Privacy Policy for Auction Now Shopify App

Effective Date: Aug 1, 2025

At Auction Now ("we", "our", or "us"), we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the secure handling of personal data processed through our Shopify App. This Privacy Policy explains what data we collect, how and why we use it, and the steps we take to safeguard it.

1. Personal Data We Collect and Why

We process only the minimum amount of personal data necessary to deliver the core functionality of the Auction Now app. The types of data we collect and process include:

Merchant Store Data

• Purpose: To display the auction widget on your storefront and manage auction settings.
• Data Accessed: Store name, domain, products, themes, and installed app metadata.

Customer Data

• Purpose: To create and send draft orders for auction winners.
• Data Accessed: Customer name, email address, shipping address, and order details.

Order Data

• Purpose: To facilitate auction finalization and purchase flow.
• Data Accessed: Draft orders, completed orders, product variants, and pricing.

2. How We Use Personal Data

All personal data accessed is used solely for the stated purposes:

• Enabling auction functionality on your storefront.
• Delivering draft orders to customers who win auctions.
• Customizing the app interface and functionality for your store.

We do not use personal data for marketing, resale, profiling, or any other unrelated purposes.

3. Data Retention

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the above purposes.

4. Security Measures

• Encryption: All personal data is encrypted both in transit (HTTPS) and at REST.
• Backups: All backups are encrypted and follow strict access control policies.
• Access Controls: Access to customer data is limited to a small number of authorized personnel.
• Password Security: All staff accounts require strong, complex passwords.
• Environment Isolation: Production data is never used in development or staging environments.

5. Merchant Data Protection Agreement

This Privacy Policy serves as our Data Protection Agreement (DPA) with Shopify merchants. It defines our obligations and your rights regarding personal data:

• Data Controller vs Processor: Merchants remain the data controller. Auction Now acts as a data processor on your behalf.
• Your Rights: Merchants may request deletion or export of any customer or store data via support at [email protected].

6. Consent and Opt-Out Mechanisms

• We respect customer consents collected by your Shopify store (e.g., marketing preferences).
• We do not "sell" personal data or share it with third parties beyond the scope necessary to deliver app functionality.
• Automated decision-making (e.g., auction winner selection) does not have legal or significant effects on customers.

7. Data Loss Prevention and Incident Response

We have implemented a comprehensive Data Loss Prevention (DLP) strategy that includes:

• Monitoring for unauthorized access attempts.
• Logging access to sensitive data for audit purposes.
• Incident response policy with defined roles, escalation paths, and notification procedures in the event of a data breach.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. You will be notified through the Shopify app admin panel or email. Your continued use of the app constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

9. Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy or your data, contact us at [email protected].

By installing and using the Auction Now Shopify App, you agree to this Privacy Policy and the processing of data as described herein.