What do we use Cookies for?
A cookie is a tiny piece of information (usually a text file) that is downloaded by your browser from the website you are viewing. When you next visit the same website, your browser will send the cookie back; perhaps to tell the website that it's not your first visit, that you are a particular user (i.e a KidStart member), or that you have certain preferences that you’ll have told us about when you first signed-up.

Cookies make your surfing seamless! They may also be used to help deliver more relevant content. No one wants to see the details for an offer you clicked on the first time, again and again.

The most important use for cookies on KidStart is to track your purchase so that we can give you your KidStart savings. If you block all cookies from your computer, we cannot track your order and you will not receive your KidStart savings.

We don't just use cookies for checking you are a KidStart member, or tracking your KidStart savings. We also gather anonymous data on which pages on the site are the most popular and useful and we apply that information in continually improving KidStart.

If you only keep two details about cookies in your mind, remember that a cookie is incapable of being used to gather your personal information and cannot cause damage to your computer.

So what's the problem?
Cookies can be used to track your journey between certain websites. The best example of this is when we track your journey from KidStart through to your favourite retailer to make a purchase. This happens when you click the 'shop now button' on KidStart retailer's page.

Where websites use a third-party company to deliver relevant advertising (i.e Google) a cookie may be used to alert you to an offer for luxury chocolate when you’ve been browsing for flowers, or a ski-wear brand when you’ve been looking at the price of a holiday in the French Alps!

This is what some people object to and it is why websites must now explain to their users what cookies are and what they are used for, so that you can make your own decision based on the facts. We think it’s a good idea.

Want to know more?
If you haven't found the answer you're looking for, then feel free to get in touch with a specific question.

If you would prefer some impartial advice on cookies from a reliable third-party, then visit www.allaboutcookies.org or www.aboutcookies.org.