Privacy Policy
Introduction
Bud & Blossom ‘Creatives’ (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your data when you interact with our website (budandblossom.co.za), purchase products, enrol in courses, or communicate with us.
This policy is aligned with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa.
By using our website or services, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.
Information We Collect
We collect the following types of personal information:
Information you provide directly:
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Physical address (billing and shipping)
- Payment information (processed securely via YOCO – we do not store card details)
- Course enrolment details (student name, date of birth, grade/age, medical/learning needs)
- Contact form submissions and enquiry details
- Newsletter subscription preferences
Information collected automatically:
- IP address
- Browser type and version
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
- Pages visited and time spent on site
- Referring URL (how you found us)
- Cookie data (see our Cookies Policy for details)
Information from third parties:
- Payment confirmation from YOCO
- Delivery status from Courier Guy
- Analytics data from Google Analytics
- Advertising data from Facebook Pixel (if you interact with our ads)
How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
Order fulfilment:
- Processing and fulfilling product orders
- Sending order confirmations, production updates, dispatch notifications, and tracking information
- Managing shipping and delivery via Courier Guy
- Processing payments securely via YOCO
Course enrolment and management:
- Managing course registrations and access via LearnDash
- Communicating with parents/guardians about learner progress
- Providing course-related materials and updates
Communication:
- Responding to enquiries submitted via our contact form, email, or WhatsApp
- Sending transactional emails (order updates, account notifications)
- Sending marketing communications – only with your explicit consent (via MailerLite)
Website improvement:
- Analysing website usage patterns to improve user experience
- Understanding which pages and products are most popular
- Optimising website performance and load times
Legal compliance:
- Meeting our obligations under POPIA and other applicable South African laws
- Maintaining records for tax and accounting purposes
Legal Basis for Processing (POPIA)
We process your personal information based on the following legal grounds:
| Basis | When It Applies |
| Consent | Newsletter subscriptions, marketing emails, cookie preferences |
| Contract | Order fulfilment, course enrolment, delivery |
| Legitimate interest | Website analytics, fraud prevention, service improvement |
| Legal obligation | Tax records, regulatory compliance |
You may withdraw your consent at any time – see “Your Rights” below.
Third-Party Services
We share your information with the following trusted third-party services, only to the extent necessary to provide our services:
| Service | Purpose | Data Shared |
| YOCO | Payment processing | Payment details (encrypted, PCI-compliant) |
| Courier Guy | Shipping and delivery | Name, address, phone, order details |
| MailerLite | Email marketing | Name, email (with consent only) |
| Google Analytics | Website analytics | Anonymised browsing data |
| Facebook Pixel | Advertising performance | Anonymised interaction data |
| Google reCAPTCHA | Spam protection | IP address, browser data |
| LearnDash | Course delivery and management | Student name, email, course progress |
| WordPress/WooCommerce | Website and ecommerce platform | Order and account data |
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party.
All third-party providers are contractually required to handle your data securely and in compliance with applicable privacy laws.
Data Storage and Security
We take the security of your personal information seriously:
- Our website uses HTTPS encryption (SSL/TLS) for all data transmission
- Payment processing is handled by YOCO’s PCI-compliant gateway – we never see or store your card details
- Our website is protected by Wordfence security (firewall, malware scanning, login protection)
- Cloudflare provides additional DDoS protection and SSL management
- Access to personal data is restricted to authorised personnel only
- We use strong passwords and two-factor authentication for all admin accounts
Your data is stored on secure servers within our hosting environment. We do not transfer data outside of South Africa unless required by a third-party service (e.g., Google Analytics servers), in which case appropriate safeguards are in place.
Data Retention
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected:
| Data Type | Retention Period |
| Order and transaction records | 5 years (tax and legal requirements) |
| Course enrolment records | Duration of enrolment + 2 years |
| Newsletter subscribers | Until you unsubscribe |
| Contact form submissions | 12 months |
| Website analytics data | 14 months (GA4 default) |
| Cookie data | As per cookie expiry (see Cookies Policy) |
After the retention period expires, your data is securely deleted or anonymised.
Children’s Privacy
We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from anyone under the age of 13 without parental or guardian consent.
For course enrolments involving minors, we collect information through the parent or guardian via our enrolment form. Parents/guardians are responsible for providing accurate information and consenting on behalf of their child.
If we become aware that we have collected personal information from a child under 13 without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete that information promptly.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience, analyse site usage, and support advertising. For full details on the cookies we use and how to manage them, please see our Cookies Policy.
Facebook Fan Page
We operate a Facebook Fan Page at facebook.com/BudandBlossomCreatives/. When you interact with our Facebook page, data may be collected by Facebook in accordance with their Data Policy. We do not control Facebook’s data collection practices.
We use Facebook Page Insights (anonymised, aggregated data) to understand how visitors interact with our page. This data cannot be used to identify individual users.
Your Rights Under POPIA
As a South African resident, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:
- Right to access – request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Right to correction – request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete information
- Right to deletion – request that we delete your personal information (subject to legal retention requirements)
- Right to object – object to the processing of your personal information for specific purposes
- Right to withdraw consent – withdraw your consent to marketing communications at any time
- Right to data portability – request your data in a structured, commonly used format
- Right to lodge a complaint – file a complaint with the Information Regulator if you believe your rights have been violated
How to exercise your rights:
Email us at info@budandblossom.co.za with:
- Your full name
- The right you wish to exercise
- Any relevant details to help us locate your information
We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request, as required by POPIA.
Marketing Communications
We send marketing emails (Studio Letter, product updates, course launches) only with your explicit consent.
You can:
- Subscribe via our website forms (footer, Studio Journal, Studio Letter page, checkout)
- Unsubscribe at any time via the unsubscribe link in every email
- Update preferences by contacting us directly
We use MailerLite to manage our email marketing. Your email address and name are stored securely within MailerLite’s platform.
We will never send unsolicited marketing emails without your prior consent.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements.
When we make significant changes:
- The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page will be revised
- We may notify you via email or a website notice for material changes
We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us:
📧 Email: info@budandblossom.co.za 📱 WhatsApp: +27 71 554 1155 📞 Phone: +27 71 554 1155
Bud & Blossom ‘Creatives’ Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Trading Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:30 – 16:00 Saturday: By appointment Sunday: Closed