Cookies, choices and online privacy
This Cookie Policy explains how Engraved Society uses cookies and similar technologies, why they are used, which choices are available and how UK cookie and data protection laws apply.
Non-essential technologies should not be activated before the required consent has been obtained.
This Cookie Policy explains how Engraved Society uses cookies and similar storage or access technologies when you visit engravedsociety.com, browse products, use your basket, sign in, place an order or interact with embedded services.
It should be read with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal information.
Cookies are small text files stored on a computer, phone, tablet or other device when a website is used. They can help a website remember information during one visit or across later visits.
The legal rules also apply to other technologies that store information on, or access information from, a device. These may include:
In this policy, we use the word “cookies” to include these similar technologies unless the context requires otherwise.
Our use of cookies and similar technologies is governed principally by the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, as amended (“PECR”). Where their use involves personal information, the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 also apply.
The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 amended PECR and introduced additional limited exceptions that may permit certain storage and access technologies without consent where all statutory conditions are met.
These are set by Engraved Society or by software operating through our website domain. They may support the basket, checkout, customer accounts, security and cookie preferences.
These are set or accessed by another organisation whose service is used on our website, such as a payment provider, analytics provider, video platform, social network or advertising service.
Where consent is required, our consent request should identify the relevant third party and explain its purpose before its non-essential technology is activated.
Where no PECR exception applies, we will request consent before using a cookie or similar technology. Consent must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous, and must involve a clear positive action.
You can withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawal does not make earlier processing unlawful, but non-essential storage and access should stop after the preference is changed.
Current PECR provides five circumstances in which storage or access may take place without consent, provided every condition of the relevant exception is satisfied:
The statistical and appearance exceptions require clear and comprehensive information and a simple, free method of objecting. The emergency-assistance exception is unlikely to be relevant to an ordinary online shop.
Strictly necessary cookies enable a service you have actively requested or support essential security and fraud-prevention functions. They do not require consent when the legal conditions are met.
For an online shop, this may include technologies used to:
Advertising cookies are not strictly necessary merely because advertising helps fund or promote a website.
Some limited analytics may fall within the PECR statistical-purposes exception when the sole purpose is to collect statistical information about use of the service with a view to improving it.
To rely on this exception, the use must remain within the statutory conditions. In particular, resulting information must be aggregate statistical information that cannot be used to identify people, and visitors must receive clear information and a simple, free way to object.
Analytics involving user profiles, cross-site tracking, advertising measurement, individually identifiable histories or secondary purposes will not normally fit this exception and should not be activated without consent.
A limited exception may apply where the sole purpose is to improve or adapt the appearance or functionality of the website in line with a visitor’s preference.
Examples may include remembering a chosen language, adapting a layout to a screen or applying a selected display preference, provided the information is not reused for advertising, profiling or content personalisation based on inferred interests.
Where this exception is used, we must provide clear information and a simple, free method of objecting.
Functional cookies can remember optional choices or enable enhanced features. Depending on their precise purpose, they may require consent or may fall within the appearance exception.
Examples may include:
We assess the actual purpose and data use rather than relying only on the label “functional”.
Marketing cookies, pixels and similar technologies may be used to measure campaigns, create advertising audiences, limit advertising frequency, track activity across websites or devices, or show advertising based on interests or behaviour.
We will not activate these technologies before consent. The statistical and appearance exceptions do not cover online advertising, behavioural profiling or cross-site tracking.
If marketing services are enabled, their providers may receive identifiers, IP addresses, browser or device information, page activity, referral information, purchase events or similar data as described in the consent notice and the provider’s own policy.
Engraved Society uses WooCommerce to provide ecommerce functions. The following core cookies may be set when the related feature is used. Enabled extensions or customisations may add other cookies.
WordPress may set cookies when a registered customer or administrator signs in, comments, changes display preferences or uses protected areas.
Account and authentication cookies can be strictly necessary where they keep a requested login session secure. Optional preference or analytics functions are assessed separately.
For security reasons, this policy does not publish secret values contained in authentication cookies. Passwords are not stored in cookies in plain text.
At checkout, a payment provider or fraud-prevention service may use cookies or similar technologies to authenticate a transaction, prevent fraud, remember secure session information or support the payment method selected.
Technologies essential to complete a payment requested by you may qualify as strictly necessary. A provider’s optional analytics, profiling or advertising technologies require a separate assessment and consent where applicable.
The provider may process information under its own privacy or cookie policy. The providers actually available are displayed at checkout and may change over time.
Pages may include content or tools supplied by other organisations, such as videos, maps, social sharing tools, review widgets, fonts or customer-support features.
Loading embedded content can allow the provider to receive device and browsing information or place cookies. Where the technology is not exempt, we will seek consent before loading it or provide a click-to-activate choice.
Opening an external website is governed by that website’s own privacy and cookie information.
These generally expire when the browser session ends, although browser settings may preserve a session in some circumstances.
These remain for a stated period or until deleted. Their duration depends on the purpose, configuration and provider.
We aim to use a duration that is proportionate to the purpose. Consent itself has no single statutory expiry period, so we review and refresh choices where circumstances, providers or purposes materially change.
Depending on the technology and settings, cookies may be associated with:
Where this information identifies or can reasonably be linked to a person, it is personal information. We need a lawful basis under the UK GDPR in addition to meeting PECR. Consent is normally the lawful basis when PECR itself requires consent.
You can change non-essential cookie choices through the cookie banner or preference control displayed on our website. The control should remain accessible after the first visit, commonly through a floating icon, footer link or “Cookie settings” option.
Strictly necessary technologies cannot normally be switched off through the consent tool because the requested service may not work without them.
Most browsers allow you to view, delete or block cookies. Device settings may also control tracking, advertising identifiers, local storage or app permissions.
Blocking all cookies can prevent the basket, checkout, sign-in, fraud-prevention or payment functions from working correctly. Browser controls do not replace our duty to obtain consent where required, and we do not assume that silence in browser settings means consent.
Instructions vary between browsers and devices, so refer to the help pages for the browser or operating system you use.
Cookie information may be processed by service providers that support hosting, ecommerce, security, payments, analytics, communications or marketing.
Where a provider acts for us as a processor, we use appropriate contractual and security arrangements. Some providers may act as independent controllers for their own purposes.
If personal information is transferred outside the United Kingdom, we use an applicable UK transfer mechanism where required, such as adequacy regulations, the UK International Data Transfer Agreement, the UK Addendum to EU standard contractual clauses or another lawful safeguard.
Our online shop is not designed for children to purchase without the involvement of a parent or guardian.
We do not intentionally use cookies to profile children for behavioural advertising. If an online service is likely to be accessed by children, additional privacy-by-design and age-appropriate safeguards may apply.
We review cookies and similar technologies when we introduce or remove plugins, themes, integrations, payment methods, analytics, advertising tools or embedded content.
Our review may include:
The current consent banner and live technical configuration take precedence if a provider changes a cookie before this page is updated, but we will correct material differences as soon as reasonably practicable.
We may update this Cookie Policy when our website, providers, legal obligations or ICO guidance changes.
The latest version will be published on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. Where a change affects an existing consent choice, we may ask you to choose again.
Contact us if you have a question about a cookie, want to object to a qualifying use, believe a non-essential technology was activated without permission or wish to exercise a data protection right.
You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection and PECR.
The following official sources provide more detail about the legal rules described in this policy:
