Privacy Policy
Last Revised: September 2, 2023
Effective Date: September 7, 2021
This Privacy Notice describes how World Market (collectively, "World Market," "we," "us," or "our") collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards personal information about visitors to our stores and users of our websites, online features, products, and services that link to this Privacy Notice (each a "Site", or collectively, "our Sites"). This Privacy Notice also tells you about your rights and choices with respect to your personal information, and how you can reach us to get answers to your questions.
You can access specific topics within this Privacy Notice by clicking on the relevant links below:
Types Of Information We Collect
Sources of Information
Use And Processing Of Your Personal Information
Cookies and Similar Tracking Technologies
Disclosure Of Personal Information
Your Rights & Choices
How We Protect Personal Information
How Long We Retain Personal Information
Bona Fide Loyalty Program Disclosure/Notice of Financial Incentive
Other Important Information
Contact Information
Types Of Information We Collect
World Market recognizes and respects the privacy of our customers, suppliers, and web visitors. "Personal information" generally refers to any information that can be linked to an identified or identifiable person. The personal information that we collect about you varies depending on the context of our interactions with you. The following provides examples of the types of information that we collect and have collected in the preceding 12 months, for our purposes and how we use the information.
Cookies & Similar Technologies
When you visit our Sites, open or click on emails we send you, or interact with our advertisements, we and third parties we work with automatically collect certain information using technologies such as cookies, web beacons, clear GIF, pixels, internet tags, web server logs, and other data collection tools. For more information, please see the Cookies and Similar Tracking Technologies section below.
Device Identifiers & Web Logs
We collect information from your devices, including your device identifier, mobile ad identifier (or similar unique identifiers), browser type, operating system, Internet Protocol (IP) address (a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you use the Internet), domain name, click-activity, referring website, and/or a date/time stamp for your visit. We use this information to monitor our networks and the visitors to our websites. Among other things, it helps us understand which of our products or services are popular. We also use this information to design a better online and mobile experience, enhance the performance of our Site, and to advertise our products and services.
Distance Information
When you use one of our browser-based tools or sites, we may collect your location from the GPS, Wi-Fi, and/or cellular technology in your device to determine your nearest store. We use this information to understand our users and provide tailored services and products. In some contexts, our use is also based upon your consent to provide us with geolocation information.
Email Interconnectivity
If you receive email from us, we use certain tools to capture data related to when you open our message, click on any links or banners it contains and make purchases. We use this information to understand how you interact with our communications to you.
Feedback/Support
If you provide us feedback or contact us for support, we will collect your name, e-mail address, recordings of your voice (such as when we record customer service calls for quality assurance), a transcript of live online chats, and possibly other personal information, as well as any other content that you send to us in order to reply. We use this information in order to receive, and act upon, your feedback or issues.
In-store
We collect photographs, images, and videos through the use of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) in our stores. We use CCTV for safety, security, fraud, loss prevention, and operational purposes.
Mailing List
When you sign up for one of our mailing lists, we collect your email address. Where required by law, we have obtained your consent to disclose information about our products or services. We also use this information to send you information about our products or services.
Order Placement
We collect your name, billing address, shipping address, e-mail address, phone number, and tokenized payment card information when you place an order. We use this information to perform our contract to provide you with products or services or show you things you might like.
Partner Promotion
We collect information that you provide as part of a co-branded promotion with another company. We use this information to fulfill our promotions.
Surveys & Consumer Insights
When you consent to participate in a survey or consumer research activity provided by a third-party service provider, the third party may collect basic identifying and contact information as well as any other information you provide. We use this information to understand your opinions and collect information relevant to our organization to better understand our customers' needs and work to improve your experience, as well as to better market our products.
Supplier Relationship Management
We collect certain contact and related business information (name, email address, professional contact information) when you or your organization provides us with certain products or services. We also use such information to administer and maintain our relationship with your organization. In some instances, we may collect certain background or screening information to the extent needed and in accordance with applicable law. We may use this information to administer our relationship with our suppliers and perform our contract with your organization.
Sweepstakes Or Contests
When you participate in a sweepstakes or contest, we collect information about you which includes contact information to notify you if you are selected. We use this information to operate the sweepstakes and to market to you and provide you with promotional offers. In some contexts, we are also required by law to collect information about those that enter into our sweepstakes.
The World Market Rewards Program & Online Accounts
When you register for the World Market Rewards Program ("World Market Rewards") we collect your name, email address, zip code, and phone number. We use this information to carry out our obligation of providing you with points for purchases made and allowing you to redeem your points for rewards and to offer you more relevant marketing and promotions. You may also choose to provide us with your birth month and day to receive birthday rewards.
If you create an online account with us for easy checkout and to save your preferences and transaction history, we may additionally collect your email address and password. You have the option of adding payment card information to your profile for faster check-out (please note that your payment card information is tokenized to protect against security incidents). We use this information to provide account-related functionalities, and to perform our contract with you. We also use this information to detect security incidents and protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity.
World Market Credit Card
If you apply for and/or use a World Market branded credit card, we may receive basic identifying and contact information, and information regarding your transactions with us. We use this information to perform our contract with you, to carry out our obligation of providing you with points for purchases made, and to detect security incidents and protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity. We also use this information to offer you more relevant marketing and promotions.
Sources Of Information
We collect your personal information in the following ways, pursuant to applicable law:
- Directly From You. When you use our engage with our Sites, shop with us, register for an account, contact us, respond to a survey, sign up to receive emails, text messages, and/or postal mailings.
- Through Our Use of Cookies and Other Automatic Data Collection Technologies. When you visit our websites, open or click on emails we send you, or interact with our advertisements. We or third parties we work with automatically collect certain information using technologies such as cookies, web beacons, clear GIF, pixels, internet tags, web server logs, and other data collection tools. For more information, please see the Cookies and Similar Tracking Technologies section below.
- Through in-store and other offline technologies. In some cases, we record customer service calls and transcripts of live online chats for quality assurance. We also use CCTV in our stores.
- From Our Third Party Partners, including from third parties that we have partnered with to provide you the products and services that you have requested from us.
- Other Sources. We may also receive information about you from other sources, such as data analytics providers, marketing or advertising service providers, fraud prevention service providers, vendors that provide services on our behalf, the World Market credit card issuer, or publicly available sources. We also create information based on our analysis of the information we have collected from you.
Use And Processing Of Your Personal Information
We use your personal information in the following ways:
- To identify you when you visit our Sites or our stores.
- To provide the products and services you request, or to process returns.
- To improve our services and product offerings.
- To streamline your checkout process.
- To conduct analytics.
- To respond to your inquiries related to support, or other requests.
- To send marketing and promotional materials, including information relating to products, services, sales, or promotions.
- For internal administrative purposes, as well as to manage our relationship with you.
- To protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity.
Although the sections above describe our primary purpose in collecting your information, in many situations we have more than one purpose. For example, if you complete an online purchase, we may collect your information to perform our contract with you, but we also collect your information so that we can quickly and easily respond to any questions about your order or process change requests. As a result, our collection and processing of your information is based in different contexts upon your consent, our need to perform a contract, our obligations under law, and/or our general interest in conducting our business.
Cookies And Similar Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies, including pixel tags or web beacons (collectively "cookies"), to collect certain information on our Site and through our services. We also permit certain third parties to use cookies and similar tracking technologies to collect information about your use of our Site. The information collected by these tracking technologies may include (a) your internet protocol (IP) address, unique device identifiers, location, browser type, and Internet service provider information; (b) information about when and how you access and use our Site, such as the domains you visit, what features you used and for how long, the website that referred you to us, and date/time stamps associated with your usage; (c) information about the device you use to access the Site such as device type, device ID, and device/browser settings; and (d) location of the device used to access the Site derived from GPS or WiFi use.
We differentiate between cookies that are essential for the technical features of our services and optional analytics and advertising cookies:
Cookie Type | Description |
Essential Cookies | These are cookies that our Site needs in order to function, and that enable you to move around and use the Site and features. Without these essential cookies, the Site will not perform as smoothly for you as we would like it to and we may not be able to provide the Site or certain services or features you request. Examples of where these cookies are used include: to determine when you are signed in, to determine when your account has been inactive, and for other troubleshooting and security purposes. |
Analytics Cookies | Analytics cookies allow us to understand more about how many visitors we have to our Site, how many times they visit us and how many times a user viewed specific pages within our Site. Although analytics cookies allow us to gather specific information about the Site that you visit and whether you have visited our Site multiple times, we cannot use them to find out details such as your name or address. |
Targeted Advertising Cookies | Advertising cookies may be placed by us or third parties to enable third party ad networks to recognize a unique cookie on your computer or mobile device. The information that is collected and shared by these types of cookies may also be linked to the device identifier of the device you are using to allow us to keep track of all the websites you have visited that are associated with the ad network. This information may be used for the purpose of targeting advertisements on our Site and third-party sites based on those interests. |
You can adjust your preferences with regard to the targeted advertising cookies we use by clicking the "Privacy Choices" link at the bottom of our Site and setting your preferences, or via other options such as adjusting your browser settings. Any choices concerning cookies are browser and/or device specific. If you clear your cookies from your browser on any of your devices, your choices will need to be reset. You should check how to do this on your device(s) and operating systems.
Disclosure Of Personal Information
We may disclose, and may have disclosed in the preceding 12 months, the following categories of your personal information for business or commercial purposes to the categories of recipients listed below. Please note that because this list is comprehensive it may refer to types of information that we disclose about individuals other than yourself.
In addition to the specific situations discussed elsewhere in this policy, we disclose personal information in the following situations:
- Corporate Transactions.If another company acquires (or proposed to acquire) our company, business, or our assets, we will also disclose your personal information with that company, including at the negotiation stage.
- Other Disclosures with Your Consent. We may ask if you would like us to disclose your information with other unaffiliated third parties who are not described elsewhere in this policy.
- Other Parties. We may disclose personal information in response to subpoenas, warrants, or court orders, or in connection with any legal process, or to comply with relevant laws. We may also disclose your personal information in order to establish or exercise our rights, to defend against a legal claim, to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding possible illegal activities, suspected fraud, safety of person or property, or a violation of our policies.
- Public. Some of our websites provide the opportunity to post comments, or reviews, in a public forum. If you decide to submit information on these pages, that information may be publicly available.
- Partner Promotion. We may offer contests, sweepstakes, or other promotions with third party partners. If you decide to enter a contest, sweepstakes, or promotion that is sponsored by a third party partner the information that you provide will be disclosed with us and with them. Their use of your information is not governed by this privacy policy.
- Service Providers. We share your personal information with service providers. Among other things service providers may help us to administer our website, conduct surveys, provide technical support, and assist in the fulfillment of orders, or the provision of services.
- Card Issuing Bank. We may disclose the information we collect with our financial services partner, Comenity Bank, which issues the World Market Credit Card.
- Targeted Advertising Partners. We may disclose certain personal information to third-parties that support our advertising and marketing efforts, including to serve interest-based advertisements across the Internet; track and categorize your activity, interests and device(s) used over time on our website, and on third-party websites and mobile applications. The advertising networks and related providers gather this information to create individual profiles that are disclosed to us, which allows us the ability to match those individual customer profiles with advertisements we believe may be most relevant to a particular customer. We may also disclose other information, including information collected by tracking technologies, which may be used by third parties for their own marketing, advertising, and other purposes (see the Cookies & Similar Technologies section for more information).
- De-identified Personal Information. We may disclose or use aggregated or de-identified data for any lawful purpose. De-identified information is generally not considered to be personal information under applicable laws.
Your Rights & Choices
Pursuant to applicable data protection law, you can make the following choices regarding your personal information:
- Promotional Emails. You may choose to provide us with your email address for the purpose of allowing us to send free newsletters, surveys, offers, and other promotional materials to you, as well as targeted offers from third parties. You can stop receiving promotional emails by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any promotional e-mail that you receive from us, or by logging into your account on WorldMarket.com, clicking on the "Profile" page, and managing your email preferences. Although we will remove your name from our mailing list after receiving your request within the timeframe permitted by law, you may still receive mailings from us that had been initiated prior to your name being removed. If you decide not to receive promotional emails, we may still send you transactional communications, such as those about your account, to fulfill orders you have made, to ask you to rate the product you purchased, or other service-related communications.
- Promotional Text Messages. You can opt-out of receiving text messages from us by replying "STOP" to the text message you receive from us or following other instructions provided to you when you elected to receive texts. Please note that this will only opt you out of the specific text messaging program associated with that number.
- Direct Mailing. If at any time you do not want to receive offers and/or circulars from us you can remove yourself from our mailing lists by completing and submitting the form here. Please note that our mailings are prepared in advance of their being sent. Although we will remove your name from our mailing list after receiving your request, you may still receive mailings from us that had been initiated prior to your name being removed.
- Changes To Your Personal Information. We rely on you to update and correct your personal information. Our website allows you to modify your account profile. Note that we may keep historical information in our backup files as permitted by law.
- Deletion Of Your Personal Information. You may request that we delete your personal information. If required by law, we will delete your personal information after such request is made. We may also decide to delete your data if we believe that the data is incomplete or inaccurate, or that our continued use and storage are contrary to our obligations to other individuals or third parties. When we delete personal information, it will be removed from our active database, but it may remain in archives where it is not practical or possible to delete it. You should note that there are some situations in which we may decline to delete your personal information. For example, we retain the information that we collect to, among other things, detect security incidents, comply with our legal obligations, enforce any of our agreement, and protect against malicious, deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal activity. We will retain your World Market Rewards information for the duration of your membership in order to carry out our obligation to provide you with points for purchases made and allowing you to redeem your points for rewards.
- Access To Your Personal Information. You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, along with other information such as the purposes of the processing, the recipients, or categories of recipients to whom the personal information has been or will be disclosed, the sources of the personal information, retention, and transfers of personal information. If required by law, upon request, we will grant you with reasonable access to the personal information that we have about you. Where required by law, we may also transfer a machine-readable copy of your personal information to you or a third party of your choice.
- Opt-Out of Targeted Advertising or the Sale of My Personal Information. Subject to certain exceptions, you may have the right to opt out of the "sale" of your personal information. It may be considered a "sale" of personal information under applicable law when we disclose certain names and contact information to advertising networks and data enrichment providers. Also, we use services that help deliver interest-based ads to you and may transfer personal information to business partners for their use. Making personal information (such as online/device identifiers, browsing activity, or geolocation data) available to these third parties may be considered "targeted advertising" or a "share" under applicable law. To opt out of "targeted advertising" or the "sale" of your personal information as just described, please click the "Privacy Choices" link at the bottom of our Site and set your preferences. Please note that your use of our Site may still be tracked by World Market and/or our service providers.
- Online Tracking. Some web browsers incorporate a "Do Not Track" (DNT) or similar feature that signals to websites that a visitor does not want to have his/her online activity and behavior tracked. Not all browsers offer a DNT option and there is currently no industry consensus for how to recognize or respond to a DNT signal. We will endeavor to recognize commercially recognized opt out signals (e.g., Global Privacy Control). Recognition of this signal will only take place with respect to the device and/or browser that communicates the signal.
- Restriction of Processing of Sensitive Personal Information. You have the right to request the restriction of processing of your sensitive personal information. Where applicable, the respective sensitive personal information will be marked accordingly and may only be processed by us for certain purposes. At the current time, however, we do not use or disclose sensitive personal information for purposes other than those expressed in this Policy or otherwise permitted by applicable law, and these uses cannot be limited under California law.
- Automated Processing. Under certain circumstances, you have the right to object to a significant decision based solely on automated processing (i.e., without human intervention) unless that decision is required or authorized by law. At the current time, however, we do not engage in automated processing without human intervention.
- Right of Non-Discrimination/Retaliation. We do not discriminate against individuals who exercise any of their rights described in this Privacy Notice, nor do we retaliate against individuals who exercise these rights.
Please note that many of the above rights are subject to exceptions and limitations. Your rights and our responses will vary based on the circumstances of the request. If you choose to assert any of these rights under applicable law, we will respond within the time period prescribed by such law.
In certain jurisdictions, a person authorized to act on your behalf may make a verifiable request related to your personal information. If you designate an authorized person to submit requests to exercise certain privacy rights on your behalf, we will require verification that you provided the authorized agent permission to make a request on your behalf. In any circumstance, your request must: (i) provide sufficient information that allows us to reasonably verify that you are the person about whom we collected personal information or an authorized representative of that person; and (ii) describe the request with sufficient detail that allows us to properly understand, evaluate, and respond to it. We will only use personal information provided in a verifiable consumer request to verify the requestor's identity or authority to make the request.
To exercise your rights, please call us at 1-877-967-5362, or submit an online Request. In certain jurisdictions, you may appeal our decision to your request regarding your personal information. To do so, please contact us in any of the ways listed in the "Contact Information" section. We respond to all appeal requests as soon as we reasonably can, and no later than legally required. If you are a current California World Market employee, please refer to our California Employee Privacy Notice. Former employees may obtain a copy of the Notice by making a request using the contact information below.
How We Protect Personal Information
No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is fully secure. While we use reasonable efforts to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information. In the event that we are required by law to inform you of any unauthorized access to your personal information we may notify you electronically, in writing, or by telephone, if permitted to do so by law.
Some of our Sites permit you to create an account. When you do you will be prompted to create a password. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password, and you are responsible for any access to or use of your account by someone else who has obtained your password, whether or not such access or use has been authorized by you. You should notify us of any unauthorized use of your password or account.
How Long We Retain Information
We retain information about you and your relationship with us for as long as is needed to fulfill our legitimate business purposes outlined in this Privacy Notice. The specific periods for which we keep information about you vary depending on the nature of the information, why we need it, and whether the personal information is de-identified. We also consider the minimum necessary retention period prescribed by applicable laws, recommended by industry standards, and stated in contracts and other legal obligations.
Bona Fide Loyalty Program Disclosure/Notice Of Financial Incentive
In connection with World Market Rewards we offer our customers certain perks, such as rewards, promotions, and exclusive offers.
- When you sign up for the World Market Rewards Program, we will ask you to provide your name, mobile number, and zip code.
- The categories of third parties that may receive this information for targeted advertising include online advertising networks, our financial service partner Comenity Bank, and data enrichment providers.
- We currently do not collect any sensitive personal information in connection with World Market Rewards.
- We partner with Comenity Bank to offer the World Market credit card to World Market Rewards members. As a World Market Rewards member, you can apply for the World Market credit card online or in our stores.
- If you request that we delete any of your personal information that is essential to providing you with the World Market Rewards program, we will not be able to provide you with the benefits of that program (e.g., if your phone number is also your World Market Rewards 10-digit identifier and you ask us to delete your phone number, we will no longer be able to maintain your World Market Rewards account).
Because World Market Rewards involves the collection of personal information, it might be interpreted as a "financial incentive" program under California law. The value of your personal information to us is related to the value of the free or discounted products or services that you obtain when you redeem points. This value is based on the expense related to offering those free or discounted products or services.
You may withdraw from participating in World Market Rewards at any time by contacting customer service at customercare@worldmarket.com with "REMOVE REWARDS PROGRAM" in the subject line along with your name, address and zip code. Visit the Terms and Conditions page to view full program rules, including how to join.
Other Important Information
The following additional information relates to our privacy practices:
- Third Party Applications/Websites. This Site may contain links and references to other websites and social media features administered by unaffiliated third parties. These features may collect information about you such as your IP address and which page you are visiting on our Site. This Privacy Notice does not apply to such third party websites or features. When you click a link to visit a third party website, you will be subject to that website's privacy practices. We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the privacy and security practices of any linked third party websites or features. Also, to enhance your experience on this Site, we use Google Maps APIs including at account creation, and at checkout. Google has requested that we inform you that your use of such services is subject to the Google Maps/Google Earth Additional Terms of Service (including the Google Privacy Policy).
- Changes To This Privacy Policy. We may revise this privacy policy from time to time. We will notify you of changes by posting the effective date of the latest version at the top of this privacy policy.
- Children's Privacy. We will not knowingly collect any personally identifiable information from children under the age of 13 and our websites and our services are not directed to children under the age of 13. If a child under 13 submits personal information to us and we learn that the information is from a child under 13, we will attempt to delete the information as soon as possible. In addition, we do not knowingly sell the personal information of minors under the age of 16.
- California Shine the Light. If you reside in California, you have the right to ask us one time each year if we have shared personal information with third parties for their direct marketing purposes during the preceding calendar year. To make a request please submit an inquiry to the following address: World Market Management Services, LLC, 1201 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. In your request, please specify that you would like a "California Shine the Light Notice." Please allow 30 days for a response. Note you may also opt-out of the "sale" of your personal information as described above.
Contact Information
If you have any questions about our privacy or security practices, please contact us by phone 1-877-967-5362 by email customercare@worldmarket.com, or via mail World Market Management Services, LLC, 1201 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. When you contact us by email, please include "Privacy" in the subject line. For direct mail please include "Attn: Privacy".