Privacy policy

Last updated: October 7, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how Georg Werner (the "Site," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, and discloses your personal information when you visit georgwerner.com (the "Site"), use our services, make a purchase, or otherwise communicate with us (collectively, the "Services"). For purposes of this Privacy Policy, "you" and "your" refer to you as the user of the Services, whether you are a customer, website visitor, or another individual whose information we have collected under this Privacy Policy.

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will post the revised version on the Site and update the "Last updated" date.

How We Collect and Use Your Personal Information

Information We Collect Directly from You

  • Contact details – name, address, phone number, email address.
  • Order information – billing address, shipping address, payment confirmation.
  • Account information – username, password.
  • Customer support information – your communications with us.

Usage Data We Collect

We automatically collect certain information about your interaction with the Services (device, browser, network information, IP address).

Information We Obtain from Third Parties

We may obtain information about you from third parties, such as Shopify or our payment processors, who collect payment information to process your payment.

How We Use Your Data

To provide the Services and perform our contract with you (order processing, shipping, customer support), for marketing and advertising with your consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR) or on the basis of legitimate interest (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR), and for security and fraud prevention.

Cookies

We use cookies on our Site. For details on Shopify-related cookies, see shopify.com/legal/cookies.

The legal basis for storing and reading information on your device is your consent under Section 25(1) TDDDG (German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act), and for strictly necessary cookies, Section 25(2) No. 2 TDDDG. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time, with effect for the future, via "Cookie Settings" in the site footer.

Express Checkout Buttons (PayPal, Google Pay)

On product and cart pages, we display additional express checkout buttons (e.g., PayPal, Google Pay) provided through Shopify's native checkout technology. To display these buttons, your browser loads technical resources from the respective providers (including paypal.com, paypalobjects.com, pay.google.com, gstatic.com) as soon as the page loads – regardless of whether you actually use this payment method, and independent of your cookie consent. No order or payment data is transmitted merely by displaying the buttons; this only happens once you actively click a button and start the payment process. The legal basis is our legitimate interest in a fast, smooth checkout process under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR. These buttons are a core, non-optional part of Shopify's checkout infrastructure and cannot be technically gated separately from cookie consent. We have deliberately chosen to keep this convenience for our customers rather than disabling it for the sake of fully granular consent control.

Analytics, Marketing, and Recommendation Services We Use

With your consent, in addition to the cookies described above, we use the following third-party services:

  • Google Analytics (GA4) and Google Ads – provided by Google Ireland Limited. Legal basis: your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. Data may be transferred to the USA; Google relies on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.
  • Google Translate – provided by Google Ireland Limited. Translates website content into other languages on request; page content is transmitted to Google's servers. Legal basis: your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.
  • Google Fonts – provided by Google Ireland Limited. Some fonts are loaded from Google's servers, which transmits your IP address to Google. Legal basis: your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.
  • Meta Pixel – provided by Meta Platforms Ireland Limited. Legal basis: your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.
  • Pinterest Tag – provided by Pinterest Europe Ltd. Legal basis: your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.
  • TikTok Pixel – provided by TikTok Technology Limited, 10 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin, D02 T380, Ireland. The pixel records your interactions with our shop (e.g., page views, cart, purchases) to measure the effectiveness of TikTok ads and to build audiences. Legal basis: your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. Data may also be transferred to third countries (including the USA and China); TikTok relies on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses. More information: tiktok.com/legal/privacy-policy-eea.
  • Trustpilot – provided by Trustpilot A/S. Legal basis: your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.
  • Judge.me – legitimate interest under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR, or consent where cookies are set.
  • hCaptcha – legitimate interest in the security of our Services under Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR.

You can withdraw or adjust your consent to these services at any time via our cookie banner.

Recipients of Your Data

  • Shopify International Ltd. (platform, hosting, website chat) – processor, USA (Standard Contractual Clauses).
  • Spreadconnect and Printful (printing and shipping of our products, print-on-demand) – processors; hand off shipments to carriers such as DHL, DPD, or comparable providers depending on the destination country.
  • PayPal, Klarna, Shopify Payments – payment processing, on their own responsibility.
  • Make (Celonis/Make s.r.o., Prague, Czech Republic; processing in the EU) and Anthropic PBC (USA) – only if you use our chat assistant "Melvin", see below.
  • The providers listed under "Analytics, Marketing, and Recommendation Services We Use" – each only with consent, unless stated otherwise there.

Retention Period

Order and invoice data: 10 years (Sections 147 AO, 257 HGB). Account data: until account deletion. Newsletter data: until withdrawal. Server log files: typically 30 days. Cookie settings: until withdrawal, for a maximum of 12 months.

Newsletter

If you sign up for our newsletter, we use your email address to send you information about new collections and offers, using double opt-in. Legal basis: your consent under Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR. You can withdraw your consent at any time via the unsubscribe link at the end of every newsletter email.

Contacting Us

If you contact us via the contact form or email, we process your name, email address, optionally your phone number, and your message to handle your request (Art. 6(1)(b) or (f) GDPR). Providing a phone number is voluntary. We delete this information once your request has been resolved, unless retention obligations apply.

Website Chat (Shopify Inbox)

For the chat on our website ("Chat") we use Shopify Inbox by Shopify International Ltd., Dublin, Ireland. Your messages and, where applicable, your email address are processed to handle your request; replies may be supported by a Shopify AI assistant. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (enquiries about products and orders) or Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in answering enquiries quickly).

Chat Assistant "Melvin" (Telegram)

Via the "Ask Melvin" button you can message us on Telegram. You are only redirected to Telegram (Telegram Messenger Inc. / Telegram FZ-LLC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates) when you click; no data is sent to Telegram beforehand. Telegram's privacy policy applies to your use of Telegram. Your messages to our bot are passed via the automation service Make (Celonis/Make s.r.o., Prague, Czech Republic; processing in EU data centres) to an AI service (Claude API by Anthropic PBC, USA), which generates an automatic reply. We process your Telegram name or ID and the content of your messages. Legal basis: Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR (enquiries about products and orders) or Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest in answering enquiries quickly). Transfers to Anthropic in the USA are covered by the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses. Please do not send sensitive data via the chat. Using it is voluntary – you can always reach us by email as well.

How We Disclose Personal Information

We may disclose your personal information to third parties who perform services on our behalf, to business and marketing partners with your consent or to perform our contract, and as required by applicable legal obligations.

Third-Party Websites and Links

We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites linked from our Site.

Children's Data

The Services are not intended for children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

Your Rights

  • Access, deletion, correction, data portability
  • Restriction of processing
  • Withdrawal of consent at any time

Right to Object

You may object at any time, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to processing based on Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (Art. 21(1) GDPR). You may also object at any time to processing for direct marketing purposes (Art. 21(2) GDPR), e.g. via the newsletter unsubscribe link.

Automated Decision-Making

We do not make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal effects concerning you. We do not carry out profiling within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR.

International Transfers

Transfers outside Europe rely on recognized mechanisms such as the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.

Security and Retention of Your Data

No security measure is perfect. For retention periods, see "Retention Period" above.

Right to Lodge a Complaint

You have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority. The competent authority for us is the Landesbeauftragter für den Datenschutz und die Informationsfreiheit Baden-Württemberg, Lautenschlagerstraße 20, 70173 Stuttgart, www.baden-wuerttemberg.datenschutz.de.

Contact

If you have questions about our privacy practices or this Privacy Policy, email us at info@georgwerner.com or contact us at Georg Werner, Albert-Gersbach-Allee 1, 79713 Bad Säckingen, Germany.

For the purposes of applicable data protection laws, and unless expressly stated otherwise, we are the controller of your personal data.