Privacy policy

Last updated: 22 August 2026

Who We Are

This Privacy Policy explains how Avalna collects, uses, discloses and protects your personal data when you visit or shop at www.avalna.com, contact us, or otherwise interact with us (together, the "Services").

  • Store: Avalna (www.avalna.com)
  • Legal name: Manoharan Sivashankaran (Proprietor)
  • Constitution of business: Proprietorship
  • Registered trade names: S M Stores; AVALNA
  • GSTIN: 33AAHPM9768L1ZZ
  • Registered and principal place of business: First Floor, No. 58, PNB Plaza, Vellore Main Road, Arcot, Ranipet District, Tamil Nadu 632503, India
  • Phone / WhatsApp: +91 74186 68660
  • Email: hello@avalna.com

We sell only within India. For the purposes of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Rules, 2025, we are the Data Fiduciary in respect of the personal data described below.

This policy should be read together with our Terms of Service, Refund Policy and Shipping Policy. Where there is any conflict between our Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy on the handling of personal data, this Privacy Policy controls.

Personal Data We Collect

  • Contact details — your name, billing address, shipping address, phone or WhatsApp number, and email address.
  • Order details — the items you view, add to your cart and purchase, order value, order history, and any returns or refunds.
  • Payment details — we receive confirmation that a payment succeeded, the payment method used, and a transaction reference. We do not receive or store your full card number, bank credentials or UPI PIN. These are handled directly by our payment gateway, Razorpay.
  • Account details — if you create an account, your username, password (stored in encrypted form by Shopify), saved addresses and preferences.
  • Communications — the content of messages you send us on WhatsApp, by email, or through the contact form on our website.
  • Device and usage data — your IP address, device and browser type, the pages you view, the page that referred you, and how you navigate the site.

We do not ask for and do not knowingly collect sensitive personal data such as government identity numbers, financial account statements, health information or biometric data. Please do not send such information to us.

How We Collect Personal Data

  • Directly from you, when you place an order, create an account, message us, or subscribe to our updates.
  • Automatically, through cookies and similar technologies when you use the website.
  • From our service providers, such as our payment gateway and courier partners, when they process a transaction or delivery on our behalf.

How We Use Your Personal Data

  • To fulfil your order — process payment, raise a GST invoice, pack and dispatch your parcel, arrange delivery, and handle returns, replacements and refunds.
  • To communicate with you — send order confirmations, dispatch and tracking updates, Cash on Delivery confirmation messages, and responses to your questions.
  • To provide customer support — resolve issues with an order, a delivery or a product.
  • To improve our website and products — understand which pages and products are used, and fix problems.
  • For marketing, where you have consented — send new arrival, festival and offer updates by email or WhatsApp, and show you relevant advertising on Instagram and Facebook. You can withdraw consent at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email or by replying STOP on WhatsApp.
  • To prevent fraud and secure the Services — detect fraudulent orders, repeated non-acceptance of Cash on Delivery parcels, and misuse of the website.
  • To meet legal obligations — comply with tax, accounting and consumer protection law, and respond to lawful requests from authorities.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to keep your cart and session working, remember your preferences, and understand how the site is used. Essential cookies are required for the website and checkout to function and cannot be switched off.

We also use the following third-party analytics and advertising tools, which set their own cookies and collect device and usage data:

  • Google Analytics 4 (Google) — measures site traffic, traffic sources, and how visitors move through the store. Enabled through the Google & YouTube channel on our Shopify store.
  • Meta Pixel and Conversions API (Meta Platforms) — measures the performance of our advertising on Instagram and Facebook and allows us to show relevant ads to people who have visited our store. This operates both in your browser and through a server-side connection from our store to Meta, which sends Meta a record of events such as page views, add-to-cart actions and completed purchases.
  • Microsoft Clarity (Microsoft) — records anonymised interaction data such as clicks, scrolling and mouse movement, so that we can identify usability problems. Clarity may capture a playback of your browsing session; form fields and payment details are masked and are not visible in these recordings.

You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings, though some parts of the site may stop working correctly if you block essential cookies. You can also opt out of Google Analytics using Google's browser opt-out add-on, and control ad personalisation in your Google and Meta account settings.

Who We Share Your Personal Data With

We do not sell your personal data. We share it only with the following recipients, and only to the extent needed:

  • Shopify — hosts our online store, processes orders and customer accounts, and sends our order notification and marketing emails. Shopify processes personal data in order to provide and improve the Services for us. See the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy, and the Shopify Privacy Portal to exercise rights over data Shopify holds.
  • Razorpay — our payment gateway, which processes online card, UPI, net banking and wallet payments. Your payment credentials are provided directly to Razorpay and are not accessible to us.
  • Shiprocket and its courier partners (including carriers such as Delhivery, Blue Dart, DTDC and India Post) — receive your name, delivery address and phone number in order to deliver your parcel and, for Cash on Delivery orders, to collect payment.
  • WhatsApp (Meta Platforms) — where you choose to contact us or receive order updates on WhatsApp, your message content and phone number are processed through WhatsApp.
  • Google, Meta Platforms and Microsoft — receive device, session and interaction data as described in the section above. This does not include your payment credentials.
  • Business administration tools — we use a small number of tools to run the store, including data import, workflow automation and AI-assisted administration tools, which may process order and customer records on our behalf and under our instruction.
  • Professional advisers and authorities — our accountant and auditors, and government or judicial authorities where disclosure is required by law.

Transfers Outside India

Some of the service providers listed above, including Shopify, Google, Meta Platforms and Microsoft, store and process personal data on servers located outside India. Where personal data is transferred outside India, we rely on our contractual arrangements with those providers and transfer only what is necessary to provide the Services to you. Such transfers are made in accordance with applicable Indian law.

How Long We Keep Your Personal Data

  • Order, invoice and tax records — retained for the period required under applicable Indian tax and accounting law.
  • Account data — retained while your account remains active, and deleted on request.
  • Marketing contact details — retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent.
  • Support messages — retained for as long as needed to resolve the matter and for a reasonable period afterwards in case the issue recurs.
  • Analytics and advertising data — retained by the relevant provider according to that provider's own retention settings and policies.

Where we no longer need your personal data and are not required to keep it by law, we delete it or anonymise it.

Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

  • Ask what personal data we hold about you and how it has been used and shared.
  • Ask us to correct personal data that is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
  • Ask us to erase personal data we no longer need and are not required by law to keep.
  • Withdraw consent to marketing communications at any time.
  • Nominate another person to exercise your rights on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacity.
  • Raise a grievance with our Grievance Officer, whose details are set out below.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request. We will not treat you unfavourably for exercising your rights.

Children's Data

Our Services are intended for customers aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data of children under 18. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

Security

Our website and checkout are served over an encrypted connection, and access to order and customer records is limited to the people in our business who need it. No system can be guaranteed completely secure, and information sent to us over the internet is transmitted at your own risk. Please do not send card numbers, passwords, UPI PINs or one-time passwords to us by WhatsApp or email — we will never ask you for them.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in law. We will post the revised policy on this page and update the "Last updated" date above.

Grievance Officer and Contact

If you have a question or complaint about how we handle your personal data, please contact us first — most issues are resolved the same day.

  • Grievance Officer: Kamaraj
  • Email: hello@avalna.com
  • Phone / WhatsApp: +91 74186 68660
  • Address: Avalna (a registered trade name of S M Stores), First Floor, No. 58, PNB Plaza, Vellore Main Road, Arcot, Ranipet District, Tamil Nadu 632503, India
  • Hours: Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM IST

We will acknowledge receipt of any complaint within forty-eight (48) hours and will endeavour to resolve it within one (1) month of receipt. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate the matter to the Data Protection Board of India.