Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026 · Effective immediately

1. Who we are

KobStore (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is an East African e-commerce platform that lets sellers create branded storefronts and receive orders online. We are incorporated in Kenya. Questions about this policy can be sent to privacy@kobstore.co.ke.

2. Data we collect

From sellers

  • Account details: full name, email address, phone number
  • Store content: product listings, images, prices, descriptions
  • Payment details: transaction references from Paystack (we never store card numbers or M-Pesa PINs)
  • Subscription records: plan, billing dates, renewal history
  • Usage data: pages visited, dashboard actions, analytics events

From buyers

  • Order information: name, delivery address, phone number
  • WhatsApp messages exchanged with the KobStore bot (stored for 90 days)
  • Payment confirmation status (no card data or M-Pesa PINs stored on KobStore servers)

Automatically

  • IP address and device type (for fraud prevention)
  • Browser cookies and local storage (for session management)
  • Aggregated, anonymized order trends (used for the Market Intelligence feature)

3. How we use your data

  • Operate your storefront and seller dashboard
  • Process subscription payments (card and M-Pesa)
  • Send order and subscription notifications via SMS, email, and WhatsApp
  • Generate anonymized market intelligence reports shown to subscribed sellers — no individual buyer PII is ever included
  • Detect and prevent fraud or abuse
  • Improve platform features using aggregated usage analytics
  • Comply with legal obligations under Kenyan law

4. Third-party processors

We share data with trusted service providers only to the extent necessary to deliver our service. These providers are bound by data processing agreements and are not permitted to use your data for any other purpose. Categories of processors include:

  • Payment processing: Your email and transaction details are shared with our payments partner to process card and M-Pesa transactions.
  • SMS delivery: Your phone number and message text are passed to our SMS gateway to deliver notifications.
  • WhatsApp messaging: Your phone number and chat content are processed via the WhatsApp Business API to power the buyer bot.
  • Email delivery: Your email address and message content are shared with our email delivery provider for transactional emails.
  • Image hosting: Product images you upload are stored with our CDN provider.
  • Cloud infrastructure: All account and order data is stored on our cloud database provider (encrypted at rest) and served via our cloud hosting provider.
  • Analytics: Aggregated, anonymized usage data may be processed by our analytics provider to help us improve the platform.

We do not sell personal data to advertisers or data brokers.

5. Data retention

  • Active seller accounts: retained for the life of the account
  • Cancelled accounts: anonymized after 12 months, fully deleted after 24 months
  • Order records: 7 years (required for Kenyan tax compliance)
  • WhatsApp chat history: 90 days rolling window
  • SMS/email logs: 12 months

6. Cookies

We use strictly necessary cookies for session management and optional analytics cookies to understand how the platform is used. You can disable analytics cookies in your browser settings. We do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

7. Your rights

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
  • Correction: Update inaccurate information via your dashboard
  • Deletion: Request account deletion — email privacy@kobstore.co.ke
  • Opt-out: Reply STOP to any SMS to unsubscribe from that channel
  • Portability: Export your order history as CSV (Pro+ plan)

We will respond to data requests within 30 days as required by the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019.

8. Security

Passwords are stored using industry-standard one-way hashing. All data in transit is encrypted. Sensitive administrative operations require multi-factor authentication. We conduct regular security reviews and maintain a responsible disclosure policy at security@kobstore.co.ke.

9. Changes to this policy

We will notify sellers via email at least 14 days before any material change to this policy. Continued use of KobStore after the effective date constitutes acceptance.

10. Contact

Data Protection Officer: privacy@kobstore.co.ke
Support: support@kobstore.co.ke
Mailing address: KobStore, Nairobi, Kenya