CSignal Convert Privacy & Data Policy

Applies to: only clients with Convert enabled on their account (the on-site CSignal pixel) Roles: you (the store) are the data controller; Charle London Limited is your processor, see section 2 Version: 1.3 Last updated: 26 September 2026

1. About this policy

This policy explains how CSignal Convert handles data. Convert is the part of CSignal that measures how visitors interact with your store, so it can recommend improvements to your on-site experience. It works through the CSignal pixel, a small piece of analytics technology you install on your storefront.

This policy only applies if Convert is enabled for your account. Convert is optional. If it is not enabled for you and the CSignal pixel is not installed on your store, we do not collect or process the data described here for you. Unless your agreement expressly says otherwise, access to Convert is not included in your fees and is not guaranteed.

Read this together with the CSignal Platform Privacy & Data Policy (the umbrella policy). Your store is responsible for updating its own privacy policy and cookie banner (section 12), and section 14 gives recommended wording you can copy into it.

The methods and models CSignal uses to score behaviour and produce recommendations are proprietary to Charle. This policy describes what the pixel collects and why: not how the analysis works.

2. Who is responsible for what (controller and processor)

This is the most important part to understand.

• You are the data controller. It is your store, your visitors, and your decision to install CSignal. Under UK GDPR you decide the purpose, and you are responsible to your visitors, including telling them about CSignal in your own privacy policy and having a lawful basis (see sections 11 and 12).
• Charle is your processor. We collect and analyse the pixel data on your behalf and on your instructions, to provide the CSignal service to you. We do not sell this data to third parties, and we do not use it to build profiles of individuals. The full processor terms are set out in the Charle Data Processing Agreement, which forms part of your agreement with us and is available in our Privacy & Trust hub.

There is one exception, which we are transparent about:

• For anonymised network insights, Charle acts as a controller. After data has been anonymised and aggregated, we use it to understand trends across our whole network of stores and to improve CSignal. This is how we understand what works and what doesn't, so we can improve your performance. At that point it is no longer personal data and no longer relates to your store specifically (see section 8).

3. What the CSignal pixel collects

The pixel is designed to capture how people interact with your pages, not who they are. It collects:

• A pseudonymous visitor identifier and session identifier: random IDs stored in the browser (via local/session storage) so we can tell repeat visits and sessions apart. They are not linked to a name or email address. If you install through the Shopify App, events also carry Shopify's own visitor identifier and, only when a customer is logged in to your store, their Shopify customer ID (see "Customer lifetime-value data" below).
• On-page behaviour: how visitors navigate and interact with your pages, including which sections and elements they see, how far they scroll, and what they click. For a click we record the element, its visible label (for example a button's text, cut to 80 characters) and, for links, where the link goes.
• Site search: through the Shopify App, the search terms visitors enter in your store's search, so we can see what people look for.
• Page addresses: the web address of each page viewed. Through the Shopify App the full address is recorded, including any parameters after a "?" in the link. If your store or your marketing emails put personal details such as email addresses into links, those can be captured as part of the address, so we recommend you avoid this.
• Form interactions: that a form field was focused, and that a form was submitted or abandoned. We capture the interaction, not the information a visitor types. The pixel is designed not to capture the contents of form fields.
• Conversions: that a conversion (such as a completed checkout or enquiry) took place, and information about it such as the order value.
• Technical and performance data: device type, browser, operating system, page-performance measures, and JavaScript errors, used to spot technical problems that hurt the experience.
• Traffic source: the referring site and campaign parameters (for example UTM tags) that brought the visit.
• A hashed IP address: see section 4.

What the pixel does not collect: we do not set out to collect visitors' names, email addresses, postal addresses, phone numbers, payment details, or the content they type into forms (the one exception is details your own links put into a page address, see above). We do not build profiles of individual people, the data is used in aggregate to understand behaviour and improve the experience generally, not to identify, track or target any individual. You should not configure the pixel to send us any such personal data.

How the pixel gets installed. You can install CSignal either through our app on the Shopify App Store, or by pasting a script into your theme (manual install). If you install through the Shopify App, CSignal receives checkout events (such as completed orders and their value) automatically through Shopify's own Web Pixel API, in addition to the on-page behavioural data described above. This does not change who is responsible for what: you remain the controller and we remain your processor (section 2), and we do not request access to shoppers' contact or delivery details, so Shopify withholds them from the checkout events we receive. Card details are never available to apps.

Consent. If you install through the Shopify App, the CSignal pixel only runs for visitors who have allowed analytics through Shopify's customer privacy settings (your store's cookie banner). If you install the script manually, it does not check consent by itself: you must load it through your consent banner or tag manager so it only runs after a visitor agrees.

Customer lifetime-value data (Shopify App only). To measure whether features like loyalty programmes and subscriptions help you keep customers longer, CSignal also stores, for your identified (logged-in) customers only, a small set of lifetime order statistics read from Shopify: total amount spent, number of orders, first and most recent order dates, and Shopify's own value-based segments (such as its predicted-spend tier and RFM group). This is linked to the Shopify customer identifier, so unlike the pseudonymous on-page data above it is customer-level information about a known person, and is more personal than the rest of Convert. We use it only to measure, in aggregate and across the network, how on-site features relate to customer value; we do not use it to profile, target or contact individual customers, and it never includes card, contact or delivery details. Guest checkouts and anonymous browsing carry no customer identifier and are not included. This data is held under the same per-store isolation (section 6) as the rest of Convert, is kept as described in section 7, can be erased on request (section 11), and is only collected when you install through the Shopify App.

Page captures. To map the sections and features of your pages, CSignal loads your public storefront pages in an automated browser and takes screenshots. This works like any other visitor loading your site; it does not involve your visitors' data.

AI features. Convert's assistant and recommendations use our AI model provider (see section 6 of the Platform Policy) to analyse your store's aggregated behavioural data. We do not send individual visitor identifiers, hashed IP addresses or Shopify customer identifiers to the AI provider, and the provider may not use the data to train its models.

4. IP addresses

An IP address is treated as personal data, so we handle it carefully. The pixel uses a visitor's IP address only momentarily, at the point of collection, for a single purpose: to recognise and exclude traffic you have asked us to ignore, for example your own team, developers or agency staff who visit or edit the site, so their activity doesn't blur or distort your analytics. The IP is then stored only as an irreversible, salted hash; we do not retain a readable IP address. The stored hash cannot be used to identify, locate or contact anyone, it can only be matched against a known IP to keep honouring an exclusion (such as continuing to filter out your team, or erasing a visitor's data on request). The IP addresses you ask us to exclude (for example your office or agency) are stored as you give them, so we can recognise and filter that traffic.

5. Cookies and local storage

The CSignal pixel does not set third-party advertising cookies. It stores its pseudonymous visitor and session identifiers in the browser's local and session storage. The session identifier ends after 30 minutes of inactivity; the visitor identifier stays until the visitor clears their browser storage. Because this is analytics technology that is not strictly necessary to run your site, storing it on a visitor's device generally requires consent under the UK's PECR rules, which is why your cookie/consent banner needs to cover CSignal (see section 12).

6. How we keep it secure

Convert data is protected using the measures in the Platform Policy's Security section, including encryption in transit and at rest, least-privilege access controls, and per-store isolation enforced by row-level security so no store can see another's data. Combined with IP hashing (section 4), this keeps the data tightly protected.

7. How long we keep it

• Raw pixel events are automatically deleted 12 months after they are collected. This also applies after you stop using Convert or uninstall the Shopify App: events already collected are deleted on the same 12-month schedule, unless you ask us to delete them sooner.
• Customer lifetime-value data (Shopify App only) is refreshed daily while you use Convert and is kept until you ask us to delete it or your agreement with us ends, when we delete it on request.
• Summaries and rollups that power your dashboards, including the date each pseudonymous visitor ID was first seen, and the anonymised network insights in section 8, may be kept for longer.

If you want any Convert data deleted sooner, contact us at hello@charle.co.uk and we will delete it.

8. Network insights (anonymised)

Pooling data across stores is core to how CSignal works, it is what lets us tell you whether a pattern on your store is unusual or normal, and it is a benefit of being on the network. This is always done using anonymised and aggregated data:

• Network insights describe patterns, never people: no individual visitor can be identified.
• We never expose one store's data to another. Cross-store analysis produces aggregate statistics only.
• Because this pooling is intrinsic to the service, it is not something you switch off, it is part of how CSignal delivers value, but it never involves sharing identifiable data.

9. Sub-processors specific to Convert

In addition to the platform-wide sub-processors in the Platform Policy, Convert data is stored and processed using:

Each is bound by contract to protect the data and process it only on our instructions.

10. International transfers

Where Convert data is transferred outside the UK/EU, the safeguards described in the Platform Policy's International Transfers section apply.

11. Visitors' rights

Because you are the controller, your visitors' data-protection requests come to you first, and we will help you respond as your processor. In practice:

• A visitor can be excluded and their data erased using the pixel's exclusion mechanism, which removes their events from your store's data.
• We will assist with access, correction, erasure and objection requests that you receive, to the extent the data is within CSignal.

Because the on-page pixel data is pseudonymous and contains no direct identifiers, we may be unable to single out one person from it without additional information you or the visitor provide. The customer lifetime-value data (section 3, Shopify App only) is the exception: it is keyed to a Shopify customer identifier, so when you ask us, we will locate and erase a specific customer's records and any events carrying their Shopify customer ID. Erasure requests are handled by our team when you contact us; please pass on any customer erasure request you receive.

12. Your responsibility: your own privacy policy and cookie banner

As the data controller, your store is responsible for telling your visitors that you use CSignal, and for having a lawful basis to do so. This includes adding suitable wording to your own privacy policy and making sure your cookie or consent banner covers CSignal, before CSignal is installed and for as long as it runs. Charle is not responsible for the content of your privacy policy or your consent set-up. We provide recommended wording in section 14 to help, but you should check it fits your business.

Your privacy policy and banner should cover:

1. That you use CSignal, an analytics tool provided by Charle London Limited, to understand on-site behaviour and improve your store.
2. What it collects: pseudonymous behavioural and technical data as described in section 3 (including what visitors click and, via the Shopify App, what they search for), and a hashed IP address; it does not collect the content visitors type into forms. If you installed CSignal through the Shopify App, this also includes checkout events (such as completed orders and their value), and, for logged-in customers only, lifetime order statistics (total spent, order count and value-based segments) linked to their Shopify customer identifier, used to measure customer lifetime value.
3. Your lawful basis: typically consent (for the storage of identifiers on the device, under PECR) and/or your legitimate interests in improving your store. You are responsible for choosing and, where needed, capturing this.
4. Consent: make sure the CSignal pixel is covered by your cookie/consent banner. The Shopify App version respects your store's Shopify consent settings automatically; a manually installed script must be loaded through your banner or tag manager so it only runs after consent.
5. How visitors can opt out, and that they can contact you to exercise their rights.
6. That data is processed by Charle as your processor, including anonymised, aggregated network analysis, and is stored in the UK, with some processing outside the UK under appropriate safeguards.

13. Contact

For any question about how Convert handles data, contact us at hello@charle.co.uk. Your visitors should contact you as the controller in the first instance.

14. Recommended wording for your privacy policy

You can copy the wording below into your store's privacy policy (for example under "Analytics" or "Cookies and similar technologies"). Use the first part for every installation. Add the second part if you installed CSignal through the Shopify App.

For every installation:

Website analytics (CSignal)

We use CSignal, a website analytics service provided by Charle London Limited, to understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it. CSignal records how our pages are used, such as which pages and sections are viewed, how far visitors scroll, what they click, page speed and technical errors, and how visitors arrived (for example from a search engine or a campaign link).

CSignal stores random identifiers in your browser so it can recognise repeat visits and sessions. It does not collect your name, contact details or payment details, or anything you type into forms. Your IP address is used briefly to filter out our own staff's visits and is then stored only in a one-way scrambled (hashed) form.

Charle processes this information on our behalf and under our instructions. It is stored in the UK, with some processing outside the UK under appropriate safeguards. Charle also uses anonymised, combined statistics across the websites it works with to improve its service; these never identify you. We use CSignal only if you agree to analytics cookies, and you can change your choice at any time in our cookie settings. To exercise your data protection rights, contact us using the details in this policy.

Add this if you installed CSignal through the Shopify App:

CSignal also receives information about checkout activity (for example that an order was completed and its value) and the searches made on our site. If you are logged in to a customer account, it also uses your customer ID together with summary order statistics, such as your total spend, number of orders and customer segment, to help us understand which parts of our website help customers return. CSignal does not receive your contact, delivery or payment details, and this information is not used to contact or target you.

This wording is a starting point, not legal advice. Please tailor it to your business and take your own advice where needed.