uniform across all products and language versions of the shop.
• It should require a minimum number of steps and clear messaging.
• The customer must receive an automatic confirmation of the request in a durable medium (e-mail, PDF).

How many clicks is One Click really?

EU Directive 2023/2673 does not literally require one click. The process may require several steps, provided that:

1. Each step is necessary and logical, e.g. selection of products to be returned, confirmation of the request.
2. The customer is not forced to contact the service or encounter unnecessary redirections.
3. The whole process is simple, clear and fast, analogous to placing an order.

In summary, it is not the number of clicks that determines compliance, but simplicity, transparency and the absence of barriers for the user.

Legal basis One Click Return

Legal basis One Click Return

EU Directive 2023/2673 sets out a framework of rules that e-commerce businesses operating in the European Union must comply with. It sets out the rules concerning the cancellation process and indicates what consequences traders may face for non-compliance.

It is worth emphasising, however, that the directive sets minimum obligations and penalties. This means that individual Member States may introduce stricter requirements in their own legislation and higher sanctions for companies that do not comply with the new rules.

For e-commerce companies, this means not only implementing One Click Return, but also ensuring that the process complies with local regulations in each market where sales are made.

The legal basis governing returns procedures in e-commerce are:

• EU Directive 2023/2673
• National regulations implementing the Directive 

What practices are contrary to EU Directive 2023/2673?

EU Directive 2023/2673 was introduced in response to specific, widespread e-commerce practices that made it difficult for consumers to withdraw from a contract.

These included situations where the return process was deliberately complicated, or users were misled by unclear messaging or unfair practices.

Such practices are referred to as dark patterns. They are intended to make it more difficult to withdraw from a contract than to make the purchase itself. These include:

• Hiding return options in the user control panel, often with vague naming.
• Adding unnecessary steps or redirects that lengthen the process.
• Forcing customer service contact instead of online returns.
• Unclear messages or confirmshaming (“Are you cancelling an exclusive offer?”).
• Lack of automatic notifications and confirmations to the customer.

Any of the above practices can be considered an infringement if it makes the return more difficult than the purchase.

Example of One Click Return process

The simplest and most important rule to remember is: the return process should be as simple and intuitive as placing an order.

From the user’s perspective, this means that the withdrawal path must not be more complicated, longer or less clear than the purchase process. If the customer is able to buy a product in a few simple steps, exactly the same standard should apply to returning the product.

Below you will find an example of the correct One Click Return process:

The process can look like this (3 steps):

1. Decision
   Customer decides to return, selects product(s) in the user panel.
2. Notification
   The customer confirms the return in an intuitive form – no additional steps or contact with support.
3. Finalisation
   The system generates an automatic confirmation via email or in the customer panel, saves the request in CRM/ERP, and keeps logs for audit purposes.

In a well-designed process, the user is in no doubt as to what will happen after each step. In the article “One Click Return: Step-by-step process”, we describe how to efficiently implement changes in your store.

What are the risks for not implementing One Click Return?

Failure to implement a One Click Return mechanism in line with EU Directive 2023/2673 could lead to several important consequences – both legal and operational.

The most important risks are:

• Financial penalties – supervisory authorities can impose sanctions of up to several percent of a company’s annual turnover. In practice, for larger e-commerce businesses, this means very high amounts.
• Inspections and audits – an e-commerce may be required to demonstrate that the return process works in accordance with the regulations. This includes, but is not limited to, system logs, claim history and documentation of the process.
• Customer claims – if a customer cannot easily withdraw from a contract, they can pursue their rights individually through civil means.
• Extended withdrawal periods – in case of violations, the consumer may be entitled to additional time to return, which directly affects shop operations and cash flow.
• Operational problems – the lack of a structured returns process leads to more errors, overloaded customer service and chaos in logistics.

A lack of One Click Return entails both the risk of sanctions and real operational costs, and loss of control over the returns process.

👉 If you want to understand exactly the scale of the risk and the possible consequences, read our article: Sanctions for no One Click Return – a real risk for e-commerce.

Mini-case study: Before and after implementation of One Click Return

To illustrate how implementing One Click Return can simplify the process and improve the customer experience, let’s look at an example situation in clothing e-commerce.

Before implementing One Click Return

• A customer wanted to return a product – they had to log in to the panel and fill out a form located in a separate section, outside of the customer’s main panel.
• The form required manual entry of the order number and a detailed description of the reason for the return.
• The customer then had to send an email to customer service and wait for a response.
• Confirmation of the return did not come until several hours later, generating additional notifications and frustration for users.

The results: the process was time-consuming, generated user frustration, customer service was overloaded and the system logs did not show the full history of requests.

After implementing One Click Return

• The customer selects a product to return in the panel – the ‘Cancel’ button is clearly visible in the order history.
• He fills in a simple form with the minimum data required for the return request.
• The system automatically saves the request in the CRM and ERP, generates an email confirmation with the date and time of the return.
• Customer service is not burdened, system logs and notifications are complete, and the customer sees the status of the return immediately.

The results: the process is fast and intuitive, the number of complaints decreases and returns handling becomes scalable even with sales in multiple countries and language variants.

External return handling with One Click Return

The implementation of One Click Return does not end with a button in the customer panel. The key is to ensure consistency of the process across countries, integration with sales systems and recording of all requests.

Global24 offers comprehensive e-commerce support that includes:

• handling returns in a cross-border model,
• automatic registration of requests and notifications to customers,
• integration with ERP/CRM systems and shops on various platforms,
• full documentation of processes for audits.

This makes the implementation of One Click Return simpler, fast and compliant with EU directive requirements, and allows your team to focus on sales and customer service instead of manual returns administration.

Q&A - Frequently asked questions

1. Does the process actually have to be within one click?
   No, what matters is the minimum number of steps required to correctly report a return.
2. What if the shop operates in multiple languages and countries?
   The process must be uniform and identical in all markets – it is worth considering system and logistical support.
3. Can the customer be required to contact support when returning a product?
   No – this is considered a dark pattern practice that makes it difficult to cancel or return.
4. How do you prove process compliance when audited?
   Keep logs, confirmations of requests and documentation of process steps in your ERP/CRM system.