Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how Cotswold Outdoor (“we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, shares, and protects your personal information when you visit our website cotswold-us.com, make a purchase, or interact with our services. We are committed to complying with applicable data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and other international privacy standards relevant to our global customer base.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information that helps us provide you with the best possible shopping experience and service for your outdoor adventures:

Information You Provide Directly

• Identity and Contact Details: Name, email address, shipping and billing address, phone number when you create an account or place an order.
• Payment Information: Payment method details (though we do not store full card data—see Section 5 for details).
• Purchase History: Records of products you’ve bought, such as tents, jackets, or safety gear.
• Communication Data: Correspondence with our customer service team via email or other channels.
• Account Preferences: Your preferences for newsletters, product alerts, and communication.

Information Collected Automatically

• Device and Usage Information: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, pages visited, and time spent on our site.
• Location Data: General location information derived from your IP address to provide appropriate shipping options and regional content.
• Cookies and Tracking Data: Information collected via cookies and similar technologies (see Section 7 for details).

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal information for specific, legitimate purposes related to your outdoor gear needs:

Primary Uses

1. Order Fulfillment: To process and deliver your purchases of tents, jackets, safety gear, and other equipment worldwide.
2. Customer Service: To respond to your inquiries, provide support, and handle returns or warranty claims.
3. Payment Processing: To securely process transactions through our PCI-DSS compliant payment gateways.
4. Account Management: To manage your account, track orders, and speed up future purchases for frequent adventurers.

Improvement and Personalization

5. Website Optimization: To improve our website functionality, product offerings, and user experience.
6. Personalized Recommendations: To suggest products that match your outdoor interests (e.g., camping, climbing, or activewear).
7. Marketing Communications: To send you relevant offers, new product announcements, and adventure inspiration, but only with your consent where required.

Legal and Security Purposes

8. Fraud Prevention: To protect against unauthorized transactions and maintain the security of our services.
9. Legal Compliance: To meet our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements.

4. Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We only share your information when necessary and with trusted partners who uphold similar security standards:

Service Providers

• Payment Processors: Trusted partners like Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, and JCB to handle transactions securely.
• Shipping Carriers: Logistics companies to deliver your gear to your adventure basecamp.
• IT and Analytics Providers: Companies that help us maintain our website and understand how adventurers use our services.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, legal process, or governmental request, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Cotswold Outdoor, our customers, or others.

Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, with appropriate privacy safeguards.

5. Data Storage and Security

We implement robust security measures to protect your data, treating it with the same care we apply to selecting our outdoor equipment:

Storage Locations

Your data is stored on secure servers located within the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area (EEA). When we transfer data outside these areas (for example, to serve our global community of adventurers), we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

Security Measures

• Encrypted Transactions: All payment information is processed through PCI-DSS compliant, encrypted payment gateways.
• No Stored Card Data: We do not store your full payment card details on our servers, minimizing risk.
• Access Controls: Strict access limitations to personal data within our organization.
• Regular Security Assessments: Ongoing evaluation of our security practices and systems.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. For example, we keep purchase records for warranty and accounting purposes, and account information for as long as your account remains active.

6. Your Rights and Choices

As an adventurer exploring our gear, you have control over your personal information:

Your Data Protection Rights

• Access: You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction: You can update or correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion: You can request deletion of your personal data in certain circumstances.
• Restriction: You can ask us to restrict processing of your data in specific situations.
• Objection: You can object to certain types of processing, such as direct marketing.
• Data Portability: You can request transfer of your data to another organization in a structured format.
• Withdraw Consent: Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in Section 9. We will respond to your request within one month, in line with legal requirements.

Marketing Preferences

You can manage your marketing preferences by:

• Using the unsubscribe link in any marketing email
• Adjusting settings in your account dashboard
• Contacting our customer service team

7. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Like checking your gear before a big trip, understanding how we use cookies helps ensure a smooth journey on our site.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit our website. They help us remember your preferences, improve your experience, and understand how adventurers interact with our site.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for basic functions like adding items to your cart and secure checkout.
• Performance Cookies: Help us understand how visitors use our site, allowing us to improve navigation and product discovery.
• Functionality Cookies: Remember your preferences (like currency or region) for a personalized experience.
• Marketing Cookies: Used to show relevant ads for outdoor gear on other websites, based on your browsing.

Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies or alert you when they are being used. However, disabling certain cookies may affect your ability to use some features of our website, such as adding items to your cart or completing a purchase.

We also use similar tracking technologies like web beacons and pixels to understand email open rates and campaign effectiveness.

8. International Data Transfers

As a retailer shipping to adventurers worldwide (excluding a few remote regions and parts of Asia), your data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence. These countries may have different data protection laws than your own.

When we transfer your data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as standard contractual clauses approved by relevant authorities, to protect your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws.

All transactions on our website are processed in British Pounds (£), and payment information is handled by our global payment partners with robust security standards.

9. Contact Us

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or as we expand our range of outdoor gear and services. The “Last Updated” date at the bottom of this page indicates when the policy was last revised.

We encourage you to review this policy occasionally, just as you’d check your gear before an adventure, to stay informed about how we protect your information.