Privacy Policy

At Groen™, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal information you share with us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit our website, create an account, place an order, or otherwise interact with us, why we collect it, how we use it, and the choices you have about your information.

By using the Groen website or making a purchase, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any part of it, please do not use our website or services.

This policy is governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa, including the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA), and aligns with internationally accepted privacy principles.

We collect information that is necessary to provide our services, process your orders, and improve your experience. The types of information we collect include:

Personal Information

When you create an account, place an order, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us, we may collect personal information such as:

• Name and surname
• Email address
• Telephone number
• Delivery address
• Billing address

Account Information

If you register for an account, we collect and store your login credentials, saved addresses, and purchase history so that you can manage your preferences and shop with us more easily.

Order Information

When you make a purchase, we collect details about the products or services you have ordered, including plants, pots, garden accessories, gift cards, delivery instructions, returns information, and any related communications.

Payment Information

Groen does not store full payment card details on our servers. Payments are processed securely through approved payment providers and gateways. We may receive confirmation that a payment has been processed, the last four digits of the card used, and the payment method selected, but we do not have access to your full card number or CVV.

Information Collected Automatically

When you browse our website, certain information may be collected automatically through cookies, analytics tools, and server logs. This may include:

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device information
• Pages visited and time spent on the site
• Shopping activity and items viewed
• Referring website or search terms

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• To process and fulfil your orders, including delivery or collection arrangements.
• To communicate with you about your order, delivery, returns, or customer service enquiries.
• To provide customer support and respond to questions or feedback.
• To receive, respond to and keep an accurate record of enquiries you send us through our contact form. Information you submit through that form — including your name, contact details and the content of your message — is stored securely on our systems so that your enquiry reaches us reliably, can be answered, and remains available as correspondence for as long as it is reasonably needed (see Data Retention below).
• To improve our website, product range, and overall customer experience.
• To send order confirmations, invoices, and updates.
• To process refunds, store credit, and returns.
• To prevent fraud, protect our business, and comply with legal obligations.
• To personalise your experience, such as showing products relevant to your interests where you have consented.

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, or for a compatible purpose, unless you consent to a different use.

Plant Concierge is our guided planting tool. When you use it, we process the answers you give us — such as your garden conditions, light and water situation, the area you are planting, your plant preferences and any description or photograph you choose to share — together with the results you save.

These answers are used to suggest plants and care guidance from our own catalogue, and to remember your saved results if you are signed in. Some suggestions are generated with the help of an AI service provided through Lovable, acting on our behalf. The output is guidance only: it does not make any decision about you, and it has no legal or similarly significant effect on you. A person from our team is always available to help if you would prefer to speak to us instead.

You can use Plant Concierge without creating an account. If you are signed in, you can delete saved results at any time from your account, or ask us to delete them using the contact details below.

With your consent, we may send you marketing communications such as newsletters, seasonal promotions, announcements of new plant arrivals, gardening inspiration, care tips, and special offers we believe may interest you.

You can unsubscribe from marketing communications at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any marketing email, updating your account preferences, or contacting us directly. Please note that even if you opt out of marketing, we will still send you transactional emails related to your orders and account.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyse site traffic, and understand where our visitors come from. Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website.

Much of what we store sits in your browser's own local or session storage rather than in cookies — for example your trolley, recently viewed plants and saved Plant Concierge results. The categories we use are:

• Essential — required for the website to function, such as maintaining your trolley, keeping you signed in and remembering your cookie choice.
• Performance — help us understand load times and errors so we can keep the site working well.
• Analytics — limited, aggregated measurement of how the site is used, such as what people search for. We do not use Google Analytics or any third-party advertising analytics.
• Functional — remember choices you make, such as recently viewed plants, to provide a more considered experience.
• Marketing — not currently in use. We run no advertising or marketing trackers on this website.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website.

Groen uses trusted third-party service providers to operate our online store and deliver our services. These providers process information only as necessary to perform their functions on our behalf and are contractually required to handle your information securely and in accordance with applicable laws.

The service providers we currently use are:

• Shopify, for our online store, checkout, payment processing and order management. Payments are handled by Shopify and its payment providers; we never see your full card number.
• Lovable Cloud, for hosting this website, our customer accounts and our database.
• Lovable's email service, for sending account, order and enquiry emails on our behalf.
• Lovable's AI service, for generating Plant Concierge guidance from the answers you give.

We do not currently use Google Analytics, advertising pixels, or third-party email marketing platforms. If that changes, we will update this policy first.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these providers for more information about how they handle your data.

Groen does not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

We may share your information only when necessary and with trusted service providers who assist us in operating our business, such as:

• Courier and delivery companies, to fulfil your order.
• Payment providers, to process your payment securely.
• Technology partners, to host and maintain our website.
• Legal authorities, where required by law or to protect our rights.

Where we share personal information, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient protects your information and uses it only for the intended purpose.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration. These measures include:

• Secure hosting environments.
• Encrypted connections using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) technology.
• Access controls and authentication measures for our systems.
• Secure payment processing through PCI-compliant providers.
• Regular software updates and security monitoring.

While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including:

• Completing transactions and delivering products.
• Meeting legal, tax, and accounting obligations.
• Resolving disputes and enforcing our agreements.
• Maintaining business and financial records.

When personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymise, or destroy it in accordance with applicable laws.

Under POPIA and applicable privacy laws, you have certain rights regarding your personal information. You may:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Request deletion of your personal information where legally permitted.
• Withdraw your consent to marketing communications at any time.
• Request a copy of your personal information in a structured format.
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

To exercise any of these rights, submit a request through our Privacy Rights Request form, or contact us using the details in the Contact Information section below. We will respond within 30 days as required by POPIA.

Groen does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the applicable legal age without appropriate parental or guardian consent. Our website and services are intended for a general adult audience. If you believe that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child without proper consent, please contact us so that we can take appropriate steps to delete the information.

Groen™ is based in South Africa and our website is primarily intended for customers within South Africa. If you access our website from outside South Africa, please be aware that your information may be processed and stored in South Africa or by trusted international service providers who help us operate our business.

By using our website and providing your personal information, you consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable South African law.

Groen may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the way we operate our business. The latest version will always be published on this page with the effective date.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Continued use of our website after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us.

This Privacy Policy is designed to comply with:

• The Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA).
• The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 25 of 2002 (ECTA), where applicable.
• Shopify best practices for online retailers and data protection.
• Generally accepted international privacy principles for transparency, data minimisation, and security.

If there is any conflict between this Privacy Policy and applicable law, the relevant legal requirements will prevail.