Selling goods, services, or digital content online to consumers in the EU and the UK involves more than just setting up a website or app. It requires adherence to specific consumer laws that mandate the provision of essential information to customers.
This guide aims to simplify the complexities of these laws, focusing on the informational duties that businesses must fulfill.
A key requirement under both EU and UK consumer law is that certain disclosures must be provided to consumers on a “durable medium.”
This means a medium that allows information to remain accessible and unchanged for a period necessary for the purposes of the information. The most common and practical way to meet this requirement is by offering an option for consumers to download a PDF file containing all the mandatory disclosures.
Businesses are required to inform consumers about various aspects of their products, services, or digital content.
Here’s a breakdown of the essential information that must be communicated:
The most common practice for fulfilling the durable medium requirement is to first display all necessary information on the product page, shopping cart, or during the purchase process on the business’s platform.
Following a purchase, businesses should then send an order confirmation email containing the same information, ensuring that consumers have a record of the details relevant to their purchase.
Compliance with EU and UK consumer law is not just about avoiding legal repercussions; it’s about building trust with your customers by ensuring transparency and safeguarding their rights. By providing all mandatory disclosures as outlined above, businesses can foster a better relationship with their customers and navigate the complexities of online sales with confidence.
iubenda facilitates compliance by enabling businesses to offer a downloadable PDF version of the Terms and Conditions (T&C) that govern transactions with customers.
Within iubenda’s Terms and Condition Generator, clauses containing mandatory disclosures are clearly marked, guiding businesses to include all necessary information in their contracts.
Please keep in mind that, some mandatory information cannot be included in T&C generator as it depends on the specific order or purchase placed by the end-user. It’s always the traders responsibility to verify that the website, app and/or business is compliant with all applicable mandatory provisions, and that using T&Cs created with our generator will help, but in some cases it might not be enough.
Read more about it here, or start generating below.
