Warranty Labels and GARAN Labels for Shopware: What You Need to Know Starting September 2026!

Starting September 27, 2026, new information requirements will apply to European online retail. One point in particular is causing uncertainty: many merchants assume that in the future every single product will have to be marked with a new EU label.

That is actually not correct! This is because the harmonized notice regarding statutory warranty rights and the GARAN label are two completely different things.

• The warranty label provides general information about statutory consumer rights. It is not linked to an individual product and does not need to appear on every single product detail page.

• The GARAN label only applies to products that come with a specific voluntary durability guarantee from the manufacturer. Without such a guarantee, there is no GARAN label.

This takes the biggest worry off the table for many Shopware merchants: if you only offer the statutory warranty and do not have any corresponding additional manufacturer guarantees in your range, you don't need to put a GARAN label on your product detail pages!

In this post, we'll show you the difference between the two labels, where they need to appear in your online shop, and how you can implement these requirements smoothly in Shopware.

The Essentials in Brief

The legal basis is Directive (EU) 2024/825, often referred to as the Empowering Consumers Directive. The design of the harmonized notice and the GARAN label is regulated by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960. In Germany, the implementation was announced in February 2026, and the new obligations will apply from September 27, 2026.

Warranty vs. Guarantee: The Decisive Difference

In everyday language, "warranty" and "guarantee" are often used interchangeably. Legally, however, they are clearly distinct.

The statutory warranty relates to the seller's liability for defects. It exists by law and does not depend on whether a manufacturer additionally promises a guarantee.

A guarantee, on the other hand, is a voluntary additional service. It can be offered by the manufacturer or the seller and covers specific properties or a certain durability.

This is why the EU also consciously distinguishes between two instruments: the "harmonized notice on the statutory warranty right" and the "harmonized label for the commercial durability guarantee," the GARAN label.

This distinction is central to the technical implementation in Shopware. One is general consumer information, and the other is product-specific labelling.

What is the Warranty Label?

The so-called warranty label is officially called the harmonized notice on the statutory warranty right. The term "notice" actually describes its function much better: it does not label a special property of a product, but simply informs consumers about rights they are already legally entitled to.

Among other things, the notice draws attention to the fact that consumer goods sold in the EU generally carry a minimum of two years of statutory warranty protection. Depending on the member state, this period can be longer.

The design, content, and QR code are predetermined. In online shops, the notice must be displayed in color. The official files are provided by the European Commission in all EU languages.

Does the warranty notice have to be on every product page?

No. Official EU information explicitly speaks of a general notice on the website for online shops. The IHK Cologne also clarifies that the notice does not need to be displayed on every product or on every single product page.

This is an important point for merchants: the statutory warranty does not turn your product detail page into additional "label space."

A central placement on the website is possible. For example, the IHK Cologne considers a link in the footer to be conceivable. However, since the information must be provided in a prominent manner, we would not generally classify an inconspicuous footer link as a legally secure universal solution. The specific integration should be checked for each individual shop.

Additionally, the IHK Cologne points out that for Germany, the mandatory information must be provided on a durable medium after the conclusion of the contract, which means the warranty notice also belongs in the order confirmation email.

What is the GARAN Label?

First of all, the GARAN label has nothing to do with the standard statutory warranty. It marks a voluntary commercial durability guarantee from the manufacturer.

It becomes relevant when the manufacturer's guarantee:

• is offered at no additional cost,

• covers the entire product,

• is valid for longer than two years,

• and the manufacturer provides the merchant with the corresponding information.

Only when these requirements are met must the GARAN label be used for the product in question. A guarantee for only a single component, a paid guarantee, or a guarantee of exactly two years does not automatically trigger the need for a GARAN label.

The label includes details such as the guarantee duration, brand or trademark, model identifier, and a QR code. The detailed guarantee conditions are also included.

Does the GARAN Label Have to Be on the Product Detail Page?

This is where the key difference to the warranty notice lies: The GARAN label is product-specific. Consumers must easily be able to see which specific product benefits from the additional durability guarantee.

The EU guidelines show various options for e-commerce: for example, next to the product image, as a separate image in the gallery, in the product description, or as a compact, expandable view. The IHK Cologne also refers to these options.

For Shopware merchants, this does not mean that a large GARAN label has to dominate the product page at all times. A nested format is explicitly intended for e-commerce. This keeps the label compact, with the full label only opening upon interaction.

Additionally, the GARAN label must be clearly and prominently displayed for any affected product immediately before the order is placed. For Germany, the IHK Cologne points out that it should be shown in the shopping cart and also in the confirmation email.

Therefore, we would not recommend using only the checkout and otherwise keeping the GARAN label completely off the product presentation as a secure standard solution. But the good news remains: only products with a qualified durability guarantee are affected – and you can easily use the compact nested display on the product page!

What Does This Mean Concretely for Your Shopware Shop?

When doing your technical planning, it is best to talk about your product range first, rather than plugins.

Scenario 1: You have no GARAN-relevant manufacturer guarantees. In this case, no product-specific GARAN logic is needed. The general warranty notice can be integrated centrally into your shop and order communication.

Scenario 2: Only individual products are GARAN-relevant. Then precisely these products will need the additional guarantee information and the appropriate GARAN label. Other product pages remain completely unaffected.

Scenario 3: Many products or brands are affected. This is when a structured data maintenance process with manufacturer defaults, product-specific overrides, and potentially a connection to your PIM or ERP really pays off!

This preliminary check is highly valuable because it can significantly reduce technical effort. At Nimbits, we always check first which products are actually affected and whether an existing Shopware extension is sufficient or if additional adjustments to your theme, checkout, or data flows are needed.

What Data Does the GARAN Label Need in Shopware?

For the general warranty label, Shopware does not require any product-specific guarantee logic. For the GARAN label, however, the situation is different.

Here, structured data is particularly needed for guarantee duration, manufacturer/brand, model identifier, and guarantee conditions. Setting manufacturer values as defaults that can be overwritten at the product level if needed is a great approach.

This is especially important for larger product ranges and variants. Guarantee periods or model identifiers can vary within a single brand. With an ERP or PIM integration, this data should therefore be transferred to Shopware as automatically as possible.

Implementation with the Plugin from TC-Innovations

One excellent technical solution is the Shopware extension EU Label | EU Warranty Label & GARAN Guarantee Label by TC-Innovations.

According to the current Shopware Store listing, it is available for Shopware 6.7 and provides the EU labels locally in your shop in 24 languages. For the GARAN label, it utilizes product and manufacturer data and supports features like manufacturer defaults, product overrides, model identifiers, and guarantee conditions as PDFs or external URLs.

The structured data logic is a huge plus: if any information required for the GARAN label is missing, the output can be suppressed instead of showing an incomplete label.

However, please remember: a plugin does not decide which products legally fall under the GARAN rule and is no substitute for checking manufacturer information. Custom themes, headless frontends, or bespoke checkout processes may also require additional adjustments.

When is a Custom Shopware Solution Best?

A custom implementation makes great sense if your guarantee data comes from a PIM or ERP, if guarantees differ by variant, if a headless frontend is used, or if order communications and documents are generated individually.

In such setups, we also recommend storing the guarantee data valid at the time of purchase as a snapshot within the order. This ensures it remains transparent later on which guarantee duration, model identifier, and guarantee conditions were active when the purchase was made.

A Quick Checklist for Shopware Merchants

To get started, simply ask yourself these four questions:

1. Does your shop sell goods to consumers?

2. Which of your products actually have a GARAN-relevant durability guarantee?

3. Do you have the guarantee duration, model identifier, and guarantee conditions ready for these products?

4. Is an existing extension sufficient, or do your theme, checkout, PIM/ERP, or order communication require custom adjustments?

How Nimbits Can Help You

We are here to help you implement the new information obligations perfectly tailored to your Shopware setup! First, we will clarify whether only the general warranty notice is relevant for your product range, or if specific products additionally need a GARAN label.

Afterward, we will implement the ideal technical solution for you – from integrating an existing extension to making custom adjustments to your theme, checkout, ERP/PIM, and order communication.

Conclusion: Two Labels, Two Completely Different Tasks

The most important takeaway for Shopware merchants is: The warranty notice and the GARAN label are not the same thing.

The warranty notice provides general information on statutory consumer rights and does not need to appear on every single product page. The GARAN label, on the other hand, only applies to specific products that come with a qualified manufacturer durability guarantee.

If you don't offer such a manufacturer guarantee or sell corresponding products, you don't need a GARAN label on your product pages. And even for affected products, the label can be integrated compactly online as a nested label.

For merchants, taking stock of your product range is the perfect first step. Often, the required implementation is much smaller than the phrase "new EU label obligation" might initially make you think!

Please note: This article is for general informational purposes and does not replace individual legal advice.