Cookie Policy
What are cookies?
A cookie is a small amount of information that is downloaded to your computer or device when you visit certain websites. We use a number of different cookies on the Shopify website, including strictly necessary cookies, as well as performance, advertising, and social media or content cookies. Cookies optimize your browsing experience because the website can remember your actions and settings using cookies (e.g., your login and your region selection). This means that you do not have to re-enter this information every time you return to the website or move from one page to another. Cookies also provide information about how people use the website, for example, whether it is their first visit or whether they are regular visitors. In our Privacy Policy you can learn more about cookies (and other similar tracking technologies) and how we use the data collected through these technologies.
Which cookies do we use and why?
Some cookies are necessary so that you can visit our website, use its functions, and access protected areas. The use of these cookies is essential for the website to function. For example, we use user-input cookies for the duration of a session to track a user’s entries when filling out forms that span multiple pages.
We also use functional cookies to remember which choices you have made or which information you have provided, such as your username, language, or the region you are located in. This allows us to tailor the website experience to your preferences. Authentication cookies, for example, are functional cookies that are used for the duration of a session (or permanently, if you agree to the "remember me" option) to allow users to authenticate during later visits or to access authorized content on different pages. We use the following functional cookies:
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User-based security cookies for a limited duration to detect misuse during authentication, such as failed login attempts. These cookies are specifically set to increase the security of the service.
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Session cookies (Flash cookies) for multimedia content are used for the duration of a session to store technical data required for the playback of video or audio content (e.g., image quality, network connection speed, and buffer parameters).
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Session cookies for load balancing are used for the duration of the session to identify the same server for the load balancer in the server pool so that user requests are forwarded accordingly.
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Permanent cookies for optimizing the user interface are used to store a user's settings regarding a service across multiple webpages.
Shopify wants to provide a user-friendly experience, and we use many tools that help us improve our website and our e-commerce platform. For this purpose, we use reporting and analytics cookies to collect information about how and how often you use our website or the stores of our merchants. These cookies collect information only for statistical purposes and use only pseudonymous cookie identifiers that do not directly identify you. We use the following performance cookies:
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First-party analytics cookies – We use these cookies to estimate the number of unique visitors, to improve our websites and the websites of our merchants, and to determine the most frequently searched words in search engines that lead to a webpage. These cookies are not used to provide targeted online marketing to you. We use these cookies to learn more about the performance of our websites and the websites of our merchants and to make relevant changes that improve your browsing experience.
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Third-party analytics cookies – We also use Google Analytics and other third-party providers listed below for analytics to help us determine how users interact with the content on our website. These cookies "remember" what our users did on previous pages and how they interacted with the website. For more information about Google Analytics, visit the Google information page. Instructions for disabling Google Analytics can be found below.
On our website, advertising cookies are used to tailor marketing to you and your interests, and to provide you with a more personalized service in the future. These cookies remember that you visited our website, and we may share this information with third parties, such as advertisers. Although these cookies can track visits of your device to our website and other websites, they generally do not personally identify you. Without these cookies, the advertisements you see may be less relevant and less interesting for you. Read more here about how companies use cookies for targeted and retargeting ads. We ourselves do not set advertising cookies across merchants' shops, but merchants can choose to set such cookies themselves.
Finally, social media and content cookies are set by many social media plugins (such as Facebook's "Like" button) and other tools designed to provide or enhance content on a website (e.g., services that enable video playback or create comment sections). We integrate these modules into our platform to optimize the quality of your browsing and interaction experience with our websites. Please note that some of these third-party services set cookies that may also be used for things like behavioral advertising, analytics, and/or market research.
Merchant stores
When merchants use our platform to provide their online stores, we set the following cookies for visitors to their online stores:
Cookies necessary for the website to function:
| Name | Function | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _ab | Used in connection with access to admin. | 2 years |
| _customer_account_shop_sessions | Used in connection with the cookie "_secure_account_session_id" to track the session of a user for new customer accounts. | 30 days |
| _secure_account_session_id | Used to track the session of a user for new customer accounts. | 30 days |
| _secure_session_id | Used in connection with navigation through a storefront. | 24 hours |
| _shopify_country | Used in connection with checkout. | Session |
| _shopify_m | Used to manage customer privacy settings. | 1 year |
| _shopify_tm | Used to manage customer privacy settings. | 30 minutes |
| _shopify_tw | Used to manage customer privacy settings. | 2 weeks |
| _storefront_u | Used to facilitate updating customer account information. | 1 minute |
| _tracking_consent | Tracking preferences. | 1 year |
| _cmp_a | Used to manage customer privacy settings. | 1 day |
| c | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 year |
| cart | Used in connection with the shopping cart. | 2 weeks |
| cart_currency | Used in connection with the shopping cart. | 2 weeks |
| cart_sig | Used in connection with checkout. | 2 weeks |
| cart_ts | Used in connection with checkout. | 2 weeks |
| cart_ver | Used in connection with the shopping cart. | 2 weeks |
| checkout | Used in connection with checkout. | 4 weeks |
| checkout_token | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 year |
| customer_account_locale | Used in connection with new customer accounts. | 1 year |
| dynamic_checkout_shown_on_cart | Used in connection with checkout. | 30 minutes |
| hide_shopify_pay_for_checkout | Used in connection with checkout. | Session |
| keep_alive | Used in connection with buyer localization. | 2 weeks |
| master_device_id | Used in connection with merchant login. | 2 years |
| previous_step | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 year |
| discount_code | Used in connection with checkout. | Session |
| remember_me | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 year |
| secure_customer_sig | Used in connection with customer login. | 1 year |
| shopify_pay | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 year |
| shopify_pay_redirect | Used in connection with checkout. | 30 minutes, 3 weeks, or 1 year depending on value |
| shop_pay_accelerated | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 year |
| source_name | Used in combination with mobile apps to provide a customized checkout experience when the store is accessed inside a compatible mobile app. | Session |
| storefront_digest | Used in connection with customer login. | 2 years |
| tracked_start_checkout | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 year |
| checkout_session_lookup | Used in connection with checkout. | 3 weeks |
| checkout_prefill | Used in connection with checkout. | 5 months |
| checkout_queue_token | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 year |
| checkout_queue_checkout_token | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 year |
| checkout_worker_session | Used in connection with checkout. | 3 days |
| checkout_session_token | Used in connection with checkout. | 3 weeks |
| checkout_session_token_<<token>> | Used in connection with checkout. | 3 weeks |
| cookietest | Used to ensure that our systems function correctly. | 1 minute |
| order | Used in connection with the order status page. | 3 weeks |
| identity-state | Used in connection with customer authentication. | 24 hours |
| identity-state-<<token>> | Used in connection with customer authentication. | 24 hours |
| identity_customer_account_number | Used in connection with customer authentication. | 12 weeks |
| card_update_verification_id | Used in connection with checkout. | 20 minutes |
| customer_account_new_login | Used in connection with customer authentication. | 20 minutes |
| customer_account_preview | Used in connection with customer authentication. | 7 days |
| customer_payment_method | Used in connection with checkout. | 1 hour |
| customer_shop_pay_agreement | Used in connection with checkout. | 20 minutes |
| localization | Used in connection with checkout. | 2 weeks |
| profile_preview_token | Used in connection with checkout. | 5 months |
| login_with_shop_finalize | Used in connection with customer authentication. | 5 months |
| preview_theme | Used in connection with the theme editor. | Session |
| shopify-editor-unconfirmed-settings | Used in connection with the theme editor. | 16 hours |
| wpm-test-cookie | Used to ensure our systems function correctly. | Session |
Reporting and Statistics
| Name | Function | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _landing_page | Tracking of landing pages. | 2 weeks |
| _orig_referrer | Tracking of landing pages. | 2 weeks |
| _s | Shopify analytics. | 30 minutes |
| _shopify_d | Shopify analytics. | Session |
| _shopify_fs | Shopify analytics. | 30 minutes |
| _shopify_s | Shopify analytics. | 30 minutes |
| _shopify_sa_p | Shopify analytics related to marketing & recommendations. | 30 minutes |
| _shopify_sa_t | Shopify analytics related to marketing & recommendations. | 30 minutes |
| _shopify_y | Shopify analytics. | 1 year |
| _y | Shopify analytics. | 1 year |
| _shopify_ga | Shopify and Google Analytics. | Session |
| customer_auth_provider | Shopify analytics. | Session |
| customer_auth_session_created_at | Shopify analytics. | Session |
| unique_interaction_id | Shopify analytics. | 10 minutes |
Shopify Websites
When visitors access Shopify websites, we generally set the following Shopify cookies:
Cookies necessary for the website to function
| Name | Function | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _Brochure_session | Used in connection with browsing through the website. | - |
| checkout | Used in connection with Pay checkout on shop.app. | 3 weeks |
| signed_in | Used in connection with the Shop login. | 1 year |
| user | Used in connection with the Shop login. | 1 year |
Reporting and Analytics
| Name | Function |
|---|---|
| _landing_page | Tracks landing pages. |
| _orig_referrer | Tracks landing pages. |
| _s | Shopify analytics. |
| _session_id | Shopify analytics. |
| _shopify_s | Shopify analytics. |
| _shopify_sa_t | Shopify analytics related to marketing & recommendations. |
| _shopify_uniq | Shopify analytics. |
| _shopify_y | Shopify analytics. |
| _y | Shopify analytics. |
| *_assignment | Shopify analytics. |
| ab_test_* | Shopify analytics. |
| cart_sig | Shopify analytics. |
| ki_r | Shopify analytics. |
| ki_t | Shopify analytics. |
Additionally, we use pixels and tags from the following third parties, which may themselves use cookies:
Cookies necessary for the website to function
| Third Party | Description | Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare | Shopify uses Cloudflare Network as a Service for edge routing. | https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/ |
Reporting and Analytics
| Third Party | Description | Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Alexa Metrics | We use Alexa Metrics to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://www.alexa.com/help/privacy |
| Bizible | We use Bizible to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://documents.marketo.com/legal/privacy/ |
| Chartbeat | We use Chartbeat to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://chartbeat.com/privacy/ |
| Crazy Egg | We use Crazy Egg to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://www.craazyegg.com/privacy |
| Datadog RUM | We use Datadog RUM to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://www.datadoghq.com/legal/privacy/ |
| DC Analytics | We use DC Analytics to better measure how users interact with our websites. | https://dcanalytics.dcmn.com/privacy-policy |
| Facebook Pixel | We use Facebook Pixel to better measure how users interact with our websites. | https://www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation |
| Fullstory | We use Fullstory to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://www.fullstory.com/legal/privacy/ |
| Google Analytics | We use Google Analytics to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://policies.google.com/privacy |
| Google Tag Manager | We use Google Tag Manager to manage analytics providers. | https://policies.google.com/privacy |
| Hotjar | We use Hotjar to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://www.hotjar.com/legal/policies/privacy |
| iSpot | We use iSpot to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://www.ispot.tv/terms-of-service |
| KissInsights | We use KissInsights to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://signin.kissmetrics.com/privacy/ |
| LinkedIn Insight Tag | We use the LinkedIn Insight Tag to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| New Relic | We use New Relic to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://newrelic.com/termsandconditions/privacy |
| Optimizely | We use Optimizely to test improvements or changes on our websites. | https://www.optimizely.com/privacy/ |
| Pinterest Analytics | We use Pinterest Analytics to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://policy.pinterest.com/privacy-policy |
| Segment | We use Segment to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://segment.com/legal/privacy/ |
| Snapchat | We use Snapchat to better measure how users interact with our websites. | https://snap.com/privacy/privacy-policy |
| Taboola | We use Taboola to better measure how users interact with our websites. | https://www.taboola.com/policies/privacy-policy |
| Tealium | We use Tealium to better manage analytics providers. | https://tealium.com/privacy/ |
| TikTok | We use TikTok to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://www.tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy?lang=en |
| We use Twitter to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://twitter.com/en/privacy | |
| Yelp Audience Platform | We use Yelp to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://terms.yelp.com/privacy/en_us/20200101_en_us/ |
Advertising
| Third Party | Description | Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Advertising | We use Microsoft Advertising to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-ca/privacystatement |
| Drift | We use Drift for conversational marketing while customers browse our websites. | https://www.drift.com/privacy-policy/ |
| Facebook Custom Audiences | We use Facebook Custom Audiences to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://www.facebook.com/policy.php |
| We use Google Ads to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://policies.google.com/privacy | |
| Hubspot | We use Hubspot to manage our customer relationships. | https://legal.hubspot.com/privacy-policy |
| Intercom | We use Intercom to manage our customer relationships. | https://www.intercom.com/terms-and-policies#privacy |
| Marketo | We use Marketo to manage our customer relationships. | https://documents.marketo.com/legal/privacy/ |
| Outbrain | We use Outbrain to display targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://www.outbrain.com/privacy/en |
| Quora | We use Quora to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://www.quora.com/about/privacy |
| We use Reddit Ads to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://www.reddit.com/help/privacypolicy | |
| SourceKnowledge | We use SourceKnowledge to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | http://www.sourceknowledge.com/privacy |
| Yahoo Japan Ads | We use Yahoo Japan Ads to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://about.yahoo.co.jp/common/terms/ |
Social Media and Content
| Third Party | Description | Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Disqus | We use Disqus to allow users to comment on posts on our websites. | https://help.disqus.com/terms-and-policies/disqus-privacy-policy |
| Facebook Connect | We use Facebook Connect to enable visitors to interact with and share content on Facebook’s social media platform. | https://www.facebook.com/policy.php |
| Gravatar | We use Gravatar to allow visitors to create avatars. | https://en.gravatar.com/site/privacy |
| We use Twitter to enable visitors to interact with and share content on the Twitter platform. | https://twitter.com/en/privacy | |
| Wistia | We use Wistia to display video content. | https://wistia.com/privacy |
Oberlo Websites
When visitors access the Oberlo websites, we generally set the following Oberlo cookies:
Cookies necessary for the smooth functioning of the websites
| Name | Function |
|---|---|
| oberlo_session | Used in connection with navigating the app. |
| shippingCountry | Used in connection with navigating the app. For finding products and calculating shipping costs. |
| user_locale | Used in connection with customer login. Stores the language selected on the login page. |
| hideFufilmentBanner | Used in connection with navigating the app. |
| hideBulkOrderingFeatureBanner | Used in connection with navigating the app. |
| hideChangePlanBannerBulkFulfillment | Used in connection with navigating the app. |
| hideBanner101 | Used in connection with navigating the app. |
| alert_setup_notifications_1 | Used in connection with navigating the app. |
Reporting and statistics
| Name | Function |
|---|---|
| conversion | Oberlo analytics. |
| conversion_leave | Oberlo analytics. |
| trackExtensionCheck | Oberlo analytics. |
| shopify_ref | Analytics related to marketing and recommendations. Tracks referrals. |
In addition, we use pixels and tags from the following third parties, which may themselves set cookies:
Reporting and statistics:
| Third Party | Description | Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Loggly | We use Loggly to fix errors and issues on our websites. | https://www.loggly.com/about/privacy-policy/ |
| Sleeknote | We use Sleeknote to measure how people interact with our website. | https://sleeknote.com/privacy-policy |
| Inspectlet | We use Inspectlet to better measure how users interact with our websites. | https://www.inspectlet.com/terms-of-service |
| Google Analytics | We use Google Analytics to learn how users interact with our websites. | https://policies.google.com/privacy |
| Fullstory | We use Fullstory to learn how users interact with our websites. | https://www.fullstory.com/legal/privacy/ |
| KissInsights | We use KissInsights to learn how users interact with our websites. | https://signin.kissmetrics.com/privacy/ |
| Optimizely | We use Optimizely to test improvements or changes to our websites. | https://www.optimizely.com/privacy/ |
| LinkedIn Insight Tag | We use the LinkedIn Insight Tag to understand how users interact with our websites. | https://www.linkedin.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| Tapfiliate | We use Tapfiliate to better measure how users interact with our websites. | https://tapfiliate.com/privacy/privacy-policy/ |
Advertising:
| Third Party | Description | Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Advertising | We use Microsoft Advertising to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-ca/privacystatement |
| Facebook Custom Audiences | We use Facebook Custom Audiences to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://www.facebook.com/policy.php |
| We use Google Ads to deliver targeted ads to visitors of our websites. | https://policies.google.com/privacy | |
| Intercom | We use Intercom to manage our customer relationships. | https://www.intercom.com/terms-and-policies#privacy |
Social Media & Content:
| Third Party | Description | Privacy |
|---|---|---|
| Disqus | We use Disqus to allow users to comment on posts on our websites. | https://help.disqus.com/terms-and-policies/disqus-privacy-policy |
| Facebook Connect | We use Facebook Connect to let visitors interact with the Facebook platform and share content. | https://www.facebook.com/policy.php |
| Gravatar | We use Gravatar to allow visitors to create avatars. | https://en.gravatar.com/site/privacy |
| YouTube | We use YouTube to display video content. | https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en-US |
| Wistia | We use Wistia to display video content. | https://wistia.com/privacy |
| AddThis | We use AddThis to display social sharing features on the website. | https://www.addthis.com/privacy/terms-of-service/ |
| We use Twitter to allow visitors to interact with and share content on Twitter. | https://twitter.com/en/privacy | |
| Kajabi | We use Kajabi to provide materials for the "Introduction to Oberlo" course. | https://kajabi.com/policies/privacy/ |
How long will cookies remain on my computer or mobile device?
The length of time a cookie remains on your computer or mobile device depends on whether it is a “persistent” or “session” cookie. Session cookies last until you stop browsing, while persistent cookies last until they expire or are deleted. Most of the cookies we use are persistent and will remain active from 30 minutes to two years from the date they are downloaded to your device. Read the next section to learn how you can control cookies, including how to delete them before they expire.
How can cookies be controlled?
You have several options to control and manage cookies. Please note that removing or blocking cookies may negatively affect your user experience, and parts of our website may no longer be fully accessible.
Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can choose whether or not to accept cookies through your browser settings. These settings can usually be found in the “Tools” or “Preferences” menu of your browser. For more information about how to change your browser settings or how to block, manage, or filter cookies, refer to your browser’s help file or visit websites such as www.allaboutcookies.org.
Many of the third-party advertising and tracking services listed above allow you to opt out of their tracking. The privacy policy links provided above include more information on what data they collect and how you can opt out.