Last updated: 13 October 2026
About cookies on this site
Characterful uses cookies and similar technologies on characterful.co.za. Some are needed to make the shop work. If you are in South Africa, the rest are on unless you switch them off, and you can do that before you browse any further. If you are visiting from the UK or EEA, they only run if you agree to them, except that UK visitors’ order source statistics run unless switched off.
You choose when the banner first appears, and you can change your mind at any time using the Cookie settings link, which is always available at the bottom of every page and here:
We group cookies into five categories. Only the first is always on.
Strictly necessary
These keep your basket, your session and the checkout working. The site cannot function without them, so they do not ask for consent.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
woocommerce_cart_hash | WooCommerce | Tells the site your basket has changed | Session |
woocommerce_items_in_cart | WooCommerce | Tells the site your basket is not empty | Session |
wp_woocommerce_session_* | WooCommerce | Links you to your basket and order data | 2 days |
gp_easy_passthrough_session | Gravity Forms | Carries your part-built book between the steps of the personaliser, so you do not lose your work | Session |
wordpress_logged_in_*, wp-settings-* | WordPress | Only set if you have an account and are signed in | Session to 1 year |
cf_consent, cfc_cc | Characterful | Remembers the cookie choice you made, so we stop asking | 6 months |
cfc_mode | Characterful | Remembers which cookie rules apply where you are, so the cookie banner shows straight away | 1 day |
localTimeZone | Characterful | Shows delivery estimates in your own time zone | Session |
Functional
Remembers preferences and supports our mailing list. On unless you switch it off.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
mailchimp_landing_site | Mailchimp for WooCommerce | Records which page you arrived on, so an abandoned-basket email can be relevant | 30 days |
Order source statistics
Notes how you found us, for example a search engine, an advert or one of our emails, so we can see which channels lead to orders. These cookies stay on this site and are never shared with anyone. On unless you switch it off.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
sbjs_first, sbjs_current, sbjs_session, sbjs_udata, sbjs_migrations, sbjs_first_add, sbjs_current_add | WooCommerce order attribution | Records how you found the site, so we know which channels bring orders | 6 months |
Analytics
Tells us which books and pages people look at, so we know what to improve. Measurement only. On unless you switch it off.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics 4 | Distinguishes visitors and sessions so we can count usage | 2 years |
Advertising
Measures our adverts and lets us show them to people likely to be interested. This is the category that shares data with Google and Meta. On unless you switch it off.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
_gcl_au | Google Ads | Measures whether an advert led to a purchase | 90 days |
_fbp, fr | Meta (Facebook) | Measures advert performance and builds advertising audiences | 90 days |
Google Consent Mode
We use Google Consent Mode v2. Google’s tags only set cookies or receive advertising identifiers while the analytics or advertising categories are on. In South Africa they are on until you switch them off; for visitors from the UK or EEA they stay off until you accept them.
Trustpilot
Our customer reviews are shown using a widget provided by Trustpilot. It loads with the page, and Trustpilot may set its own cookies when it does. Trustpilot’s own cookie policy explains what those are.
Managing your choices
- On this site: the Cookie settings button reopens the panel. You can turn any non-essential category off at any time, and it takes effect immediately.
- Payments: card payments are handled on PayFast’s own secure pages, which set their own cookies under PayFast’s policy.
- In your browser: you can block or delete cookies through your browser settings. Blocking strictly necessary cookies will stop the basket and checkout working.
Withdrawing consent is as easy as giving it. We keep a record of the choice you made, the date, and the version of this policy it related to, so we can show what you agreed to. That record does not include your IP address.
Your rights
South Africa. characterful.co.za is run by Characterful (Pty) Ltd, registered in South Africa, which is the responsible party for this site under POPIA. Cookie data is personal information under POPIA. You have the right to access it, to ask for correction or deletion, and to object. You may also complain to the Information Regulator.
Our Information Officer is Timothy de Vos, contactable at customerservice@characterful.co.za.
Visiting from the United Kingdom or EEA. If you visit this site from the UK or EEA, non-essential cookies are used only with your consent (UK visitors’ order source statistics excepted, which you can switch off at any time), and you have the right to access, correct, delete or object to the processing of your personal data. Contact us at customerservice@characterful.co.za.
Changes to this policy
If we add or remove a cookie that changes what we do with your data, we update this page and ask for your choice again. The cookies listed here were last reviewed on 13 October 2026.