Privacy Policy

Elizabeth's Boutique ("we," "us," or "our") operates this website to serve our customers in Scranton, PA and the surrounding area. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect information when you visit our website. By using our website, you agree to the practices described below. If you have questions, please contact us directly — we are a small family business and we take your privacy seriously.

I Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide you with a good experience. This includes:

• Email address — if you voluntarily subscribe to our newsletter through the footer sign-up form. Submissions are received through Netlify Forms (our hosting provider's form service) and reviewed by us directly. We do not share, sell, or use subscriber emails for any purpose other than the newsletter itself.
• Server log data — our hosting provider (Netlify) automatically records standard technical information when you visit, including your IP address, browser type, timestamp, and the pages you requested. These logs exist for operational reasons only — error detection, debugging, and abuse prevention. IP addresses are temporarily present in logs but are not used for tracking, profiling, or advertising.
• Aggregate analytics data — we use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use our website in aggregate: pageviews, traffic sources, device types, and approximate location (country/region level). GA4 anonymizes IP addresses by default — your IP is truncated by Google before it is stored. We never see individual visitors' identities, names, or email addresses through analytics. This data is used only to improve the website experience.
• Website usage recordings and heatmaps — we use Microsoft Clarity to see how visitors actually interact with our pages. Unlike the aggregate figures above, Clarity records individual browsing sessions: the pages you viewed, where you moved your mouse or tapped, what you clicked, and how far you scrolled. It also builds heatmaps showing which parts of a page get the most attention. We use this only to find confusing layouts and broken pages so we can fix them. Clarity is configured to mask text you type into form fields, and we never use it to identify you personally. For more detail, see Microsoft's Clarity FAQ.
• Cookie banner preference — when you dismiss our cookie notice (accept or decline), your choice is stored in your own browser's local storage under the key eb-cookie-consent. This preference lives on your device only. It is never sent to us, stored on our servers, or shared with any third party.

We do not operate a contact form, shopping cart, or payment system on this website. We do not collect credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, or any sensitive personal information online.

II How We Use Your Information

• To send you occasional updates or promotions if you subscribed to our newsletter.
• To understand which pages and dress collections visitors find useful, so we can improve the website.
• To diagnose usability problems — confusing layouts, broken links, pages that do not work well on phones — using the recordings and heatmaps described above.
• To remember whether you dismissed our cookie banner, so we do not keep showing it to you on every visit.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your information to any third party for marketing purposes — ever.

III Cookies and Browser Storage

This website uses a small number of cookies, strictly limited to analytics and usage measurement. None of them are advertising cookies:

• Google Analytics cookies — GA4 sets first-party cookies (typically named _ga and _ga_<ID>) to recognize returning visits and count unique users for aggregate reporting. These are analytics cookies only. They are not used for advertising, remarketing, or building cross-site profiles of you.
• Microsoft Clarity cookies — Clarity sets first-party cookies (typically named _clck and _clsk) to link the pages you view into a single browsing session, so a recording plays back in order and a returning visit is not counted twice. These support session recordings and heatmaps for this website only. They are not used for advertising or remarketing.

In addition to these cookies, we store a single entry in your browser's local storage (eb-cookie-consent) that remembers whether you dismissed our cookie notice. Local storage is a separate mechanism from cookies — the value stays on your device, is never transmitted with your web requests, and we have no way to read it from our server. It simply prevents the banner from reappearing on every page view.

IV Third-Party Services

The following third-party services are integrated into this website. None of them are used for advertising or cross-site tracking:

• Netlify — our hosting provider. Netlify serves every page of this website and processes newsletter form submissions. Standard server logs and form submissions are handled on Netlify's infrastructure per their privacy practices. Netlify Privacy Policy
• Google Analytics 4 (GA4) — we use GA4 to see aggregate traffic patterns (pageviews, traffic sources, device types, country/region) so we can improve the site. GA4 anonymizes IP addresses by default — Google truncates them before they are stored for analytics. We have not enabled GA4's advertising features, and we do not use it for remarketing or tracking users across other websites. For details on how Google handles analytics data, see the Google Privacy Policy.
• Microsoft Clarity — we use Clarity to record how visitors navigate this website and to generate heatmaps of where people click and scroll. Microsoft processes these recordings on our behalf and may also use the data in line with its own privacy practices. Recordings cover activity on this website only — Clarity does not follow you to other sites, and we have not enabled any advertising features. Clarity masks text entered into form fields by default. For details, see the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
• Google Maps — the store location map in our footer is provided by Google. When the map loads on your screen, Google receives standard connection information (IP address, browser type, referring page) as it does on any website that embeds a Google Map. This happens automatically as part of how the map works; we include it only to help customers find our store. For details on how Google handles this data, see the Google Privacy Policy.

We do not control how these providers handle data within their own systems. We do not share any personal information you provide to us with them beyond what is technically necessary for the services above to function.

V Text Messaging (SMS)

We do not sell, rent, or share your mobile phone number or your SMS consent with third parties or affiliates for their marketing purposes. Mobile information collected for text messaging is not shared with third parties except service providers who help us deliver those messages.

If you choose to hear from us by text, this is exactly how it works:

• How we collect your number — we receive a mobile number only when you provide it voluntarily and tick the separate SMS consent box. That box is never pre-checked and stands on its own, apart from any other field, so agreeing to texts is always a deliberate choice you make.
• Never a condition of purchase — consenting to receive text messages is not a condition of purchasing any product or service from us. You are welcome to shop with us, place an order, and use every part of this website without ever giving us a mobile number.
• Withdrawing your consent — you may withdraw your consent at any time by replying STOP to any message we send. We will stop sending marketing texts to that number. You can also simply tell us in the store or over the phone and we will remove you.
• Proof of opt-in — we keep a record of your consent, including the date, the time, and the exact wording you agreed to. We retain that record as proof of opt-in for as long as we hold your number.

VI How We Protect Your Information

We ask for as little as possible, and we look after what you do give us. Here is what that means in practice:

• An encrypted connection — every page of this website is served over a secure HTTPS connection. Anything you type into a form travels encrypted between your browser and us, so it cannot be read along the way.
• How submissions are stored — when you send us a form, including your phone number and your SMS consent, it is transmitted over an encrypted connection and stored in the customer management system we use to run the shop. That system is password protected and requires a second sign-in step, not just a password.
• Who can see it — access is limited to Elizabeth and the small team that maintains this website. Nobody else is given access to the contact list.
• No card details — we do not collect or store payment card numbers on this website. Purchases happen in the store, in person.
• If you want it removed — ask us to delete your information and we take it out of our systems, as described in the section on your rights below.

VII Data Retention

We retain information only as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected:

• Newsletter email addresses — retained until you unsubscribe. Submissions are stored in our Netlify Forms dashboard and are manually reviewed by us.
• Server logs — retained by Netlify for a limited operational period in line with their standard hosting practices, then automatically discarded. We do not export, archive, or repurpose these logs.
• Google Analytics data — aggregate analytics data is retained in our GA4 property for 14 months (GA4's default retention period), after which it is automatically deleted. We do not export, archive, or combine this data with personally identifiable information.
• Microsoft Clarity recordings — session recordings and heatmap data are stored by Microsoft and automatically deleted at the end of Clarity's standard retention window. We do not export, archive, or download recordings, and we do not link them to your name or email address.
• Cookie banner preference — stored only in your own browser's local storage until you clear your site data. We have no copy of this value.

We do not sell or rent any of the information we collect. Analytics data stored in GA4 is aggregate, Clarity recordings are used only to diagnose website usability problems, and neither is combined with personally identifiable information such as your email address or name.

VIII Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time using the link in any email we send.
• Request deletion of any personal information we hold about you.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us directly using the information below.

IX Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has submitted information through our site, please contact us and we will promptly delete it.

X Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be reflected by the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

XI Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, please reach out — we are happy to help.