Cookie Policy
Cookie Policy
Version: v1
Last updated: July 2026
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device on subsequent visits and remember information about your browsing session. Similar technologies include pixels, local storage, and session storage. When we refer to "cookies" in this policy, we mean cookies and all comparable technologies that store or access information on your device.
2. How We Use Cookies
We use cookies to make the website work properly, understand how visitors use the site, show relevant adverts after you visit, remember your preferences, record how you interact with our pages, and support our email marketing. We obtain your consent before placing any non-essential cookies. You can manage preferences at any time using the cookie settings link at the bottom of this website.
3. Cookie Categories
Strictly necessary
These cookies are essential for the website to function. Without them you cannot browse the site, add items to your basket, or complete a purchase. They cannot be switched off.
Legal basis: Strictly necessary. no consent required under PECR.
Analytics
These cookies help us understand how visitors use the site. Our GA4 property is connected to Google Ads for conversion attribution, so the DUAA analytics exemption does not apply and prior consent is required before analytics cookies fire.
Legal basis: Consent. analytics cookies are not placed unless you accept them.
Functional
Functional cookies allow the website to provide enhanced features and remember your preferences, including your currency selection and site search experience. These cookies do not track you across other websites.
Legal basis: Consent. functional cookies are not placed unless you accept them.
Advertising and remarketing
These cookies are set by Google Ads, Meta, Microsoft/Bing Ads, TikTok, and Klaviyo. They track your visit to our website to enable ad measurement, remarketing, and behavioural email follow-ups.
Legal basis: Consent. advertising cookies are not placed unless you accept them.
Session recording
Session recording cookies are set by Hotjar and Microsoft Clarity. They record how you interact with our website. These tools do not record payment details or passwords.
Legal basis: Consent. session recording cookies are not placed unless you accept them.
4. Cookies We Use
4.1 Strictly necessary cookies
|
Cookie name |
Provider |
Purpose |
Duration |
Category |
|
_shopify_essential |
Shopify |
Core session cookie maintaining your browsing session, checkout state, and security functions |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
_shopify_essential_ |
Shopify |
Cross-domain version of the essential session cookie, used on Shopify's own domain |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
_shopify_y |
Shopify |
Assigns a unique visitor ID used for Shopify's own analytics and visitor identification |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
_shop_app_essential |
Shopify (Shop Pay) |
Supports Shop Pay and Shop app cross-merchant identity and fast-checkout functionality |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
_shopify_analytics |
Shopify |
First-party Shopify cookie used for the store’s own analytics and order attribution |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
_shopify_marketing |
Shopify |
Supports Shopify’s first-party marketing attribution for the store |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
_shopify_s |
Shopify |
Maintains your current browsing session on the store |
30 minutes |
Strictly necessary |
|
shopify_client_id |
Shopify |
Assigns a client identifier used by Shopify to operate core store functions |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
__cf_bm |
Cloudflare (via 506.io app) |
Cloudflare bot-management cookie distinguishing humans from automated traffic to protect app functionality |
30 minutes |
Strictly necessary |
|
checkout_token |
Shopify |
Maintains your checkout session so your order progress is not lost if you navigate away |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
cart |
Shopify |
Stores your shopping basket contents during your visit and on return |
2 weeks |
Strictly necessary |
|
cart_currency |
Shopify |
Remembers your selected currency so prices display correctly |
14 days |
Strictly necessary |
|
currency |
Shopify |
Stores your currency preference at domain level |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
localization |
Shopify |
Stores your country or region selection to show the correct content, language, and shipping options |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
|
secure_customer_sig |
Shopify |
Authenticates your logged-in customer account session securely |
20 years |
Strictly necessary |
|
_pandectes_gdpr |
Pandectes |
Stores your cookie consent preferences so your choices are applied correctly on return visits |
1 year |
Strictly necessary |
4.2 Analytics cookies
|
Consent required GA4 is connected to Google Ads so prior opt-in consent is required. These cookies will not fire unless you accept analytics cookies via the banner. |
|
Cookie name |
Provider |
Purpose |
Duration |
Category |
|
_ga |
Google Analytics (GA4) |
Assigns a unique visitor ID to distinguish users and calculate visitor, session, and campaign data |
2 years |
Analytics |
|
_ga_[ID] |
Google Analytics (GA4) |
Maintains and tracks session state for the GA4 property |
2 years |
Analytics |
|
_gid |
Google Analytics |
Assigns a unique ID to distinguish users within a single day |
24 hours |
Analytics |
|
_gat |
Google Analytics |
Throttles the request rate to Google Analytics on high-traffic pages |
1 minute |
Analytics |
|
_gcl_au |
Google Tag Manager |
Stores and tracks conversion events across the site for GA4 and Google Ads attribution |
3 months |
Analytics |
|
OTZ |
|
Used for aggregate analytics related to visits to Google products and services |
1 month |
Analytics |
4.3 Functional cookies
|
Cookie name |
Provider |
Purpose |
Duration |
Category |
|
algolia_analytics |
Algolia |
Tracks search query sessions to enable personalised result ordering and improve search relevance |
Session |
Functional |
|
_ALGOLIA |
Algolia |
Stores an anonymous identifier for the site-search service to maintain the search experience across your session |
6 months |
Functional |
|
_algolia_lastSearchAt |
Algolia |
Records the timestamp of your last search query for session continuity |
Session |
Functional |
4.4 Advertising and remarketing cookies
|
Cookie name |
Provider |
Purpose |
Duration |
Category |
|
_gcl_aw |
Google Ads |
Records the Google click ID when you arrive via a Google Ad, for conversion attribution |
3 months |
Advertising |
|
_gcl_dc |
Google Ads |
Records ad click data for Display and Performance Max conversion tracking |
3 months |
Advertising |
|
GCL_AW_P |
Google Ads |
Persistent Google click ID cookie supporting cross-domain conversion attribution |
3 months |
Advertising |
|
ADS_VISITOR_ID |
Google Ads |
Assigns a unique ID for Google Ads audience targeting and frequency capping |
3 months |
Advertising |
|
IDE |
Google (DoubleClick) |
Registers and reports ad impressions, click-through rates, and enables remarketing via Google's ad infrastructure |
13 months |
Advertising |
|
NID |
|
Stores preferences and is used to customise ads on Google properties |
6 months |
Advertising |
|
SID |
|
Security cookie authenticating your Google account session |
2 years |
Advertising |
|
SIDCC |
|
Security cookie preventing unauthorised access to your Google account |
1 year |
Advertising |
|
SSID |
|
Stores your preferences and profile information for personalised Google advertising |
2 years |
Advertising |
|
SAPISID |
|
Identifies your account for use with Google advertising APIs |
2 years |
Advertising |
|
HSID |
|
Security token verifying browser request authenticity when logged into Google |
2 years |
Advertising |
|
APISID |
|
Used to build a profile of your interests for personalised Google advertisements |
2 years |
Advertising |
|
AEC |
|
Ensures browsing session requests are genuine user-initiated actions |
6 months |
Advertising |
|
ar_debug |
Google (DoubleClick) |
Short-lived cookie for debugging ad conversion tracking across DoubleClick placements |
1 day |
Advertising |
|
_fbp |
Meta (Facebook) |
Identifies browsers and tracks visits to websites using Meta's advertising services for ad measurement and remarketing |
3 months |
Advertising |
|
_fbc |
Meta (Facebook) |
Stores the Facebook click ID when you arrive from a Facebook or Instagram ad |
3 months |
Advertising |
|
fr |
Meta (Facebook) |
Meta's primary advertising and analytics cookie, used to deliver and measure targeted ads and build audience segments |
3 months |
Advertising |
|
MUID |
Microsoft / Bing |
Microsoft's universal user identifier for Bing Ads audience tracking and ad conversion measurement |
13 months |
Advertising |
|
_uetsid |
Microsoft UET |
Records conversion events and builds remarketing audiences within a session |
1 day |
Advertising |
|
_uetvid |
Microsoft UET |
Persistent UET cookie tracking visitors across sessions for longer-term Bing Ads remarketing |
13 months |
Advertising |
|
__kla_id |
Klaviyo |
Links on-site browsing behaviour to your Klaviyo email subscriber profile for behavioural automation |
13 months |
Advertising |
|
_ttp |
TikTok |
Assigned by the TikTok Pixel to identify your browser and track your visit for TikTok ad measurement and remarketing. Data is shared with TikTok Technology Limited and processed on servers in the US and Singapore |
13 months |
Advertising |
|
_tt_enable_cookie |
TikTok |
Indicates that the TikTok Pixel is enabled and consent to TikTok tracking has been given |
Session |
Advertising |
|
ttcsid |
TikTok |
Set by the TikTok Pixel to measure and attribute ad conversions for the current session |
3 months |
Advertising |
|
ttcsid_[ID] |
TikTok |
Per-pixel TikTok session cookie supporting ad conversion measurement and attribution |
3 months |
Advertising |
4.5 Session recording cookies
|
Cookie name |
Provider |
Purpose |
Duration |
Category |
|
_hjSessionUser_[ID] |
Hotjar |
Assigns a unique Hotjar user ID that persists across visits for session recordings and heatmaps |
1 year |
Session recording |
|
_hjSession_[ID] |
Hotjar |
Holds current Hotjar session data including session ID and start time |
30 minutes |
Session recording |
|
_hjFirstSeen |
Hotjar |
Identifies whether this is your first visit, used to distinguish new and returning visitors |
Session |
Session recording |
|
_hjIncludedInSessionSample_[ID] |
Hotjar |
Indicates whether the current visitor is included in Hotjar's session sampling |
2 minutes |
Session recording |
|
_hjAbsoluteSessionInProgress |
Hotjar |
Detects the first pageview of a new session for Hotjar's sampling logic |
30 minutes |
Session recording |
|
_clck |
Microsoft Clarity |
Assigns a unique Clarity user ID that persists across visits for session recordings and heatmaps |
1 year |
Session recording |
|
_clsk |
Microsoft Clarity |
Links multiple page views within a single browsing session into one Clarity recording |
1 day |
Session recording |
|
CLID |
Microsoft Clarity |
Records the unique ID generated the first time Clarity fires on the site |
1 year |
Session recording |
|
ANONCHK |
Microsoft Clarity |
Checks whether cookies are enabled in the browser as part of Clarity's initialisation |
Session |
Session recording |
|
MR |
Microsoft Clarity |
Records whether consent to store a resync cookie has been given for Clarity's consent management |
7 days |
Session recording |
|
SM |
Microsoft Clarity |
Synchronises the Microsoft MUID cookie across sub-domains for cross-site session continuity |
Session |
Session recording |
5. Third-Party Cookies and Their Privacy Policies
Some cookies are set by third parties who have their own privacy policies. We are not responsible for those policies but list them here for reference.
-
Google: policies.google.com/privacy
-
Meta (Facebook and Instagram): facebook.com/privacy/policy
-
Microsoft (Clarity and Bing Ads): privacy.microsoft.com/en-gb/privacystatement
-
Klaviyo: klaviyo.com/legal/privacy-notice
-
Hotjar: hotjar.com/legal/privacy-policy
-
Shopify: shopify.com/legal/privacy
-
Algolia: algolia.com/policies/privacy
-
TikTok: tiktok.com/legal/page/global/tiktok-ad-network-privacy-policy/en
-
Klarna: klarna.com/uk/privacy
-
ZipChat: zipchat.ai/legal/privacy-policy
6. How to Manage Your Cookie Preferences
6.1 Using our cookie banner
When you first visit our website, a cookie banner will appear managed by Pandectes. It offers: Accept all (accepts all categories), Reject all (declines all non-essential cookies), and Manage preferences (lets you choose which categories to accept individually). You can return to these settings at any time using the cookie settings link in the footer. Your preferences are saved for 12 months.
6.2 Browser settings
All major browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. Disabling cookies broadly may affect the functionality of this and other websites.
-
Google Chrome: support.google.com/chrome/answer/95647
-
Mozilla Firefox: support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/cookies-information-websites-store-on-your-computer
-
Apple Safari: support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/safari/sfri11471/mac
-
Microsoft Edge: support.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-edge/delete-cookies-in-microsoft-edge
6.3 Opting out of advertising directly
You can opt out of interest-based advertising through these industry tools:
-
Your Online Choices (UK): youronlinechoices.com
-
Google Ad Settings: adssettings.google.com
-
Meta Ad Preferences: facebook.com/adpreferences
-
Microsoft Advertising: about.ads.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/policies/opt-out-of-interest-based-advertising
-
TikTok Ads: tiktok.com/legal/page/global/tiktok-ad-network-privacy-policy/en (opt-out in TikTok account settings)
7. Changes to This Policy
We review and update this Cookie Policy whenever we add or remove tracking technologies, when the law or ICO guidance changes, and at least annually. Significant changes will be notified via the cookie consent banner.
8. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Cookie Policy, please contact us:
Astrak UK Ltd (trading as EPD Parts / Excavator Parts Direct)
Email: info@excavatorpartsdirect.co.uk
Phone: 0330 058 1234
Data Protection Contact: Stephen Cope
For questions about your broader privacy rights, please see our Privacy Policy at excavatorpartsdirect.co.uk/pages/privacy-policy.
Astrak UK Ltd | EPD Parts / Excavator Parts Direct | Cookie Policy
