This Privacy Policy explains how H&Z collects, uses, stores and protects personal information provided through our website and when you interact with us.

Our website is available at:

• www.hzcouture.co.za

By using our website, submitting an enquiry, creating an account or placing an order, you acknowledge that your personal information may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable South African data protection legislation.

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how H&Z collects, uses, stores and protects personal information provided through our website and when you interact with us.

Our website is available at:

• www.hzcouture.co.za

By using our website, submitting an enquiry, creating an account or placing an order, you acknowledge that your personal information may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable South African data protection legislation.

2. Our Privacy Commitment

H&Z is committed to respecting and protecting your privacy. We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information collected through our website and other communication channels is handled responsibly, securely and in accordance with applicable South African privacy laws.

We only collect and use personal information where reasonably necessary for legitimate business purposes, including processing orders, communicating with customers, arranging delivery, providing customer support and improving our website and services.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, website, services or applicable legal requirements. Any updates will be published on this page, and we encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

3. Information We May Collect

Depending on how you interact with H&Z, we may collect personal information such as:

• Full name and surname
• Contact number
• Email address
• Billing and delivery address
• Order and purchase information
• Product preferences and enquiries
• Account login information where an account is created
• Information provided when contacting us through forms, email, WhatsApp or other approved communication channels
• Technical information relating to your use of our website, where collected through cookies or similar technologies

We do not require you to provide personal information that is not reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is collected.

4. How We Use Your Information

We may use your personal information to:

• Process and fulfil your orders
• Process payments and confirm transactions
• Arrange the delivery or collection of your purchases
• Respond to enquiries and customer service requests
• Communicate with you regarding your orders or enquiries
• Assist with returns, exchanges or refunds
• Manage customer accounts where applicable
• Improve our website, products and customer experience
• Detect, prevent and investigate fraudulent, unlawful or unauthorised activity
• Comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements

We will not use your personal information for purposes that are incompatible with the purpose for which it was originally collected unless permitted or required by applicable law.

5. Online Orders & WooCommerce

Our online store uses WooCommerce to facilitate e-commerce functionality, including product browsing, shopping carts, customer accounts and order processing.

When you place an order through our website, certain personal information is required to process and fulfil your purchase. This may include your name, contact details, billing information, delivery address and order details.

Information submitted during checkout may be processed through our website and relevant third-party service providers to facilitate payment, order fulfilment and delivery.

6. Payments & Third-Party Service Providers

Payments made through our website may be processed by third-party payment service providers.

Depending on the payment method selected, your payment information may be processed directly by the relevant payment provider in accordance with its own privacy policy and security practices.

H&Z does not intentionally store complete card numbers, CVV numbers or other sensitive payment credentials on our website.

Third-party service providers may also assist us with website hosting, payment processing, order fulfilment, courier services, communications, analytics and other business operations.

7. Communication & Marketing

We may use your contact information to communicate with you regarding orders, enquiries, returns, exchanges, customer support and other services you have requested.

Where permitted by law and where appropriate consent has been obtained, we may also send marketing communications about H&Z products, promotions, new arrivals and other relevant updates.

You may unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions provided in the communication or by contacting H&Z directly.

8. How We Use Cookies

A cookie is a small text file stored on your device when you visit a website. Cookies allow websites to remember certain information and can help improve functionality and user experience.

H&Z may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, remember preferences, maintain shopping carts, assist with website performance and understand how visitors use our website.

Some cookies may be placed by third-party services used on our website, such as analytics, payment, security or other functionality providers.

You can choose to accept or decline cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality or performance of parts of the H&Z website.

9. Website Analytics & Technical Information

We may collect certain technical information about visitors to our website, such as browser type, device type, approximate location, IP address, pages visited, referring website and general usage information.

This information may be used to monitor website performance, identify technical issues, understand website usage and improve the overall customer experience.

Where analytics or similar third-party services are used, the processing of information may also be subject to the privacy policies of those providers.

10. Sharing of Personal Information

H&Z does not sell or rent your personal information to third parties.

We may share relevant personal information with trusted service providers where reasonably necessary to operate our business and provide services to you.

This may include payment providers, courier and delivery companies, website hosting providers, technical service providers, communication platforms and other service providers who assist us with operating our website and fulfilling customer requests.

We may also disclose personal information where required or permitted by applicable law, regulation, legal proceedings or lawful governmental request.

11. Protection of Personal Information

H&Z takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.

However, no online transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted through the internet.

12. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, to provide our services, maintain business and transaction records, resolve disputes, prevent fraud or comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations.

When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy or anonymise it where appropriate.

13. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, social media platforms or other external services.

Once you leave the H&Z website, we are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of those external websites or services.

We encourage you to review the applicable privacy policies and terms of any third-party websites or services you choose to access.

14. Your Privacy Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have rights relating to the personal information we hold about you, including the right to request access to your personal information and to request that inaccurate or outdated information be corrected.

You may also have the right to object to certain forms of processing or request deletion of personal information where legally permitted.

Requests relating to your personal information should be directed to H&Z using the contact details provided on our website.

15. Children’s Information

Our website and online store are not intentionally directed at children, and H&Z does not knowingly collect personal information from children in circumstances where such collection is prohibited by applicable law.

If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us without the appropriate consent, please contact us so that we can assess and take appropriate action.

16. South African Privacy Legislation

H&Z aims to process personal information in accordance with applicable South African privacy and data protection legislation, including the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) where applicable.

We aim to collect, process, store and disclose personal information responsibly and only where there is an appropriate legal basis or other lawful justification for doing so.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

H&Z may update or amend this Privacy Policy from time to time.

Any changes will be published on this page and will apply from the date of publication.

We encourage you to review this page periodically to remain informed about how we collect, use and protect personal information.

18. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how H&Z processes your personal information, or wish to exercise any applicable privacy rights, please contact us using the contact details provided on our website.