Legal
Cookie Policy
Effective
This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how Build The Shelf uses them on our website, and how you can control them. It complements our Privacy Policy, which describes how we handle personal data more broadly.
1. What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the site to recognise your browser on subsequent visits, remember preferences, and measure how the site is used. Similar technologies — such as local storage, pixels, and tracking snippets — work in roughly the same way and are covered by this policy.
2. How we use them
Our website uses a small number of cookies and browser-storage entries in two categories. The Build The Shelf app does not use cookies, and nothing on this website is used for advertising.
2.1 Functional
Remember small things on this browser, such as that you have already joined the waitlist or closed the waitlist pop-up, so you are not asked again on every visit.
2.2 Analytics
Help us understand how the site is used so we can improve its content and layout. We use Google Analytics for aggregated traffic measurement, and PostHog for four things:
- Analytics events — which pages get visited, how long people stay, and where they drop off
- Heatmaps — where people click and scroll on a page, recorded as coordinates rather than page content
- Session recordings — a replay of how a page was used (mouse movement, scrolling, and clicks)
- A/B testing — showing two versions of a page and measuring which performs better, and remembering which version you were shown so it stays consistent between visits
Anything you type is masked and never recorded, and this data is tied to an anonymous identifier rather than to you personally. We do not use marketing or advertising cookies. If we ever add them, we will ask for your consent first and update this policy.
3. Specific cookies we set
The list below reflects our current configuration. We update it whenever we change tooling.
| Cookie / storage key | Set by | Category | Purpose | Lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bts-waitlist-done (local storage) | Build The Shelf | Functional | Remembers that you joined the waitlist, so the sign-up pop-up stays away | Until cleared |
| bts-waitlist-popup-seen (local storage) | Build The Shelf | Functional | Remembers when the waitlist pop-up was last shown, so it appears at most once a week | Until cleared |
| _ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics | Analytics | Aggregated usage measurement | 2 years |
| ph_phc_<id>_posthog | PostHog | Analytics | Anonymous visitor and session identifier used to measure site usage, tie session recordings together, and keep A/B test variants consistent between visits | 12 months |
| ph_phc_<id>_posthog (local storage) | PostHog | Analytics | Stores A/B test assignments and session properties in your browser | Until cleared |
Our website forms are handled by Basin, and any YouTube videos we embed may set their own cookies, governed by those services' own policies.
4. Managing cookies
You can control cookies in these places:
- Your browser settings — most browsers let you view, delete, and block cookies and site data. See aboutcookies.org for general instructions.
- Google Analytics opt-out — Google offers a browser add-on that stops Google Analytics on every site.
- Your device's privacy settings — mobile and desktop platforms expose cookie and tracking controls at the system level.
Blocking any of these cookies does not stop the site from working; the waitlist pop-up may simply appear again.
5. Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
We honour browser-level "Do Not Track" and Global Privacy Control signals for PostHog. When either signal is detected, PostHog collects nothing for that visit: no analytics events, no heatmap data, no session recording, and no A/B test data.
Google Analytics does not support these signals. To switch it off, use the browser controls or Google's opt-out add-on described in section 4.
6. Changes to this policy
We update this policy when our cookie usage changes. The effective date at the top of the page reflects the most recent revision.
7. Contact
Questions about cookies or this policy can be sent to hello@buildtheshelf.com.
