Privacy policy

This Privacy Policy describes how your Personal Information is collected, used, and shared when you visit or make a purchase from www.thesoapstandard.com.au ("this Website”). By using this Website, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.

SECTION 1 – Personal Information

Personal Information refers to any information that can be used to identify an individual, either alone or in combination with other data. This may include, but is not limited to, a person's name, address, phone number, email address, date of birth, credit card information, or any other data that is linked to a specific individual.

The types of information we collect on this Website include:

• Contact information: This includes your name, email address, delivery address, and phone number. We use this information to communicate with you and deliver our products to you.
• Payment information: When you place an order, we may collect your payment details, such as your billing address and payment card information. Please note that we do not directly store any payment card information entered through this Website, as payments are processed by secure third-party payment processors.
• Purchase history: We keep a record of your orders and the products you have purchased through this Website.
• Newsletter subscription information: If you subscribe to our newsletter, we may collect your name and email address for the purpose of sending you marketing materials.

While providing your Personal Information to us is not mandatory, please note that if you choose not to provide us with the information we request, we may not be able to fulfil your order for products or create an account for you.

In addition to the Personal Information you provide, we also collect certain information about your device and usage of this Website. This information includes:

• Cookies: These are data files that are placed on your device or computer, often containing an anonymous unique identifier. For more information about cookies, including how to disable them, please visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
• Internet protocol (IP) address: This helps us learn about your browser and operating system, and is used for diagnostic and statistical purposes.
• Referral information: We may collect information about the websites and search terms that referred you to this Website, if any. 
• Log files: These provide information about how you interact with this Website, including the individual web pages or products you view, tags used, and date and time stamps.

SECTION 2 – How we collect data

We gather your Personal Information through the Shopify platform when you provide it to us, such as when you place an order, sign up for an account, receive marketing communications, or make an enquiry. Additionally, we collect your Personal Information through your use of this Website and in compliance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (PPIP Act) (Privacy Act). For further information, please review the Privacy Act at www.privacy.gov.au.

If you access this Website from outside of Australia, you acknowledge and agree that any Personal Information you provide to us is subject to this Privacy Policy and the Privacy Act.

We utilise social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, which may be linked to this Website through social media buttons. Your usage of these third-party services is entirely voluntary. We may collect and use any information that you make public while using any such third-party social media service for our business purposes. The privacy policies and practices of those service providers govern all such third-party services, and we are not responsible for them. If you do not wish to provide your Personal Information to any of these third parties or share information publicly, we recommend avoiding the use of their services.

We kindly request that you refrain from sharing Personal Information about other individuals with us unless you have obtained their consent to do so. If you provide Personal Information related to a third party, you confirm that you are authorised to do so and have made the individual aware of the information contained in this Privacy Policy.

SECTION 3 – How we manage Personal Information

When you offer your Personal Information on this Website, such as to finalise a transaction, authenticate your payment details, schedule a delivery or return a purchase, you are giving your consent to our collection and usage of your information for that specific purpose.

If we request your Personal Information for a secondary purpose, such as sending you marketing communications, we will either explicitly seek your consent or provide you with an opportunity to decline, if obtaining your express consent is not required by any applicable law.

In the event that you change your mind after providing your consent, you can withdraw it by contacting us through the Contact Form available on this Website or at thesoapstandard@gmail.com. Additionally, you can opt out of marketing emails by utilising the unsubscribe feature provided in those emails.

SECTION 4 – How we use Personal Information

We will obtain, utilise, and share your Personal Information as required to complete your order, which includes verifying and confirming your order details, delivering the products you have ordered, and addressing any concerns or inquiries you may have regarding your order.

If we intend to use your Personal Information for marketing purposes, we will explicitly request your clear consent to do so. This means that we will provide you with a clear explanation of the types of marketing material we will send, how often we will send it, and how you can opt out at any time. We will only send you marketing material if you have provided us with your express consent, or if obtaining your express consent is not required by any relevant law.

We may collect, use and disclose your Personal Information for our legitimate interests in order to administer your account (if you create one) and any participation in our newsletter. This includes providing you with information related to your account or newsletter participation. Additionally, we may use your Personal Information to conduct our business, which includes managing and analysing our customer data, improving your experience on this Website, conducting customer surveys, and improving this Website through analytics about how our customers browse and interact with it. We may also use your Personal Information to assess the success of our marketing and advertising campaigns.

We may disclose your Personal Information to third parties in certain circumstances, such as to prevent or investigate illegal activities, to enforce our Terms of Service, to comply with legal obligations, or to facilitate services provided by third parties such as payment gateways. We will only share your Personal Information to the extent necessary for these purposes, and we will take appropriate measures to ensure that your Personal Information is protected. For more information, you can refer to our Terms of Service on this Website.

We may use, collect and disclose your Personal Information for the aforementioned purposes, as permitted by the Privacy Act, or in any other way with your explicit consent.

We may share your Personal Information with third-party service providers or business partners who help us in using your Personal Information for the purposes mentioned in this Privacy Policy. These third-party service providers or business partners may include payment processors, shipping and delivery companies, marketing and advertising agencies, and analytics providers.

To enable us to provide our e-commerce services, we use Shopify to process orders, authenticate and process payments, and screen for fraudulent transactions. As a result, Shopify may collect your Personal Information for these purposes. For more information about how Shopify collects, uses, and discloses your Personal Information, please refer to their Privacy Policy at https://www.shopify.com/legal/privacy. If you choose to use PayPal to complete your transaction, PayPal may also collect and use your Personal Information to pre-fill your checkout information. You can view PayPal’s Privacy Policy at https://www.paypal.com/au/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full.

To help us understand how our customers use this Website, we use Google Analytics, which is a web analytics service provided by Google Inc. ("Google"). Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information about how visitors use this Website. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the Website (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States. Google will use this information for the purpose of evaluating your use of the Website, compiling reports on Website activity for website operators, and providing other services relating to website activity and internet usage. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google's behalf. You can find more information on how Google uses your Personal Information by visiting their Privacy Policy page here: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/.

SECTION 5 – Other Third Party Services

We engage with third-party service providers to help us process your payments, deliver your orders, and send our marketing communications. These service providers will only collect, use, and disclose your information as necessary to provide their services to us. We do not sell or provide any identifiable information about our customers to third parties for profit.

We may transfer your Personal Information to other third-party service providers, as described in other sections of this Privacy Policy, for the purposes of performing services on our behalf, processing your Personal Information on our behalf, or storing it on our behalf. In some cases, we may authorise Shopify to transfer your Personal Information to these third-party service providers. We ensure that these third-party providers comply with relevant privacy laws and regulations and have appropriate security measures in place to protect your Personal Information.

If you choose to make a transaction using our online store and website, your Personal Information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction(s) where the third party or its facilities are located. We will not permit any of these third parties to use your Personal Information for their own purposes, except when necessary for the third party to enforce their legal rights or to comply with their legal obligations.

We may disclose your contact information to third-party service providers such as Australia Post to enable tracking and delivery of your purchases from this Website. We will only disclose the necessary information required for them to perform their services, and we will require that they protect your Personal Information and comply with all relevant privacy laws. You can view Australia Post's Privacy Policy on their website.

This website uses a direct payment gateway for completing purchases, meaning that your credit card information is stored only with the third-party payment gateway in an encrypted format, compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS). We do not store any credit card details. However, Shopify stores the data entered in other checkout fields, such as name and address, which is separate from the billing field data, like the long card number and CVC. The payment card information is entered in a hosted payment field within a PCI-DSS validated server, ensuring a PCI-compliant checkout experience and secure handling of your credit card information by our store and its service providers.

SECTION 6 – Disclosure to Third Party Services

It's important to note that these disclosures will only be made where necessary and in accordance with the Privacy Act and other applicable laws. We take the protection of your Personal Information seriously and will only disclose it in the circumstances outlined above or with your explicit consent.

It's important to note that when you leave this Website or are redirected to a third-party website or application, the privacy practices of those websites or applications are no longer governed by this Website's Privacy Policy or Terms of Service. It is important to read the privacy statements of other websites to understand how they collect, use, and disclose your personal information. This helps you make informed decisions about sharing your personal information and protects your privacy.

SECTION 7 – Data Retention Policy

We will keep your Personal Information as long as it is necessary for the purpose it was collected for, including during the time you hold an active account with us or when we need to provide you with our products or services. We may also retain your Personal Information to comply with legal obligations. We will not hold your Personal Information for a longer period than necessary.

If you want us to delete your Personal Information, cancel your account, withdraw your consent to use your information for marketing communications, or have any other requests related to your Personal Information, please contact us at thesoapstandard@gmail.com. We will only keep your Personal Information as long as it is necessary to fulfil legal obligations, settle disputes, or enforce our Terms of Service.

SECTION 8 – Security and Cookies

We take reasonable measures to protect your Personal Information and follow industry best practices to prevent inappropriate loss, misuse, access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. This Website is secured with SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encryption, which is the industry standard for online security. When you provide credit card information, it is encrypted during transmission to prevent unauthorised access. Once your purchase is dispatched, your credit card details are removed from our system to ensure your continued protection.

While we take reasonable steps to protect your Personal Information, no system can guarantee 100% security. Therefore, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you provide to us, and we are not liable for any unauthorised access, use, disclosure or loss of Personal Information. In the event of a security breach, we may attempt to notify you electronically via email, posting a notice on this Website, or by mail.

As you use this Website, you agree that we may place cookies on your device. Cookies are small data files that are stored on your device's web browser, such as a computer or tablet. They may contain information about your device, your IP address, your session, and the online activity of anyone using your device. For example, cookies help us keep track of your shopping cart.

You have the option to disable or reject the use of cookies in most browsers. However, if you choose to disable or reject cookies, some functions of this Website may not be available or may take longer to process.

As mentioned, we use Google Analytics to help analyse the use of this Website. This involves the use of cookies, which generate information about your use of the website that is stored on Google servers in the United States of America. This information is pseudonymized and includes your IP address, transaction IDs, and email hash. Google uses this information to evaluate your use of the website, create activity reports for us, and provide website activity and internet usage services. By using this Website, you consent to the processing of your data by Google in the manner and for the purposes described above. You can view Google’s Privacy Policy for more information about how they handle user data.

SECTION 9 – Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time, and the changes will become effective immediately when posted on this Website. If we make any significant changes to this policy, we will notify you by posting an updated version of the policy on this Website. We encourage you to check this page periodically to review any changes to the policy.

SECTION 10 – User’s Rights and Contact Information

You have the right to access, amend or delete your Personal Information that we hold. If you wish to do so, please contact us through the Contact Form on this Website or via email at thesoapstandard@gmail.com. To protect your privacy, we may need to verify your identity before granting you access to your Personal Information. 

If you have a dispute with us regarding the handling of your Personal Information, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy for assistance.