Retailers may store information you provide directly—such as account details, delivery information and purchases—and data generated while you use their websites or apps, including pages viewed, searches, cart contents, device characteristics, approximate or precise location and identifiers used by cookies or advertising systems. They may use those records to operate the store, analyze activity and personalize content or advertising. The exact data, purposes, retention period and legal permissions depend on the retailer, your location, the type of information and the applicable law.
What retailers can store when you shop online
Online-shopping data generally falls into four groups: information you submit, activity recorded during a visit, technical identifiers that help recognize a device, and information obtained from other companies. A retailer might use one or several of these groups; no retailer should be assumed to collect every category listed here.
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| Category | Examples | How it may be used |
|---|---|---|
| Information you provide | Name, email address, account username, delivery address, contact details and order information | Creating an account, processing orders, shipping, customer service and fraud prevention |
| Shopping activity | Products viewed, searches, cart contents, purchases, returns and saved preferences | Fulfilling an order, remembering a cart, improving the site and tailoring recommendations |
| Technical and identifier data | Cookies, pixel events, IP address, browser and device characteristics, cookie IDs and app advertising IDs | Keeping you signed in, measuring visits, recognizing a device and delivering or measuring advertising |
| Inferred or acquired data | Likely interests, location signals, shopping habits or records supplied by a data broker | Audience creation, personalization, analytics, marketing and identity matching |
Account, checkout and delivery details
A retailer may keep an account identifier, login-related records, contact information and the details needed to deliver an order. Checkout systems can also record products, quantities, prices, taxes, shipping choices, returns and customer-service interactions. The existence of an order record does not mean the retailer keeps every payment-card field indefinitely.
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Federal Trade Commission business guidance advises companies not to retain card numbers and expiration dates unless there is a business need. A retailer may instead use a payment processor’s token or another reference that allows future transactions without storing the full card number in the retailer’s own systems. The precise arrangement varies by merchant and payment provider.
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Products, searches and cart activity
Sites can record the products and categories you view, search terms you enter, items added to or removed from a cart, wish lists, coupons used, purchases, returns and preferences such as size or color. The Federal Trade Commission identifies shopping-cart and username information as examples of data cookies can help a site remember. A grocery, clothing or other retailer may also maintain purchase history for account features, support, analytics or marketing.
Browsing does not have to end in a purchase to become a record. A product page view or search can be associated with a browser or account and used to show related products later. Whether that association is made, and how long it remains, depends on the retailer’s systems and policies.
How websites and apps recognize shoppers
Cookies and similar storage
Cookies are small values saved by a browser. First-party cookies come from the site you are visiting and can support sign-in, cart contents, language settings and preference memory. A site may also use cookies for analytics or advertising. Blocking or deleting cookies can remove some recognition, but it can also disable carts, account functions or other site features.
Pixels and event tags
A pixel is code or a tiny requested resource that reports an event, such as loading a product page, completing checkout or clicking an advertisement. The event may be sent to the retailer, an analytics provider or an advertising company. Pixels can work alongside cookies and other identifiers, so deleting one cookie does not necessarily erase every record or stop every future event.
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Fingerprinting and device signals
Fingerprinting combines characteristics such as browser configuration, screen properties, fonts, language and other technical signals to help distinguish one device from another. It does not require a traditional cookie in every implementation. The Federal Trade Commission describes fingerprinting as one of the techniques that can be used to track users, but the presence and use of fingerprinting must be assessed retailer by retailer.
App advertising identifiers and location
Mobile apps can access an operating-system advertising identifier where permitted by the device and app settings. An app may also request location. Location can range from a general area inferred from an IP address to precise geolocation when a user grants the relevant permission. A retailer may use location for store-finder features, regional content, analytics or tailored advertising; it should not be assumed that every app collects precise location.
Why retailers store this information
Operating the store
Some records are needed to provide a service you requested: keeping an account available, preserving a cart, processing payment through a chosen provider, shipping an order, handling a return or answering a support question. A retailer may also retain records needed to prevent fraud, secure accounts, resolve disputes or meet accounting and tax obligations.
Analytics and product decisions
Retailers can measure which pages are viewed, how long visits last, what searches fail to produce results and where shoppers abandon a cart. Analytics may be aggregated, linked to an account or associated with a device identifier. These measurements can inform inventory, navigation, pricing experiments, site performance and marketing, although the exact analysis is not visible from the shopping page alone.
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Personalization and advertising
Browsing history, purchase history, searches, location signals and saved preferences may be used to recommend products or tailor content. Advertising systems can use those signals to select an audience, limit repeated ads or measure whether an advertisement led to a visit or purchase. The Federal Trade Commission distinguishes first-party tracking by the site you visit from third-party tracking by another company operating through that site. Third-party tracking can connect activity across multiple websites or apps, depending on the identifiers and integrations involved.
Can a retailer get data from other companies?
Yes. A retailer may receive information from an advertising, analytics, fraud-prevention, payment or fulfillment partner. It may also buy or license information from a data broker. The California Privacy Protection Agency describes brokers as businesses that gather and sell information consumers did not provide directly. Its examples of broker categories include browsing history, precise geolocation, interests, health-related information and shopping habits, and it notes that retail companies can be buyers.
Broker-supplied data may be used to create or expand a marketing audience, match a record to an existing account or infer interests. A broker record is not proof that the shopper typed that information into the retailer’s site. The source, accuracy, permitted uses and deletion options depend on the businesses involved and the jurisdiction governing the data.
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What the law allows depends on where you are
European Union and GDPR
For people in the European Union, the GDPR can apply to an organization inside or outside the EU when it offers goods or services to people in the EU and processes their personal data in the circumstances described by the regulation. The EU’s Your Europe guidance lists several possible legal bases: performing a contract, complying with a legal obligation, protecting vital interests, carrying out a public task and pursuing legitimate interests. Consent is required in situations where another legal basis does not apply and the guidance calls for consent.
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A retailer therefore cannot treat one blanket permission as the answer for every use. The legal basis can differ between fulfilling an order, retaining an invoice, measuring a site and placing optional advertising cookies. The retailer’s privacy notice and cookie controls should explain those purposes and choices.
United States and state rules
There is no single U.S. rule that gives every retailer the same permission or sets one universal retention period for every record. Federal requirements and state privacy laws can apply differently according to the business, the consumer, the data category and the purpose. California’s agency materials are useful examples of the kinds of information and broker relationships that may exist, but they are not a complete description of California rights or all U.S. state laws.
For a specific question—such as whether a retailer must delete a record, honor an opt-out or provide access—check the retailer’s notice and the law that applies to your residence and the retailer’s activities. A privacy notice may also identify categories sold or shared, service providers, retention criteria and contact methods.
Children’s information
Children’s data can trigger additional requirements. Federal Trade Commission COPPA guidance treats persistent identifiers—including cookie customer numbers, IP addresses and device identifiers—as personal information in covered child-directed situations. An exception may apply when an identifier is collected solely to support internal operations and the stated conditions are met. This is a children-specific rule; it does not mean every cookie or device identifier is governed by COPPA in every shopping context.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How long can a retailer keep purchase and browsing records?
No single duration applies to all records. An order may need to remain available for returns, warranties, accounting or legal disputes, while an advertising identifier or detailed browsing event may have a different business purpose. Some data can be placed in backups or logs after it is removed from an active account, subject to the retailer’s systems and policy.
Federal Trade Commission business guidance recommends keeping sensitive data only as long as there is a business reason or legal requirement, documenting what must be kept and for how long, and securely disposing of information that is no longer needed. The agency’s concise principle is: “Keep sensitive data in your system only as long as you have a business reason to have it.” This is minimization and security guidance, not a universal statutory deadline.
When evaluating a retailer, look for separate retention statements for account, transaction, marketing and security data. A deletion request may remove information from customer-facing systems while certain records remain when a law, dispute, fraud investigation or technical backup requires continued retention.
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- Read the privacy notice before creating an account. Look for the categories collected, purposes, sharing or sale language, retention criteria, deletion process and any regional rights.
- Review cookie controls. Where the site offers categories, allow only those needed for the functions you want. Optional analytics or advertising cookies may be separate from cart and sign-in cookies.
- Adjust browser settings. Browsers can block or delete cookies, restrict location access and limit some forms of cross-site storage. Blocking all cookies may affect account and cart features.
- Check app permissions and advertising settings. On a phone, review location access and the operating system’s advertising controls. Revisit them after app updates or when installing a new retailer app.
- Use tracker-blocking extensions cautiously. The Federal Trade Commission notes that some extensions block pixels and trackers, but they may not block every advertisement or tracking method and can interfere with site functions.
- Separate shopping sessions when appropriate. Signing out and deleting site data can reduce easy account linkage on a shared device, but it does not erase records already held by the retailer or its partners.
- Do not rely on private browsing for anonymity. Private or incognito windows may delete local history after the session, while the website, network provider and embedded services can still observe activity sent during the visit.
- Use available access or deletion requests. Follow the retailer’s stated process and keep a copy of the request. Ask which records are covered and whether legal, security or transaction exceptions apply.
How to assess a retailer’s data practices
When comparing two retailers, assess the same questions rather than assuming a familiar brand follows a particular model:
- What information is volunteered, and what is observed or inferred?
- Which processing is first-party, and which companies receive data as third parties?
- Which records are necessary for a requested service, and which support analytics or advertising?
- Does the notice identify sensitive categories, precise location or children’s data?
- What legal basis or consumer choice applies in your location?
- Are retention periods or deletion criteria stated separately for orders, accounts, marketing and logs?
- Is there a practical way to access, correct, delete or opt out of certain uses?
Those questions reveal more than a simple statement that a retailer “uses cookies.” Cookies are only one recognition method, and a privacy-friendly setting can limit some collection without preventing all site-side records or third-party processing.
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