Ecommerce Privacy Policy Template for your Online Store

In short

Do you sell products or services online? Do you collect users’ personal data like payment information during checkout? Then your online store must include an up-to-date, clear, and easily accessible privacy policy document. Luckily, we’ve got what you need. Keep reading for the key points, plus a free ecommerce privacy policy template.

In this article, we answer some common questions about privacy policies for ecommerce stores. Are they legally required? What’s the best way to generate one? What should it include? We also provide some examples of ecommerce privacy policies. Let’s get started!

Jump to…

• What are some examples of privacy policies?
• Does an online store need a privacy policy?
• Is it legal to have an online store without a privacy policy?
• How do I create a privacy policy for my ecommerce website?
• What to include in your online store privacy policy
• Ecommerce privacy policy examples
• Download our free ecommerce privacy policy template
• Where to display your privacy policy for online store
• Easily create your ecommerce privacy policy in minutes

Drafting the clauses of a privacy agreement is best handled by professionals. We suggest either hiring a good lawyer or using a professional online generator like iubenda. It allows you to customize from over 2000 lawyer-crafted clauses and offers much more than a static privacy policy template. This way, you can still do it yourself, drawing on the expertise of an international legal team who built and constantly maintain the generator.

What to include in your online store privacy policy

To meet legal requirements, your policy must at the very least mention:

• the types of data you collect, such as names, physical or email address, login, IP address, payment information,
• why you collect this data like for marketing purposes, for the delivery of the service,
• who you share the data with, or any third party like a payment provider or Google Analytics,
• use of cookies or other trackers, see what to include in detail here,
• users’ rights in relation to their data, e.g. the right to request the deletion of their personal data,
• contact information with the identity of the data controller (in practice who establishes “why” and “how” the personal data collected must be processed, usually the site/app owner), so name/company, full address and contact email.

Ecommerce privacy policy examples

1. eBay ecommerce privacy policy example for online store

eBay’s privacy documents are all available from their website’s footer, at all times (including when browsing products). It is quite concise for clarity, but users can expand sections for more detail if they wish to. This is a great way to have both a simplified and detailed version of the document, to meet GDPR’s requirements for information to be concise, transparent and intelligible.

You can access the policy page at this link.

2. iubenda privacy policy example

See this GDPR compliant privacy policy created with the iubenda generator for an example of how the elements listed above come together. You can see that the format is very user-friendly.

Download our free ecommerce privacy policy template

Our privacy policy template is just an example, and the legal text is customized to generic data processes and laws. Remember that privacy policies are legal documents. It is mandatory that they contain truthful information, or you could be putting yourself at risk. They need to be tailored specifically to align with your business and website. The sample privacy policy for ecommerce website we provide below serves as a solid foundation to familiarize yourself with the privacy disclosures generally mandated by legislation such as GDPR. Your best option yet, however, would be to use a privacy policy generator. You can try ours for free (14-day money-back guarantee).

How to use the template

• Download the template: get our free e-commerce privacy policy template in Word doc format, copy and paste the HTML directly into your website, or generate your ready-to-use template with our guided setup.
• Fill in company/site and contact details: before publishing, fill in all [brackets] with your company/site info and contact details. Remember also to add the effective date.
• Customize data processing: the template simply provides examples of data collection. Customize the different sections.
• Use of cookies and other trackers: add information about the cookies you use or a link to your complete cookie policy.
• Address legal obligations: the template includes provisions for GDPR. Check which privacy laws apply to you and customize your privacy policy according to your location and your users’ locations to meet legal requirements.

Online store privacy policy template (HTML text)

Copy and paste the E-commerce Privacy Policy Template HTML directly into your website.

<h1><strong>Privacy Policy of [Your E-commerce Store Name]</strong></h1>
<p><strong>Effective Date</strong>: [Insert Date]<br /><br />We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of our customers and site visitors. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, share, and safeguard your personal information when you visit our website, [Insert your website URL], and use our services.</p>
<h3><strong>Data Controller, DPO, and Contact</strong></h3>
<p>[Insert here the contact detail of whoever is responsible for the collection and processing of user personal data at your company. E.g.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Data Controller</strong>: [Your Company Name]</li>
<li><strong>Data Protection Officer (DPO)</strong>: [Name and Contact Information, if applicable]</li>
<li><strong>Address</strong>: [Your Business Address]</li>
<li><strong>Email</strong>: [Email Address]</li>
<li><strong>Phone Number</strong>: [Phone Number]</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Types of Data We Collect</strong></h3>
<p>We collect personal information that you provide to us when you use our services or interact with us. This includes:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Personal Identification Information</strong>: Name, email address, physical address, and telephone number.</li>
<li><strong>Account Details</strong>: Username, password, and purchase history.</li>
<li><strong>Payment Information</strong>: Credit/debit card details, billing address, and other payment-related information.</li>
<li><strong>Technical Data</strong>: IP address, browser type and version, time zone setting, location, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access this website.</li>
<li><strong>Usage Data</strong>: Information about how you use our website, products, and services.</li>
</ol>
<h3><strong>Why We Collect This Data</strong></h3>
<p>We collect your data to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Process your orders and manage your account</li>
<li>Improve and personalize your shopping experience</li>
<li>Communicate with you about our products, services, and promotional offers</li>
<li>Conduct market research and analysis</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Legal Basis for Processing</strong></h3>
<p>We process your personal data based on the following legal grounds:</p>
<ol>
<li><strong>Your consent</strong></li>
<li><strong>The need to fulfill a contract with you</strong></li>
<li><strong>Our legitimate business interests</strong></li>
<li><strong>Legal requirements</strong></li>
</ol>
<h3><strong>Data Storage, Erasure, and Security</strong></h3>
<p>We and our service providers store personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws to the extent necessary for the processing purposes outlined in this privacy policy document.</p>
<p>We will delete personal data [in accordance with our data retention and deletion policy] or take steps to properly render the data anonymous unless we are legally obliged or permitted to keep it longer.<br />We ensure the security of your personal information by employing both technical and organizational measures. These measures are put in place to reduce the risks related to data loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, or alteration.</p>
<h3><strong>Data Transfer Outside the EU</strong></h3>
<p>In some cases, we may need to transfer your personal data to countries outside the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA). These transfers may occur when our service providers or partners are located in countries outside of the EU/EEA or when we need to store or process data in global data centers. We ensure that any such transfer of your personal data is carried out in compliance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). To safeguard your data during these transfers, we rely on standard contractual clauses or other appropriate safeguards, ensuring that your data is protected in accordance with GDPR standards.</p>
<h3><strong>Use of Cookies and Other Trackers</strong></h3>
<p>Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience, understand how you use our site, and show you personalized advertising. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.</p>
<p>You can access our full cookie policy [here].</p>
<h3><strong>Your Rights</strong></h3>
<p>You have the right to access, correct, delete, or restrict the use of your personal information. You can also object to the processing of your data in certain circumstances, including for marketing purposes.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Access your personal data</strong></li>
<li><strong>Rectify incorrect data</strong></li>
<li><strong>Erase your data in certain circumstances</strong></li>
<li><strong>Restrict or object to processing</strong></li>
<li><strong>Data portability</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>To exercise these rights, please contact us using the details below.</p>
<h3><strong>Contact Information</strong></h3>
<p>If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Data Controller</strong>: [Your Company Name]</li>
<li><strong>Address</strong>: [Your Full Address]</li>
<li><strong>Email</strong>: [Email Address]</li>
<li><strong>Phone Number</strong>: [Phone Number]</li>
</ul>
<p>We reserve the right to make changes to this Privacy Policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.</p>

Online store privacy policy template (Word DOCX)

Online store privacy policy template (PDF)

Where to display your privacy policy for online store

When adding a privacy policy to your online store, make sure it’s easy to find wherever you collect customer data to comply with legal requirements.

A website’s footer is a commonly used place to put your privacy policy link, as visitors can easily spot it and can go back to it at any time. You can also include the link in pop-ups or banners that show up when people first interact with your website for better visibility.

When people sign up for newsletters or updates, put the privacy policy link in a prominent spot since they’re providing personal information like their names and email addresses.

The checkout process is another important place to have a policy link, but it shouldn’t be the only location because not everyone will make a purchase.

Consider adding the link to informational menus or sections to make it more visible, and you can also link other legal documents like Terms and Conditions.