Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy describes how your personal information is collected, used and shared when you visit or make a purchase from claddaghstore.com (the “Site”).

By using our website, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. We are committed to handling your personal information responsibly, transparently and in accordance with applicable data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable Irish data protection laws.

Information We Collect

When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain information about your device and how you interact with our website. We refer to this as Device Information.

Device Information includes:

• Your IP address.
• Your browser type and version.
• Your device type and operating system.
• Your time zone.
• Pages viewed and products visited.
• How you navigate and interact with our website.
• Referring websites and search terms.
• Cookie identifiers and similar technologies.

We collect this information using cookies, log files, web beacons, tags and similar technologies to better understand how visitors use our website and to improve its performance.

Order Information

When you place an order or attempt to place an order, we collect information required to process your purchase. This may include:

• Full name
• Billing address
• Shipping address
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Payment details (processed securely through our payment providers)
• Order history
• Any information you voluntarily provide when contacting us.

Throughout this Privacy Policy, “Personal Information” refers to both Device Information and Order Information.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience, remember your preferences, analyse website traffic and help us improve our services.

Some cookies are essential for the website to function correctly, while others help us understand how visitors use our website or personalise your experience.

You can manage or disable cookies at any time through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

How We Use Your Personal Information

We use the information we collect to provide our products and services, improve your shopping experience and comply with our legal obligations.

Your Personal Information may be used to:

• Process and fulfil your orders.
• Process secure payments.
• Arrange shipping and delivery.
• Provide invoices and order confirmations.
• Respond to customer enquiries.
• Provide customer support.
• Notify you about your order status.
• Detect fraudulent or suspicious activity.
• Improve our website and customer experience.
• Analyse website performance and visitor behaviour.
• Send promotional emails or newsletters where you have chosen to receive them.

We will only use your Personal Information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we are legally required or permitted to do otherwise.

Legal Basis for Processing Your Information

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we process your Personal Information only where we have a lawful basis to do so.

These lawful bases include:

• Contractual necessity – to process and deliver your order, arrange payment and provide customer service.
• Legal obligations – to comply with taxation, accounting and other legal requirements.
• Legitimate interests – to improve our website, prevent fraud, secure our services and enhance the customer experience.
• Consent – where you have chosen to receive marketing communications or accepted optional cookies.

Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Sharing Your Personal Information

We only share your Personal Information with trusted third parties where it is necessary to operate our business or fulfil your order.

These service providers may include:

• WooCommerce – powers our online store.
  
  

  Privacy Policy

• Payment providers – securely process card and online payments.
• Shipping providers – deliver your orders.
• Google Analytics – helps us understand how visitors use our website.
  
  https://policies.google.com/privacy

You may opt out of Google Analytics by installing Google’s browser add-on:

https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

We may also disclose Personal Information where required by law, legal proceedings, court order, regulatory authority or where necessary to protect our legal rights, customers or business.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help our website function correctly and improve your browsing experience.

We use several types of cookies, including:

• Essential Cookies – Required for the website and shopping cart to function correctly.
• Performance Cookies – Help us understand how visitors use our website.
• Functional Cookies – Remember your preferences and settings.
• Marketing Cookies – Help deliver more relevant advertising where applicable.

Most web browsers allow you to control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

Marketing & Behavioural Advertising

Where you have provided your consent, we may use your Personal Information to send you information about new products, special offers and promotions that may be of interest.

We may also use trusted advertising partners to help deliver more relevant advertisements based on your browsing activity.

You can opt out of personalised advertising through the following services:

• Facebook Ad Settings
• Google Ad Settings
• Microsoft Advertising
• European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance

You may unsubscribe from our marketing emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in every email or by contacting us directly.

Do Not Track

Some web browsers include a “Do Not Track” (DNT) feature. At present there is no universally accepted standard for responding to DNT signals, therefore our website does not automatically change its data collection practices when such a signal is received.

You can still control cookies and tracking technologies through your browser settings or your cookie preferences where available.

Your Privacy Rights

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the United Kingdom or another jurisdiction with similar privacy legislation, you have important rights regarding your personal information.

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of your personal information (“Right to be Forgotten”).
• Restrict processing of your personal information.
• Object to certain processing activities, including direct marketing.
• Request a copy of your personal information in a portable electronic format.
• Withdraw your consent at any time where processing is based on consent.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, simply contact us using the contact details provided at the bottom of this Privacy Policy.

International Transfers

Some of the trusted service providers we use may process or store personal information outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including in countries such as the United States and Canada.

Whenever personal information is transferred internationally, we take appropriate safeguards to ensure your information remains protected in accordance with applicable data protection laws.

These safeguards may include contractual agreements approved by the European Commission or other legally recognised transfer mechanisms.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy or to comply with applicable legal, accounting and regulatory obligations.

For example:

• Order information is retained for accounting, taxation and warranty purposes.
• Customer correspondence may be retained to help resolve future enquiries.
• Marketing preferences are retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw your consent.
• Website analytics data is retained only for as long as necessary for reporting purposes.

If you request that your personal information be deleted, we will do so unless we are legally required to retain certain information.

Keeping Your Information Secure

We take the security of your personal information seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures designed to protect it against accidental loss, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

These measures include secure website technologies, encrypted payment processing through trusted payment providers and restricted access to customer information.

While no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure, we continually review and improve our security practices to help protect your information.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

From time to time we may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes to our business practices, technology, legal requirements or regulatory obligations.

Any changes will be published on this page and will become effective immediately upon publication unless otherwise stated.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, our privacy practices or how your personal information is handled, we’d be happy to help.