Ecommerce sites should show the cookies they are using. There was a knee-jerk reaction by the EU a few years back. Some in the community didn’t think it was very smart.
[caption id="attachment_3757" align="alignright" width="263"]
Credit: http://gegen-den-strich.com[/caption]
As with most things that come out of Brussels, they are well intentioned but designed by technocrats that have little experience with the technology sector.
We just have to look at the ill-conceived VAT changes that happened this year to know this is not a one off!
It’s important people take their privacy seriously. It’s important that people are aware of cookies. But no-body wants to mess about with a hundred pop-ups.
Users don’t want it as it interrupts the shopping process. Shop owners don’t want it because this reduces the conversion rate.
Let’s take a look at how the established UK ecommerce companies manage this.
Amazon
[caption id="attachment_3754" align="aligncenter" width="660"]
Hardly noticeable. Like their tax contribution then.[/caption]
John Lewis
[caption id="attachment_3755" align="alignright" width="660"] Never knowingly under shown[/caption]
Tesco
[caption id="attachment_3756" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Every Little Cookie Banner Helps[/caption]
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Discreet and Implied
All these examples show discreet and implied consent messages. This complies, educates but doesn’t kill conversion rate. Once you move onto the next page the message disappears. You ar not pestered to click Agree, or goto some lengthy contract which details every minutae of the sites cookie.
Suitable Cookie Policy for WooCommerce and WordPress
We’ve found that the best and most flexible that follows the guidelines set above is called Cookie Law Policy. Take a look and give it a go. It has all the options to set it up as above.
Privacy, Cookie Policy and Terms and Conditions Pages
These are three important pages you should have. They should be clear and informative. Don’t bog down your customers down in legalise.
We recommend these pages are found in the footer so they can be found on all pages.
In the WooCommerce Settings page you can also add a tick box to the checkout so that customers can agree to the Terms and Conditions. I personally think of this South Park parody every time I click agree to the Terms and Conditions.
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Newsletters
Make sure you list any conditions you have and give as much information as possible. If you are subscribing customers to your email newsletter then you should have an opt-out on your checkout and list this in the privacy policy.
Cookies used by WooCommerce
WooCommerce uses the following cookies. Make sure they are listed on the cookie page. You’ll need to show the name
Google Analytics uses the following cookies.
If you have any additional third party tracking then be sure to list these.
Examples of Doing it Well
We think the following sites have great Cookie Policies. Use them as a guide:
Clifton Coffee
John Lewis
Further Reading
All about Cookies