Cookie Policy
Shopestra uses a small number of cookies. This page explains each one and how to control them.
What are cookies
This Cookie Policy applies to shopestra.com, operated by Essex Marketing Services Ltd trading as Shopestra, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 14213255. Our registered office is 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, United Kingdom, WC2H 9JQ.
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently, to remember your preferences, and to give website owners information about how their site is being used. They cannot run programmes or deliver viruses.
How we use cookies
We divide the cookies we use into three categories. When you first visit Shopestra, our consent banner asks for your permission for any non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time using the Cookie preferences link in the footer.
Necessary cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are set in response to actions you take, such as filling in forms, logging in, or adding items to your basket.
| Cookie name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
laravel_session | Identifies your browsing session, required for the basket and checkout. | Session |
XSRF-TOKEN | Security token to prevent cross-site request forgery attacks. | Session |
remember_customer_* | Keeps you logged in to your account if you choose "remember me". | 30 days |
shopestra_cookie_consent_* | Stores your cookie preferences so we don't ask again. | 12 months |
Analytics cookies
With your consent, we use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our site — which pages are popular, how long people spend, and where visitors come from. This helps us improve the shopping experience. All data is aggregated and anonymised; we configure GA4 to anonymise IP addresses and disable Google Signals.
| Cookie name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
_ga | Distinguishes unique users for Google Analytics. | 2 years |
_ga_* | Stores session state for Google Analytics 4. | 2 years |
Marketing cookies
With your consent, we use Google Tag Manager, which may deploy additional tags such as conversion tracking or remarketing pixels. These help us measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns. If you disable marketing cookies, campaign measurement will be turned off.
| Cookie name | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
_gcl_au | Google Ads conversion tracking. | 3 months |
Managing your preferences
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking Cookie preferences in the footer of any page on our website. You can also control cookies through your browser settings — most browsers allow you to block, delete, or be notified about cookies. Please note that blocking necessary cookies will prevent the website from working correctly.
For more information about managing cookies, visit ico.org.uk.
Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
We respect the Do Not Track (DNT) browser signal and the Global Privacy Control (GPC) specification. If your browser sends either signal, we will treat this as a request to disable all non-essential cookies, regardless of any consent previously given.
Third-party cookies
Some pages may embed content from third-party providers (such as YouTube videos). These providers may set their own cookies, which are outside our control. Please refer to their respective privacy policies for details.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Cookie Policy if we add new cookies or change how we use existing ones. When our cookie policy changes, we will update the consent version and ask for fresh consent where required.