Privacy Policy

Effective date: 27 September 2026

At Cupcake Culture, I take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how I use it and the choices and rights you have in relation to your information.
Cupcake Culture provides bespoke cakes and cupcakes from Botley, Hampshire. My website is primarily a portfolio and enquiry website, allowing customers to view my work and contact me about a bespoke order.

1. Information I collect

I may collect personal information when you contact me, submit an enquiry through my website, communicate with me about a potential order, or become a customer.
This may include:
  • Your name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Information about your cake or cupcake requirements, such as the occasion, date, number of servings, design ideas, dietary requirements and flavour preferences
  • Photographs, images or other files you choose to upload as part of an enquiry
  • Delivery or collection information where applicable
  • Information required to arrange and fulfil an order
  • Records of correspondence between you and Cupcake Culture
  • Your marketing preferences, including whether you have chosen to receive marketing emails from me
  • My website may also collect limited technical information, such as your IP address, browser type, pages visited and information collected through cookies or similar technologies.

2. How I use your information

I use personal information where necessary to:
  • Respond to enquiries and discuss your requirements
  • Prepare quotations and communicate with you about a potential order
  • Create and fulfil orders for cakes and cupcakes
  • Arrange collection or, where agreed, delivery
  • Provide customer service
  • Maintain appropriate business and financial records
  • Operate, maintain and improve my website
  • Protect the security of my website and business
  • Meet my legal and regulatory obligations
  • Send marketing emails where you have chosen to receive them
I will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless I have a lawful reason to use it for another compatible purpose.

3. Lawful bases for using your information

Under UK data protection law, I need a lawful basis for processing your personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, I may rely on:
Contract – where processing your information is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, such as responding to an order enquiry or preparing a quotation, or to fulfil an order you have placed.
Legal obligation – where I need to keep or use information to comply with legal requirements, including accounting and tax obligations.
Legitimate interests – where it is reasonably necessary for the operation and protection of Cupcake Culture, such as maintaining appropriate business records, responding to customer communications, improving the website and protecting it against misuse, provided those interests do not override your rights.
Consent – where you have specifically chosen to receive email marketing from Cupcake Culture or where consent is otherwise required.

4. Email marketing

If you choose to opt in to marketing when making an enquiry, I may use your name and email address to send you occasional emails about new cake designs, seasonal collections, special offers, Cupcake Culture news and reminders about future celebrations.  I may use information from your enquiries or orders, such as the occasion and date to make these communications more relevant to you.
Marketing consent is entirely optional. You do not have to agree to receive marketing in order to make an enquiry or place an order.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by using the unsubscribe option provided in a marketing email or by contacting me at mel@cupcakeculture.co.uk.
If you unsubscribe, I may retain limited information on a suppression list so that I can ensure that I do not send you further marketing communications.

5. Sharing your information

I do not sell or rent your personal information.
I may share personal information with trusted service providers where this is necessary to operate Cupcake Culture. These may include providers involved in:
  • Website hosting and maintenance
  • Website forms and email services
  • Email marketing services
  • IT and data storage
  • Accounting and bookkeeping
  • Payment processing, where applicable
  • Delivery services, where a delivery has been agreed
These organisations should only receive the information necessary to provide their services.
I may also disclose personal information where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.
Some technology providers may process or store information outside the UK. Where this happens, I will take appropriate steps to ensure that personal information receives the protection required by UK data protection law.

6. Cookies and website information

The Cupcake Culture website may use cookies and similar technologies to enable the website to function, understand how visitors use it and support website services.
Where consent is legally required for non-essential cookies, you will be given an opportunity to make your choice through the website’s cookie controls.
You can also control cookies through your browser settings.

7. How long I keep your information

I keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet any legal, accounting or regulatory requirements.
The period for which information is retained will depend on the nature of the information and my reason for holding it.
Information relating to completed orders and financial transactions may need to be retained for longer periods to meet accounting, tax and legal obligations.
Information used for email marketing may be retained while you remain subscribed. If you withdraw your consent or unsubscribe, I may retain the minimum information necessary to record that preference and prevent further marketing.
I periodically review the information I hold and delete or anonymise information that is no longer required.

8. Data security

I take reasonable technical and organisational precautions to protect personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.
However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

9. Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which your information is processed, UK data protection law gives you a number of rights.
These may include the right to:
  • Ask for access to the personal information I hold about you
  • Ask me to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
  • Ask me to delete your personal information in certain circumstances
  • Ask me to restrict how your information is used in certain circumstances
  • Object to certain uses of your personal information
  • Request the transfer of certain information to you or another organisation where applicable
  • Withdraw your consent at any time where I rely on consent
You have an absolute right to object to the use of your personal information for direct marketing. If you ask me to stop using your information for direct marketing, I will do so.
To exercise your rights, please contact me using the details below.

10. Complaints

If you have concerns about how I have used your personal information, please contact me in the first instance so that I can investigate your concern.
You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator.
Information Commissioner’s Office⁠

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to my business, website or legal obligations.
The latest version will be published on this page with an updated effective date.

12. Contact me

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, would like to exercise your data protection rights, or want to change your marketing preferences, please contact:
Cupcake Culture
Botley, Hampshire