Privacy Policy
Effective date: 01-03-2026
Last updated: 01-03-2026
1. Who We Are
This Privacy Policy explains how Hippo Mat™ collects, uses, stores, and shares personal data when you visit our website, place an order, contact us, join our mailing list, or otherwise interact with us.
Data controller: Hippo Mat LTD trading as Hippo Mat™
Email: hello@hippomat.uk
Business address: –
Website: https://hippomat.uk
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us using the details above.
2. Who This Policy Applies To
This Privacy Policy applies to personal data relating to:
website visitors
customers
people who contact us
people who sign up for marketing emails
people who enter promotions, giveaways, or pre-order campaigns
business contacts, including nurseries, schools, and retail enquiries where applicable
We sell to customers in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, and this policy is written with those customers in mind.
3. The Personal Data We Collect
Depending on how you interact with Hippo Mat™, we may collect the following categories of personal data:
a) Identity and contact data
This may include:
name
billing address
delivery address
email address
phone number
b) Order and transaction data
This may include:
products ordered
order value
delivery choice
payment status
refund information
promotion or discount code use
c) Account and enquiry data
This may include:
messages sent through our contact forms
customer service emails
order queries
product questions
reviews or feedback you submit
d) Technical and usage data
This may include:
IP address
browser type
device information
pages visited
how you use the website
cookie and similar technology data
e) Marketing and preferences data
This may include:
whether you subscribed to emails
whether you opened or clicked marketing emails
product interests
cookie preferences
communication preferences
f) Social or community campaign data
If you take part in a campaign, giveaway, launch promotion, “Hall of Fame” style recognition feature, or similar, we may collect the information needed to administer that activity, such as your name, contact details, order confirmation, and any details you choose to provide for that feature.
We do not intentionally collect special category personal data through normal ecommerce use of the Hippo Mat website, and customers should not send this type of information unless specifically asked to do so. Under GDPR, special category data includes things like health data, biometric data, religion, political opinions, and sexual orientation, and it is subject to extra legal protections.
4. How We Collect Personal Data
We collect personal data:
directly from you when you place an order
when you fill in a form on our website
when you sign up to our mailing list
when you contact us by email or through the website
when you enter a promotion or pre-order offer
automatically through cookies and similar technologies when you browse the site
The ICO says privacy information should be provided at the time personal data is obtained, including when data is collected directly or through online tracking and observation.
5. How We Use Your Personal Data
We use personal data for the following purposes:
a) To process and deliver orders
This includes:
taking payment
confirming orders
dispatching products
arranging delivery
providing order updates
handling returns, refunds, and customer support
b) To communicate with you
This includes replying to enquiries, helping with issues, and sending service messages about your order or account.
c) To run the website and keep it secure
This includes maintaining the website, troubleshooting, fraud prevention, and securing our systems.
d) To improve the website and customer experience
This may include analytics, understanding browsing behaviour, measuring site performance, and improving products and content.
e) To send marketing
Where permitted by law, we may send you marketing emails about Hippo Mat products, launches, offers, and related updates. Where consent is required, we will ask for it. You can unsubscribe at any time.
f) To administer promotions and limited offers
This may include pre-order campaigns, launch bonuses, discount code promotions, giveaways, and recognition features linked to community campaigns.
g) To meet legal and regulatory obligations
This includes keeping records for tax, accounting, fraud prevention, and compliance purposes.
6. Our Lawful Bases for Processing
Under UK GDPR and EU GDPR, organisations must identify a lawful basis for each use of personal data and explain it in their privacy information.
Hippo Mat™ generally relies on the following lawful bases:
Contract
We process personal data where it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform our contract with you, such as processing orders, payments, delivery, returns, and customer service linked to your purchase.
Legitimate interests
We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. This may include:
running and improving our website
preventing fraud
customer service administration
business planning
measuring site performance
maintaining records
limited direct marketing where allowed by law
Consent
We rely on consent where required, such as for certain marketing activities or certain optional cookies and similar technologies. Where we rely on consent, you have the right to withdraw it at any time. The ICO says privacy notices should explain the right to withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis.
Legal obligation
We may process personal data where necessary to comply with legal obligations, such as accounting, tax, consumer law, or responding to lawful requests from authorities.
7. Marketing
If you sign up to receive marketing from Hippo Mat™, we may send you emails about:
new mat launches
pre-orders
offers and discount codes
product updates
gift ideas
relevant brand news
You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or by contacting us directly.
We will not send marketing where we are not allowed to do so under applicable law.
8. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Hippo Mat™ uses cookies and similar technologies to help the website function, remember preferences, understand website usage, and, where applicable, support analytics and marketing.
Some cookies are strictly necessary for the website to work properly. Others, such as analytics or marketing cookies, may be optional depending on your choices. The ICO explains that privacy notices and cookie information should tell people what data is collected, why it is used, whether it is shared, and how long it is kept.
For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.
9. Who We Share Personal Data With
We only share personal data where necessary and appropriate.
Depending on how Hippo Mat™ operates, we may share data with the following categories of recipients:
payment providers such as Stripe, PayPal.
website and ecommerce platform providers such as WordPress, WooCommerce, HostXNow.
delivery and fulfilment providers such as Evri, DPD, UPS.
email marketing providers such as MailChimp.
analytics and advertising providers such as Google Analytics, Meta.
professional advisers such as accountants, insurers, legal advisers, or IT support where necessary.
regulators, authorities, or law enforcement where required by law or to protect our legal rights.
Where third parties process personal data on our behalf, they act as processors or service providers and are expected to handle the data appropriately. The ICO distinguishes between controllers and processors and expects transparency about those relationships where relevant.
We do not sell your personal data.
10. International Transfers
Some of our service providers may process personal data outside the UK or European Economic Area.
Where personal data is transferred internationally, we will take steps to ensure an appropriate level of protection is in place, such as using approved transfer mechanisms where required. The European Commission notes that people should be informed where data is transferred outside the EEA and, where relevant, about the safeguards used.
11. How Long We Keep Personal Data
We keep personal data only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, tax, fraud prevention, and customer service purposes.
Typical retention periods may include:
order records and core transaction data: up to [6 years] after the end of the relevant accounting period, or longer where required by law
customer service correspondence: up to [2 years] after the issue is resolved
marketing data: until you unsubscribe or ask us to stop, plus a limited period to maintain suppression records
analytics and cookie data: in line with the settings of the relevant tool and our cookie configuration
promotion or campaign records: for as long as needed to administer the campaign and handle related queries or compliance needs
The ICO says privacy information should explain retention periods, or where that is not possible, the criteria used to determine them.
12. Your Data Protection Rights
Depending on where you are and the circumstances, you may have rights including:
the right to be informed
the right of access
the right to rectification
the right to erasure
the right to restrict processing
the right to data portability
the right to object
rights related to automated decision-making and profiling, where applicable
the right to withdraw consent, where consent is relied on
The ICO states that privacy notices should explain people’s information rights and how they can complain if they have concerns.
To exercise any of your rights, please contact us at: hello@hippomat.uk
We may need to verify your identity before responding.
13. Complaints
If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, we would appreciate the chance to address your concerns first.
You also have the right to complain to the relevant supervisory authority.
For the UK, this is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO says privacy information should tell people how they can complain about the way their information is used.
If you are located in an EU country, you may also have the right to complain to the supervisory authority in your country of residence, place of work, or place of the alleged infringement under GDPR transparency and rights frameworks.
14. Children's Privacy
Hippo Mat™ products are intended for children’s play, but our website is aimed at adults such as parents, guardians, gift buyers, nurseries, and schools.
We do not knowingly collect personal data directly from children through the website for normal ecommerce purposes.
If you believe a child has provided personal data to us directly inappropriately, please contact us and we will review the situation.
15. Security
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to help protect personal data against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.
No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but data protection law requires organisations to implement appropriate security measures based on the risks involved.
16. Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services.
If you follow a link to a third-party website, please note that their own privacy policies and terms will apply. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites we do not control.
17. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our website, services, legal requirements, or the way we use personal data.
Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.
18. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Hippo Mat handles personal data, please contact:
Hippo Mat
Email: hello@hippomat.uk
