Privacy policy

At A Cosy Read, we take your privacy seriously and are committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we may share it with and the rights you have in relation to your personal data.

Who We Are

A Cosy Read is an online retailer selling books, book-themed gifts, personalised items and curated gift packages.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, the business operating A Cosy Read is responsible for the personal information described in this Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions about how we use your information, you can contact us at:

hello@acosyread.com

Information We Collect

When you visit our website, place an order or contact us, we may collect information including:

Your name
Billing address
Delivery address
Email address
Telephone number, including where required for international delivery or customs processing
Order and purchase information
Personalisation details you provide as part of an order
Gift messages
Book preferences or information you provide for a Blind Date with a Book order
Information you provide when contacting us
Website usage and device information
IP address and browser information
Marketing preferences

Payment information is processed securely by the payment providers available through our Shopify store. We do not normally receive or store your complete payment card details.

How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information where necessary to:

Process and fulfil your orders
Take and manage payments
Deliver your purchases
Process international orders, customs information, duties and taxes where applicable
Provide personalised or custom-made products
Select products based on preferences you provide
Send order confirmations, dispatch updates and other information relating to your purchase
Respond to questions, complaints or customer service enquiries
Process refunds or replacements where necessary
Prevent fraud and protect our business and customers
Maintain and improve our website and services
Meet our legal, accounting and tax obligations
Send marketing communications where you have agreed to receive them or where otherwise permitted by law

We will not use your personal information for purposes that are incompatible with those described in this policy unless we have a lawful reason to do so.

Our Legal Basis for Using Your Information

Under UK data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:

Contract - where we need to use your information to process and fulfil an order you have placed with us.

Legal obligation - where we need to retain or use information to comply with legal, tax, accounting, customs or regulatory requirements.

Legitimate interests - where using your information is reasonably necessary to operate, protect or improve our business and does not unfairly override your rights.

Consent - where you have given us permission to use your information for a particular purpose, such as receiving certain marketing communications.

Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time.

Shopify and Shopify Managed Markets

Our online store is hosted using Shopify.

Shopify provides the e-commerce platform that allows us to sell our products and services to you.

When you use our website or place an order, your personal information may therefore be processed by Shopify in order to provide the services required to operate our store.

For eligible international orders, including orders to the USA and Canada, we use Shopify Managed Markets.

Shopify Managed Markets uses third-party services, including Global-e, to support international transactions. These services may assist with matters including international payment processing, duties and taxes, customs documentation, product eligibility and delivery arrangements.

Personal information necessary to process and fulfil an international order may therefore be shared with Shopify, Global-e, payment providers, customs authorities, delivery companies and other service providers involved in completing the transaction.

Customers placing an order through Shopify Managed Markets may also be subject to the applicable privacy terms of Shopify, Global-e and other providers involved in processing the international order.

Shopify may also use cookies and similar technologies as part of the operation, security and performance of the website.

You can find further information about how Shopify handles personal information in Shopify's own privacy documentation.

Payments

Payments are processed through the payment options available at checkout.

Your payment information may be provided directly to Shopify Payments or another payment provider selected by you.

For eligible international orders, payment processing may also involve Shopify Managed Markets and its associated service providers.

We do not normally have access to your full debit or credit card details.

Payment providers process your information in accordance with their own privacy policies and legal obligations.

Delivery Providers

We may share information such as your name, delivery address, email address, telephone number and other necessary delivery information with Royal Mail or another delivery provider where required to fulfil your order.

For international orders, information may also be shared with international carriers, customs authorities, Shopify Managed Markets, Global-e and other organisations involved in the international delivery and customs process.

We only provide information that is reasonably necessary for delivery, customs processing and related services.

Customs and International Orders

When you place an international order, certain personal information may need to be used or shared in order to process the shipment through customs and deliver your order.

This may include your:

Name
Delivery address
Email address
Telephone number
Order information
Details of the products purchased

For eligible international orders processed through Shopify Managed Markets, this information may be provided to Shopify, Global-e, delivery providers, customs authorities and other organisations involved in completing the cross-border transaction.

Other Service Providers

We may use third-party companies to help us operate our business, including providers of:

Website hosting and e-commerce services
Payment processing
Delivery and postage
International commerce and customs services
Customs and import processing
Email services
Marketing
Website analytics
Fraud prevention
Accounting or professional services

These organisations may process personal information on our behalf or as independent data controllers, depending on the service they provide.

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

Marketing Communications

If you choose to receive marketing communications from us, we may send you information about products, new releases, promotions or other A Cosy Read news.

You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe option contained in the communication or by contacting us.

Unsubscribing from marketing will not prevent us from sending you necessary service messages relating to an order you have placed.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies.

Cookies may be used to:

Keep the website functioning correctly
Remember items in your basket
Remember certain preferences
Improve website performance
Understand how visitors use our website
Support analytics and marketing where permitted
Support localisation, market selection and international checkout functionality

Where required, we will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.

You can also manage cookies using your browser settings, although disabling certain cookies may affect how the website functions.

How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to fulfil legal, tax, accounting and reporting requirements.

Order and transaction information may need to be retained for several years to meet our accounting and legal obligations.

Information relating to international orders may also need to be retained where required for customs, tax, delivery or regulatory purposes.

Other information, such as marketing details, may be retained until you unsubscribe or ask us to stop using it, subject to any legal requirements.

When information is no longer required, we will delete it or securely anonymise it where appropriate.

International Transfers

Some of the service providers we use, including Shopify, Global-e, payment providers, delivery companies and other technology providers, may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

For international orders, personal information may also need to be transferred to organisations located in or connected with the destination country, including delivery providers and customs authorities.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, appropriate safeguards will be used where required by applicable data protection law.

Keeping Your Information Secure

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure or alteration.

We also use reputable third-party providers, including Shopify and established payment processors, to provide secure services.

However, no method of transmitting information over the internet or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have rights in relation to your personal information, including the right to:

Ask for access to the personal information we hold about you
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances
Ask us to restrict how we use your information
Object to certain uses of your personal information
Request the transfer of certain information to you or another organisation
Withdraw consent where we rely on consent to process your information

These rights are subject to certain legal conditions and exceptions.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@acosyread.com

We may need to confirm your identity before completing your request.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we use your personal information, please contact us first so that we have the opportunity to address your concerns.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator.

Further information is available from the Information Commissioner's Office.

Children's Privacy

Our website and products are not intended to collect personal information directly from children.

If a parent, guardian or other customer purchases a product for a child, we will only use the information provided as necessary to fulfil that order.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, website, services, international markets or legal requirements.

The latest version will always be published on our website.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact: