Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files that are downloaded to your device, such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet, when you visit a website. They contain information that can be read by the web server that issued the cookie. This information often includes a unique identifier, the name of the website, and some digits and numbers. Cookies are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to the owners of the site. They allow a website to recognise a user's device and remember preferences or actions over time.

At Aphrodite, we use cookies to enhance your online experience, ensuring our platform is both user-friendly and secure. These small files are fundamental to the operation of many features on our website.

Aphrodite uses cookies for several purposes. These include maintaining your session, remembering your preferences, analysing site traffic, and for marketing efforts. Cookies help us understand how you interact with our services, allowing us to continually improve our offerings. They enable us to provide a personalised experience, such as remembering your language choice or your login details for your next visit. Our use of cookies is always in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Essential cookies are fundamental to the operation of the Aphrodite website. Without these cookies, certain services you have requested, such as logging into your account or adding items to a cart, cannot be provided. These cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function correctly and do not collect any personally identifiable information about you. They are usually set only in response to actions made by you that amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. You cannot opt out of these cookies as they are crucial for the website's basic functionality.

• Session Management: These cookies enable us to identify you as you navigate through our site, ensuring that your session remains active and secure.
• Security: They help us detect and prevent security risks, protecting your account from unauthorised access.
• Compliance: Essential cookies assist us in meeting our legal and regulatory obligations, for instance, age verification checks.

Analytics cookies collect information about how visitors use our website. This includes which pages are visited most often, the time spent on each page, and if users encounter error messages. This data is aggregated and anonymised, meaning it does not identify you personally. Aphrodite uses this information to understand user behaviour patterns, improve the performance of our website, and optimise the user experience. By analysing this data, we can identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions about site content and functionality.

• Site Performance: We monitor website speed and stability to ensure a smooth experience.
• Content Optimisation: We identify popular content and areas that may need improvement.
• User Journey Analysis: We track how users move through our site to refine navigation and accessibility.

Functional cookies allow our website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personal features. For example, they can remember your username, language preference, or the region you are in. The information these cookies collect may be anonymised and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites. Their purpose is to provide a more convenient and tailored experience for you on Aphrodite.

• Language Preferences: Remembering your chosen language for future visits.
• Login Information: Storing your login details to save you from re-entering them each time you visit.
• Personalised Settings: Recalling your display preferences, such as font size or colour scheme.

Marketing and advertising cookies are used to deliver more relevant advertisements to you and your interests. They are often placed by third-party advertising networks with our permission. These cookies remember that you have visited our website and this information may be shared with other organisations, such as advertisers. This means that after you have visited Aphrodite, you may see advertisements about our services on other websites. They also help us to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns.

• Targeted Advertising: Displaying advertisements relevant to your interests based on your activity on our site.
• Campaign Performance: Measuring the success of our advertising efforts.
• Frequency Capping: Limiting the number of times you see a particular advertisement.

In addition to our own cookies, Aphrodite may also use various third-party cookies to report usage statistics of the service, deliver advertisements on and through the service, and so on. These cookies are set by a domain different from that of our website. For example, we might use Google Analytics to help us understand how our website is used, or social media plugins that allow you to share content. Third-party cookies are subject to the respective third parties' privacy policies. We do not have direct control over these cookies, but we carefully select our third-party partners to ensure they adhere to high standards of data protection.

The duration for which a cookie remains on your device depends on whether it is a "session" or "persistent" cookie.

• Session Cookies: These are temporary cookies that remain on your device only until you close your web browser. Once you close your browser, the cookie is deleted. They are primarily used for essential functions, such as maintaining your login session.
• Persistent Cookies: These cookies remain on your device for a longer period, even after you close your browser. Their duration is set by the cookie's creator and can range from a few minutes to several years. Persistent cookies are used to remember your preferences, track your activity across websites, and provide targeted advertising.

The specific expiry dates for cookies used by Aphrodite are detailed within our cookie consent tool, which you can access at any time.

You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. However, disabling cookies may prevent you from taking full advantage of the Aphrodite website and some features may not function correctly. You can manage your cookie preferences through our dedicated cookie consent tool available on our website.

Additionally, most browsers provide options to:

• Delete all cookies.
• Block third-party cookies.
• Block cookies from specific sites.
• Block all cookies.
• Delete all cookies when you close your browser.

Instructions for managing cookies are typically found in your browser's "Help" or "Settings" menu. Please note that if you delete your cookies, you may need to re-enter your login details and preferences on subsequent visits to Aphrodite.

Some web browsers incorporate a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature that signals to websites that you do not want your online activities tracked. As there is no universally accepted standard for how companies should interpret DNT signals, Aphrodite does not currently respond to DNT browser signals. We continue to monitor developments around DNT and may implement a standard once it is established and widely adopted. In the meantime, you can manage your privacy preferences and cookie settings through the methods described in this policy.

Aphrodite may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are using cookies. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of our services after any changes indicates your acceptance of the revised policy.

If you have any questions or concerns about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us:

• By email: [email protected]
• Through the contact form on our website.
• By mail to our registered office address, which can be found in our Terms and Conditions.

Our customer support team is available to assist you with any inquiries regarding your privacy and data protection at Aphrodite.