Privacy policy

This Privacy Policy explains in plain language what personal data we collect when you visit our website, place an order, or get in touch — why we collect it, how we keep it safe, and the rights you have over it under United Arab Emirates law.

1. Introduction

Woofy.ae cares about the privacy of every pet parent who shops with us. This Privacy Policy explains, in plain language, what personal data we collect when you visit our website, place an order, or get in touch, why we collect it, how we keep it safe, and the rights you have over it under United Arab Emirates law.

Woofy.ae is operated by Woofy for Online Selling, a company licensed in the United Arab Emirates under DET Trade Licence No. 1558950, with its registered office at Shaih Shuhaib 2, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates ("Woofy," "we," "us," or "our"). For the purposes of UAE Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 on the Protection of Personal Data (the "UAE PDPL") and any other applicable data protection legislation, Woofy is the data controller of the personal data described in this Policy.

This Privacy Policy applies to https://woofy.ae and any sub-domains, mobile interfaces, and offline channels through which we collect personal data. By using our website or placing an order with us you confirm that you have read this Policy and you consent to our processing of your personal data on the terms set out below. If you do not agree with this Policy, please do not use the website.

2. The personal data we collect

We collect personal data in three ways: data you give us directly, data we collect automatically when you use the website, and data we receive from trusted third parties.

2.1 Data you give us directly

This includes any information you provide when you:

Create an account on woofy.ae or sign in to one we have created for you.
Place an order, including for cash on delivery.
Subscribe to our newsletter, WhatsApp updates, or marketing communications.
Contact us through the contact form, by phone, by email, by WhatsApp, or through our social media channels.
Take part in a survey, promotion, competition, or customer review.
Apply for a position with us or send us a business enquiry.

The categories of personal data this typically includes are:

Identity data such as your full name, gender, and date of birth where you choose to share it.
Contact data such as your delivery address, billing address, email address, and mobile phone number, including UAE country code.
Order data such as the products you have purchased, quantities, sizes, prices, and any pet-specific notes you give us (for example, your pet's name, breed, age, dietary needs, or known allergies).
Payment data such as the payment method used at checkout. We do not store full card numbers on our servers; card details are handled by our payment service provider on PCI-DSS compliant infrastructure.
Communication data such as messages, voice notes, and call recordings exchanged with our customer service team.
Marketing preferences such as whether you have opted in to receive emails, SMS, or WhatsApp updates.

2.2 Data we collect automatically

When you visit woofy.ae, we collect technical and usage information automatically, including:

Device data such as your IP address, device type, operating system, browser type and version, and approximate location derived from your IP.
Usage data such as the pages you view, the products you click, the time and duration of your visit, the items you add to your cart, and the buttons you tap.
Referral data such as the website, advertisement, social media link, or search term that brought you to woofy.ae.
Cookie and similar technology data, as described in section 7 below.

2.3 Data we receive from third parties

From time to time, we receive personal data from trusted third parties, including:

Payment service providers, who confirm that a payment has been authorised or declined.
Delivery and logistics partners, who share status updates such as out for delivery, delivered, or failed delivery.
Marketing partners such as Google, Meta, TikTok, and email service providers, who provide aggregated analytics and audience insights.
Public sources such as social media platforms when you mention us or interact with our pages.

3. Why we collect your personal data and our lawful basis

Under the UAE PDPL we may only process your personal data where we have a lawful basis to do so. The table below sets out the main purposes for which we use personal data and the lawful basis we rely on for each purpose.

Purpose	Categories of data	Lawful basis (UAE PDPL)
Process and deliver your order, including processing payment and arranging delivery	Identity, contact, order, payment	Performance of a contract with you
Manage your account, including order history and saved addresses	Identity, contact, order	Performance of a contract with you
Provide customer service and respond to enquiries	Identity, contact, communication, order	Performance of a contract; legitimate interest
Send transactional messages such as order confirmation, delivery updates, and refund notifications	Identity, contact, order	Performance of a contract with you
Send marketing communications about offers, new products, and pet care content	Identity, contact, marketing preferences	Your consent (you can withdraw at any time)
Personalise the website and product recommendations	Usage, cookie, order history	Your consent for non-essential cookies; legitimate interest
Run analytics, advertising, and conversion tracking	Device, usage, cookie	Your consent (cookie banner)
Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, and security incidents	Identity, contact, device, usage, payment	Legitimate interest; legal obligation
Comply with UAE laws including tax, anti-money laundering, and consumer protection	Identity, contact, order, payment	Legal obligation

We will not use your personal data for a new purpose that is not listed above without notifying you and, where required by law, obtaining your consent first.

4. Who we share your personal data with

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with the parties listed below, and only to the extent strictly necessary.

4.1 Service providers acting on our behalf

Payment service providers and acquirers who process card payments and verify cash on delivery transactions.
Logistics and last-mile delivery partners across the UAE who deliver your order to your door.
Cloud and hosting providers who host the website, the order database, and the email infrastructure.
Customer service tools that help us answer your messages on email, WhatsApp, and live chat.
Marketing and analytics platforms such as Google, Meta, and email service providers, where you have given consent.
Professional advisers including lawyers, auditors, and accountants who provide services to us under a duty of confidentiality.

4.2 Authorities and law enforcement

We may disclose personal data when required to do so by UAE law, by a competent UAE authority, or by a court order. Examples include the UAE Federal Tax Authority for VAT records, the UAE Ministry of Economy or the relevant Department of Economy and Tourism for consumer protection investigations, and law enforcement bodies investigating fraud or other criminal conduct.

4.3 Corporate transactions

If Woofy is involved in a merger, acquisition, restructuring, or sale of all or part of its assets, personal data may be transferred to the relevant counterparty. We will only allow such a transfer where the receiving party agrees to protect your data on terms at least as protective as this Policy.

5. Cross-border transfers of personal data

Woofy primarily processes your personal data inside the United Arab Emirates. Some of our service providers, in particular cloud hosting, email, and analytics providers, are based outside the UAE. Where this is the case, we transfer personal data outside the UAE only where the UAE PDPL allows us to, including where:

The destination country has been recognised as offering an adequate level of protection by the UAE Data Office or under an applicable agreement.
The transfer is covered by a contract with the recipient that requires it to apply the same level of protection that we apply under the UAE PDPL.
You have given your explicit consent to the transfer.
The transfer is necessary to perform the contract with you, for example sending your address to an international logistics partner for cross-border delivery.

If you would like more information about a specific transfer, please write to us at the address in section 12.

6. How long we keep your personal data

We keep your personal data only for as long as we need it for the purposes set out in this Policy or to comply with our legal obligations. The retention periods we apply are summarised below:

Type of data	Retention period
Account information	Until you delete your account, plus a 12-month inactive grace period
Order, invoice, and tax records	At least five years from the end of the relevant tax period, as required by UAE VAT and corporate tax legislation
Customer service correspondence	Up to 24 months from the date of the last interaction
Marketing data and consent records	Until you withdraw consent or unsubscribe, plus a 24-month suppression list to honour your opt-out
Analytics and cookie data	As specified in our cookie banner, typically between 30 days and 24 months
Records of fraud or abuse investigations	Up to seven years to defend against legal claims

When we no longer need your personal data we will either securely delete it or anonymise it so that it can no longer be linked to you.

7. Cookies and similar technologies

Woofy.ae uses cookies and similar technologies (such as pixels, tags, and local storage) to make the website work, to remember your preferences, to understand how visitors use the site, and to deliver relevant advertising. The categories of cookies we use are:

7.1 Strictly necessary cookies

These cookies are essential for the website to function. They keep you signed in, remember the contents of your basket, and let you check out securely. We rely on these cookies under the legitimate interest of providing the service. They cannot be switched off.

7.2 Performance and analytics cookies

These cookies help us understand which pages and products are popular, how long visitors spend on the site, and where errors are happening. We use them only with your consent. Examples include Google Analytics 4.

7.3 Functional cookies

These cookies remember your language preference, your shipping emirate, and other choices that personalise your experience. We use them only with your consent.

7.4 Advertising cookies

These cookies help us measure the effectiveness of our advertising on platforms such as Google, Meta, and TikTok and show you relevant ads on those platforms. We use them only with your consent.

You can change your cookie choices at any time by clicking the "Cookie preferences" link in the website footer. Most browsers also let you block cookies through their settings. Please note that blocking strictly necessary cookies may stop parts of the site from working.

8. Your rights under UAE law

The UAE PDPL gives you a number of rights over your personal data. Subject to the conditions set out in the PDPL and any applicable exemptions, you have the right to:

Be informed about how we collect and use your personal data, which is the purpose of this Policy.
Access the personal data we hold about you and receive a copy of it in a structured, commonly used format.
Correct any personal data that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Request the erasure of your personal data where we no longer have a lawful reason to keep it.
Restrict our processing of your personal data in certain circumstances, for example where you contest its accuracy.
Object to processing that is based on our legitimate interest, including direct marketing.
Withdraw any consent you have given us, at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.
Request that personal data you have provided to us be transferred to you or to another controller in a portable format.
Object to a decision based solely on automated processing that produces legal effects on you. We do not currently take any decisions of that kind.
Lodge a complaint with the UAE Data Office if you believe we have not handled your personal data in line with the PDPL.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in section 12. We will respond within 30 calendar days, or sooner where possible. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.

9. How we keep your personal data safe

We apply technical and organisational measures appropriate to the nature of the personal data we hold, including:

Encryption in transit using HTTPS across the entire website.
Encryption at rest for sensitive data stored in our cloud database.
Strict role-based access so only staff who need access to do their job can view personal data.
Regular security reviews of our systems, suppliers, and processes.
Staff training on privacy and information security.
Card payment processing only through providers who maintain PCI-DSS compliance.
Backups and disaster recovery procedures so we can restore data after an incident.

If a personal data breach occurs that is likely to risk your rights and freedoms, we will notify the UAE Data Office and, where required, you, in line with the timeframes set out in the PDPL.

10. Children

Woofy.ae is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us at the address in section 12 and we will delete it.

11. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, for example to reflect changes in our services, in technology, or in UAE law. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this Policy and, where the change is material, we will notify you by email or through a prominent notice on the website.

12. How to contact us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or you would like to exercise any of your rights, you can contact us using any of the channels listed below.

You can also contact the UAE Data Office, which supervises the application of the UAE PDPL, if you believe we have not addressed your concerns satisfactorily.

Email: hello@woofy.ae

Phone: +971 4 360 8163

Address: Saih Shuaib 2, Dubai Industrial City, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

13. Governing law and jurisdiction

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates as applied in the Emirate of Dubai, including in particular the UAE Personal Data Protection Law (Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021) and any executive regulations made under it. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Policy will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Dubai.