🍪 Legal Document
Cookie Policy
Plain English Summary
We use essential cookies to make the site work, analytics cookies to understand what content people enjoy, and functional cookies to remember your preferences. We do not use advertising cookies or sell data to advertisers. You can turn off non-essential cookies at any time.
The four types of cookies — at a glance.
We use only three of the four cookie categories below. We explicitly do not use marketing or advertising cookies.
Essential
Required for the website and shop to function. Without these, the site cannot work correctly.
Analytics
Anonymised data about how visitors use the site. Helps us improve our content and recipes.
Functional
Remembers your preferences — like your cookie consent choice — across sessions.
Marketing
Advertising and retargeting cookies. We do not use these. We do not serve targeted ads.
—– Section 01
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website places on your device — computer, smartphone or tablet — when you visit. They are widely used to make websites work, remember your preferences, and give website owners basic information about how their sites are used.
When you visit OvernightOats.co.za, our website and certain third-party services we use may place cookies on your device. These cookies serve different purposes, which we explain in full in this policy.
COOKIES ARE NOT DANGEROUS
Cookies cannot carry viruses, install malware, or access your personal files. A cookie can only be read by the website that set it. However, like all online tracking technologies, they can be used in privacy-invasive ways — which is why we take our cookie practices seriously and publish this policy in full.
Cookie types by duration:
Session cookies: Temporary cookies that exist only while your browser is open. They are deleted automatically when you close your browser. We use these for shopping cart and login state management.Persistent cookies: Remain on your device for a set period (days, months, or years) or until you delete them. We use these for analytics, preference memory, and consent records.
Cookie types by origin:
First-party cookies: Set directly by OvernightOats.co.za (our domain). We control these fully and they serve only our site’s functionality.
Third-party cookies: Set by external services we use (Google Analytics, PayFast). These third parties operate under their own privacy policies — see Section 6.
Third-party cookies: Set by external services we use (Google Analytics, PayFast). These third parties operate under their own privacy policies — see Section 6.
—– Section 02
How We Use Cookies
We use cookies for three specific purposes only. We do not use cookies for advertising, retargeting, or selling data to third parties.
✓ To make the website function: Essential cookies keep the shopping cart working, maintain your login state, enable the checkout process, and ensure the security of your session.
✓ To understand how the site is used: Analytics cookies (via Google Analytics) help us understand which pages and recipes are most popular, where visitors come from, and how people navigate the site. This helps us create better content for our SA audience.
✓ To remember your preferences: Functional cookies remember choices you have made — such as your cookie consent preference — so you do not have to re-enter them on every visit.
What We Do NOT Use Cookies For
We do not use cookies to: serve targeted or personalised advertising · track you across other websites · build advertising profiles · share your browsing behaviour with advertisers · use retargeting or remarketing technology · serve third-party display ads on our site.
—– Section 03
Essential Cookies
Essential cookies are strictly necessary for OvernightOats.co.za to function. Without these cookies, the website cannot operate — the shop will not work, the checkout process will fail, and basic security cannot be maintained. These cookies cannot be disabled without breaking core site functionality.
Under POPIA and international data protection standards, essential cookies do not require your consent because they are necessary to provide the service you have requested.
| Cookie Name | Set By | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OvernightOats.co.za | Maintains your login session when visiting protected areas of the website. Deleted when you log out or close the browser. | Session | First-party | |
| OvernightOats.co.za | Stores your shopping cart contents so they persist as you browse the site. Required for the checkout process to work. | Session / 2 days | First-party | |
| OvernightOats.co.za | Security token that validates form submissions and protects against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks. | Session | First-party | |
| PayFast | Set during the checkout and payment process to maintain your payment session securely. Required to process purchases. Governed by PayFast's privacy policy. | Session | Third-party | |
| OvernightOats.co.za | Records whether you have accepted or declined non-essential cookies so we do not show the consent banner on every visit. | 1 year | First-party |
—– Section 04
Analytics Cookies
Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors use OvernightOats.co.za — which recipes are most popular, which pages people spend the most time on, and where our traffic comes from. This information helps us create better content for our South African audience.
We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) for website analytics. We have configured our Google Analytics implementation with the following privacy-protective settings:
✓ IP anonymisation is enabled. Your full IP address is never stored by Google Analytics — the last octet is masked before any data is recorded.
✓ Data sharing with Google is minimised. We have disabled the advertising features of Google Analytics and do not allow Google to use our analytics data for advertising purposes.
✓ We do not import analytics data into advertising tools — our analytics data is used solely for understanding site performance and content improvement.
✓ Data retention is set to 14 months — the minimum available in Google Analytics — after which individual session data is automatically deleted.
| Cookie Name | Set By | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique users. Assigns a randomly generated number to each visitor to count visits without identifying individuals. The data collected is anonymised. | 2 years | Third-party | |
| Google Analytics | Maintains and counts page sessions. Tracks how long a visit lasts and how many pages are viewed per session. | 2 years | Third-party | |
| Google Analytics | Distinguishes users within a 24-hour period. Used for aggregate traffic analysis only. | 24 hours | Third-party |
Google Analytics Data Processing
Google Analytics processes data on Google's servers, which may be located outside South Africa. Under POPIA Section 72, we may only transfer personal information outside South Africa if the recipient country has equivalent data protection standards, or if you have consented. Google's data processing is governed by their Data Processing Agreement and Privacy Policy, which provide protections consistent with international data protection standards. By accepting analytics cookies, you consent to this transfer.
—– Section 05
Functional Cookies
Functional cookies allow our website to remember choices you have made so that it can provide enhanced, personalised features. They are not strictly necessary for the site to function, but they improve your experience.
| Cookie Name | Set By | Purpose | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OvernightOats.co.za | Stores your cookie consent choices so the consent banner does not reappear on every page. Stores whether you have accepted or declined each cookie category. | 1 year | First-party | |
| OvernightOats.co.za | If we add multilingual support in future, this cookie will remember your language preference. Currently not active but disclosed for transparency. | 1 year | First-party |
—– Section 06
Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies on OvernightOats.co.za are set by third-party services we use to operate the site. These third parties have their own privacy policies and cookie practices, which we link to below. We do not control these cookies beyond what is described here.
| Service | Purpose | Cookies Set | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Analytics | Anonymised website analytics | , , | policies.google.com/privacy |
| PayFast | Secure payment processing during checkout | Payment session cookies (see PayFast docs) | payfast.co.za/privacy-policy |
| WooCommerce / WordPress | E-commerce, cart management, security | , | automattic.com/privacy |
| MailerLite (email tracking) | Email open and click tracking in challenge emails | Tracking pixel (not a browser cookie — embedded in email) | mailerlite.com/legal |
| Facebook (embedded) | Only if you visit our embedded Facebook Group content | Facebook social cookies if accessed on-site | facebook.com/privacy |
Affiliate Links and Third-Party Tracking
Our affiliate links (to Faithful to Nature, Takealot, Dis-Chem, etc.) use tracking parameters in the URL — such as ?ref=overnightoatssa — to attribute sales to our site. These are URL parameters, not cookies set by us. However, when you land on a third-party site via our link, that site may set its own cookies under its own privacy policy.
—– Section 07
Your Consent
When you first visit OvernightOats.co.za, a cookie consent banner will appear. This banner allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookies (analytics and functional cookies). Essential cookies are always active and do not require consent.
Your consent choices are stored in a functional cookie (see Section 5) so that you are not asked again on every visit. Your consent remains valid for 12 months, after which you will be asked again.
Withdrawing consent: You may withdraw or change your cookie consent at any time by:
1 – Clicking the “Cookie Settings” link in the footer of any page on our site
2 – Clearing your browser cookies for overnightoats.co.za — this will reset your consent preference and the banner will reappear
3 – Using your browser settings to block all third-party cookies (see Section 9)
4 – Using the Google Analytics opt-out tool (for analytics cookies specifically)
Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing based on your consent prior to withdrawal.
—– Section 08
Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have several options for managing cookies from OvernightOats.co.za and the third-party services we use.
Google Analytics
Opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites that use it, not just ours. Install the official browser add-on from Google.
Download opt-out add-on →
Browser Settings
Block all third-party cookies or all cookies via your browser settings. See Section 9 for step-by-step instructions for each browser.
Your Consent Preferences
Change your cookie consent choices for OvernightOats.co.za at any time by clearing site cookies. The consent banner will reappear.
Reset my preferences →
aboutcookies.org
Comprehensive resource for managing cookies across all browsers, platforms and devices. Includes guides for mobile and desktop.
—– Section 09
Managing Cookies in Your Browser
Every major browser allows you to view, manage and delete cookies. Here is how to access cookie settings in the most popular browsers used in South Africa.
Google Chrome
Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
You can block third-party cookies, see all cookies, or clear cookies for specific sites.
Mozilla Firefox
Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
Firefox includes Enhanced Tracking Protection that blocks many tracking cookies by default.
Apple Safari
Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
Safari blocks cross-site tracking by default via Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP).
Microsoft Edge
Settings → Privacy, search, and services → Cookies and site permissions
Edge includes Tracking Prevention with Balanced and Strict modes.
Chrome (Android)
Three dots → Settings → Privacy and security → Clear browsing data
Select “Cookies and site data” to clear all cookies from your mobile Chrome browser.
Safari (iPhone / iPad)
Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data
Or: Advanced → Website Data → Remove All Website Data to delete cookies only.
—– Section 10
Impact of Disabling Cookies
Disabling cookies may affect your experience on OvernightOats.co.za. The table below sets out the impact of disabling each cookie category.
| Cookie Category | If Disabled | Can You Still Use the Site? |
|---|---|---|
| Essential (WordPress/WooCommerce) | Shopping cart will not work. You cannot add items to cart or complete checkout. Login functionality breaks. Forms may fail. | ❌ Shop functionality is unavailable. Blog content is still readable. |
| Analytics (Google Analytics) | We will not receive any data about your visit. The site functions identically from your perspective. | ✅ No impact on your experience whatsoever. |
| Functional (Preferences) | Cookie consent banner may reappear on each visit. Language preferences (if applicable) not remembered. | ✅ Minor inconvenience only — the site functions normally. |
| PayFast (during checkout) | You will not be able to complete a payment. The checkout process requires PayFast to set a session cookie to process your transaction securely. | ❌ Purchases cannot be completed without PayFast session cookies. |
Our Recommendation
If you want to minimise tracking while keeping the site fully functional: accept essential and functional cookies, and opt out of analytics cookies only. You can do this via the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on without changing any browser settings or affecting site functionality.
—– Section 11
Policy Updates
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, the services we integrate, or applicable legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page and notify active email subscribers.
If we add new cookie categories — for example, if we were ever to introduce advertising cookies — we would update this policy, reset all existing consent records, and seek fresh consent from all users before placing any new category of cookie.
Your continued use of OvernightOats.co.za after any changes to this Cookie Policy indicates your acceptance of those changes. If you do not agree with the updated policy, please adjust your browser settings to block cookies from our site.
—– Section 12
Contact
If you have any questions about our use of cookies or this Cookie Policy, please contact us. We respond to all cookie-related queries within 48 hours on business days.
SUBJECT LINE
“Cookie Policy Enquiry”
RESPONSE TIME
Within 48 hours (business days)
INFO REGULATOR SA
Transparency is how we do things here
We have written this cookie policy to be genuinely useful and readable — not to satisfy a legal checkbox. If you have questions about any specific cookie, any tracking technology, or anything about how we handle data, please just ask. We are a small SA business and we care about doing this right.