• Cookies Policy

Cookies Policy

Cookie Policy

Website: www.homemerce.com
Last Updated: 24/11/2025

1. Introduction

This Cookie Policy explains how Homemerce Ltd ("we", "us", or "our") uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our website www.homemerce.com.

This policy should be read alongside our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal data.

By using our website, you agree to our use of cookies in accordance with this Cookie Policy. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time using the methods described below.

About Homemerce:

Trading Name: Homemerce Ltd
Company Registration Number: 13708514
Registered Office Address: 59 Coton Road, 1st Floor, Nuneaton CV11 5TS, Coventry, UK
VAT Number: GB394406675
Email: support@homemerce.com
Contact Form: https://homemerce.com/contact

2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet, or other internet-enabled device) when you visit a website. Cookies allow the website to recognise your device and remember information about your visit.

Cookies typically contain:

  • The name of the website that set it
  • A unique identifier
  • An expiration date (how long it will remain on your device)
  • Other information required to perform their function

Types of Cookies:

Session Cookies: These are temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser. They help the website remember your actions during a single browsing session.

Persistent Cookies: These remain on your device for a set period or until you delete them. They remember your preferences across multiple visits.

First-Party Cookies: These are set directly by our website (homemerce.com).

Third-Party Cookies: These are set by external services we use on our website (e.g., analytics providers, payment processors, social media platforms).

3. Similar Technologies

In addition to cookies, we may use similar tracking technologies, including:

Pixels (Web Beacons): Small invisible images embedded in web pages or emails to track user activity.

Local Storage: Technology that stores data locally on your device (e.g., HTML5 local storage).

Scripts and Tags: Code that runs on your device to collect information or enable functionality.

For simplicity, we refer to all these technologies as "cookies" in this policy.

4. Why We Use Cookies

We use cookies for several important purposes:

✓ Essential Website Functionality: To enable core features like your shopping basket, secure login, and order processing
✓ Performance and Analytics: To understand how visitors use our site and identify areas for improvement
✓ Personalisation: To remember your preferences and provide a tailored experience
✓ Marketing and Advertising: To deliver relevant advertisements and measure campaign effectiveness
✓ Security: To protect against fraud and ensure secure transactions

5. Cookies We Use

Below is a detailed inventory of cookies used on www.homemerce.com, categorised by purpose.

5.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies

These cookies are essential for the website to function properly. Without them, core features like your shopping cart and secure checkout would not work. You cannot refuse these cookies as they are necessary to provide the service you requested.

Cookie Name Purpose Duration Provider
session_id Maintains your browsing session and shopping cart contents Session (expires when browser closes) Homemerce
PHPSESSID PHP session identifier for maintaining user state Session Homemerce
cookie_consent Remembers your cookie consent preferences 12 months Homemerce
security_token Provides security against Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks Session Homemerce
load_balancer Distributes traffic across our servers for optimal performance Session Homemerce

Legal Basis: These cookies are exempt from consent requirements under Regulation 6(4) of PECR as they are strictly necessary for the provision of an information society service explicitly requested by you.

5.2 Performance and Analytics Cookies

These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website, helping us improve functionality and user experience. All information is aggregated and anonymous.

You can refuse these cookies by managing your cookie preferences.

Cookie Name Purpose Duration Provider
_ga Google Analytics: Distinguishes unique users 2 years Google
_gid Google Analytics: Distinguishes unique users 24 hours Google
_gat Google Analytics: Throttles request rate 1 minute Google
_ga_[container-id] Google Analytics 4: Persists session state 2 years Google

What we track:

  • Pages visited and time spent on each page
  • How you arrived at our site (e.g., search engine, direct link, social media)
  • Device type, browser, and screen resolution
  • Geographic location (country/city level only)
  • Errors encountered during browsing

Data Processor: Google LLC
Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
Opt-Out: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Legal Basis: Your consent (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a))

5.3 Functional and Preference Cookies

These cookies remember your choices and preferences to provide enhanced, personalised features.

You can refuse these cookies, but this may affect website functionality and your user experience.

Cookie Name Purpose Duration Provider
language_preference Remembers your selected language 6 months Homemerce
currency_preference Remembers your selected currency (GBP, EUR, USD) 6 months Homemerce
recently_viewed Stores products you've recently viewed 30 days Homemerce
wishlist Remembers items on your wishlist 12 months Homemerce

Legal Basis: Your consent (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a))

5.4 Marketing and Advertising Cookies

These cookies track your browsing activity to deliver relevant advertisements on our website and third-party platforms. They may be set by us or by advertising partners.

You can refuse these cookies. Refusing will not reduce the number of ads you see, but they will be less relevant to your interests.

Cookie Name Purpose Duration Provider
_fbp Facebook Pixel: Tracks conversions and delivers targeted ads 3 months Meta (Facebook)
fr Facebook: Delivers and measures ad effectiveness 3 months Meta (Facebook)
_gcl_au Google Ads: Conversion tracking 3 months Google
IDE Google DoubleClick: Serves targeted advertisements 13 months Google
test_cookie Google DoubleClick: Checks if browser accepts cookies 15 minutes Google
_pinterest_ct Pinterest: Conversion tracking 12 months Pinterest
_ttp TikTok Pixel: Tracks user interactions for advertising 13 months TikTok

Third-Party Data Processors:

What these cookies do:

  • Track which products you view and add to your cart
  • Measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns
  • Show you relevant product recommendations on social media
  • Enable retargeting (showing you ads for products you viewed)

Legal Basis: Your consent (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a))

5.5 Social Media Cookies

When you interact with social media features on our website (e.g., YouTube videos, Facebook/Instagram/TikTok/Pinterest share buttons), these platforms may set cookies on your device.

Cookie Name Purpose Duration Provider
YouTube cookies Enable embedded video content Varies Google (YouTube)
Facebook social plugins Enable sharing and "Like" functionality Varies Meta (Facebook)
TikTok embedded content Enable embedded videos Varies TikTok
Pinterest Pin button Enable pinning products Varies Pinterest

We do not control these cookies. Please refer to the respective third-party privacy policies:

Legal Basis: Your consent (UK GDPR Article 6(1)(a))

6. How to Manage Your Cookie Preferences

You have the right to accept or reject non-essential cookies. Here are several ways to manage your preferences:

6.1 Cookie Consent Banner

When you first visit our website, a cookie consent banner will appear. You can:

  • Accept All Cookies: Allow all cookies to be set
  • Reject Non-Essential Cookies: Only allow strictly necessary cookies
  • Manage Preferences: Choose which categories of cookies to accept

You can change your preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Settings" link in the footer of our website.

6.2 Browser Settings

Most web browsers allow you to manage cookies through their settings. You can typically:

  • View cookies stored on your device
  • Delete specific cookies or all cookies
  • Block cookies from specific websites
  • Block all cookies
  • Set cookies to be deleted when you close your browser

How to manage cookies in popular browsers:

Google Chrome:
Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
Learn more

Mozilla Firefox:
Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
Learn more

Microsoft Edge:
Settings > Cookies and site permissions > Manage and delete cookies and site data
Learn more

Apple Safari:
Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
Learn more

Safari (iOS):
Settings > Safari > Block All Cookies
Learn more

Please note: Blocking all cookies will prevent you from using essential features like the shopping cart and checkout.

6.3 Third-Party Opt-Out Tools

You can opt out of third-party advertising cookies using these tools:

7. International Data Transfers

Some of our cookie providers are located outside the United Kingdom, including in the United States. When cookies transfer personal data internationally, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

  • Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK authorities
  • Adequacy Decisions recognising that certain countries provide adequate data protection
  • Other approved transfer mechanisms under UK GDPR

Key International Processors:

  • Google LLC (USA): Relies on Standard Contractual Clauses
  • Meta Platforms, Inc. (USA): Relies on Standard Contractual Clauses
  • TikTok Technology Limited (Singapore/USA): Relies on Standard Contractual Clauses

For more information about international transfers, see our Privacy Policy.

8. Do Not Track (DNT) Signals

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want your online activity tracked. Currently, there is no industry standard for how to respond to DNT signals.

Our website does not currently respond to DNT signals, but you can manage cookies using the methods described in Section 6 above.

9. Cookies and Personal Data

Some cookies may process personal data, such as:

  • IP addresses
  • Device identifiers
  • Online identifiers
  • Browsing behaviour

When cookies process personal data, we comply with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. For more information about how we handle personal data, please see our Privacy Policy.

10. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights regarding personal data collected through cookies, including:

✓ Right of Access: Request a copy of your data
✓ Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate data
✓ Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data
✓ Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how we use your data
✓ Right to Object: Object to certain types of processing
✓ Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
✓ Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw cookie consent at any time

To exercise these rights, please contact us at support@homemerce.com or via our contact form.

11. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in:

  • The cookies we use
  • Cookie technology
  • Legal or regulatory requirements

When we make material changes, we will:

  • Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy
  • Notify you via a prominent notice on our website

We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Previous versions of this policy are available upon request.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:

Email: support@homemerce.com
Contact Form: https://homemerce.com/contact
Post: Homemerce Ltd, 59 Coton Road, 1st Floor, Nuneaton CV11 5TS, Coventry, UK

13. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we use cookies or handle your personal data, you can lodge a complaint with the UK's supervisory authority:

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF