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This policy explains what cookies are, how SME Shack uses them on sme-shack.co.uk, and how you can manage your preferences.
Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device when you visit. They help sites remember your preferences, understand how you use them, and — in some cases — show you relevant advertising. Some cookies are essential for the site to work; others are optional.
We group cookies into four categories. Essential cookies are always active because the site cannot function without them. All other categories require your explicit consent before they are set.
These cookies are required for payment processing, security, and basic site functionality. They cannot be switched off.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| __stripe_mid | Fraud prevention for payment processing. | 1 year | Stripe Inc |
| __stripe_sid | Payment session management. | 30 minutes | Stripe Inc |
| visitor_country | Detects your country so we show the correct cookie banner for your region. | 1 hour | SME Shack (via our hosting infrastructure) |
| smeshack_consent | Stores your cookie preferences so the banner does not reappear on every visit. | Persistent (localStorage) | SME Shack |
We use Google Analytics 4 to understand which pages visitors find useful, where they come from, and how the site performs overall. The data is aggregated — we never see who you personally are. These cookies only load after you give consent for this category.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Distinguishes unique visitors so we can measure aggregate site traffic. | 2 years | Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC) |
| _ga_<container-id> | Persists session state for Google Analytics 4. | 2 years | Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC) |
| _gid | Distinguishes unique visitors over a 24-hour window. | 24 hours | Google Analytics 4 (Google LLC) |
We do not currently use marketing cookies. If we add advertising pixels (such as Meta or Google Ads) in future, they will only load after you give consent for this category. We will update this policy at that time.
These cookies support third-party widgets embedded on our site, such as the Calendly booking tool on our contact page.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration | Set by |
|---|---|---|---|
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare bot management for the Calendly booking widget. | 30 minutes | Calendly LLC (via Cloudflare) |
| calendly.uuid | Manages your booking session in the Calendly widget. | Persistent | Calendly LLC |
Some cookies listed above are set by third-party services (Stripe, Calendly). Once you consent, we cannot control how those services handle their cookies. Please refer to their own privacy policies for details:
You can change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking "Cookie settings" in the footer of any page. This reopens the consent banner where you can update your choices.
You can also clear cookies through your browser settings. Note that blocking essential cookies may prevent parts of the site from working correctly.
We update this policy whenever we add or remove third-party tools. If we make a significant change, the cookie banner will reappear so you can review and update your preferences.
If you have questions about how we use cookies, email us at ali@sme-shack.co.uk.
Last updated: 16 April 2026