Privacy Policy

Virtualstock Limited (“Virtualstock”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy.

This Policy (together with our Website terms of use and any other documents referred to on it) sets out the basis on which any personal data (meaning any information about you which is personally identifiable) that Virtualstock collects from you or that you provide to Virtualstock, will be processed by Virtualstock. Please read the following information carefully to understand our practices regarding your personal data.

This policy applies to all websites we own and operate and the services and application platforms we provide, notably the Virtualstock platform, Framespan, Supplier Hub and The Edge4Health (“the Platforms”).

For the purposes of data protection legislation, the Data Controller is Virtualstock Limited, a company registered in England and Wales under company registration number 05078942 and whose registered office address is at Work.Life, The White Building, 33 Kings Road, Reading, RG1 3AR. Virtualstock is responsible for your information under this Privacy Policy and our Data Protection Team can be contacted at dpt@virtualstock.co.uk.

Amendments and updates to this Policy may be made from time to time. Any revisions will be posted on this page and where appropriate, notified to you by email, so you will always be aware of what information we collect and how we use that information. Please review this page regularly so that you are aware of any changes.

1. Information we collect and what it is used for

When you use our Platforms or visit the Virtualstock website (“the Website”) we may collect and process information about you under three general categories: information you provide us; information we collect about you; and information we receive from other sources.

Information you provide

As part of Virtualstock’s service of delivering and managing data containing product information and images for web stores and online procurement systems, we will collect information about you as a result of you providing that information, which you do by opening a user account or filling in forms on the Virtualstock Website or by corresponding with us by phone, email or otherwise. This may include information categorised as personal data including, but not limited to, the following:

Personal details such as your name, email address, address and phone number, when you register;
Business contact information such as your job title, department, and name of organisation;
Financial information and history including bank and credit card information and history, and buying or selling information provided during a transaction;
Demographic information such as behaviour and preferences, interests and postcode when you search for a product, upload a product, place an order, and/or participate in any social media functions; and
Other information that we may request from you through surveys, participation in promotions, or other features of our services.

We will use this information to carry out our obligations and to provide you with the information, products and services that you request from us, and to provide you with information about similar products and services. If you are an existing customer, we will use this information to contact you with recommendations and suggestions of products which we believe may interest you. We will also use this information to notify you of any changes to our service and to ensure that the content on our Website is presented in the most effective manner for you.

We will not knowingly collect personal sensitive data, which are defined as data in special categories in data protection legislation including: racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, biometric data. Nor do we knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18.

The information you provide to us in connection with our products and services will not be shared with third parties except as required by law.

With your consent, we may pass your details on to third parties to enable them to supply you with services or products or assist you further with advising you on the suitability of those products, provided that you have provided your consent and selected to pt in to receive information from third parties.

The legal basis for collecting and processing your information depends on the specific circumstances but is usually to perform our contract with you, in our and our partners legitimate interests listed below, to comply with the law, and when you have given clear consent.

Information we collect about you

For each of your visits to our Website, we may automatically collect the following information:

Technical information, including the Internet Protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet, your login information, browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system and device identifiers;
Information about your visit, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URL) clickstream to, through and from our Website (including date and time); products you viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, products you viewed and searched for, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page and any phone number used to call our customer service number, geo-location from your mobile device when such information is not disabled through your mobile device; and
Cookies and Similar Technologies, such as web beacons, pixels, and mobile identifiers. We may also allow our business partners to use tracking technologies when using our services on our Platforms, or engage others to track your behaviour on our behalf.

Information we receive from other sources

As part of our services, we work closely with third parties including but not limited to our business partners, sub-contractors in technical, payment and delivery services, advertising networks, analytics providers, search information providers and credit reference agencies. We may receive information about you from them. We may also receive information about you from social media sites. If you connect your social media account to your Virtualstock account, you agree that Virtualstock can collect, use and retain the information received from the social media site(s) in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

For example, we may receive background check results or financial warnings from service providers, or identity verification service providers, or fraud warnings and demographic data.

What the information is used for

Your information will be used, stored and processed for the following purposes which are described in the subsequent sections.

Enabling you to use the Website and Platforms;
Maintain a safe and trusted online environment; and
Promote our advertising and marketing.

Enabling you to use the Website and Platforms

Your information will be used to:

Enable you to access and use the Website and Platforms;
Enable you to communicate with buyers and/or suppliers;
Enable you to access and use payment services;
Personalise and otherwise customise your experience by showing ads based on your search history and preferences;
Provide customer service, send you service or support messages such as updates, security alerts and account notifications; and
Operate, protect, improve and optimise the Website and Platforms and experience, such as by performing analytics and conducting research.

Maintaining a safe and trusted online environment

We also use your information in order to support a secure environment for you, other users and staff to:

Maintain a safe environment, for fraud detection and prevention;
Conduct investigations and risk assessments;
Verify or authenticate information or identifications provided;
Conduct checks against databases and other information resources for the supply of products;
Comply with our legal obligations;
Resolve any disputes with any other users and to enforce our agreements with third parties; and
Achieve any other purpose you authorise at the time of collection.

Promoting our Advertising and Marketing

We will use your information to send you promotional messages including advertising and marketing information that we believe may be of interest to you based on your preferences; we may also administer promotional activities or events sponsored by Virtualstock or our business partners.

We will combine the information received from other sources with information provided and collected in order to provide you with our services.

2. Where we store your personal data

We take all reasonable steps to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this Privacy Policy. The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”). It may also be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. Such staff may be engaged in, among other things, the fulfilment of orders, the processing of your payment details and the provision of support services. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing or processing. All information you provide to us is stored on our secure servers. Any payment transactions will be encrypted using SSL technology. Where we have given you (or where you have chosen) a password which enables you to access certain parts of our site, you are responsible for keeping this password confidential. We ask you not to share a password with anyone. Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our site and any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access. If we become aware of and confirm that a data breach has occurred we will inform you in accordance with data protection legislation. Your data will be stored for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this policy up to 7 (seven) years, after which your personal data will be erased.

3. Disclosure of your information

We may disclose your personal information to selected third parties as follows:

To business partners, sellers/purchasers (as appropriate), suppliers and sub-contractors for the performance of any contract we enter into with them or you;
Virtualstock may share your personal information with its group companies, which means subsidiaries and holding companies;
To any actual or prospective seller or buyer of our business: if Virtualstock or substantially all of its assets are acquired by a third party, personal data held by us about our customers will be one of the transferred assets;
To analytics and search engine providers that assist us in the improvement and optimisation of our site;
To credit reference agencies for the purpose of assessing your credit score where this is a condition of us or a third party entering into a contract with you;
For the purposes of the prevention or detection of offences, and/or the apprehension or prosecution of offenders, we may share any information that we collect with the Police, other public or private sector agencies, governmental or representative bodies in accordance with the relevant legislation. This will include public authorities, insurance companies, finance companies and/or other agencies;
In order to comply with any legal obligation, or in order to enforce our terms and conditions we may be required to disclose your personal information; and
In certain circumstances, for example, for hosting, other relevant third parties may transfer, process and store your personal information outside of the European Economic Area (“EEA”) for business and administration purposes. By submitting your personal data to us through our Website and clicking on the consent button, you consent to your personal data being transferred outside the EEA. Where this is done, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

4. Marketing communications

When you register with Virtualstock, we ask you to opt into communications detailing offers, news and services from Virtualstock and/or information from third party companies via email and/or via post that we believe may be of interest to you. You can opt out of receiving this information by clicking the link found at the bottom of each email or updating your account preferences.

5. Service providers

We use a variety of third party service providers to help us provide services related to our Platforms. Service providers may be located inside or outside the European Economic Area (“EEA”). These providers have limited access to your information to perform these tasks on our behalf, and are contractually obligated to use it consistent with this Privacy Policy. Examples of services provided are:

Verifying or authenticating your identification;
Checking information against public databases;
Assisting us with background checks, fraud prevention, and risk assessment; and
Providing customer service, advertising, or payments services.

6. Your Rights

Under data protection legislation, you have the right to:

Access all personal information supplied to us and held by us in order to rectify any inaccuracies on the information held. Further enquiries should be made to dpt@virtualstock.co.uk;
Request the erasure of your personal data, object to or restrict the processing of your data;
Request that your personal data be ported to you or a new provider if the data is processed automatically;
Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. The designated supervisory for the UK is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). For details of our complaint procedure, please contact dpt@virtualstock.co.uk;
Withdraw consent to us processing your data at any time. This will not affect the processing already carried out with your consent; and
Withdraw consent to us processing your data at any time. This will not affect the processing already carried out with your consent; and

Please note that withdrawing consent, restricting or objecting to the processing of your data may cause us to be unable to provide you with continued services.

7. Cookies

Our Website and Platforms use cookies to distinguish you from other users of the Website. This helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse the Website and also allows us to improve the Website. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. A cookie is a small text file that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer if you agree. Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. Persistent cookies stay valid, and will work until their expiry date (unless you delete them before they expire), session cookies expire when you close your web browser.

We use the following cookies:

Strictly necessary cookies, ‘Essential’. These cookies enable core functionality such as security, verification of identity and network management. These cookies can’t be disabled. These are cookies that are required for the operation of the Website and Platforms. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of our Website, use a shopping cart or make use of e-billing services;
Analytical/performance cookies. These cookies help us to understand how visitors interact with our website, discover errors and provide better overall analytics. These allow us to recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around our Website when they are using it. This helps us to improve the way our Website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily;
Functionality cookies. These are used to recognise you when you return to our Website and Platforms. These cookies collect data to remember choices users make to improve and give a more personalised experience.
Targeting / ‘Marketing’ cookies. These cookies are used to track advertising effectiveness to provide a more relevant service and deliver better ads to suit your interests. These cookies record your visit to our Website, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed.

We will use this information to make our Website and the advertising displayed on it more relevant to your interests. We may also share this information with third parties for this purpose. Please note that third parties (including, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services) may also use cookies, over which we have no control. These cookies are likely to be analytical/performance cookies or targeting cookies. You may choose to block cookies by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting and storage of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or parts of our Website and Platforms.

External links

Some pages of the Website or in the Platforms may contain links to websites not covered by this Privacy Policy. You follow these links at your own risk and your personal information is then subject to the third party’s privacy policy, over which we have no control or responsibility. We advise you check their privacy policies before sharing your personal information with them.

8. Acceptance

By using our Website, or registering for and using our Platforms and clicking on the respective consent buttons, you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy and our use of cookies.

9. Contact

Questions, comments and requests regarding this Policy are welcomed and should be addressed to dpt@virtualstock.co.uk