# Privacy Policy

**Last updated: 22 May 2026**

We're a small, single-product company. We collect the minimum information needed to ship your order and reply to you — nothing else. This page explains exactly what, why, and how long.

## Who we are

**Soothe** is operated as a sole trader registered in Ireland. Contact: **hello@soothe.shop**.

For the purposes of GDPR, we are the **data controller** for any personal information you give us through this website.

## What we collect

When you **buy something**, we collect:
- Name, shipping address, email, phone number
- Payment information (handled directly by Shopify Payments / Stripe / PayPal — we never see your card number)
- Order history

When you **sign up for our newsletter**, we collect:
- Email address
- Date of signup

When you **just browse the site**, we collect:
- Pages you viewed, how you got here, browser/device info, approximate location (city level)
- This is collected by Shopify's built-in analytics and (where applicable) TikTok Pixel and Google Analytics

## Why we collect it

| Data | Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Order details | To ship your belt and provide customer support | Contract performance |
| Email (newsletter) | To send promotions and updates | Your consent |
| Browsing data | To improve the site and run ads | Legitimate interest / consent |

We do not sell your data to anyone. Ever.

## Who we share it with

We only share data with companies we need to run the shop:

- **Shopify** — hosts the site and processes orders
- **Our fulfillment partner** — receives your shipping address to send the belt
- **Email provider** (Shopify Email / Klaviyo if applicable) — sends order confirmations and newsletter
- **Payment processors** (Shopify Payments, PayPal, Klarna) — handle payments
- **Analytics & ad platforms** (TikTok, Google) — only if you've consented to cookies

If law enforcement issues a valid legal request, we comply. We have no other reasons to share your data.

## Cookies

We use:
- **Essential cookies** — to make the cart and checkout work. Can't be disabled.
- **Analytics cookies** — to see what people do on the site. You can decline these on the cookie banner.
- **Marketing cookies** — to show you Soothe ads on TikTok and Google after you visit. You can decline these too.

## How long we keep it

- **Order data**: 7 years (Irish tax law requires it)
- **Newsletter email**: Until you unsubscribe
- **Browsing data**: 14 months (Google/TikTok defaults)

## Your rights (GDPR)

You can ask us to:
- **See** what data we have on you
- **Correct** anything that's wrong
- **Delete** your data (except what we're legally required to keep, like order records for tax)
- **Move** your data to another provider
- **Stop processing** your data for marketing

Email **hello@soothe.shop** and put "Privacy request" in the subject. We respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the **Irish Data Protection Commission** (dataprotection.ie) if you think we've messed up.

## Children

We don't knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. The product itself isn't intended for minors. If you're a parent and find your child has signed up, email us and we'll delete the record.

## Changes

If we update this policy, we'll change the "Last updated" date at the top. Substantive changes (new third parties, new purposes) will trigger an email if you're on our list.

Questions? **hello@soothe.shop**