E-commerce privacy policy: what your online store must include and where the URL goes
By Paul Cranmer, Founder · Last verified August 2026
Short answer: an e-commerce privacy policy names what you collect at checkout (name, address, email, payment handled by your processor), who receives it (payment, shipping, email and analytics providers), which cookies and pixels run for marketing, how long orders are kept, and how a buyer can access or delete their data. It lives at one HTTPS URL that the footer, your ad accounts and marketplaces all link to. Shopify publishes policies under Settings → Policies; WooCommerce usually uses a WordPress privacy page; a hosted URL works for both and for the ads. This guide covers what to say and where to put it; for click-by-click admin steps, use the store privacy policy URL how-to.
Who this is for
- Shopify, WooCommerce, and BigCommerce merchants
- Owners who need one privacy policy URL for the store and for ads
Not for
- Shopify App Partner listings (separate how-to)
- Mobile App Store privacy URLs (they have their own how-tos)
What to do
- Placement: footer, menus, and order flows
- Checkout considerations and consent
- Regional notices and data subject rights
- Versioning and uptime expectations
- FAQ with examples
FAQ
What must an e-commerce privacy policy include?
The personal data collected at checkout and account creation, every third party it goes to (payment processor, shipping carrier, email and analytics tools, ad pixels), the purposes, retention of order records, cookies used for marketing, and how buyers exercise access, correction and deletion rights, with a contact address.
Can I use one privacy policy URL for my store, Facebook ads and Google Shopping?
Yes, and you should: one hosted HTTPS page linked from the store footer and pasted into the ad and marketplace fields, so a change on the page reaches every platform without re-submitting anything.
Do I need a separate cookie policy?
You can integrate cookie info into the main policy or link to a separate page. Clarity matters more than format.
How do I handle multiple storefronts?
Use one canonical privacy policy URL and list brands or stores on the page to avoid drift.
Where are the Shopify admin steps?
See the Shopify and WooCommerce store privacy policy URL how-to for Settings → Policies and footer menus.