Privacy Policy | Fresh Stock

1. Introduction

Fresh Stock (Pty) Ltd ("Fresh Stock", "we", "us", or "our") operates a cloud-based inventory management platform available at freshstock.co.za and related applications (the "Service"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal information responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and share it, how long we keep it, and the rights available to you. It applies to visitors to our website, account holders, administrators, and users invited to a customer organisation on the Service.

By accessing or using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use the Service.

2. Information We Collect

We collect information in three broad categories: information you provide directly, information generated through your use of the Service, and information from third-party integrations you choose to connect.

2.1 Information you provide

Account registration details such as first name, last name, email address, password, company name, and site name.
Profile and organisation details such as job title, role, permissions, company branding, and site configuration.
Business operational data you enter into the Service, including suppliers, products, inventory counts, purchase orders, invoices, sales data, recipes, checklists, reports, and related documents.
Communications with us, including support requests, feedback, and email correspondence.
Billing and subscription information processed through our payment provider.

2.2 Information collected automatically

Device and browser information such as IP address, browser type, operating system, and device identifiers.
Usage data such as pages viewed, features used, timestamps, session activity, and error logs.
Authentication tokens and session data required to keep you signed in securely.
Cookies and similar technologies as described in our Cookie Policy.

2.3 Information from third parties

Google account profile information if you choose to sign in with Google.
Accounting, POS, or other integration data when you connect services such as Xero.
Payment confirmation and transaction metadata from Paystack or other payment processors.
AI processing inputs and outputs when you use invoice scanning or other AI-assisted features.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal and business information for the following purposes:

Providing, operating, maintaining, and improving the Service.
Creating and managing user accounts, organisations, sites, roles, and permissions.
Processing inventory, procurement, invoicing, reporting, and other business workflows you configure.
Authenticating users and protecting accounts against unauthorised access.
Processing subscriptions, invoices, and payment-related communications.
Providing customer support and responding to enquiries.
Sending service-related notices, security alerts, and administrative messages.
Analysing usage trends to improve performance, reliability, and product features.
Detecting, preventing, and addressing fraud, abuse, security incidents, and technical issues.
Complying with legal obligations and enforcing our Terms of Service.

4. Legal Bases for Processing

Where applicable under the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and similar laws, we rely on one or more of the following legal bases:

Performance of a contract: to provide the Service you or your organisation have requested.
Legitimate interests: to secure, improve, and operate our platform, prevent misuse, and support customers, balanced against your rights.
Consent: where required for optional cookies, marketing communications, or certain integrations.
Legal obligation: where processing is necessary to comply with applicable law.

In South Africa, we process personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA), based on consent, contractual necessity, legitimate interests, or legal obligation as appropriate.

5. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share information only in the circumstances below:

Within your organisation: authorised users in your company or site may access data according to role-based permissions.
Service providers: trusted processors that help us host, secure, analyse, communicate, bill, or support the Service, including cloud infrastructure, authentication, email, payment, and AI providers.
Integrations you enable: third-party services you connect, such as accounting or POS platforms, receive data necessary to perform the integration.
Legal and safety reasons: where required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Fresh Stock, our users, or others.
Business transfers: in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to appropriate confidentiality safeguards.

Our key infrastructure and subprocessors may process data in South Africa and other countries. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we implement appropriate safeguards such as contractual protections and vendor security assessments.

6. Data Retention

We retain personal and business information for as long as necessary to provide the Service, fulfil the purposes described in this policy, comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce agreements.

When an account or organisation is closed, we may retain certain records for backup, audit, billing, or legal compliance for a limited period before secure deletion or anonymisation, unless a longer retention period is required by law.

7. Security

We implement administrative, technical, and organisational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures include access controls, encrypted connections (SSL/TLS), role-based permissions, and secure cloud hosting.

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and ensuring that users within your organisation are granted appropriate access levels.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights regarding your personal information, including the right to:

Access the personal information we hold about you.
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.
Request deletion of personal information, subject to legal and contractual limits.
Object to or restrict certain processing activities.
Request portability of information you provided in a structured, commonly used format.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

To exercise these rights, contact us at info@freshstock.co.za. We may need to verify your identity before responding. If you are an employee or user of a customer organisation, some requests may need to be submitted through your organisation's account administrator.

For more detail on GDPR-specific rights and procedures, see our GDPR page.

9. Children's Privacy

The Service is intended for business use and is not directed to children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will post the updated policy on this page and update the "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, contact us:

Email: info@freshstock.co.za
Data protection contact: info@freshstock.co.za
Phone: +27 82 458 5816
Address: Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa