Do you run an online store? Data compliance needs to be your business, too.
Your business is winning at online sales, but is it winning at data compliance too? ProPrivacy shares four things you need to know about as an e-commerce business.
Your e-commerce business
Global demand for online retail options grew in unprecedented ways during the first half of 2020. You’ve seen it in your online sales: your business began to shine. Online sales confirmations set your inbox pinging, and your sales team is smiling. But, as you process each order, grow your mailing list, and reap the benefits of a great sales day, how compliant are your business processes?
No simple copy and paste
Of course, your website may include all the important documentation, including a Data Protection Notice, and a Privacy Notice, but where did that text originate from? If it’s a simple “copy and paste” job from another site, your business may not be legally compliant, in terms of GDPR and other applicable legislation. Each online business is unique in its offering, and must be unique in its data processing activities, security measures, and more, too.
Data Protection and Privacy Notice
Your e-commerce website must include a unique Data Protection and Privacy Notice. This notice serves to inform your customers that your e-commerce operations and website are:
- Legally compliant: Your Data Protection and Privacy Notice will tell your customers how to contact you, should they wish to lodge a Data Subject Rights Request for access to their data, including information on your business’ data controller,
- Subject to comprehensive terms and conditions: The truth of business always lies in your terms and conditions. Comprehensive, legally compliant and easy to read terms and conditions are essential for every e-commerce business and website. Your e-commerce pursuits must also comply with the required consumer protection legislation, as applicable to your region and industry.
Your website cookies
During the development of your e-commerce website, your software development team used several technologies to enable excellent tracking and analytics for your customers. They work so well, that your business has generated significant leads, and been equipped to retarget advertising for customers, both old and new. But, just how do those cookies crumble, and what other technologies are being used to fill your analytics dashboard? Knowing which technologies enable user tracking, and ensuring they are legally compliant is critically important for your business. By ensuring your user tracking technologies comply with all applicable legislation, your e-commerce business can flourish, safe in the knowledge that:
- Your customers can trust you: Data compliance isn’t just a legal process. It engenders and enables a true relationship of trust between you and your customers.
- Your business processes are entirely compliant: Your business and its operations can operate with assurance. All systems and online services adhere to all applicable legislation, guidelines, and best business practices.
Website Compliance
Beginning the process of ensuring your website compliance is simple enough. The ProPrivacy Website Compliance service helps you get started, with a simple user interface, that is underpinned by open-source code from the European Data Protection Board (EDPB). Our Website Compliance tools help you determine the privacy and data protection status of your website.
Get started on your data compliance journey
You take care of your business, and we’ll take care of your data compliance requirements. At ProPrivacy, we provide long term website compliance support services and enable your business to get moving on its data compliance journey. Get started with ProPrivacy here.
Philipa is the lead consultant and auditor at ProPrivacy. With clients as far afield as Canada, South Africa, Kenya, Germany, Spain and other such exotic locations, besides Cork and elsewhere in Ireland, Philipa enjoys a broad view of the state of data protection, privacy and cyber security worldwide. Philipa’s passion is manageable data compliance for SMEs.
Philipa is a qualified teacher besides holding a computer science (Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence Programming) and electronic and intellectual property law (LLB) qualified. She is trained in constitutional (fundamental) rights litigation and enjoys a good debate.
Philipa has over twenty years of experience working in different sized organisations and sectors on operational, governance, risk management and compliance matters. She is an analytical and focused person that enjoys a challenge in the workplace. She loves technology, systems and people and has a passion for showing people how technology can make life easier and better. She understands that the world is driven by data today but privacy is paramount. Responsibly developed AI excites Philipa for the future.