The General Product Safety Regulation requires that a consumer can find a number of basic data points with a product: the identity and contact details of the manufacturer, a way to identify the product (for example type, batch or serial number if relevant for safety), and warnings or instructions necessary to use the product safely. For products sold via the internet, this information must also be visible at the place where the consumer makes the purchase: the product page itself, not only on the packaging seen after purchase.
Which components are mandatory depends on the product type and your role in the supply chain. A manufacturer has different obligations than an importer or distributor, and not every product requires the same level of detail. Those who want a concrete picture of this for their own assortment can obtain one have that clarified in a few questions without needing an account for that.
What the regulation expects as a foundation
The regulation is based on the idea that a consumer, before and after purchase, can see who is behind a product and what risk may be associated with it. In practice, this means that a product page must list the name of the manufacturer, together with a postal address and an electronic contact point. For products imported from outside the EU, the name and contact address of the importer are added, and for certain product categories a responsible person within the EU is designated whose details must also be made known.
The exact wording of this obligation is found in the regulation itself, which can be consulted via EUR-Lex. Those who are unsure whether a specific provision applies to their product would do well to consult the legal text or a lawyer; this article describes the main points, not a definitive judgment on an individual case.
Identification: when a type or batch number is needed
Not every product requires a type or batch number on the product page, but where identification is relevant for safety — think of products that may be recalled in the event of a defect — it is expected that a consumer can recognise the specific item. This can be done via a model number, a production code or another identifier that the manufacturer assigns itself. What is important is that this information actually appears on the page and not only on the packaging that the customer sees only at home.
Warnings and instructions for use
Where a product carries a risk that is not immediately obvious, the regulation expects that the associated warning or instruction for use is provided with the product, and not only after purchase. This also touches on the question of in what language this information must appear; that subject is discussed in more detail in a separate article in the knowledge base On this point it is mainly relevant that the warning appears as text on the page, not hidden behind a link or only in an attached document file that the consumer does not see before purchasing.
What this means for how you structure it
For a webshop, this comes down to a fixed information block per product: name and contact details of the responsible party, an identification feature where relevant, and the warnings applicable to that specific product. Some entrepreneurs try to solve this with a QR code pointing to a pdf, but the regulation requires that the core warnings are directly readable without the consumer having to scan or download something first; how this subject is precisely situated is worked out elsewhere in the knowledge base.
Because this can differ per product and per sales country, many companies work with a fixed template that is completed per item, so nothing is overlooked when a new product is added. How such a structure is built and where the underlying information comes from is explained on the page that explains how that process works.
Difference between what is required and what is sensible
In addition to legally required information, many webshops choose to display extra information, such as a warranty period or a link to a manual. That is permitted, but it does not replace the mandatory components. It is up to the entrepreneur, possibly with a lawyer, to assess which information is necessary for a specific product; this article provides the framework for that, not a definitive answer for your own assortment.
Anyone who wants to see which obligations apply concretely to their own role and product category can use the role check or review the structure of a product dossier via the description of what the system offers for that. The free role check provides at least an initial indication, with a reference in the official text, so you can check for yourself where a statement is based.