MERCHANT & MILLS
Cookie Policy
merchantandmills.com — Last updated: March 2026
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They help the site remember information about your visit — such as the items in your basket — and help us understand how people use our site so we can improve it.
1. How We Use Cookies
Merchant & Mills uses cookies on merchantandmills.com for four purposes:
• Essential operation — keeping your basket, managing your login, and processing checkout.
• Analytics — understanding how visitors use our site so we can improve it.
• Marketing — measuring the performance of any advertising we run on platforms such as Meta or TikTok.
• Preferences — remembering your settings such as language or region.
Our website runs on Shopify. Shopify places some cookies automatically as part of operating the store. Where we use additional third-party tools (such as Google Analytics), we set those out clearly below.
Under UK PECR (Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations) and UK GDPR, we are required to obtain your consent before placing any non-essential cookies. We do this through the cookie consent banner displayed when you first visit our site. You can update your preferences at any time — see section 5.
2. Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to function. Without them you would not be able to add items to your basket, log in to your account, or complete a purchase. They do not require your consent under PECR.
All of the cookies in this section are set by Shopify as part of operating our store.
|
Cookie name |
Purpose |
Duration |
|
_shopify_essential |
Stores session and checkout information and anti-tampering data. |
1 year |
|
_shopify_essential_ |
Opaque token used to identify a device for essential purposes. |
1 year |
|
cart |
Stores the contents of your shopping basket. |
2 weeks |
|
cart_currency |
Remembers the currency used at last checkout to initialise a new cart. |
2 weeks |
|
localization |
Remembers the correct country to localise your cart. |
2 weeks |
|
shopify_pay |
Logs a buyer into Shop Pay on return checkout visits. |
1 year |
|
_tracking_consent |
Stores your cookie preferences if you have been shown a consent banner. |
1 year |
|
_shopify_test |
Checks cookie capabilities in your browser. |
1 minute |
|
discount_code |
Stores a discount code received via a URL parameter for the next checkout. |
Session |
|
storefront_digest |
Stores a digest of the storefront password for password-protected preview. |
1 year |
|
login_with_shop_finalize |
Facilitates login with Shop. |
5 minutes |
3. Analytics Cookies
Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use our site — for example, which pages are most popular, how long people spend on each page, and how they navigate between sections. This helps us improve the experience for everyone. These cookies are only placed with your consent.
3.1 Shopify analytics cookies
Shopify places these cookies to provide us with store analytics.
|
Cookie name |
Purpose |
Duration |
|
_shopify_s |
Identifies a given browser session on the store. Expires after 30 minutes of inactivity. |
30 minutes |
|
_shopify_y |
Shopify analytics — persistent visitor identifier. |
1 year |
|
_shopify_analytics |
Contains analytics data for the storefront and checkout. |
1 year |
|
_merchant_analytics |
Contains analytics data for the merchant session. |
1 year |
|
_landing_page |
Captures the first landing page of a visit when arriving from another site. |
2 weeks |
|
_orig_referrer |
Records the referring website so we can understand how visitors find us. |
2 weeks |
3.2 Third-party analytics
We also use the following third-party analytics tools. These services may transfer data to servers outside the UK. Where they do, appropriate safeguards are in place (such as UK International Data Transfer Agreements or equivalent mechanisms).
|
Service |
Purpose |
Duration |
|
Google Analytics (_ga, _gid, _gat) |
Measures how visitors interact with the site — pages viewed, time on site, and navigation paths. Google processes this data on servers which may be outside the UK. |
Up to 2 years |
|
Google Tag Manager |
Manages and deploys analytics and tracking tags. Does not itself collect personal data. |
N/A |
For more information about Google Analytics and how to opt out, visit: https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/11397207
4. Marketing Cookies
Marketing cookies track visits to our site from paid advertising campaigns and help us measure how effective those campaigns are. They may also be used to build audiences for retargeting — showing our adverts to people who have previously visited our site. These cookies are only placed with your consent.
4.1 Shopify marketing cookie
|
Cookie name |
Purpose |
Duration |
|
_shopify_marketing |
Contains marketing attribution data for the storefront and checkout. |
1 year |
4.2 Third-party marketing cookies
We may use the following advertising platforms. Note that these platforms have their own privacy policies governing how they process data.
|
Service |
Purpose |
Duration |
|
Meta (Facebook) Pixel |
Tracks visits to our site from Facebook and Instagram ads, and can be used to build custom audiences for retargeting. |
Up to 2 years |
|
Pinterest Tag (_epik, _pinterest_ct_rt, _pin_unauth, _derived_epik) |
Tracks visits to our site from Pinterest ads and measures ad performance. Also used to build custom audiences for retargeting on Pinterest. These cookies are only set when a visitor arrives from a Pinterest ad or has a Pinterest session active. |
Up to 1 year |
Note: The Pinterest Tag cookie names listed above (_epik, _pinterest_ct_rt, _pin_unauth, _derived_epik) are conditional — they are only set when a visitor arrives via a Pinterest ad or has an active Pinterest session. For full details see: help.pinterest.com/en/business/article/pinterest-tag-parameters-and-cookies
5. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have several ways to control the cookies placed on your device:
5.1 Cookie consent banner
When you first visit merchantandmills.com, you will see a cookie consent banner. You can accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customise your preferences by category. You can return to update your choices at any time by clicking the 'Cookie preferences' link in the footer of our website.
5.2 Browser settings
Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies through their settings. The steps vary by browser:
• Google Chrome: Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data
• Mozilla Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data
• Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
• Microsoft Edge: Settings > Cookies and site permissions
Please be aware that blocking essential cookies will prevent core parts of our website from working — including your shopping basket and checkout.
5.3 Opting out of specific third-party tools
• Google Analytics opt-out: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
• Meta ad preferences: https://www.facebook.com/ads/preferences
• Pinterest ad settings: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/settings/privacy
• Shopify consumer privacy: https://privacy.shopify.com
6. Third-Party Services and Links
Our website may link to third-party websites or embed content from social media platforms. These third parties may place their own cookies on your device, independently of us. We are not responsible for their cookie practices and encourage you to read their privacy and cookie policies.
Shopify, as our e-commerce platform, processes data in accordance with its own privacy and cookie policies, which can be found at shopify.com/legal/privacy and shopify.com/legal/cookies.
7. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in the law, or changes in the services we provide. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated. We will notify you of significant changes through the cookie consent banner on your next visit.
8. Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this policy, please contact:
Michael Jones, Data Protection Contact
Email: michael@merchantandmills.com
Phone: +44 (0)1797 227758
Post: 14a Tower Street, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7AT
This policy should be read alongside the Merchant & Mills Privacy Policy, available at merchantandmills.com.
This policy is governed by UK PECR and UK GDPR (Data Protection Act 2018)..
Merchant & Mills Limited — Company No. 07559928
Unit 7-9, Rye Industrial Park, Harbour Road, Rye, East Sussex, TN31 7TE



