Last updated: 21 June 2026
Boutique respects your privacy. This page explains what information we collect when you visit our site, what we do with it, and what your rights are. We have tried to write it in plain English rather than legalese.
Who we are
Boutique is operated as an independent publication based in South Africa. References to “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to Boutique and its operators. For privacy enquiries, the responsible party (information officer for purposes of the South African Protection of Personal Information Act) is the editor, contactable at boutiquecoza@gmail.com.
Information we collect
We collect limited information, and only what we need to operate the site.
Information you give us directly
When you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address. When you contact us through the contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message. We store this information so we can communicate with you and respond to your enquiries.
Information collected automatically
When you visit the site, our hosting provider (Vercel) collects basic technical information about your visit, including your IP address, browser type, the pages you visit, the time of your visit, and the website you came from. This is standard web request data used to deliver content reliably.
Cookies and tracking
When you first visit Boutique, you will see a consent banner asking whether you accept analytics cookies. We do not load analytics or tracking scripts (including Google Analytics and Vercel Analytics) unless you accept. Your consent choice is stored in your browser for 12 months, after which we will ask again.
Strictly necessary cookies, used only for essential site functionality such as remembering your consent choice, are set without consent as permitted under applicable law.
Some articles contain affiliate links to third-party booking platforms. When you click an affiliate link, the destination site may place its own cookies in your browser. We do not control those cookies. Their use is governed by the privacy policies of the respective platforms.
How we use your information
We use the information we collect to:
- Send you our newsletter, if you have subscribed.
- Respond to enquiries you send through the contact form.
- Understand site usage patterns through anonymised analytics (only with your consent).
- Improve the site and the content we publish.
- Comply with legal obligations where applicable.
Who we share your information with
We do not sell your personal information. We share limited information with the following service providers, who help us operate the site:
- Resend for sending emails and managing newsletter subscriptions. Subscriber email addresses are stored on Resend's servers.
- Vercel for hosting the site and (with consent) basic analytics.
- Google Analytics for understanding site usage (only with your consent).
- Sanity for content management. Sanity does not process visitor data.
Each of these services has its own privacy policy. We have selected providers who treat data responsibly, but we encourage you to read their policies if you are concerned about how your data is handled.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have legal rights regarding your personal information. Under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the UK GDPR, and the South African Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), these typically include:
- The right to know what personal information we have about you.
- The right to request a copy of that information.
- The right to ask us to correct inaccurate information.
- The right to ask us to delete your information.
- The right to withdraw consent for marketing communications.
- The right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In South Africa, this is the Information Regulator. In the EU and UK, your local data protection authority.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at boutiquecoza@gmail.com. You can also unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time using the unsubscribe link at the foot of any newsletter email.
Data retention
We retain your information for as long as you are subscribed to our newsletter or as long as needed to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected. If you unsubscribe, we will delete your email address from our active newsletter list, though limited records may be retained for legal or operational reasons.
International transfers
Some of our service providers (notably Vercel, Resend, and Google) are based outside South Africa and the EU/UK, which means your data may be transferred internationally. These providers maintain appropriate safeguards including standard contractual clauses and equivalent protections.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time as our practices change. Significant changes will be noted at the top of this page with the revised date. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.
Questions
If you have any questions about this policy, or about how we handle your information, please contact us at boutiquecoza@gmail.com.