Last updated: 3 September 2026
Growth Garden respects your privacy and aims to handle personal information carefully, transparently and only for legitimate business purposes. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we use it, who may help us process it, and the choices and rights available to you.
1. Who this policy applies to
This policy applies when you visit growthgarden.co.za, create or use a Growth Garden customer account, join our mailing list, contact us, place an order, submit a review or other content, or provide information about a child for a Growth Garden stage, box, progress or paid-resource experience.
Growth Garden's products, website and customer account are intended to be used by adults. Child information must be supplied and managed by a parent, guardian or other person who is legally competent to consent to the relevant processing on the child's behalf, and not submitted directly by a child.
2. Information we may collect
- Adult customer and account information, such as name, email, telephone number, account identifiers and communication preferences.
- Order and delivery information, such as products ordered, order status, delivery address, courier/tracking information, refunds or cancellations and customer-service correspondence.
- Payment-related information. Payments are processed through Shopify and/or the payment provider made available at checkout. Growth Garden does not need to store full payment-card details in its ordinary operating records. We may receive transaction references and payment status needed to reconcile an order.
- Child profile information supplied by an authorised adult, such as a child's first name, date of birth or age, Growth Garden stage, recommended or purchased box, progress and the paid resources linked to that child's journey.
- Marketing information, including email address, signup source, consent/subscription status and unsubscribe information when you choose to receive marketing.
- Reviews and user-submitted content, such as a review, rating, name, product/stage information and content you deliberately submit.
- Website and technical information, which may include browser, device, cookie, analytics, IP-address or interaction information.
- Correspondence, including enquiries, complaints and support requests.
3. Why we use personal information
We may use personal information to create and manage accounts; process and support genuine orders; match a child to an age-stage using information supplied by an authorised adult; show purchased-box resources to the correct customer; send essential account/order/payment/delivery communications; send marketing where permitted and respect unsubscribe choices; moderate genuine reviews; operate, protect and improve our systems; maintain business, accounting, tax, safety and legal records; and respond to lawful requests or disputes.
4. Child profile information
Growth Garden uses limited child-profile information because our developmental journey is organised by age and stage. Under South African privacy law, processing children's personal information is restricted. Where Growth Garden relies on consent for this processing, the information must be provided with the prior consent of a competent person who is legally able to consent on the child's behalf. We therefore require the adult creating or managing a child profile to confirm that they have that authority.
We aim to collect only what is reasonably needed to recommend the correct stage, connect a purchased box to the correct child profile and provide matching paid resources or progress features. Creating an account or child profile does not create an order, start a subscription, authorise a payment or trigger packing.
If you are legally responsible for a child and believe child-profile information is inaccurate, unnecessary or should be corrected or removed, contact us. Some information may need to be retained where it forms part of a genuine transaction, legal record or unresolved dispute.
5. Marketing and your choices
Joining the Growth Garden mailing list is optional and separate from essential account, order, payment, safety and delivery communications. You may unsubscribe using the option in a marketing message or by contacting us.
6. Reviews, photographs and user-generated content
Growth Garden does not present fabricated testimonials as genuine customer reviews. Reviews may be moderated before publication, and a verified-purchase label is used only where supported. Submission of a photograph, video or other content does not automatically give Growth Garden permission to reuse it in advertising; appropriate permission must be obtained before promotional reuse.
7. Service providers and sharing
Growth Garden may use trusted service providers to operate the business, including ecommerce/customer-account providers, payment providers, courier/fulfilment services, operational databases, customer portals, email, hosting, analytics, security, accounting and professional advisers. Current systems may include Shopify, Airtable, Softr and The Courier Guy where enabled. A provider should receive only information reasonably required for its role.
We may also disclose information where reasonably necessary to comply with law, protect legal rights, investigate fraud or security incidents, protect customers or the public, or respond to a lawful regulatory or court process.
8. International processing
Some technology providers may process or store information outside South Africa. Where personal information is transferred internationally, Growth Garden will seek to use reputable providers and safeguards appropriate to the information and applicable law.
9. Cookies and analytics
Our website and service providers may use cookies or similar technologies for site operation, preferences, security, analytics and, where enabled and permitted, marketing measurement. Read our Cookie Policy for more information and available choices.
10. Retention
We do not aim to keep personal information indefinitely. Retention depends on the purpose for which it was collected and may take account of active accounts, orders and warranties, accounting/tax requirements, safety records, consent history, disputes, fraud prevention and system backups. When information is no longer reasonably required, it should be deleted, de-identified or otherwise handled appropriately.
11. Security
Growth Garden uses reasonable organisational and technical measures intended to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure. No online system can be guaranteed completely secure.
12. Your privacy rights
Subject to applicable law, you may ask us to confirm whether we hold personal information about you, request access, ask that inaccurate information be corrected, request deletion where appropriate, object to certain processing or withdraw a consent previously given. We may need to verify identity/authority before acting on a request, especially where it concerns a child profile or order.
13. Contact and complaints
For a privacy question or request, contact growthgardensa@gmail.com. If a privacy concern cannot be resolved directly with Growth Garden, you may also have the right to raise it with South Africa's Information Regulator.
14. Changes
We may update this policy when our services, providers, legal requirements or processes change. The latest version will be published here with an updated date.
Growth Garden — Little seeds to big milestones.