What Is GDPR?
GDPR stands for General Data Protection Regulation, a set of regulations that came into effect in 2018 to protect the personal data of individuals within the European Union (EU). The regulation applies to any company that processes or stores the personal data of EU citizens, regardless of where the business is located.
Ecommerce businesses deal with a lot of personal data - from customer names and addresses to credit card information - making them particularly vulnerable to data breaches and privacy violations. Compliance with GDPR ensures that your customer's personal information is handled responsibly and securely, which can help build trust and loyalty.
As an ecommerce business owner, ensuring your website is GDPR-compliant can seem daunting. Fortunately, Strikingly offers a range of features designed to make compliance easy and accessible for businesses of all sizes.
To become an ecommerce GDPR-compliant business, there are several essential steps that you should take. These include conducting a data audit, having a clear privacy policy, implementing appropriate technical measures, appointing a Data Protection Officer (DPO), and more.
Stay tuned as we dive deeper into these steps in the following sections!
Understanding GDPR For Businesses
If you're running an ecommerce business, it's essential to understand the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its implications for your operations. In a nutshell, GDPR for businesses is a regulation that sets out rules for the processing of the personal data of individuals in the European Union (EU). It applies to all businesses that collect and process the personal data of EU citizens, regardless of their location.
What Constitutes Personal Data?
Under GDPR, personal data refers to any information that can be used to identify an individual directly or indirectly. It includes names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, IP addresses, location data, and even online identifiers such as cookies.
Lawful Basis For Processing Personal Data
To process personal data lawfully under GDPR, businesses must have a lawful basis for doing so. The six lawful bases are-
1. Consent. The individual has given clear consent for their data to be processed.
2. Contract. Processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with the individual.
3. Legal obligation. Processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation.
4. Vital interests. Processing is necessary to protect someone's life.
5. Public task. Processing is necessary to perform a task in the public interest or official authority.
6. Legitimate interests. Processing is necessary for legitimate interests pursued by the controller or a third party.
Data Subject Rights
GDPR for ecommerce grants several rights to individuals regarding their personal data, including:
- Right to access. Individuals have the right to know what personal data they hold about them and how it's being processed.
- Right to rectification. If any of their personal data is inaccurate or incomplete, individuals have the right to request it is corrected.
- Right to erasure (also known as right to be forgotten). Individuals can request that you delete their data under certain circumstances.
- Right to restrict processing. Individuals have the right to request that you limit the processing of their data under certain circumstances.
- Right to data portability. Individuals can receive a copy of their data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
- Right to object. Individuals have the right to object to processing their personal data under certain circumstances.
Data Breaches And Notifications
Under GDPR, businesses must notify the relevant supervisory authority within 72 hours of becoming aware of a breach that risks individuals' rights and freedoms. They must also notify affected individuals without undue delay if the breach is likely to result in a high risk to their rights and freedoms.
In summary, understanding GDPR compliance for ecommerce is crucial for businesses that collect and process the personal data of EU citizens. It's essential to know what constitutes personal data, the lawful basis for processing it, individuals' rights regarding their data, and how to handle data breaches and notifications. In the next section, we'll discuss the essential steps of GDPR for ecommerce businesses can take.
Essential Steps for GDPR Compliance For Ecommerce
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has significantly changed how businesses handle personal data. Ecommerce websites, in particular, must ensure they comply with the regulation to avoid hefty fines and reputational damage. Here are some essential steps businesses should take to become ecommerce GDPR-compliant business.
Step #1- Conduct A Data Audit
Conducting a thorough data audit is the first step toward GDPR compliance for ecommerce. It involves identifying all the personal data your website collects, processes, and stores. You need to know where the data comes from, how it is processed, who has access to it, and where it is stored.
Once you have identified your website's personal data, you should assess whether you have a lawful basis for processing it. It means determining whether you have obtained valid consent from users or if there is another legal reason for processing the data.
Step #2- Have A Clear Privacy Policy
A clear and concise privacy policy is crucial for GDPR compliance for ecommerce. Your privacy policy should clearly state what personal data you collect, how you use it, who you share it with, and how long you keep it.
Your privacy policy should also inform users of their rights under GDPR and provide information on how to exercise these rights.
Step #3- Implement Appropriate Technical And Organizational Measures
To ensure that personal data is protected from unauthorized access or disclosure, ecommerce websites must implement appropriate technical and organizational measures.
It includes ensuring that user data is encrypted when transmitted over the internet and implementing access controls to limit who can access personal data.
You should also regularly review your security measures to ensure they remain effective as new threats emerge.
Step #4- Appoint A Data Protection Officer (DPO)
Under GDPR for ecommerce regulations, some businesses must appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO). Even if your business isn't required to appoint one by law, having someone responsible for data protection is a good idea. The DPO should be knowledgeable about GDPR and responsible for ensuring your business complies with them. They should also be the point of contact for users with questions or concerns about their data.
Becoming an ecommerce GDPR-compliant business is essential. By conducting a data audit, having a clear privacy policy, implementing appropriate technical and organizational measures, and appointing a DPO, you can ensure that your website complies with GDPR regulations.
.jpg)Image taken from Strikingly
Strikingly's GDPR-related Features
As we mentioned earlier, being GDPR compliant is essential for ecommerce businesses. Strikingly understands this and has implemented several features to help website owners comply with GDPR regulations.
- GDPR consent checkbox in forms.
One of the essential requirements for GDPR compliance for ecommerce is obtaining explicit consent from users before collecting their personal data. Strikingly has added a checkbox feature to its forms, allowing website owners to obtain this consent easily. This feature ensures that users know the collected data and how it will be used, giving them control over their personal information.
- Privacy Policy generator.
Creating a clear and concise privacy policy is crucial for GDPR compliance for ecommerce. Strikingly has made this process easier by providing a privacy policy generator that creates a customized policy based on your website's needs. This feature saves time and effort while ensuring your website has a comprehensive privacy policy meeting GDPR requirements.
- Data export and deletion requests handling.
Under GDPR regulations, users have the right to request access to their personal data or have it deleted entirely from their system. Strikingly has implemented features that allow you to handle these requests quickly and efficiently. With just a few clicks, you can export user data or delete it completely from your website's database, ensuring compliance with GDPR regulations.
- Track your sites' compliance with Strikingly's GDPR dashboard.
Strikingly provides an easy-to-use dashboard that allows you to track your website's compliance status concerning GDPR regulations continually. The dashboard provides real-time updates on user data requests, privacy policy updates, and other essential metrics for maintaining compliance.
Overall, Strikingly has gone above and beyond in providing its users with tools necessary for ecommerce GDPR-compliant websites. With these features in place, you can rest assured knowing that your business is taking the necessary steps toward full GDPR compliance for businesses.
Best Practices for GDPR Compliance
As an ecommerce business owner, being aware of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and its impact on your operations is crucial. Being GDPR-compliant is not only a legal requirement but also builds trust with your customers and protects their personal data.
Here are some best practices for achieving GDPR compliance for ecommerce:
- Keep documentation. Documenting your compliance efforts is essential in demonstrating that you are taking the necessary steps to protect personal data. Keep records of all data processing activities, including consent forms, privacy policies, and data breach notifications.
- Train employees on GDPR compliance. Your employees must understand the importance of GDPR compliance for ecommerce and their role in ensuring it. Provide regular training sessions to help them identify potential risks and how to handle personal data appropriately.
- Regularly review and update your privacy policy. Your privacy policy should be clear, concise, and up-to-date with current legal requirements. Review it regularly to ensure that it accurately reflects your data processing activities and provides transparent information about how you use personal data.
- Stay vigilant about data breaches. Data breaches can happen despite your best efforts to prevent them. Be prepared by having a plan in place for handling breaches promptly and notifying affected individuals within 72 hours.
By following these best practices, you can achieve GDPR compliance for your ecommerce business while building customer trust.
Consequences of Non-compliance
As an ecommerce business owner, failing to comply with GDPR can have severe consequences. Here are some of the potential consequences of non-compliance:
- Financial penalties. One of the most significant consequences of non-compliance is financial penalties. GDPR fines can be up to €20 million or 4% of annual global turnover, whichever is higher. For small businesses, this can be a significant amount that can impact their bottom line.
- Reputational damage. Non-compliance with GDPR can also lead to reputational damage for your business. Customers are becoming more aware of their data privacy rights. They are more likely to take their business elsewhere if they do not trust your company's ability to protect their personal information.
- Loss of customer trust. GDPR compliance for ecommerce is crucial for maintaining customer trust in your business. If customers feel that their data needs to be adequately protected, they may lose faith in your ability to keep their information safe and secure.
- Potential legal action. Non-compliance with GDPR can also result in legal action against your business. Customers have the right to sue companies that fail to protect their personal data adequately, which could lead to costly lawsuits and further reputational damage.
To avoid these consequences, ecommerce businesses must prioritize GDPR compliance and take the necessary steps to protect their customers' personal information.
At Strikingly, we understand the importance of GDPR compliance for businesses and offer a range of features designed specifically for ecommerce websites. Our user-friendly platform makes it easy for businesses to implement GDPR-related features quickly and affordably.
Complying with GDPR is essential for protecting customer data and avoiding potential financial penalties, reputational damage, loss of customer trust, and legal action against your business. Using Strikingly's top-notch solutions for GDPR compliance, ecommerce businesses can ensure they remain compliant while building customer trust.
Strikingly's Top-notch GDPR Solutions
As ecommerce continues to grow, GDPR compliance for ecommerce websites becomes increasingly important. Strikingly is committed to helping businesses become GDPR-compliant with its user-friendly platform and top-notch features.
- User-friendly platform for GDPR compliance.
Strikingly understands that only some people are experts in GDPR compliance, so they've made it easy for website owners to understand and implement the necessary steps. The platform guides users through creating a privacy policy, setting up a consent checkbox in forms, and handling data export and deletion requests.
- Fast and easy implementation of GDPR features.
Strikingly's GDPR-related features are designed to be implemented quickly and easily without requiring any technical expertise. It means website owners can focus on running their businesses instead of worrying about compliance.
- Affordable pricing for small businesses.
Strikingly offers affordable pricing plans catering to small businesses with small budgets for compliance solutions. With plans starting at just $8 per month, Strikingly ensures that all businesses can become GDPR-compliant without breaking the bank.
- Personalized support for GDPR-related concerns.
If you have any questions or concerns about your website's GDPR compliance, Strikingly provides personalized support to help you navigate the process smoothly. Their team of experts is available 24/7 to assist with any issues you may encounter.
In conclusion, becoming GDPR-compliant is crucial for ecommerce websites in today's digital landscape. Strikingly's user-friendly platform, fast implementation of features, affordable pricing plans, and personalized support make it the ideal solution for businesses looking to become easily compliant. Don't risk financial penalties or reputational damage - choose Strikingly for your business's GDPR needs.
Conclusion
GDPR compliance for ecommerce is crucial to protect the personal data of your customers and avoid hefty fines. As we have discussed, GDPR is a regulation that sets guidelines for collecting, processing, and storing personal data.
To become GDPR-compliant, businesses must conduct a data audit, have a clear privacy policy, implement appropriate technical and organizational measures, and appoint a Data Protection Officer (DPO). Strikingly offers features like a GDPR consent checkbox in forms, a privacy policy generator, data export and deletion request handling, and a dashboard to track compliance easily.
The benefits of complying with GDPR include gaining customer trust by showing that you take their privacy seriously and avoiding financial penalties or legal action.
Fortunately, Strikingly offers top-notch solutions for businesses looking to become GDPR-compliant quickly and easily. Our user-friendly platform quickly implements essential features at an affordable price point suitable for small businesses. Plus, our personalized support ensures that you have all the help you need along the way.
If you're looking for an easy way to make your ecommerce website GDPR-compliant while protecting your customers' personal data, look no further than Strikingly!
