Introduction
SchoolSteps uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, understand how you shop, remember your preferences, and improve our services. This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, and your choices regarding their use.
We follow EU Regulation 2016/679 (GDPR) and Cyprus data protection law. We only set optional cookies once you have chosen to allow them — continuing to browse is not consent, and you can change your mind at any time in section 7.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile phone) when you visit a website. They help websites remember information about your visit and personalize your experience.
Types of Cookies
- Session Cookies: Temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser. They help maintain your login session and shopping cart.
- Persistent Cookies: Cookies that remain on your device for a set period (from days to years). They help remember your preferences and login information.
- First-Party Cookies: Set directly by SchoolSteps to remember your choices and preferences.
- Third-Party Cookies: Set by other services (like Google Analytics or payment providers) to track your activity across websites.
2. How We Use Cookies
SchoolSteps uses cookies for the following purposes:
- Authentication & Security: To verify your identity and maintain secure login sessions.
- Shopping Experience: To remember items in your cart, your size preferences, and your shopping history.
- Personalization: To remember your language preference and other display settings.
- Analytics: To understand which products are popular, which pages need improvement, and how customers navigate our site (optional, requires your consent).
- Marketing: To measure visits and purchases from our Google Ads and make our ads more relevant (optional, requires your consent).
3. Essential Cookies
These cookies are necessary for SchoolSteps to function properly. They cannot be disabled without preventing you from using our website.
| Cookie Name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| schoolsteps_cookie_consent | Stores your cookie consent preferences | 1 year |
| schoolsteps-locale | Remembers your language choice (Greek/English/Russian/Chinese) | 1 year |
| schoolsteps-cart | Stores items in your shopping cart | Until cleared (localStorage) |
| schoolsteps-cart-id | Assigns a random identifier to the current cart without changing the legacy cart data | Until the cart becomes empty or an order is confirmed (localStorage) |
| schoolsteps-otp-cooldown:<email> | Temporarily remembers the code resend cooldown; the storage key includes your email address | Current browser session (sessionStorage) |
| schoolsteps-smart-checkout-draft:v1 | Temporarily remembers your Smart Checkout filters, delivery and payment choices, and the checkout details you have entered — your name, phone number and delivery address — while you view product details | Current browser session (sessionStorage), or until checkout completes |
| schoolsteps-launch-banner-dismissed | Remembers that you dismissed the launch banner | Until cleared (localStorage) |
| schoolsteps-locale-prompt-dismissed | Remembers that you closed the language prompt without choosing a language | Until cleared (localStorage) |
4. Analytics Cookies
With your permission, analytics storage helps us understand how you use SchoolSteps and where we can improve. It records bounded shopping events such as:
- Which product details are rendered
- Selected catalogue filters (but never search text or uncontrolled price input)
- Cart item changes and closed checkout stages
- Whether a checkout resulted in an order
We do not record contact details, addresses, payment details, page URLs, or search text in these events. A cart may be linked to your account when you sign in or check out so that completion can be measured. This information is not used to send reminder messages. Withdrawing analytics consent stops collection immediately and clears the analytics visitor and session identifiers stored in this browser.
| Storage name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| schoolsteps.storefront-events.v1.visitor | Random analytics visitor identifier; contains no name, email, or contact details | Until analytics consent is withdrawn or browser data is cleared (localStorage) |
| schoolsteps.storefront-events.v1.session | Random analytics session identifier and sequence state | Renewed after 30 minutes of inactivity; cleared when analytics consent is withdrawn (localStorage) |
5. Functional Cookies
Functional cookies remember your preferences to make your shopping experience faster and more convenient:
- Your preferred language setting
- Your child's shoe size preferences
- Your display and accessibility preferences
- Recently viewed products and search history (optional)
These cookies are optional but recommended for a better shopping experience.
6. Marketing Cookies
The Google Ads tag loads on each page with advertising and analytics consent denied by default. Before you allow marketing cookies, Google may receive limited signals without cookies about the tag and your consent state. We only send explicit page-view, product-detail-view and purchase events after marketing consent, and the tag does not receive checkout query parameters.
If you allow marketing cookies, we use the Google Ads tag to measure visits from ads and product-detail views and purchases, and to make our advertising more relevant. Google may receive the page address without checkout query parameters, browser and ad-click identifiers, and information about your interaction with our ads. Google Ads may set first-party ad-click cookies such as _gcl_* on this site.
On a product page, we send Google Ads a secondary product-view event with the page address but without a monetary value. After an order is confirmed, we send Google Ads the order ID, total amount in euros and currency to measure the purchase and avoid counting it twice. We do not send your name, email, delivery address or payment details in this purchase event. A browser-session marker containing the order ID prevents the same browser from sending the purchase event again after a page refresh. You can reject or withdraw marketing consent at any time.
7. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have several options to control cookies:
SchoolSteps Cookie Preferences
When you first visit SchoolSteps, a cookie banner appears with three options:
- Accept All: Allows all non-essential cookies (analytics, marketing, functional).
- Reject All: Only essential cookies are stored; no analytics or marketing cookies.
- Manage Preferences: Opens a detailed preferences panel where you can selectively enable/disable each cookie category.
You can change your preferences anytime by clicking the cookie preferences link in your account settings or footer.
Browser Settings
You can disable cookies entirely through your browser settings:
- Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
- Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Cookies and website data
- Firefox: Preferences → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Edge: Settings → Privacy, search, and services → Clear browsing data
Consequences of Disabling Cookies
Disabling cookies may impact your experience:
- Essential Cookies Disabled: You cannot use SchoolSteps (cannot log in, place orders, or use the cart).
- Functional Cookies Disabled: You must re-select your language preference each visit; saved preferences are lost.
- Analytics/Marketing Cookies Disabled: No impact on website functionality; you'll see generic promotions.
8. Cookie Consent Process
SchoolSteps complies with GDPR Article 7 by obtaining explicit, informed consent before setting non-essential cookies:
- Banner Display: A cookie consent banner appears on your first visit with clear options to accept, reject, or manage preferences.
- No Pre-Checked Boxes: Optional cookies are not enabled by default; you must actively select them.
- Easy Withdrawal: You can withdraw consent anytime through the preferences modal or account settings.
- Consent Validity: Your consent is valid for 12 months. After that, we may request renewed consent.
9. Cookie Consent Records
For GDPR compliance, SchoolSteps maintains a record of your cookie consent:
- What We Record: Date/time of consent, which categories you accepted/rejected, your IP address (hashed for privacy), browser information, and the method of consent (banner, modal, settings).
- Where We Store It: Google Firestore, our secure database, with enterprise-grade encryption.
- Retention Period: Your consent record is kept for 2 years, so that we can show what you agreed to if it is ever questioned, then deleted.
- Access Rights: You can request to download your consent history anytime using the "Download my data" option in cookie settings.
10. Third-Party Services & Cookies
SchoolSteps uses trusted third-party services that may set cookies:
Firebase Authentication (Google)
- Used for secure login and account management
- Privacy Policy: Google Privacy Policy
Stripe (Payment Processing)
- Used during checkout for secure payment processing
- Privacy Policy: Stripe Privacy Policy
Google Ads (Marketing)
- Measures visits from our ads, product-detail views and confirmed purchases
- Requires your marketing consent
- Privacy Policy: Google Privacy Policy
Google Analytics (Future Use)
- May be used to track website performance and user behavior
- Requires your explicit analytics consent
- Privacy Policy: Google Privacy Policy
11. Do Not Track (DNT)
Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature. Currently, there is no industry-wide standard for recognizing and responding to DNT signals. SchoolSteps respects your DNT preferences to the extent possible and will work toward full DNT compliance as standards develop.
12. Updates to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, new technologies, or legal requirements. The "Last Updated" date at the top indicates when this policy was last revised.
Material changes will be communicated via:
- Updated "Last Updated" date on this page
- Notification email to registered users (if significant changes affect you)
- New consent request if required by law
Your continued use of SchoolSteps after updates constitutes acceptance of the revised Cookie Policy.
13. Contact Us
If you have questions, concerns, or requests about this Cookie Policy or our cookie practices, please contact us:
- Email: privacy@schoolsteps.shop
- Mailing Address: Kypos Ltd, Voreiou Ipeirou 2, Oasis Park, Flat/Office Q2, 8035 Paphos, Cyprus
- Customer Support: info@schoolsteps.shop
We will respond within one month. If you have an unresolved privacy concern, you can complain to the Office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection in Cyprus at www.dataprotection.gov.cy. You do not have to come to us first.
14. Your Rights Under GDPR
As a Cyprus or EU resident, you have rights regarding your personal data and cookie information:
- Right of Access: Request a copy of your consent records and cookie data.
- Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate cookie preferences.
- Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your consent history (except where legally required to retain).
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Change or withdraw your cookie preferences anytime.
- Right to Data Portability: Receive your consent data in a portable format.
To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@schoolsteps.shop with "GDPR Request" in the subject line.