Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, to keep you signed in, and to remember your preferences. Websites also use related technologies that store information in your browser, such as local storage (used by web apps to keep data on your device) and the browser storage used by sign-in libraries. In this policy we refer to all of these together as “cookies”, even where the data is technically held in local storage rather than a classic cookie file.

It is worth being precise, because how Okwi is built affects what is actually stored: most of what Okwi needs to remember (your cart, your signed-in session, your cookie choice) is kept in your browser’s local storage on your own device, not transmitted to us as a tracking cookie. We explain each item below.

The cookies and browser storage Okwi sets are strictly necessary — they are required for the Service to function securely and to do the basic things you ask of it, such as staying signed in or keeping items in your cart. Because the Service cannot work without them, strictly necessary cookies do not require consent under UK and EU law and cannot be switched off through a consent banner (you can still block them in your browser, but parts of the Service will then stop working).

Okwi does not set:

• advertising or ad-targeting cookies;
• third-party tracking, profiling, or cross-site tracking cookies;
• social-media or marketing pixels that follow you around the web.

We currently do not run an optional analytics cookie category on our own sites. If that changes in future, those cookies would be set only after you opt in, and we would update this policy first.

The table below lists the strictly necessary items Okwi relies on, what each is for, where it is stored, and roughly how long it lasts. Exact names and lifetimes can vary as the platform evolves.

Authentication / merchant session (Firebase Auth)

When a merchant or staff member signs in to the dashboard, Google Firebase Authentication keeps the sign-in state in the browser (in local storage / IndexedDB managed by the Firebase sign-in library) so you stay logged in between page loads. A short-lived ID token is sent to our API to authorise your requests; card details and passwords are never stored in this way. Lifetime: persists until you sign out or the session expires; ID tokens refresh roughly hourly.

Shopping cart

On a storefront, your basket is stored in your browser’s local storage, kept separate for each shop so carts don’t mix across merchants. This lets your cart survive page reloads. Lifetime: persists on your device until you clear it, empty the cart, or clear your browser storage.

Storefront customer session

If you create an account with an individual shop, the session token and your basic profile are held in your browser’s local storage, namespaced per shop, so you stay signed in to that shop. These accounts are isolated per shop and are separate from any merchant login. Lifetime: persists until you log out or clear your browser storage; the token itself expires after a period set by the Service.

Cookie-consent / banner preference

When you accept or decline on a cookie banner, we record that choice in your browser’s local storage so we don’t ask again on every visit. On okwi.com this is a single preference; on a storefront it is recorded per shop. Lifetime: persists on your device until you clear your browser storage.

We may also rely on cookies set by our infrastructure providers purely to deliver the Service securely — for example cookies used by our hosting and content-delivery network (Vercel) for load balancing, routing, and basic security. These are strictly necessary and are not used to advertise to you.

You will see a cookie notice in two places:

• On okwi.com: a banner explains that Okwi needs strictly necessary cookies to run securely and to remember your session, and links to this policy.
• On a merchant’s storefront: where the merchant has enabled it, a non-blocking banner lets a shopper accept or decline and keep browsing either way. Because Okwi sets only strictly necessary cookies, declining simply records your preference for any future optional cookies and links to the relevant cookie policy.

Strictly necessary cookies are always active because the Service cannot operate without them; the banners do not switch those off.

You are always in control of cookies and browser storage on your own device. You can:

• view, block, or delete cookies and clear local storage through your browser settings — most browsers let you do this under their Privacy, Security, or Site Settings menus, and offer a “clear browsing data” option;
• set your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when a site tries to set one;
• use your browser’s private or incognito mode, which discards cookies and storage when you close the window.

Please note that because the items we use are strictly necessary, blocking or deleting them may sign you out, empty your cart, make you re-confirm your cookie choice, or stop parts of the Service from working. Major browser vendors publish step-by-step instructions for managing cookies (see the support pages for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge).

Each shop hosted on Okwi is operated by an independent merchant who is the data controller for their own customers’ personal data. Where the platform itself serves a storefront, only the strictly necessary cookies described above are used. However, a merchant may add their own cookies or third-party tools to their shop — for example their own analytics. Where a merchant does so, the merchant is responsible for disclosing those cookies and obtaining any required consent under their own privacy and cookie notices.

We may update this Cookie Policy as our use of cookies and similar technologies evolves. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised, and the current version will always be available here. If we introduce any non-essential cookies, we will update this policy and obtain your consent before setting them.

If you have questions about our use of cookies, contact us at legal@okwi.com.