When businesses are looking to quickly and easily bring their sales online, many turn to Shopify.
With plenty of out-of-the-box features and an easy-to-manage interface, Shopify makes it easy to add an e-commerce element to your business.
But one key area is missing: the tools and policies that businesses need if they wish to maintain compliance with the European Union’s (EU) GDPR and UK GDPR.
There are features such as Shopify GDPR Cookie Consent and privacy policies listed on Shopify’s site, but these controls do not extend to your business.
So what do businesses that use Shopify need to know about maintaining their own GDPR compliance, and what key elements do you need to have in place to reduce your risk of noncompliance?
What Businesses on Shopify Need to Know About GDPR Compliance
If your business has customers in the EU, you are likely pretty familiar with the GDPR’s requirements for data privacy and consent management.
But you may not know that Shopify does not and cannot handle GDPR compliance on behalf of your business, too. This is because the GDPR requires each business to have the necessary mechanisms, policies, and tools in place to protect and manage the personal data and consent of each of their customers based in the EU.
These requirements include ensuring that any third-party organization your business works with also is compliant when handling your customer’s data. In other words, although Shopify has these mechanisms in place—such as automatically incorporating a Data Processing Addendum into its terms of service—it is your business’s responsibility to ensure the way your team manages customer data and privacy is also in compliance.
Common Reasons Why a Shopify Store Isn’t GDPR Compliant
While Shopify has been built to be GDPR compliant when it comes to how Shopify is handling your customers’ data when it is processed and collected through its platform, that isn’t enough to keep your brand in line with the GDPR, too.
So whether you are just beginning your GDPR compliance journey or you want to ensure your brand is steering clear of potential pitfalls, here are five other key ways your Shopify-enabled business may not be compliant:
1. You haven’t completed an end-to-end audit of how you process customer data.
Article 30 of the GDPR requires each business to maintain a current mapping of its data processing workflows and practices. This means that for each type of customer data, you should be confident in how you are processing the data you collect, how it is being used, and where it is being stored.
2. You don’t have a privacy policy on your website.
We’ve become so accustomed to seeing privacy policies that they are often overlooked. But timely and business-specific privacy policies are crucial for maintaining compliance and demonstrating to customers how serious you are about their interests.
Take the time to ensure that your privacy policy is current, complete, and reflective of how your business handles data.
3. You lack a Shopify GDPR cookie consent mechanism.
A common oversight is forgetting to create and enable a Shopify GDPR cookie consent banner within your Shopify e-commerce platform. Use this cookie banner to inform your users of any required and non-necessary cookies and their purpose, and include a mechanism that allows them to opt out of participation.
4. You don’t offer information about or features for users to manage their data.
A driving force behind the GDPR is empowering each person to have control over their data and how it is being used and shared. Give your customers their own intuitive and easy-to-use method to learn about the personal data you hold about them, request to view it, or delete it at any time.
5. You aren’t obtaining consent for contact.
If you plan on collecting user contact information, ensure that you have documented permission to send emails and that any updates to this information are synced across your enterprise platforms.
Let Dataships Automate Your GDPR Compliance
When you own a business with customers from around the world, you already have a lot on your plate. Between managing a budget, handling payroll and human resources, and creating marketing strategies, there can be little time left over to handle the end-to-end requirements of GDPR data privacy regulations.
That’s why many businesses are turning to Dataships and finding the peace of mind that comes with knowing that their entire business—including their Shopify e-commerce element—is compliant with all privacy regulations.
Dataships offers an intuitive and comprehensive privacy platform that ensures your marketing, data management, and privacy policies are constantly aligned with regulatory standards from around the world so your staff can focus on more strategic and customer-facing initiatives.
Want to learn more about how Dataships is ready to help with your data privacy management on day one? Then check out our infographic, “Dataships: The Third-Party Solution to Help You Maintain Compliance on Shopify,” now.
