Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

A4 MART ("we," "us," or "our") operates the a4martstore.com website and associated services (the "Service"). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our Service. By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Password (stored in hashed form — we never see or store your plain-text password)

2.2 Delivery Information

When you place an order or save an address, we collect:

• Recipient name
• Phone number
• Delivery address (address line, landmark, city, state, pincode)
• Address label (e.g., Home, Work)

2.3 Order and Transaction Information

When you place an order, we collect:

• Order details (items, quantities, prices, discounts, delivery charges, total)
• Payment method (Cash on Delivery or Online Payment)
• Payment status
• Order status and history
• Coupon codes applied

2.4 Payment Processing

Online payments are processed through Razorpay. When you make an online payment, Razorpay collects and processes your payment information (card details, UPI, net banking, etc.). We do not store your card numbers, CVV, UPI PIN, or banking passwords on our servers. We only receive and store:

• Razorpay Order ID
• Razorpay Payment ID
• Payment status (Pending, Paid, Failed, Refunded)

Please refer to Razorpay's Privacy Policy for details on how they handle payment data.

2.5 Authentication and Session Data

We use session cookies to keep you signed in. These cookies contain an encrypted session token and do not contain personally identifiable information in plain text.

2.6 Usage Data

We may automatically collect certain information when you visit the Service, such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and pages visited. This data is used for operational and security purposes.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information to:

• Create and manage your account
• Process and fulfil your orders
• Deliver products to your specified address
• Process payments through Razorpay
• Send transactional emails (order confirmation, email verification, password reset)
• Communicate with you about your orders
• Prevent fraud and ensure platform security
• Improve our Service

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services that may process your data:

• Razorpay — Payment processing (razorpay.com)
• Resend — Transactional email delivery (resend.com)
• Cloudinary — Product and store image hosting (cloudinary.com)
• Neon — Database hosting (neon.tech)
• Railway — Application hosting (railway.app)

Each third-party service has its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review their policies.

5. Cookies and Local Storage

We use the following on your device:

• Session cookies — To maintain your signed-in state. These are essential for the Service to function and are deleted when you sign out or your session expires.
• Local Storage — To store your shopping cart contents on your device. Cart data is associated with your account and is not shared with other users.

We do not use advertising cookies or third-party tracking cookies.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide the Service. Specifically:

• Account data — Retained while your account is active
• Order records — Retained indefinitely for business and legal record-keeping
• Session data — Expires automatically based on session configuration
• Cart data — Stored in your browser's local storage; cleared on logout or order placement

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information, including encrypted session tokens, hashed passwords, secure HTTPS connections, and server-side payment verification. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

8. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate data
• Request deletion of your account and associated personal data
• Opt out of non-essential communications

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided at the bottom of this policy. We will respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe.

9. Children's Privacy

Our Service is not intended for use by children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the new policy on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us through the A4 MART storefront or by reaching out to the store administrator.