Website services
Technologies used by our online shop
The Online Cider Shop uses a number of website, ecommerce, payment,
security and measurement services. These services may place
cookies or use similar technologies when their features are
required or permitted by your choices.
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WordPress website technology
The The Online Cider Shop website is built using WordPress, a
content-management system used to display and manage website
pages, articles, customer features and administrative
functions.
WordPress and associated plugins may use cookies or similar
technologies to:
- Maintain secure website sessions
- Support customer and administrator logins
- Remember selected website preferences
- Protect forms and accounts against misuse
- Maintain website and administrative functionality
- Record whether certain notices have been dismissed
Logged-in users
Where a customer or authorised administrator signs in,
WordPress may use authentication and session cookies to
identify the logged-in browser and maintain secure access.
These cookies are generally treated as necessary where they
are required to provide the account or administration service
requested by the user.
Website preferences
WordPress, our website theme or installed plugins may also
store preferences relating to the display, accessibility or
operation of the website.
Whether a preference cookie is essential or optional depends
on its precise purpose and configuration.
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WooCommerce shopping cookies
The Online Cider Shop uses WooCommerce to provide the product catalogue,
shopping basket, customer account, checkout and order
functions.
WooCommerce uses cookies and session technology so that the
shop can recognise the contents of a basket and maintain the
shopping process as a visitor moves between pages.
Shopping basket
Basket-related technologies may be used to:
- Remember which products have been added to the basket
- Remember product quantities and selected variations
- Update the basket after a product is added or removed
- Maintain the basket while different pages are viewed
- Calculate order totals and delivery options
- Identify whether the basket contains any items
These functions are normally considered strictly necessary
because the requested online-shopping service cannot work
properly without them.
Typical WooCommerce technologies
Depending on the WooCommerce version and website
configuration, shopping technologies may include cookies with
names similar to:
| Cookie or technology |
Typical purpose |
General category |
|
woocommerce_cart_hash
|
Helps WooCommerce determine when the basket contents
have changed
|
Strictly necessary
|
|
woocommerce_items_in_cart
|
Helps WooCommerce identify whether the basket contains
products
|
Strictly necessary
|
|
wp_woocommerce_session_*
|
Stores a unique reference that allows the website to
locate the relevant basket information
|
Strictly necessary
|
|
woocommerce_recently_viewed
|
May support a recently viewed products feature where
that feature is enabled
|
Functional or preference-based
|
The precise names, use and duration of WooCommerce cookies may
change when WooCommerce, the theme or an associated plugin is
updated.
Checkout and order processing
During checkout, WooCommerce and connected services may use
session technology to:
- Maintain the products being purchased
- Calculate delivery charges and taxes
- Apply discount or promotional codes
- Preserve information entered during checkout
- Connect the checkout with the selected payment provider
- Prevent duplicate or unauthorised order submissions
- Return the customer to the correct order-confirmation page
Basket information and personal information
A WooCommerce basket cookie may contain or refer to a unique
session identifier rather than storing the complete basket
or customer details directly within the cookie.
The relevant basket and order information may instead be
held securely within the website database and linked to that
session reference.
15
Customer accounts and login sessions
Where customer-account functions are available, cookies may
be used to maintain a secure login session.
These technologies may help the website:
- Recognise that a customer has signed in
- Provide access to account information
- Display previous orders
- Remember account-related preferences
- Protect the account against unauthorised access
- Sign the customer out after an appropriate period
Login and authentication cookies are normally treated as
necessary where the customer has requested access to their
account.
You should always sign out when using a shared or public
computer.
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Stripe and secure payment processing
The Online Cider Shop uses Stripe to process eligible online card
payments and other payment methods made available through the
checkout.
Stripe may use cookies or similar technologies when its
payment services are loaded or used.
Why Stripe may use technology
Stripe technologies may support:
- Secure payment processing
- Card and payment-method authentication
- Fraud detection and prevention
- Recognition of suspicious payment activity
- Maintaining the payment session
- Remembering eligible payment preferences
- Compliance with financial and regulatory obligations
- Protection against automated misuse
Strictly necessary payment technologies
Technologies required to complete, secure or authenticate the
payment selected by the customer may be treated as strictly
necessary for the requested transaction.
Blocking these technologies through browser settings may
prevent the payment process from working correctly.
Additional Stripe features
Stripe may also offer optional features, such as recognising
a returning customer or remembering payment information for
faster checkout.
The legal status of any such feature depends on whether the
customer has requested or enabled it, how it operates and
whether an applicable exception or valid consent applies.
Payment-provider control
Some payment technologies are placed or controlled directly
by Stripe. Stripe may process information under its own
privacy and cookie terms when providing payment,
authentication, security and fraud-prevention services.
17
Google Analytics
The Online Cider Shop uses Google Analytics to help understand general
website traffic, visitor journeys, ecommerce activity and
technical performance.
Google Analytics 4 is an event-based analytics service. It may
record events such as:
- A page being viewed
- A product or category being viewed
- A link or website feature being selected
- A product being added to or removed from the basket
- The checkout process being started
- A purchase being completed
- A website error or technical event occurring
Information Google Analytics may collect
Depending on our configuration and your choices, information
processed through Google Analytics may include:
- A randomly generated browser or device identifier
- General browser and device information
- Approximate geographic information
- The source through which the website was reached
- Pages, products and website features viewed
- The date, time and approximate duration of a visit
- Ecommerce events and transaction references
- Website performance and error information
We do not intend to send names, complete postal addresses,
full payment-card details or other directly identifying
checkout information to Google Analytics.
Google Analytics cookies
Where analytics storage is permitted, Google Analytics 4 may
use first-party cookies such as:
| Cookie |
Purpose |
Google’s default duration |
|
_ga
|
Used to distinguish one browser or visitor from
another using a randomly generated identifier
|
Up to 2 years, subject to configuration and browser
restrictions
|
|
_ga_<measurement-id>
|
Used to maintain information relating to an analytics
session
|
Up to 2 years, subject to configuration and browser
restrictions
|
Cookie durations can be shortened through Google Analytics
settings and may also be limited by browser privacy controls.
Analytics consent
Where our use of Google Analytics requires consent, analytics
storage should remain disabled until the visitor accepts the
relevant cookie category.
Google’s consent tools can receive signals indicating whether
analytics or advertising-related storage has been granted or
denied.
Google Analytics and Google advertising
Google Analytics can be linked with Google advertising
services. Where such features are enabled, additional
advertising technologies or identifiers may be used for
conversion measurement, advertising audiences or
personalisation.
Advertising-related features are treated separately from
basic website analytics and require the appropriate choices
through our cookie controls.
Aggregated reporting
We primarily use Google Analytics reports to understand
overall patterns, such as which pages are visited, how
visitors navigate the site and whether the basket or
checkout is working effectively.
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Advertising and conversion measurement services
The Online Cider Shop may use advertising platforms, including Google
advertising services, to promote products and measure whether
an advertisement led to a website visit or purchase.
Where enabled, advertising technologies may process:
- Advertising campaign and click information
- A browser, device or advertising identifier
- The page reached after an advertisement was selected
- Basket, checkout or purchase events
- Transaction value and currency
- General device and browser information
Conversion measurement
Conversion measurement helps us understand whether advertising
resulted in an action such as a sale.
It may also help prevent the same sale being counted more than
once and allow advertising performance to be reported in
aggregate.
Remarketing and personalised advertising
Where enabled and accepted, advertising services may use
technologies to recognise a browser or device and include it
within an advertising audience.
This may result in The Online Cider Shop advertising being shown on
other websites or services after a visitor has viewed certain
pages or products.
These features are optional and should not operate until the
relevant advertising consent has been provided.
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Website hosting, performance and availability
Our website-hosting and performance services may use cookies,
session identifiers or related technologies to deliver the
website reliably and securely.
These technologies may be used for:
- Distributing website traffic between servers
- Maintaining a stable website session
- Delivering cached website content
- Improving website-loading times
- Detecting technical faults
- Preventing excessive or abusive requests
- Protecting website availability
Technologies used solely for transmitting communications,
balancing website traffic or providing essential security may
qualify as strictly necessary.
Hosting providers may also create technical server logs. These
logs are not necessarily cookies, but may record information
such as an Internet Protocol address, browser type, requested
page, date, time and technical status.
20
Security and fraud-prevention technologies
Security technologies may be used to protect The Online Cider Shop,
customers, accounts, orders and payment processes.
Depending on the tools enabled, security services may examine:
- Internet Protocol and network information
- Browser and device characteristics
- Patterns of website requests
- Login and authentication attempts
- Checkout and payment behaviour
- Signs of automated or malicious activity
- Previous fraud or security indicators
Security cookies or identifiers may help determine whether a
request appears to come from a genuine visitor, an automated
program or a potentially harmful source.
Where a technology is genuinely required to protect a service
requested by the visitor, maintain account security or prevent
fraud during a transaction, it may be treated as strictly
necessary.
21
Email and communication services
The Online Cider Shop uses email services to send messages such as:
- Order confirmations
- Payment and refund notifications
- Dispatch and delivery information
- Account and password messages
- Responses to customer-service enquiries
- Marketing emails where permitted
An email service may use tracking pixels or similar
technologies to record whether an email was delivered, opened
or selected.
Transactional emails
Limited technical measurement may be used to confirm that an
important order or service message was successfully delivered
or to investigate a delivery problem.
Marketing emails
Marketing-email measurement may record opens and link clicks
to help assess engagement and improve communications.
Where such tracking requires consent or another legal
permission, it will be used only where that requirement has
been satisfied.
Email pixels operate within the email message rather than the
The Online Cider Shop website, so they may not always be controlled by
the website’s cookie banner.
Your email application may allow you to block external images,
which can limit some email-open tracking.
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Embedded content and external services
Some website pages may contain content or features provided by
another organisation.
Examples may include:
- Embedded videos
- Social-media posts or feeds
- Maps
- Review platforms
- Customer-service chat tools
- External forms
- Payment or authentication features
When embedded content is loaded, the external provider may
receive information about the browser, device, network and page
being viewed.
The provider may also place or access cookies, particularly
where the visitor is already signed in to that provider’s
service.
Blocking optional embedded content
Where embedded content uses non-essential technologies, it may
be blocked until the relevant cookie choice is accepted.
In that situation, the page may display a placeholder or ask
the visitor to approve the relevant category before the
content can be viewed.
Third-party policies
External providers may process information under their own
privacy and cookie policies. You should review the provider’s
information where you would like to understand its practices
in more detail.
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Social-media links and integrations
Our website may include links, buttons, feeds or other
integrations relating to social-media services.
A simple link that takes you to another website may not place
a social-media cookie before it is selected.
However, an embedded social feed, video, tracking pixel or
interactive sharing feature may allow the social-media
provider to collect information while the The Online Cider Shop page is
being viewed.
Depending on the service, the provider may be able to connect
website activity with an existing social-media account,
particularly where the visitor is already signed in.
Optional social-media tracking or embedded technologies should
be controlled through the relevant cookie category where
consent is required.
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Our current cookie inventory
The precise cookies and similar technologies present on the
website can change as:
- Website software is updated
- A plugin or feature is added, removed or reconfigured
- A payment provider changes its technology
- Analytics or advertising settings are altered
- A third-party service updates its cookie durations
- A browser changes the way cookies are retained
Our consent-management or cookie-scanning service may provide
a more detailed current list showing:
- The cookie or technology name
- The provider or domain
- Its stated purpose
- The cookie category
- Whether it is first party or third party
- Whether it is a session or persistent cookie
- Its detected or stated duration
Technical inventory and this policy
If there is a difference between a general example in this
policy and the current technical inventory produced by the
live website scanner, the scanner should be used to identify
which specific cookies are currently present.
We will review the classification and description of any
newly detected technology and update our controls or policy
where appropriate.
