Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

The Floral Muse (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and safeguard your personal data when you visit our website, place orders, or communicate with us. We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. Data controller

The Floral Muse, a boutique florist operating in Leeds, United Kingdom, is the data controller responsible for your personal data. Our website is located at thefloralmuse.uk.

3. Personal data we collect

We collect only the personal data necessary to provide our services:

• Order data: Name, telephone number, email address (optional), delivery address, delivery instructions, preferred delivery date, gift messages, and social media handles (e.g. WhatsApp, WeChat, Instagram) when provided for order fulfilment.
• Live chat data: Messages and any information you share when using the Tawk.io live chat.
• Technical data: When you use our website, we may collect IP address, browser type, device type and pages visited. With your consent, we use analytics services to understand how visitors use our site; this data is used in aggregated form only.
• Order tracking: If you request an email link to view your orders, we send a secure, time-limited link to the email address you provide.

4. How we use your data

We use your personal data only for the following purposes:

• Fulfilling orders (creating arrangements, delivery, collection)
• Communicating with you about your order or enquiry
• Improving our website and services (with consent, where applicable)
• Complying with legal obligations (e.g. tax, accounting)

We do not sell, rent or share your personal data with third parties for marketing purposes.

5. Lawful basis

Under UK GDPR we process your data on the following lawful bases: contract (to fulfil orders and provide services), legitimate interests (to run our business, prevent fraud, improve services), legal obligation (tax, accounting and other legal requirements), and consent where explicitly obtained (e.g. non-essential cookies, optional marketing).

6. Data retention

We retain order and contact data for up to seven years for tax and accounting purposes. Live chat data is retained only as long as necessary to respond and conduct any follow-up. Aggregated analytics data is retained according to our analytics provider's policies. After retention periods, we delete or anonymise data where possible.

7. Data security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data. This includes encryption in transit (HTTPS), secure storage, access controls restricted to authorised personnel, and secure session handling. We do not store payment card details on our servers; payments are processed by trusted payment providers.

8. Third-party processors

We use trusted service providers who process data on our behalf under appropriate agreements. These include: email delivery services, cloud hosting and CDN providers, and, where you have consented, analytics and live chat services. All processors are bound by contractual obligations to protect your data and comply with applicable privacy laws.

9. Your rights (UK GDPR)

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Rectification of inaccurate data
• Erasure (in certain circumstances)
• Restriction of processing
• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Data portability (where applicable)
• Withdraw consent at any time
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk)

To exercise these rights, contact us at hello@thefloralmuse.uk or via our Enquire page.

10. Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to provide and improve our website. You can manage your preferences using our cookie consent banner when you first visit, or change them at any time.

Essential cookies

These are required for the website to function and cannot be disabled:

• Session cookie — Used when you log in to our admin area. Secure, HTTP-only. Not used for public visitors.
• Preference cookie — Remembers your cookie consent choice so we do not ask repeatedly.

Optional cookies (require your consent)

These help us understand how the site is used and enable features such as live chat:

• Analytics — We may use analytics cookies to measure site usage (e.g. pages visited, referrers). Data is aggregated and does not identify you personally.
• Live chat — If we offer a live chat widget, it may set cookies to operate. You can decline this when managing cookie preferences.

Local storage

We use browser local storage for strictly necessary functions such as shopping cart contents and order reference storage. This enables checkout and order lookup without requiring an account. These are not used for tracking.

11. International transfers

Your data is primarily stored and processed in the United Kingdom and European Economic Area. Where we use services that transfer data outside the UK or EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards (such as adequacy decisions or Standard Contractual Clauses) are in place.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The effective date at the top will be revised when changes are made. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of our website after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy where appropriate.

13. Contact us

For privacy enquiries, to exercise your rights, or to contact our data protection representative: hello@thefloralmuse.uk or use our Enquire page.