Privacy for Merchants
For merchants using Shopify to power their stores
Last updated on: July 25, 2025
Introduction
If you are a merchant using Shopify to power your business, or a Supplier or Retailer participating in Handshake, we collect and use your personal information to provide you with the use of our platform and its services, and generally to help you better manage your business and your relationship with your customers. Additionally, please review our overall privacy policy that applies to everyone whose information we process.
What information we collect about you and why
We collect personal information when you sign up for Shopify, when you use our platform, or when you otherwise provide us information. We may also use third party service providers (like Sift), for example to help us review accounts for fraud or other concerns. In general we need information about you for you to be able to use our platform. We process your personal data in order to perform our contract with you or because it is in our legitimate interests to maintain our business relationship, prevent risk and fraud, provide effective services to you, improve our products and services, and to be responsive to you. In some cases, we only process your personal information with your consent.
What we collect
How we use it
Information you provide us about you and your business, like your name, the name of your staff or other individuals associated with your business, company name, address, email address, and phone number.
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To provide you with the use of our platform and other related services (e.g., to confirm your identity, to contact you about issues with the platform, to invoice you)
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To advertise and market products or features to you
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To comply with legal requirements
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To prevent fraudulent use of our services
Payment information you provide us, such as your credit or debit card number or your bank account number. If you use Shopify Capital, we also collect information that you may choose to make available to us about your business's bank accounts or financial assets.
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To provide you with the use of our platform and other related services
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To charge for our services
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To provide Shopify Payments
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To provide Shopify Capital
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To provide Shopify Installments
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To provide Shopify Markets
Information about how you access Shopify websites, your account, and our platform, including information about the device and browser you use, your network connection, your IP address, and details about how you browse our websites and platform. We collect some of this information by using "cookies" or other similar technologies directly from your device. For more information about how we use these technologies, see our Cookie Policy.
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To provide you use of, and to improve, our platform and other related services (e.g., identifying ways to make our platform easier to use or navigate)
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To personalize the platform for you (e.g., by showing you apps in our app store that we believe may be useful to you)
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To advertise and market products or features to you
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To prevent fraudulent use of our services
If you use Shopify Payments, we collect more specific information you provide us about your business, including your business address, business type, business ID number, bank account information, date of birth (if you are an individual business owner), and in some circumstances, government-issued identification (such as your Social Security Number, Social Information Number, Employer Identification Number, or Tax Identification Number).