Privacy policy
Privacy
Policy
At Sterling, your privacy is not an afterthought — it is a commitment. This policy explains, in plain language, what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and the choices you have every step of the way.
Who We Are
Sterling Women's Ethnic Wear ("Sterling", "we", "us", or "our") operates the online store at sterlingwear.in. We are a women's ethnic wear brand based in Delhi, India, offering curated suits, kurtis, pherans, and embroidered garments.
This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected through our website, mobile experience, customer support interactions — including email and WhatsApp — and any other service we offer (collectively, the "Services").
By using our Services or placing an order with us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy and agree to the collection and use of your information as described herein.
Information We Collect
We collect information in three ways: directly from you, automatically as you use our website, and occasionally from third-party sources. Here is a clear breakdown:
| Category | What it includes | When collected |
|---|---|---|
| Identity data | Full name, email address, phone number, WhatsApp number | Account creation, checkout, contact form |
| Delivery data | Shipping address, billing address, pin code, city, state | Checkout, order processing |
| Transaction data | Order history, cart contents, payment method type (not card numbers), order value, discount codes used | Every purchase |
| Communication data | Emails, WhatsApp messages, support tickets, review submissions | Any time you contact us |
| Preference data | Wishlist items, saved sizes, newsletter subscription, marketing opt-in status | Account usage |
| Technical data | IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, screen resolution, referring URL | Automatically on every visit |
| Behavioural data | Pages viewed, products clicked, time spent, scroll depth, add-to-cart events, search queries | Automatically via cookies |
How We Use Your Information
We use personal information only for legitimate, clearly defined purposes. We do not use your data in ways you would not reasonably expect.
- —Order fulfilment. Processing your payment, arranging delivery with our logistics partners, sending order confirmations, dispatch notifications, and delivery updates via email and SMS.
- —Customer support. Responding to your questions, handling return and exchange requests, resolving complaints, and processing refunds. We retain support conversations to provide continuity of service.
- —Account management. Maintaining your account, saving your address book and order history, remembering size preferences, and enabling wishlist functionality.
- —Marketing communications. Sending you emails about new arrivals, exclusive offers, seasonal lookbooks, and brand updates — only if you have explicitly opted in. You may withdraw consent at any time via the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly.
- —Personalisation. Showing you relevant product recommendations, recently viewed items, and occasion-based suggestions based on your browsing and purchase history.
- —Website improvement. Analysing how visitors interact with our store — which pages perform well, where customers drop off, what search terms are used — so we can continuously improve the shopping experience.
- —Fraud prevention & security. Detecting and preventing fraudulent orders, chargebacks, and account misuse. We may flag unusual patterns for manual review.
- —Legal and tax compliance. Maintaining transaction records as required under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regulations and other applicable Indian laws. Financial records are retained for a minimum of 8 years.
Sharing & Disclosure
We do not sell your personal data. We do not rent, trade, or share your information with advertisers or data brokers for their own marketing purposes.
We share information only with the trusted service providers listed below, and only to the extent necessary for them to perform their function:
| Partner | Purpose | Data shared |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify Inc. | E-commerce platform hosting our store | All order and customer data; stored on Shopify's servers |
| Razorpay | Payment processing | Name, email, phone, order value; no card data passes through us |
| Delhivery / Blue Dart / Shiprocket | Order delivery & logistics | Name, shipping address, phone number, order details |
| Klaviyo | Email marketing & transactional emails | Email address, name, order history, opt-in status |
| Google Analytics 4 | Website analytics (anonymised) | Anonymised usage data, IP address (truncated) |
| Meta (Facebook Pixel) | Advertising & retargeting on Facebook/Instagram | Hashed email, device identifiers, page events |
| Judge.me / Loox | Product review collection | Name, email, order details for review invitations |
We may also disclose your information if required by law — for example, in response to a court order, government request, or to protect our legal rights. In such cases, we will notify you unless prohibited from doing so by law.
Cookies & Tracking
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit our website. We use them to make the shopping experience work properly and to understand how our store is used.
- —Essential cookies. Required for core functionality: maintaining your shopping cart across sessions, keeping you logged in to your account, processing checkout securely, and preventing fraud. These cannot be disabled without breaking the site.
- —Analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4). Help us understand how visitors navigate our store — which pages are most visited, how long people browse, and where they leave. All data is aggregated and anonymised. IP addresses are truncated.
- —Marketing cookies (Meta Pixel). Enable us to measure the effectiveness of our Facebook and Instagram advertising, build lookalike audiences, and show relevant ads to people who have visited our store. You can opt out of Meta's ad targeting via your Facebook Ad Preferences.
- —Preference cookies. Remember your choices — recently viewed products, language preference, and whether you have dismissed certain notifications — to improve your return visits.
- —Third-party cookies. Some of our apps (such as Klaviyo, Judge.me, and WhatsApp chat) may set their own cookies. These are governed by the respective providers' privacy policies.
You may disable non-essential cookies via your browser settings at any time. Please note that doing so may affect how certain features of our store function. Most modern browsers also support "Do Not Track" signals, which we honour where technically possible.
Data Retention
We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, or enforce our agreements.
| Data type | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Order & transaction records | Minimum 8 years (GST and tax compliance) |
| Customer account data | Duration of account + 2 years post-closure |
| Delivery & address information | 3 years from last order date |
| Support communications | 3 years from resolution date |
| Marketing consent records | Until withdrawal of consent + 1 year |
| Analytics data (anonymised) | 26 months (Google Analytics default) |
| Abandoned cart data | 90 days |
When data is no longer required, we delete or anonymise it securely. You may request earlier deletion of your data subject to the limitations described in Section 8.
Data Security
We implement technical and organisational measures appropriate to the sensitivity of your data. Our security practices include:
- —SSL / HTTPS encryption on all pages of our website. Every byte of data transmitted between your browser and our server is encrypted in transit.
- —PCI-DSS compliant payment processing via Razorpay. We never handle raw card data — payment information goes directly to Razorpay's encrypted vault.
- —Shopify's enterprise-grade hosting with regular security patches, automated backups, and 24/7 infrastructure monitoring.
- —Access controls. Only authorised personnel with a legitimate business need can access customer data. Access is logged and reviewed periodically.
- —Account password security. Passwords are hashed and salted. We never store passwords in plain text and will never ask you for your password via email or support channels.
Your Rights
Under India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 (DPDPA) and other applicable laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal data. We will respond to all verified requests within 30 days.
Right to Access
Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you, including what data we have, why we have it, and who we share it with.
Right to Correction
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal data. You can update most information directly from your account dashboard.
Right to Erasure
Request deletion of your personal data. We will comply unless retention is required by law (e.g., tax records) or to resolve an open dispute.
Right to Portability
Request your data in a structured, machine-readable format (JSON or CSV) so you can transfer it to another service if you choose.
Right to Object
Object to us processing your data for direct marketing or profiling at any time. We will stop immediately upon receiving your request.
Right to Withdraw Consent
Withdraw marketing consent at any time via the unsubscribe link in any email, or by writing to us. Withdrawal does not affect prior processing.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at privacy@sterlingwear.in from the email address associated with your account. We may ask you to verify your identity before acting on the request to protect against unauthorised access.
If you believe we have not handled your data appropriately, you have the right to lodge a complaint with India's Data Protection Board once it becomes operational under the DPDPA 2023.
Children's Privacy
Our website and services are intended for individuals who are 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect, solicit, or process personal information from anyone under the age of 18.
If you are a parent or guardian and believe that a child under 18 has provided us with personal information without your consent, please contact us immediately at privacy@sterlingwear.in. We will promptly investigate and delete any such information from our systems.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, the services we offer, or applicable law. When we make material changes — changes that significantly affect your rights or how we use your data — we will:
- —Post the updated policy on this page with a revised "Last updated" date at the top
- —Send a notice to the email address associated with your account, where required by law
- —Display a banner on our website for 30 days following a significant update
Your continued use of our Services after any changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
Delhi, India — Indian law applies