1. Introduction

PatternPOP ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of our customers, website visitors, and business partners. This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected through our website at patternpop.co.za, our contact forms, email communications, WhatsApp messages, and any other interactions with our business.

This policy complies with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) and the Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000 (PAIA) of the Republic of South Africa.

2. Responsible Party

The responsible party for the processing of your personal information is:

3. What Personal Information We Collect

We may collect the following personal information depending on how you interact with us:

Information you provide directly

• Full name and surname
• Company or organisation name
• Email address
• Phone number
• Professional role (e.g. architect, interior designer, shopfitter)
• Project details, including estimated floor area and design briefs
• Delivery address (when ordering sample kits)
• Any files or documents you share with us (floor plans, brand guides, logos)

Information collected automatically

• IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type and device information
• Pages visited and time spent on our website
• Referring website or source
• Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 9)

4. How We Use Your Information

We process your personal information for the following purposes:

We will never sell your personal information to third parties.

5. Who We Share Your Information With

We may share your personal information with the following categories of recipients, only to the extent necessary to fulfil the purposes described above:

• Manufacturing partners — to produce your custom-printed tiles based on your design brief
• Courier and delivery services — to deliver sample kits and products to your address
• Payment processors — to process transactions securely (we do not store your payment card details)
• Website hosting and analytics providers — Shopify (our e-commerce platform) and analytics tools that help us understand how our website is used
• Email service providers — to send transactional and, where you have opted in, marketing communications
• Professional advisors — accountants, legal counsel, or auditors where required

All third-party service providers are required to process your information in accordance with POPIA and our instructions. We take reasonable steps to ensure they maintain adequate security measures.

6. Your Rights Under POPIA

As a data subject, you have the following rights under POPIA:

• Right to access — You may request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you, and request a copy of that information.
• Right to correction — You may request that we correct or update any inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading personal information.
• Right to deletion — You may request that we delete your personal information where it is no longer necessary for the purpose it was collected, subject to any legal retention requirements.
• Right to object — You may object to the processing of your personal information for direct marketing purposes at any time.
• Right to withdraw consent — Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
• Right to lodge a complaint — You have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa if you believe your personal information has been mishandled.

7. Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Specifically:

• Quote requests and project enquiries — retained for the duration of the project and up to 3 years after completion for reference and warranty purposes.
• Marketing contacts — retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
• Financial and transactional records — retained for 5 years as required by the South African Tax Administration Act and Companies Act.
• Website analytics data — retained in anonymised or aggregated form.

When personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete or anonymise it.

8. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption on our website (HTTPS)
• Secure hosting through Shopify's PCI-compliant infrastructure
• Access controls limiting who within our team can view personal information
• Regular review of our data handling practices

While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. If you become aware of any security breach, please notify us immediately at roche@patternpop.co.za.

9. Cookies and Tracking

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience and help us understand how our site is used.

Types of cookies we use

• Essential cookies — required for the website to function properly (e.g. shopping cart, session management). These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies — help us understand how visitors interact with our website (e.g. Google Analytics). These collect anonymised data about page views and traffic sources.
• Marketing cookies — used to deliver relevant advertising and track campaign performance (e.g. LinkedIn Insight Tag, Meta Pixel). These are only placed with your consent.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

10. Cross-Border Transfers

Some of the third-party service providers we use (such as Shopify, Google Analytics, and email platforms) may process or store data outside of South Africa. Where this occurs, we ensure that:

• The recipient is subject to laws or binding agreements that provide an adequate level of protection as required by Section 72 of POPIA.
• You have consented to the transfer (e.g. by using our website and submitting your information).
• The transfer is necessary to fulfil a contract with you.

11. Children's Privacy

Our products and services are directed at businesses and professionals. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 18. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected such information, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date below. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Information Regulator

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your personal information, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa: