Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in 2026, powering millions of online stores worldwide. But using Shopify does not automatically make you GDPR compliant. As the store owner, you are the data controller under the General Data Protection Regulation. Shopify acts as your data processor. This distinction is critical: it is you that data protection authorities will hold accountable in the event of a breach, with fines reaching up to 20 million euros or 4% of your annual global turnover.
This article explains what Shopify does and does not do for your compliance, the obligations you must fulfil yourself, the most common mistakes, and how to protect your store quickly.
What Shopify Does (and Does Not Do) for Your Compliance
What Shopify provides
Shopify offers several GDPR-related tools and commitments:
- A Data Processing Agreement (DPA): this sub-processing contract, required by Article 28 of the GDPR, governs how Shopify processes data on your behalf. It is available in your account’s legal settings.
- Built-in GDPR features: handling customer data access and deletion requests, and a basic cookie banner.
- Compliant hosting: Shopify hosts data across various regions and relies on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework for transatlantic transfers.
What Shopify does NOT provide
Shopify does not draft your legal documents for you. The following are entirely your responsibility:
- Your customised privacy policy
- Your cookie policy compliant with local data protection authority requirements
- Your terms of use
- Your terms of sale including the right of withdrawal
- Your legal notices (required under EU e-commerce directives)
Shopify offers generic English-language templates, but these do not meet the specific requirements of European data protection law. Using them as-is creates genuine legal risk. For a full overview, see our guide on the 4 essential legal documents for every e-commerce website.
The 5 GDPR Obligations for Your Shopify Store
1. Publish a comprehensive privacy policy
Articles 13 and 14 of the GDPR require transparent information for anyone whose data you collect. Your privacy policy must detail the identity of the data controller, the purposes and legal bases for each processing activity, the recipients of the data (including Shopify and all your third-party apps), retention periods, and the rights of data subjects. For a deeper dive, read our article on mandatory privacy policy requirements and fines.
2. Implement a compliant cookie banner
Shopify’s basic cookie banner is not sufficient. Data protection authorities require that refusing cookies must be as easy as accepting them (equally visible “Accept” and “Refuse” buttons), that non-essential cookies are not set before consent, and that users can change their preferences at any time. See the full rules in our guide on cookie policy rules and sanctions.
3. Draft terms of use and terms of sale tailored to your business
Your terms of use govern how visitors interact with your website, while your terms of sale regulate the commercial relationship with your customers. Terms of sale must include the 14-day right of withdrawal (Directive 2011/83/EU), delivery terms, legal guarantees, and return conditions. Incomplete terms of sale expose your store to enforcement action.
4. Publish your legal notices
EU e-commerce regulations and national laws (such as France’s LCEN) require every website to publish legal notices identifying the publisher, the hosting provider, and contact details. Failure to comply can result in fines of up to 75,000 euros for individuals.
5. Maintain a record of processing activities
Article 30 of the GDPR requires you to document all your personal data processing activities. This record must list purposes, categories of data, recipients, and retention periods. For a complete action plan, see our GDPR compliance 10-step plan.
The Most Common Mistakes on Shopify
Shopify store owners frequently make the same GDPR compliance errors:
- Using the default cookie banner: Shopify’s native banner does not offer a “Refuse” button equivalent to the “Accept” button, making it non-compliant with most European data protection authority requirements.
- Copying a competitor’s privacy policy: beyond plagiarism risk, this produces a document that does not reflect your actual data processing activities and leaves you exposed during an audit.
- Failing to mention third-party apps: every Shopify app that processes customer data (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Meta Pixel, Google Analytics, Judge.me, Tidio) must appear in your privacy policy as a data recipient.
- Ignoring the right of withdrawal: failing to inform customers of their 14-day right of withdrawal in your terms of sale breaches Directive 2011/83/EU on consumer rights.
- Not activating the Shopify DPA: the Data Processing Agreement is available in your settings, but it is not activated by default. Without this contract, the sub-processing relationship with Shopify is not governed in accordance with Article 28 of the GDPR.
Shopify Apps and GDPR
The app ecosystem is one of Shopify’s greatest strengths, but every app that accesses your customer data constitutes an additional sub-processor under the GDPR. This has concrete implications for your compliance:
- Your privacy policy must mention each category of sub-processor or explicitly list the apps that process personal data.
- Check for transfers outside the EU: many Shopify apps are published by US-based companies. Ensure they are covered by the Data Privacy Framework or by standard contractual clauses.
- Audit your apps regularly: uninstall those you no longer use. Each active app that retains customer data increases your risk exposure.
Priority app categories to audit: email marketing (Klaviyo, Omnisend), customer reviews (Judge.me, Loox), analytics (Google Analytics, Lucky Orange), chat and support (Tidio, Gorgias), ad retargeting (Meta Pixel, Google Ads).
A good habit: every time you install a new app, check its privacy policy and update yours accordingly. This simple discipline will save you from many problems in the event of an audit.
How to Make Your Shopify Store Compliant
Four options are available to obtain all your legal documents:
Hire a lawyer (500-2,000 euros): you get personalised advice and specialist legal expertise. However, the cost is high and the process can take several weeks.
Do it yourself with templates (0 euros, high risk): free templates exist online, but they are rarely up to date with the latest regulatory requirements and are not tailored to the specifics of your Shopify store and your apps.
Use generic AI (0 euros + 150-300 euros for review): tools like ChatGPT can produce drafts, but each document must be generated separately, leading to inconsistencies between your legal texts. A professional review remains essential.
Use a specialised legal AI (€14.90-19.90): solutions like WebLegal.ai generate all 4 legal documents (privacy policy, cookie policy, terms of use, terms of sale) in under 10 minutes, with guaranteed consistency across all documents. The guided form asks the right questions about your Shopify store, your apps, and your business to produce documents genuinely tailored to your situation.
For Shopify stores selling across multiple EU countries, compliance is even more critical: each national data protection authority can investigate you if you target customers in their jurisdiction. A robust and consistent set of legal documents is your best protection.
Conclusion
Having a store on Shopify does not exempt you from your GDPR obligations. As the data controller, you must ensure that your privacy policy, cookie banner, terms of use, terms of sale, and legal notices comply with European law. The tools Shopify provides are a starting point, but they are not enough. In 2026, with heightened enforcement activity and growing consumer awareness about data privacy, compliance is no longer optional — it is a condition of survival for your online store. Do not wait for an enforcement notice to take action.