Last updated: 22 April 2026

This policy explains how Vectris Ltd ("we", "us") collects and uses personal data when you visit or buy from The Helpful Things Company at www.helpfulthings.co.uk. The Helpful Things Company is a trading name of Vectris Ltd, which is the data controller for the personal data described in this policy.

Registered office: 50 Micklegate, Selby, England, YO8 4EQ Company number: 08564476 ICO registration number: ZC128726 Contact for privacy matters: support@helpfulthings.co.uk

1. What data we collect

We collect personal data in the following ways.

Information you give us when you place an order. When you buy from us, we collect your name, delivery address, billing address, email address, and telephone number. Payment card details are entered directly into our payment provider, Shopify Payments, and are not seen or stored by us.

Information you give us when you create an account. If you choose to create an account, we hold the details you provide and a record of your orders and communications with us.

Information you give us when you sign up for our newsletter. If you sign up to our mailing list, we hold your email address and a record of which messages you have opened or responded to.

Information you give us when you leave a review. Product reviews are collected through our reviews provider, Yotpo. Any review you submit, including any name or initial you choose to display, may be published on our website.

Information you give us when you contact us. If you email, call, or message us, we hold the correspondence and any personal details included in it.

Technical information collected automatically. When you visit the website, we and our service providers collect standard technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, pages viewed, items added to a basket, and approximate location. This is used to operate the site, process orders, and understand how the site is used. Further detail is set out in section 8.

We do not knowingly collect personal data from children, and the website is not directed at children under 16.

2. Why we use your data and our lawful basis

We use personal data for the following purposes.

To take, process, and deliver your order, and to respond to questions about it. Our lawful basis is the performance of a contract with you.

To manage your customer account, where you have chosen to create one. Our lawful basis is the performance of a contract with you.

To send you our newsletter and other marketing emails, where you have signed up. Our lawful basis is your consent, which you can withdraw at any time using the unsubscribe link in any message or by emailing support@helpfulthings.co.uk.

To invite you to review products you have bought, and to publish reviews you submit. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interest in showing genuine customer feedback, together with your consent where required.

To operate, secure, and improve the website, and to prevent fraudulent transactions. Our lawful basis is our legitimate interests in running a safe and reliable online shop.

To meet legal, regulatory, tax, and accounting obligations. Our lawful basis is compliance with a legal obligation.

We do not use your data for automated decision-making, and we do not sell your data to third parties.

3. Marketing

We will only send you marketing emails if you have signed up to our newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any message we send you, or by emailing support@helpfulthings.co.uk. Unsubscribing from marketing does not affect emails about orders you have placed.

4. Who we share your data with

We share personal data only where necessary, and only with organisations that process it on our behalf under appropriate contractual terms. These include:

our ecommerce platform, which hosts the website and holds customer and order records;

our payment provider, Shopify Payments, which processes payments on our behalf;

our delivery partners, to whom we pass the name, address, and, where needed, the telephone number or email address required to deliver your order;

our reviews provider, Yotpo, which invites reviews on our behalf and hosts the review content;

our email, productivity, and accounting software providers;

and professional advisers such as our accountant.

We may also disclose personal data where required by law, by a regulator, or in connection with legal proceedings.

Some of these providers may store data outside the United Kingdom. Where that is the case, we rely on the transfer mechanisms recognised under UK data protection law, such as adequacy decisions or standard contractual clauses.

5. How long we keep your data

We keep order and transaction records for seven years after the end of the relevant tax year, to meet legal and accounting requirements.

We keep customer account details for as long as the account is active, and remove them on request.

We keep newsletter records until you unsubscribe, and remove your details from the mailing list promptly afterwards.

We keep general enquiry correspondence for as long as needed to respond and for a reasonable period afterwards, typically up to two years.

6. How we protect your data

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. These include access controls, encryption in transit, reputable service providers, and payment processing through a certified provider so that full card details never reach our systems.

7. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to ask us to provide a copy of the personal data we hold about you, correct data that is inaccurate, delete data in certain circumstances, restrict or object to our processing, withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, and, where relevant, transfer data to another provider.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact support@helpfulthings.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

If you are not satisfied with how we have handled your data, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

8. Cookies and analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies on the website.

Strictly necessary cookies are used to operate the website, remember what is in your basket, keep you signed in, and process payments. These are always on, because the site cannot function without them.

Analytics and performance cookies help us understand how visitors use the site, which pages are popular, and where the site can be improved. We use Google Analytics for this purpose. Analytics cookies are only set with your consent, which you can give or withdraw through the cookie banner or preferences link on our site.

Marketing cookies are used to measure the effectiveness of our advertising and to show relevant products to past visitors. We use Google Ads for this purpose. Marketing cookies are only set with your consent.

You can change your cookie preferences at any time through the preferences link on the site, or by clearing cookies in your browser. For more information about how Google processes data through these services, see Google's own privacy information at policies.google.com/privacy.

9. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last changed. For material changes, we will take reasonable steps to draw the change to the attention of customers whose data we hold.