Last updated: November 9, 2026
At The Olive Sparrow, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information. We collect and use information to operate our online store, manage workshops and appointments, fulfill orders, and provide customer service. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use and protect it, and the choices available to you.
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share information with service providers only for legitimate business purposes, as described below, or when required by law.
Information we collect
Depending on how you interact with our website or business, we may collect:
- Contact information: Your name, email address, billing and shipping addresses, and phone number when provided.
- Orders and transactions: Products purchased, order amounts, payment method, order history, and delivery information.
- Workshop and appointment bookings: Contact details, booking information, and any relevant information you choose to provide.
- Account information: Information associated with a customer account, if you choose to create one.
- Website information: IP address, browser and device information, pages visited, and website activity collected through cookies, server logs, and Google Analytics.
- Communications: Information you provide when contacting us or requesting assistance.
- Marketing preferences: Newsletter subscriptions, consent records, and communication preferences.
How we use your information
We use personal information to:
- Process payments, fulfill orders, arrange shipping, and provide tracking information.
- Manage workshop registrations, appointments, and related communications.
- Respond to inquiries and provide customer support.
- Manage customer accounts, returns, refunds, and order records.
- Maintain website functionality, improve our services, and help protect against fraud or unauthorized activity.
- Send newsletters, workshop announcements, and promotional information in accordance with your consent and applicable law.
- Meet accounting, tax, and legal obligations.
Payments and financial information
Online payments are processed through Square and PayPal. These providers handle payment information in accordance with their own privacy and security policies.
The Olive Sparrow receives transaction details necessary to confirm payments, process orders and refunds, and maintain business records. Complete payment card details are handled by the payment providers rather than stored directly in our WooCommerce order records.
Sharing information with third parties
We do not sell, rent, or trade customer information or provide customer lists to data brokers or unrelated businesses for their own marketing purposes.
To operate our business, we may share information with:
- Square and PayPal: To process payments and refunds.
- Shipping and delivery providers: To prepare shipments, deliver orders, and provide tracking information.
- Website and hosting providers: To operate, maintain, and secure our WordPress and WooCommerce website.
- Email and newsletter services: To deliver order communications and manage newsletter subscriptions.
- Google Analytics: To understand website traffic, visitor interactions, and website performance.
- Professional advisers and authorities: When necessary for accounting, legal compliance, or responding to lawful requests.
We limit information sharing to what is reasonably necessary for these purposes. Service providers may process information under their own privacy policies and applicable contractual arrangements.
Newsletters and marketing communications
If you subscribe to our newsletter, we use your email address to send updates about products, workshops, events, and occasional promotions.
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our marketing emails or by contacting us. Unsubscribing does not prevent us from sending necessary communications about orders, bookings, or services you have requested.
Cookies and Google Analytics
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to support essential store functions, including maintaining shopping carts, processing checkout sessions, and remembering certain preferences.
We also use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our website. Google Analytics may collect information about pages visited, time spent on the website, browser and device characteristics, approximate geographic location derived from technical information, and interactions with website content.
Google Analytics uses cookies and other technologies to collect and process this information. You can learn more about how Google uses information from websites and apps that use its services at Google’s Privacy & Terms website.
You can manage or block cookies through your browser settings. You may also opt out of Google Analytics measurement by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, where supported.
Disabling essential cookies may prevent certain website features, including the shopping cart and checkout, from functioning correctly.
How long we retain information
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, provide customer service, maintain business records, and meet legal obligations.
Our WooCommerce store uses the following retention periods for customer accounts and order information:
- Inactive customer accounts: 24 months.
- Pending and failed orders: 14 days.
- Cancelled orders: 30 days.
- Refunded orders: 24 months.
- Completed orders: 24 months.
These periods apply to the information retained within WooCommerce. Certain transaction details and financial records may be retained separately for longer periods where necessary to comply with Canadian tax, accounting, or other legal requirements.
Newsletter subscription information is retained while you remain subscribed, subject to any records we need to maintain to document consent or withdrawal of consent.
When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely delete or anonymize it, unless continued retention is required or permitted by law.
Your privacy rights and choices
Subject to applicable legal requirements, you may:
- Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
- Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information.
- Request deletion of personal information that is no longer required, subject to legal and recordkeeping obligations.
- Withdraw consent for optional uses of your information, including marketing communications, subject to applicable legal limitations.
- Ask questions or raise concerns about our privacy practices.
We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request involving personal information. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable privacy legislation.
Data security
We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These include using reputable service providers and maintaining appropriate safeguards for our website and business records.
While we take privacy and security seriously, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Information processed outside Canada
The Olive Sparrow is based in Canada. Some third-party services, including Google Analytics and payment or website service providers, may store or process information outside Canada.
When information is processed in another country, it may be subject to that country’s laws, including lawful access requests by public authorities. We take reasonable steps to ensure appropriate protections are in place when working with service providers.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our business practices, website services, or applicable legal requirements. The current version will be available on this page, with the date of the latest update shown above.
Contact and privacy inquiries
The Olive Sparrow is responsible for the personal information collected through our website and business operations.
For questions about this Privacy Policy, requests to access or correct your personal information, or concerns about our privacy practices, please contact The Olive Sparrow. Privacy inquiries will be directed to the person responsible for our privacy practices.