Privacy Policy
At VortexMarketing we want you to know how we collect, use, share, and protect information about you. By interacting with VortexMarketing through our stores, websites, mobile applications, products, and services, you consent to the use of information that is collected or submitted as described in this privacy policy. We may change or add to this privacy policy, so we encourage you to review it periodically.
Types of information Collected:
Name
Mailing address
E-mail address
Phone (or mobile) number
Date of birth or age
Driver’s license number
Credit/debit card number
Purchase/return/exchange information
Registry or list information
Your mobile device information (e.g., device model, operating system version, device date and time, unique device identifiers, mobile network information)
How you use our sites and mobile applications, search terms, pages you visit on VortexMarketing website and our mobile applications and application performance
Geo-location and in-store location
Media Information (e.g. Advertising engagement in social, digital, and broadcast media)
IP Address
If you choose not to provide information, we may not be able to provide you with requested products, services or information.
How is Your Information Collected?
You Provide It to Us
We collect information that you enter on our digital properties or give us in other ways (e.g. when you order on VortexMarketing, purchase a product in a VortexMarketing store or create a gift registry).
Automated Information Collection
We may connect information collected automatically with information we already have about you in order to identify you as a VortexMarketing guest. If we are able to identify you as a VortexMarketing guest we may, for example, link your activity on our website to your activity in a VortexMarketing store or on one of our mobile applications. This allows us to provide you with a personalized experience regardless of how you interact with us – online, in store, mobile, etc.
In order to provide the best guest experience possible, we also use automated information collection technologies for reporting and analysis purposes. We examine metrics such as how you are shopping on our website, in our stores, and on our mobile applications, the performance of our marketing efforts, and your response to those marketing efforts.
Third-party automated collection
We and our service providers use anonymous identifiers such as cookies and other technologies to collect and store certain types of information (e.g. click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over, hardware/software information, cookie and session ID) whenever you interact with us or third-parties that use our services.
We also allow third-party companies (e.g., Google) to place tags on our digital properties once approved through our tagging process. The tags may collect information from your interactions on VortexMarketing . Our Privacy Policy does not cover these third party companies. Please contact these third party companies (e.g., Google) directly for more information about their privacy policy and your choices regarding the tags and the information collected by the tags.
Social Media Widgets
Our sites and mobile applications include social media features, such as the Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter widgets. These features may collect information about you such as your IP address and which page you are visiting on our site. They may set a cookie or employ other tracking technologies to accomplish this. Social media features and widgets may be hosted by a third party. Your interactions with those features are governed by the privacy policies of the companies that provide them.
Mobile Location Information
If you use a mobile device, your device may share location information (when you enable location services) with our websites, mobile applications, services or our service providers. For example, precise geo-location can be used to help you find nearby VortexMarketing stores. Or, in-store location through the use of your phone’s blue tooth signal, LED light chip technologies or other technologies will permit VortexMarketing to find nearby products for you, get you real-time deals, auto-sort your shopping list and more.
To manage how you share your device’s location settings, go to the Choices section of this privacy policy.
Information from other sources
We collect information about you from other sources to enhance our existing guest information and improve the accuracy of our records. This improves our ability to contact you and increases the relevance of our marketing.
How Is Your Information Used?
Information we collect is used for a variety of purposes, including activities such as: processing transactions, helping our guest relations representatives resolve issues, identifying fraud and improving our services. In addition, information we collect improves your experience by delivering more personalized interactions and advertising in digital (e.g. VortexMarketing, mobile app, other online sites) and social media (e.g., Facebook, Pinterest), as well as TV and Video platforms.
We also use information we collect for reporting and analysis purposes. We examine metrics such as how you are shopping on our website, in our stores and on our mobile applications, the performance of our marketing efforts and your response to those marketing efforts.
Our Purposes (including but not limited to marketing)
Deliver coupons, mobile offers newsletters, in-store receipt messages, emails, mobile messages, targeted advertising and social media notifications
Provide interactive features of the website or mobile applications, such as product reviews or advertisements, send marketing communications and other information regarding products, services and promotions
Administer promotions, surveys, and focus groups
Cross-context and cross-device linking
Interest based advertising
Improve guest experiences
Conduct research and analysis
Perform other business activities as needed, or as described elsewhere in this policy
Product and Service Fulfillment
Fulfill and manage purchases, orders, payments, and returns/exchanges
Respond to requests for information about our products and services in our stores, on our websites or mobile applications, or to otherwise serve you
Connect with you regarding guest service via our contact center, guest service desk, or on social media or internet chat platforms. Chat functionality allows our Guest Relations specialists to see what a guest is typing before hitting the send button. This allows for quicker response time as our specialists anticipate questions.
Provide services such as Gift Registry or a shopping list
Manage subscription services, including order management, billing, improving reorder experiences, communicate with you about your subscription, and offer other products and services that may be of interest to you
Fulfill benefits associated with use of our services, such as to award and redeem points through our loyalty programs, etc.
Administer sweepstakes and contests
Conduct a transaction where we collect information required by law (for example, age-restricted purchases)
Allow you to, using our mobile applications: find a store nearest to your location, show you a map of the store (if available), use our drive up (where available) capabilities, add and redeem offers, search for products and check availability, check prices, provide product ratings and reviews, track your orders, update information, etc.
Cross-Context
We merge data collected from our own websites and mobile apps. Examples of the data collected include: cookie IDs, device Advertising IDs (such as Apple and Google’s Advertising Identifiers); transaction and browsing history; your interaction with our online and mobile advertisements, including advertisements we serve within our emails and advertisements, information about ads we serve, such as which ad was served, your interactions with the ads, and the URLs where the ads are served from marketing partners such as Google.
Cross-Device Linking
We may also link your various devices so that content you see on one device can result in relevant experience on another device. This allows us to deliver more personalized and consistent advertising to you.
Interest Based Advertising
VortexMarketing participates in interest-based advertising (IBA), also known as Online Behavioral Advertising. We use third-party advertising companies to display ads tailored to your individual interests based on how you browse and shop online, as well as to provide advertising-related services such as ad delivery, reporting, attribution, analytics, and market research.
We allow third-party companies to collect certain information when you visit our websites or use our mobile applications. This information is used to serve ads for VortexMarketing products or services or for the products or services of other companies when you visit this website or other websites. These companies use non-identifiable information (e.g., click stream information, browser type, time and date, subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over, hardware/software information, cookie and session ID) and personally identifiable information (e.g., static IP address) during your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. These parties typically use a cookie, web beacon or other similar tracking technologies to collect this information. VortexMarketing adheres to the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) self-regulatory principles for IBA.
User Experience Information
In order to improve guest online and mobile shopping experiences, help with fraud identification, and assist our guest relations representatives in resolving issues guests may experience in completing online purchases, we use tools to monitor certain user experience information; including login information, IP address, data regarding pages visited and ads clicked, specific actions taken on pages visited (e.g., information entered during checkout process), browser and device information.
Social Media
VortexMarketing engages with guests on multiple social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest). If you contact us on one of our social media platforms, request guest service via social media, or otherwise direct us to communicate with you via social media, we may contact you via direct message or use other social media tools to interact with you. In these instances, your interactions with us are governed by this privacy policy as well as the privacy policy of the social media platform you use.
Social Media Ads
We may display targeted ads to you through social media platforms. These ads are sent to groups of people who share traits such as likely commercial interests and demographics. For example, we may target guests who have expressed an interest in shopping for groceries, cosmetics, clothing, etc. See the policies of each social media platform for additional information about these types of ads.
Prevention of Fraud and Other Harm
– Prevent fraudulent transactions, monitor against theft and otherwise protect our guests and our business (e.g., product recalls)
Legal Compliance
– For example, assist law enforcement and respond to legal/regulatory inquiries
How is Your Information Shared?
VortexMarketing Subsidiaries and Affiliates
We share the information we collect within VortexMarketing, which includes all VortexMarketing subsidiaries and affiliates. VortexMarketing may use the information to offer you products and services that may be of interest to you.
VortexMarketing owns and operates VortexMarketing stores, websites, and mobile applications. VortexMarketing subsidiaries and affiliates include, but are not limited to: VortexMarketing.
Card Issuing Bank
We may share the information we collect with our banking partner.
Service Providers
We may share the information we collect with companies that provide support services to us (such as printers, e-mail providers, mobile marketing services, analytics providers, web hosting providers, call center/chat providers, sweepstakes vendors, payment processors, coupon delivery vendors, data enhancement services, fraud prevention providers or shipping services providers, including product vendors) or that help us market our products and services. These companies may need information about you in order to perform their functions. We limit information shared with service providers to what is necessary to fulfill the services.
Registries and Shopping Lists
If you create a gift registry or shopping list, your information will be accessible on our website, mobile or social applications, on partner registries, and on kiosks in stores. If you purchase an item from a registry or shopping list, information such as your billing name and address will be made available to the owner(s).
Legal Requirements
We may disclose information we collect when we believe disclosure is appropriate to comply with the law; to enforce or apply applicable terms and conditions and other agreements; to facilitate the financing, securitization, insuring, sale, assignment, bankruptcy, or disposal of all or part of our business or assets; or to protect the rights property or safety of our company, our guests or others.
Elsewhere at Your Direction
At your direction or request, or when you otherwise consent, we may share your information.
Sharing Non-identifiable or Aggregate Information with Third Parties
We may share non-identifiable or aggregate information with third parties for lawful purposes.
Business Transfers
In connection with the sale or transfer of some or all of our business assets, we may transfer the corresponding information regarding our guests. We also may retain a copy of that guest information.
What Choices Do You Have?
If you do not wish to receive promotional e-mails from us, please to opt-out. You also have the ability to unsubscribe from promotional e-mails via the unsubscribe link included in each promotional e-mail. You may continue to receive program-specific marketing emails. You can unsubscribe from program-specific emails via the unsubscribe link located at the bottom of those program-specific emails.
This opt-out does not apply to operational emails (e.g., surveys, product reviews).
Geo-Location and In-Store Location
You may prevent your mobile device from sharing your location data by adjusting the permissions on your mobile device or within the relevant app.
Cookies, Tracking, and Interest-Based Advertising
The help function of your browser should contain instructions on how to set your device to accept all cookies, to notify you when a cookie is issued or to not receive cookies at any time. If you set your device to not receive cookies at any time, certain personalized services cannot be provided to you, and accordingly, you may not be able to take full advantage of all of our features.
To opt-out of the vendors we use for cross-device linking, go to the Digital Advertising Alliance’s Choices page at www.aboutads.info/choices and perform a global opt-out on each browser and device that you would like to be opted out on. Opting out in this manner means that the browser on the device from which you opt-out will no longer receive information collected on devices linked to it, that devices linked to it will not receive information collected from the opted-out device, and that the vendor will not transfer information collected from the opted-out device to a third party. Please note that this will not opt you out of cross-device linking or advertising across linked devices based solely on your visits to VortexMarketing websites or apps, or your interaction with advertisements for VortexMarketing delivered by VortexMarketing.
To opt-out of our interest-based advertising for VortexMarketing’s goods and services or those of another party, online and in third-party mobile applications, visit Digital Advertising Alliance’s Choices page and perform a global opt-out. Options you select are browser and device specific.
To learn more about Interest-Based Advertising, visit the Network Advertising Initiative website and the Digital Advertising Alliance website. The opt-out tool described above is Cookie-based. Therefore, the opt-out will only function if your browser is set to accept third-party cookies, and it may not function where cookies are automatically disabled or removed. If you delete cookies, change your browser settings, switch browsers or computers, or use another operating system, you will need to opt-out again.
Do Not Track
Some browsers have a “do not track” feature that lets you tell websites that you do not want to have your online activities tracked. At this time, we do not respond to browser “do not track” signals, but we do provide you the option to opt-out of interest based advertising (see above for opt-out information).
Other Web Site Analytics Services
Analytics services such as Site Catalyst by Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics and Crazy Egg provide services that analyze information regarding visits to our websites and mobile applications. They use cookies, web beacons, recorded interactions and other tracking mechanisms to collect this information.
California Residents
California Consumer Privacy Act
If you are a California resident, the information below also applies to you. Certain terms used in this section have the meanings given to them in the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”).
Categories of Personal Information VortexMarketing has collected from or about its Guests in the preceding 12 months
Identifiers (e.g. name, mailing address, email address, phone number, credit/debit card number)
Characteristics of protected classifications (e.g. gender, age)
Commercial information (e.g. products or services purchased, purchase history)
Internet or other electronic network activity (e.g. browse or search history)
Geolocation data (e.g. latitude or longitude)
Audio, electronic, visual, or similar information (e.g. recording of guest service calls)
Inferences drawn from any of the above (e.g. preferences or characteristics)
Categories of Sources from which VortexMarketing has collected Personal Information about Guests (for more information, see the How is Your Information Collected section of this privacy policy).
Stores
Mobile Applications
Guest Relations
3rd Party Websites
Data Brokers
Social Media
Business or Commercial purposes for which VortexMarketing has collected or sold Personal Information about Guests in the preceding 12 months (for more information, see the How is Your Information Used section of this privacy policy).
Performing services, including maintaining or servicing accounts, providing customer service, processing or fulfilling orders and transactions, verifying customer information, processing payments, providing advertising or marketing services, providing analytics services, or providing similar services;
Auditing related to a current interaction with you and concurrent transactions, including, but not limited to, counting ad impressions to unique visitors, verifying positioning and quality of ad impressions, and auditing compliance;
Short-term, transient use, including, but not limited to, the contextual customization of ads shown as part of the same interaction;
Detecting security incidents, protecting against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity, and prosecuting those responsible for that activity;
Debugging to identify and repair errors that impair existing intended functionality;
Undertaking internal research for technological development and demonstration; and
Undertaking activities to verify or maintain the quality or safety of a service or device that is owned, manufactured, manufactured for, or controlled by us, and to improve, upgrade, or enhance the service or device that is owned, manufactured, manufactured for, or controlled by us.
Categories of Personal Information VortexMarketing has sold about Guests in the preceding 12 months
Internet or other electronic network activity (e.g. “cookies” or other tracking tags)
Categories of Personal Information VortexMarketing has disclosed for a business purpose in the preceding 12 months
Identifiers (e.g. name, mailing address, email address, phone number, credit/debit card number)
Characteristics of protected classifications (e.g. gender, age)
Commercial information (e.g. products or services purchased, purchase history)
Internet or other electronic network activity (e.g. browse or search history)
Non-Discrimination
VortexMarketing will not discriminate against you because you exercise your rights. For example, VortexMarketing will not deny you goods or services or charge you a different price or rate for goods or services if you make an access, deletion, or do not sell request.
You have the following rights under the CCPA –
The right to make requests as follows:
Access Request (can make a request no more than twice in a 12-month period) – Request that VortexMarketing disclose the following information
– Categories of personal information (“PI”) we collected about you during the preceding 12 months
– Categories of sources from which PI is collected
– Business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling PI
– Specific pieces of PI we collected about you
– Categories of PI VortexMarketing has sold about you
– Categories of third parties to whom the PI was sold
– Categories of PI disclosed about you for a business purpose
– Categories of third parties to whom PI was disclosed for a business purpose
Deletion Request
– Request VortexMarketing delete PI that we collected from you
Do Not Sell My Info
– Request VortexMarketing opt you out of the sale of your PI
California Shine the Light
If you are a California resident and have an established business relationship with us, you can request a notice disclosing the categories of personal information we have shared with third parties, for the third parties’ direct marketing purposes, during the preceding calendar year. To request a notice, please submit your reques. Please allow 30 days for a response.
If you are a California resident under 18 years old and a registered user, you can request that we remove content or information that you have posted to our website or other online services. Note that fulfilment of the request may not ensure complete or comprehensive removal (e.g., if the content or information has been reposted by another user). To request removal of content or information, please email Guest Relations.
Nevada Residents
Nevada law gives Nevada consumers the right to request that a company not sell their personal information for monetary consideration to certain other parties. This right applies even if their personal information is not currently being sold. If you are a Nevada consumer and wish to exercise this right, please submit your request by emailing Guest Relations.
How Do You Access and Update Your Personal Information?
In order to keep your personal information accurate and complete, you can access or update some of it in the following ways:
If you have created an VortexMarketing account, you can log in to review and update your account information, including contact, billing, and shipping information.
Email Guest Relations with your current contact information and the personal information you would like to access. We will provide you the personal information requested if reasonably available, or will describe the types of personal information we typically collect.
How is Your Personal Information Protected?
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information. When we collect or transmit sensitive information such as a credit or debit card number, we use industry standard methods to protect that information. However, no e-commerce solution, website, mobile application, database or system is completely secure or “hacker proof.” You are also responsible for taking reasonable steps to protect your personal information against unauthorized disclosure or misuse.
We recognize the particular importance of protecting privacy where children are involved. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under the age of 13. If a child under the age of 13 has provided us with personal information online, we ask that a parent or guardian email Guest Relations.
VortexMarketing Privacy Policy Scope
This privacy policy applies to all current or former guest personal information, except for information collected by or provided in connection with:
Completing an application for employment with VortexMarketing.
Our website may offer links to other sites. If you visit one of these sites, you may want to review the privacy policy on that site. In addition, you may have visited our website through a link or a banner advertisement on another site. In such cases, the site you linked from may collect information from people who click on the banner or link. You may want to refer to the privacy policies on those sites to see how they collect and use this information.
Last update: 20/05/2022