Cookies and analytics

We use privacy-friendly first-party statistics to improve the shop. This page explains exactly what that means, what we store in your browser, and how to switch it off at any time.

The short version

• Our own statistics count visits, page views and checkout steps so we can see what helps people find the right product. They are reported in aggregate, never used for advertising and never shared or sold.
• We do not build advertising profiles and we do not track you across other websites.
• Google Analytics only ever runs if you choose Accept. It is off until you do.
• You can turn our statistics off at any time with the Analytics preferences link in the footer. If your browser sends Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control, they are already off.

First-party statistics

These are collected by vibrator.toys itself and stay with us (BH Commerce Ltd). We rely on the statistical purposes exemption in UK law (the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations as amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025): the information is used only to understand and improve how the shop works, and you can opt out.

What we record:

• A random visitor id and a random session id, kept in your browser's local storage (vt_vid and vt_sid). They contain no name, email address or other detail about you. A session ends after 30 minutes without activity.
• What happened on the site: pages viewed, products viewed, items added to the bag, checkout steps started, how far down a guide or blog post you scrolled, roughly how long you spent reading, and which product links in our guides were clicked.
• Where the visit came from: the website that sent you (the domain only, for example google.com, never the full address you came from), any campaign tags in the link (such as utm_source), and the first page you landed on.
• Your device type: mobile, tablet or desktop.
• A one-way hash of your network (IP) address, shortened to 16 characters. It is used to stop abuse (for example, to rate-limit automated traffic). Your actual IP address is never stored.

When you place an order, a short summary of how you found us (for example "first visit from Instagram, last visit from a Google search, read our cleaning guide") is saved with the order so we know which guides and channels actually help customers. It contains no browsing detail beyond that.

We also ignore obvious bots and automated tools.

Vercel analytics

Our hosting provider's Web Analytics and Speed Insights measure page views and page speed without cookies, in aggregate. They are switched off along with our own statistics when you opt out.

Google Analytics (only if you accept)

If Google Analytics is in use, you will see Accept and Reject buttons of equal size. Until you choose Accept, the Google Analytics script is not loaded at all and nothing is sent to Google. If you accept, Google Analytics may set cookies (such as _ga) to measure visits. Advertising features, ad personalisation and Google signals are switched off, and advertising storage is always denied. You can change your mind in Analytics preferences.

If you accept, we also set a vt_sid cookie holding the same random session id, so that an order can be linked to the visit that led to it.

Things the shop needs to work

These are strictly necessary and do not need consent:

• Your bag (bv-cart in local storage), so items stay in it as you browse.
• Your choices on this page (vt_consent, vt_analytics_off, vt_notice_seen in local storage), so we remember them and do not ask again.
• Payments: our payment provider, Stripe, may set cookies during checkout to process your payment securely and prevent fraud.

How long we keep it

• Raw statistics (visits, page views, events and visit history) are deleted automatically after 13 months, so we can compare a month with the same month a year earlier.
• The short "how you found us" summary saved with an order is kept for as long as we keep that order record.
• In your browser, the ids stay until you clear your browser storage or opt out (opting out deletes them straight away).

Sharing and advertising

We do not sell or share these statistics, and we do not use them for advertising or to make decisions about you. Our hosting and database providers store the data on our behalf under contract.

How to opt out

• Use the Analytics preferences link in the footer and untick "First-party statistics". We stop sending anything from that browser, delete the stored ids immediately and remember your choice.
• Or turn on Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control in your browser: we treat either as an opt-out.
• Clearing your browser's site data also removes everything listed above.

Questions? Email hello@vibrator.toys. For how we handle personal information more generally, see our privacy policy.