This Privacy Policy describes how Varalakshmi Stores and its affiliates (“Varalakshmi Stores“, “we”, “our”, “us”) collect, use, share, protect or otherwise process your personal data through varalakshmistores.com (the “Platform”). You may browse certain sections of the Platform without registering. We do not offer products or services under this Platform outside India, and your personal data is primarily stored and processed in India.

By visiting the Platform, providing your information, or availing any product or service on it, you expressly agree to this Privacy Policy, the Terms of Use, and any applicable product or service terms, and agree to be governed by Indian law, including data protection and privacy law. If you do not agree, please do not use or access the Platform.

Collection

We collect personal data when you use the Platform or our services, or otherwise interact with us during our relationship. This may include information provided during sign-up or registration — such as name, date of birth, address, telephone or mobile number, and email ID — and any information shared as proof of identity or address. With your consent, we may also collect sensitive personal data such as bank account, credit or debit card, or other payment instrument details, or biometric information such as facial features, where needed to enable specific features you opt into.

You may always choose not to provide certain information by not using a particular service or feature. We may track your behaviour and preferences on the Platform, compiled and analysed on an aggregated basis, along with information about your transactions on the Platform and with third-party business partners. When a third-party partner collects data directly from you, their own privacy policy governs — we are not responsible for their privacy practices, so please review their policies before sharing information with them.

Usage

We use your personal data to provide the services you request, assist sellers and business partners in fulfilling orders, enhance your experience, resolve disputes, troubleshoot problems, inform you of offers and updates, customise your experience, detect and prevent fraud or other criminal activity, enforce our Terms, and conduct marketing research and analysis. Where we use your data for marketing, we will let you opt out. Note that your access to certain products or services may be affected if permission for a particular use is not provided.

Sharing

We may share personal data within our group entities, corporate affiliates, sellers, business partners, and third-party service providers such as logistics partners and payment instrument issuers, where needed to provide our services, meet legal obligations, enforce our agreements, support marketing, or prevent and investigate fraud or illegal activity. We may disclose personal or sensitive personal data to government or law enforcement agencies where required by law, or in good faith belief that disclosure is reasonably necessary to respond to legal process, enforce our Terms or this Policy, address rights violations, or protect the safety of our users or the public.

Security precautions

We adopt reasonable security practices and procedures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, loss or misuse, and use a secure server for account information. However, no transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as completely secure, and inherent risks remain. You are responsible for protecting your own login and password.

Data deletion and retention

You may delete your account through your profile and account settings, which results in the loss of all account information, or by writing to us at the contact details below. We may delay or decline deletion where there is a pending grievance, claim, shipment or other service in progress. We retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law — except where retention helps prevent fraud or abuse, or serves other legitimate purposes, or where we retain it in anonymised form for research.

Your rights

You may access, correct and update your personal data directly through the functionality provided on the Platform.

Consent

By visiting the Platform or providing information, you consent to its collection, use, storage, disclosure and processing as described in this Policy. If you share another person’s personal data with us, you confirm you have the authority to do so. You also consent to being contacted by us — including group entities, affiliates, lending and technology partners, and marketing channels — by SMS, instant messaging, call or email for the purposes described here. You may withdraw consent at any time by writing to the Grievance Officer below with the subject line “Withdrawal of consent for processing personal data”; we may verify such requests before acting. Withdrawal is not retrospective, and we reserve the right to restrict or deny services for which that information is necessary.

Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices and will notify you of significant changes as required by applicable law. Please check back periodically.

Grievance Officer