Cookie Policy
Last Updated: [DATE] | Version: 1.0
1. Introduction
This Cookie Policy explains how PakAutoMart ("PakAutoMart," "we," "us," or "our"), operator of the website pakautomart.com and Pakistan's first multi-vendor auto parts marketplace, uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit or use our website. This policy should be read together with our Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, and Disclaimer, each of which forms part of the overall legal framework governing your use of our platform. By continuing to browse or use pakautomart.com, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Cookie Policy.
PakAutoMart is a Pakistan-based online marketplace, operated from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, connecting buyers with multiple independent vendors of automotive parts and accessories. As Pakistan does not currently have a single, dedicated data protection statute of general application, we have prepared this Cookie Policy on a best-practice basis, drawing guidance from the principles reflected in the Electronic Transactions Ordinance, 2002, and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 ("PECA 2016"), both of which govern aspects of electronic communications, data integrity, and unauthorized access to information systems in Pakistan. We encourage users who have specific legal or regulatory questions about cookies and data processing to seek independent legal advice.
2. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website places on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or other device when you visit that site. Cookies are widely used to make websites function properly, to make them work more efficiently, to remember your preferences, and to provide reporting information to the website owner. Cookies do not typically contain information that directly identifies you by name, but the information stored in a cookie may be linked to your browsing activity, session, or device, and in some cases to your account if you are logged in.
In addition to cookies, similar technologies such as web beacons, pixel tags, local storage, and tracking scripts may be used on pakautomart.com for comparable purposes. For simplicity, this policy refers to all such technologies collectively as "cookies," unless stated otherwise.
3. Categories of Cookies We Use
PakAutoMart uses cookies for several distinct purposes. We have grouped these into four broad categories below. Not every category may be active on every visit, and some categories depend on configuration settings controlled by our site administrators, as noted.
3.1 Strictly Necessary / Session Cookies
These cookies are essential for the core functionality of pakautomart.com and cannot be switched off in our systems without breaking the website's functionality. They are typically set only in response to actions you take that amount to a request for services, such as logging into your account, adding items to your shopping cart, proceeding through checkout, or submitting a form.
- Authentication and login cookies, which allow you to log in, remain logged in, and access your account, order history, and vendor dashboard (where applicable).
- Shopping cart cookies, which remember the items you have added to your cart as you browse different pages or vendor listings on the marketplace.
- CSRF-protection cookies, which are a security measure used to protect our website's underlying application framework, and by extension your account and transactions, from cross-site request forgery attacks. This cookie helps verify that requests submitted to our servers genuinely originate from you and not from a malicious third party.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the services you have requested, they do not require your consent under generally accepted cookie-compliance practice, although we will still disclose their use to you transparently, as we do in this policy. If you block or delete these cookies through your browser settings, certain parts of pakautomart.com, including login, cart, and checkout, may not function correctly or at all.
3.2 Functional / Preference Cookies
These cookies allow pakautomart.com to remember choices you make and to provide enhanced, more personalized features. They are not strictly necessary for the website to function but improve your overall browsing experience.
- Language selection cookies, which remember your preferred language for displaying site content, where such an option is available.
- Currency preference cookies, which remember your preferred currency for displaying product prices, where applicable.
If these cookies are disabled, the website will generally still function, but it may not be able to remember your preferences the next time you visit, and you may need to reselect your preferred language or currency on each visit.
3.3 Analytics Cookies
Where enabled by site settings, pakautomart.com may use analytics cookies, including those associated with Google Analytics, to help us understand how visitors interact with our website. These cookies may collect information such as the pages you visit, the amount of time you spend on the site, how you arrived at pakautomart.com, and general technical information about your device and browser. This information is generally collected and reported in aggregate form and is used to help us improve site performance, content, and the overall user experience.
Whether these cookies are active on any given visit depends on configuration settings controlled by our site administrators. We do not represent that analytics cookies are active at all times, and this policy is intended to disclose their potential use rather than to assert continuous or universal deployment.
3.4 Advertising / Tracking Cookies
Where enabled by site settings, pakautomart.com may also use advertising or tracking cookies, including those associated with the Facebook Pixel. These cookies may be used to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, to understand user actions taken after viewing an advertisement, and, where applicable, to help present more relevant advertising to you on third-party platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
As with analytics cookies, the activation of advertising or tracking cookies depends on settings configured by our site administrators from time to time, and their presence on the site may vary. Where such tools are enabled, the relevant third-party provider (such as Meta Platforms, Inc., which operates the Facebook Pixel) may also set or read its own cookies in accordance with its own privacy and cookie practices, which are outside PakAutoMart's direct control.
4. How We Obtain Your Consent
Where our website uses non-essential cookies, such as analytics or advertising cookies described above, pakautomart.com is intended to display a cookie notice or banner to visitors upon their first visit, informing them that cookies are in use and providing an opportunity to accept, decline, or manage their cookie preferences before non-essential cookies are activated. Strictly necessary cookies, such as those required for login, cart, and CSRF protection, are not subject to this consent mechanism because the website cannot function without them.
[VERIFY WITH LEGAL COUNSEL / OPERATIONS: The exact implementation, wording, and technical behavior of the cookie notice/banner mechanism referenced above should be confirmed against the live configuration of pakautomart.com before this policy is treated as fully accurate. If no such banner is currently implemented, or if its behavior differs from the description above, this section should be revised accordingly in consultation with the operations team and legal counsel.]
Where you have provided consent through such a mechanism, you may generally be able to withdraw or change that consent at any time by adjusting your cookie preferences through the same mechanism, where available, or by managing cookies directly through your browser settings as described in the following section.
5. How to Manage or Disable Cookies
In addition to any in-site cookie preference tools that may be available, most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings. You can typically use your browser settings to:
- View what cookies are stored on your device and delete them individually or in bulk;
- Block third-party cookies while still allowing first-party cookies;
- Block all cookies from all websites, including pakautomart.com;
- Block cookies from particular websites; and
- Delete all cookies when you close your browser, or set your browser to do so automatically.
Because the steps for managing cookies differ between browsers and browser versions, we recommend consulting the "Help" section or support documentation of your particular browser (for example, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari, or the browser installed on your mobile device) for specific instructions on how to view, manage, and delete cookies.
Please note that if you choose to block or delete strictly necessary cookies, including the session, login, cart, or CSRF-protection cookies described in Section 3.1 above, certain features and functions of pakautomart.com may not work properly, may not work at all, or your session may be interrupted unexpectedly. For example, you may be unable to remain logged into your account, items may be removed from your shopping cart between page views, or certain forms may fail to submit correctly. PakAutoMart is not responsible for any degradation in website functionality that results from your choice to disable or restrict cookies through your browser or device settings.
6. Third-Party Cookies
Some cookies on pakautomart.com may be placed by third parties whose services are embedded into or integrated with our website, rather than by PakAutoMart directly. This may include, among others, providers of analytics services, advertising and social media tracking pixels, payment processing gateways, and other embedded widgets or plugins that may be used on the site from time to time. Examples referenced elsewhere in this policy include Google Analytics and the Facebook Pixel, where enabled.
These third parties may set their own cookies, web beacons, or similar technologies to collect information about your use of pakautomart.com and other websites over time. PakAutoMart does not control how these third parties use their own cookies, and any such use is governed by the relevant third party's own privacy and cookie policies. We encourage you to review the privacy and cookie policies of these third-party providers directly if you would like more detailed information about their specific data collection and use practices.
7. How Long Do Cookies Last?
Cookies used on pakautomart.com generally fall into two categories based on how long they persist on your device:
- Session cookies, which are temporary and are automatically deleted from your device when you close your web browser. Session cookies are commonly used for functions such as keeping you logged in during a single browsing session, maintaining your shopping cart contents while you browse, and supporting CSRF protection during your active session.
- Persistent cookies, which remain stored on your device for a set period of time, or until you manually delete them, even after you close your browser. Persistent cookies are commonly used to remember your preferences, such as your selected language or currency, across multiple visits, and may also be used by analytics or advertising tools, where enabled, to recognize a returning visitor over a longer period.
The exact retention period for any given persistent cookie depends on the purpose it serves and, in the case of third-party cookies, the policies of the relevant third-party provider. We do not guarantee a fixed retention period for every cookie referenced in this policy, as these may be adjusted from time to time as our website and its underlying technologies evolve.
8. Relationship to Our Privacy Policy
This Cookie Policy should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy, which explains in greater detail how PakAutoMart collects, uses, stores, and protects personal information, including information that may be collected through cookies. Where there is any overlap between this Cookie Policy and our Privacy Policy regarding the treatment of personal data, our Privacy Policy shall govern with respect to the substantive handling of that personal data, while this Cookie Policy governs specifically the use of cookies and similar tracking technologies on our website.
For information about the broader terms governing your use of the PakAutoMart marketplace, please also refer to our Terms & Conditions and our Disclaimer.
9. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies and tracking technologies we use, changes in applicable law or regulatory guidance, or changes in our business practices. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies. Your continued use of pakautomart.com after any changes to this Cookie Policy take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies on pakautomart.com, please contact us using the details below:
- Business Name: PakAutoMart
- Address: Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
- Email: admin@pakautomart.com
- Phone: 042 111 786 786
