Shopify is the most popular ecommerce platform among EU sellers, and its default theme setup was not designed with GPSR in mind. Here is a practical, step-by-step compliance checklist for Shopify merchants selling to EU customers — covering product pages, legal pages, theme customisation, and what to verify before an enforcement visit.
1. Product page requirements
Every product page must display the following information visibly to the consumer. "Visibly" means the information must be readable without downloading a document or following a link to a separate tab.
- Manufacturer name and EU address. Add this in the product description or as a dedicated metafield displayed via your theme. For example: "Manufactured by [Legal Name], [Street Address], [City, Country], [Postcode]."
- Product identifier. Model number, batch number, or type designation. Shopify's default SKU field is not displayed on product pages — you must either use the SKU in the title/description or create a custom metafield.
- Electronic contact. An email address or contact form link for the manufacturer. A link to your general contact page is acceptable if the contact method is clearly for product-related enquiries.
- Safety warnings. For regulated product categories (electronics, toys, cosmetics, food contact), include applicable safety warnings in the language of the customer's country. Shopify Markets can help deliver localised content.
- EU Responsible Person. If your manufacturer is based outside the EU, display the EU Responsible Person's name and EU address on each product page. Required for non-EU brands sold to EU consumers.
2. Legal pages (required by GPSR)
GPSR requires certain information to be accessible on your store. These are separate from GPSR product-page requirements:
- Terms and conditions — linked from the footer and checkout
- Privacy policy — linked from the footer (also required by GDPR)
- Return and refund policy — including the 14-day withdrawal right required by EU consumer law
- Cookie consent — a compliant cookie banner that requests consent before non-essential tracking cookies are set
In Shopify: go to Settings → Policies to add your legal pages. Shopify generates template text, but review it carefully — the template withdrawal right section often needs updating for your specific product categories.
3. Shopify Metafields for GPSR data
The cleanest way to add manufacturer information across hundreds of products is via Shopify Metafields:
- Go to Settings → Custom data → Products
- Create metafields:
manufacturer_name,manufacturer_address,manufacturer_contact,product_identifier,eu_responsible_person - Fill these metafields per product (or bulk via the Shopify admin CSV export/import)
- Edit your theme to display metafield values on product pages — in the Online Store editor, use the "Add block" function to insert a metafield text block in the product section
4. CMS-specific considerations
Shopify's default themes (Dawn, Sense, Craft) do not include GPSR fields out of the box. Third-party apps for GPSR compliance exist (search "GPSR" in the Shopify App Store) and can automate the display of manufacturer data across product pages. However, most are subscription-based — if you have fewer than 50 products, manual metafields are often more cost-effective.
Note: If you use Shopify Markets to sell in multiple EU countries, ensure that safety warnings are translated and localised per market. English-only warnings are non-compliant for French, German, Spanish, and other non-English-speaking EU consumers.
5. Pre-enforcement checklist
Before an enforcement visit or audit, verify the following:
- [ ] Every product page shows manufacturer name and registered address
- [ ] Every product page shows a product identifier (model/batch/type)
- [ ] Every product page has a contact method for product enquiries
- [ ] Safety warnings are present in the relevant EU languages
- [ ] EU Responsible Person name and address is listed (if manufacturer is non-EU)
- [ ] Terms & conditions page is live and linked from footer
- [ ] Privacy policy is live and linked from footer
- [ ] Return/refund policy includes the 14-day withdrawal right
- [ ] Cookie consent banner is active and requests consent before tracking
- [ ] Company VAT number and registered address are accessible on the site
Run a free EuroGPSR scan of your Shopify store to automatically check which of these requirements are currently missing or incorrectly implemented.