Cookie Policy
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your device (computer, smartphone or tablet) when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device on future visits, remember your preferences, and understand how you use the site.
Similar technologies β including local storage, session storage, and pixel tags β work in comparable ways and are covered by this policy. When we refer to "cookies," we mean all of these technologies unless otherwise specified.
Cookies are widely used and not inherently harmful. However, under the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), the EU ePrivacy Directive, and the GDPR, we are required to:
- Tell you clearly what cookies we use and why
- Obtain your consent before placing any non-essential cookies on your device
- Allow you to manage and withdraw your cookie preferences at any time
We take these obligations seriously. We do not use advertising or behavioural tracking cookies. We do not allow third-party advertisers to set cookies through our website.
2. Our Cookie Categories
We use four categories of cookies. Only the first category (Strictly Necessary) is placed without your consent. All other categories require your explicit opt-in via our cookie preference panel.
Strictly Necessary
Required for the website to function. Cannot be disabled.
Functional
Remembers your preferences and improves your experience.
Analytics
Anonymous, first-party usage stats β no cookie, no third party.
Marketing
Not currently used. Listed for transparency.
3. Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to operate. They enable core functions such as secure account login, shopping basket functionality, and fraud prevention. They cannot be switched off in our systems and do not require your consent under applicable law.
They do not store any personally identifiable information beyond what is necessary for the session.
| Cookie name | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| rawissimo_session | Maintains your login session and shopping basket while you browse | First-party, session | Session (deleted when browser closes) |
| rawissimo_csrf | Cross-site request forgery protection β prevents malicious form submissions | First-party, security | Session |
| rawissimo_consent | Records your cookie consent choices so we don't ask again on every visit | First-party | 12 months |
| rawissimo_lang | Remembers your selected language (English, French, Spanish, Romanian, Arabic) | First-party | 12 months |
| stripe_mid / stripe_sid | Stripe payment fraud detection β required to process payments securely | Third-party (Stripe) | Session / 1 year |
4. Functional Cookies
Functional cookies remember choices you make to give you a better, more personalised experience. For example, they can remember which themes you recently viewed or your preferred currency. If you disable these cookies, some features may not work as intended.
These cookies require your explicit consent and are not placed without it.
| Cookie name | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| rawissimo_currency | Remembers your preferred display currency | First-party | 12 months |
| rawissimo_recents | Remembers recently viewed story themes to show them at the top of the catalogue | First-party | 30 days |
| rawissimo_checkout_progress | Saves your personalisation progress so you can resume if you close the browser | First-party | 24 hours |
5. Analytics β First-Party and Anonymous
We use a small analytics script that we built and host ourselves β not a third-party service β to see roughly how many people visit RAWISSIMO each day, which pages they read, and which site referred them here. This helps us improve the site; it is never used to build advertising profiles.
| Storage key | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| rw_vid | A random id used only to avoid counting the same visitor twice across pages and days | First-party, local storage (not a cookie) | Until you clear your browser data |
We also log, per page view: the page path, the referring site (e.g. "google.com"), a rough device type (mobile/tablet/desktop), and your browser's language β never your IP address or any personal identifier.
6. Marketing Cookies
Marketing cookies track your visit across websites to allow advertisers to show you relevant adverts. They are usually placed by advertising networks with our permission.
RAWISSIMO products are ad-free. We do not work with advertisers and do not allow third parties to track our users for advertising purposes.
7. RAWISSIMO Voice Narration Pages (QR Code Playback)
When a child scans the QR code on their personalised book and lands on the narration playback page, this page operates under a strict zero-cookie policy.
This is a deliberate design decision. The narration experience is for children, and we apply the strictest possible data minimisation principle to it.
8. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies are placed by third parties who provide services on our website. Where we permit this, we ensure the third party has appropriate data protection measures in place.
| Third party | Purpose | Their privacy policy |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe | Payment fraud detection (strictly necessary) | stripe.com/privacy |
| PayPal | Payment processing (when PayPal is selected at checkout) | paypal.com/privacy |
We do not permit social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok etc.) to place tracking pixels or cookies through our website. We do not use Facebook Pixel, Google Remarketing tags, or similar advertising technologies.
9. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
When you first visit RAWISSIMO, you will be shown a cookie consent banner that allows you to accept all cookies, reject optional cookies, or customise your preferences by category. Your choice is recorded and respected throughout your visit.
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking the "Cookie Preferences" link in the footer of any page on our website, or by using the button below.
Important notes about managing consent
- Withdrawing consent for optional cookies will not affect cookies already placed. To remove those, clear your browser's cookies.
- Disabling Strictly Necessary cookies through your browser may prevent some core website functionality from working.
- If you use multiple browsers or devices, you will need to manage preferences on each one separately.
- If you clear your browser cookies, you may need to set your preferences again on your next visit.
10. Managing Cookies Through Your Browser
In addition to our consent panel, most browsers allow you to manage cookie settings directly. The links below take you to the cookie management instructions for the most common browsers:
| Browser | Cookie settings instructions |
|---|---|
| Google Chrome | support.google.com β Manage cookies |
| Safari (iPhone/iPad/Mac) | support.apple.com β Manage cookies in Safari |
| Mozilla Firefox | support.mozilla.org β Cookies |
| Microsoft Edge | support.microsoft.com β Delete cookies |
| Samsung Internet (Android) | Settings β Privacy β Delete browsing data β Cookies and site data |
Note: blocking all cookies through your browser will prevent Strictly Necessary cookies from working, which may stop core website functions such as login and checkout from operating correctly.
11. Contact Us
If you have questions about our use of cookies or wish to exercise any data protection rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer:
Email: [DPO EMAIL ADDRESS]
Postal address: [REGISTERED ADDRESS]
For more information about how we handle personal data, please read our full Privacy Policy.
You may also lodge a complaint with your national supervisory authority. UK residents: Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). EU residents: your national data protection authority.