“Data is personal. If a customer wants to delete their data, you should make the path as clear for them as possible. To understand the importance of this, let’s look at an example. 

As one of the most popular eCommerce platforms in the world, the Shopify platform allows users to set up their own websites, specifically e-commerce sites. To remain compliant with GDPR and CCPA regulations, Shopify Businesses must make exercising the right to erasure and answer user deletion requests easy for users. All users need to do is click “remove personal data” under their settings! Then, it’s up to the merchant to fulfill the request. 

[Manually Deleting User Data in Shopify]

As a Shopify Business owner, you’ll get a notification that you’ve received a request for data deletion. You can complete this manually in nine steps:

• Step 1: Log in to your Shopify admin account. 
• Step 2: Verify the user’s identity to ensure that they have the right to have this data deleted.
• Step 3: Check to ensure there is no valid reason to keep this data. Each regulation states specific cases that grant businesses the option to refuse deletion, but they must be used carefully. In any way, merchants must inform customers regarding their decision.
• Step 4: In your Shopify admin account, click ‘Customers.’
• Step 5: Select the relevant customer.
• Step 6: Click ‘Erase personal data.’
• Step 7: Inform the customer that their request has been processed. 
• Step 8: Shopify will send a deletion request to every integrated app with access to this data.  
• Step 9: The requested data will be deleted within ten days, and you will receive a confirmation email.

[Automate Data Deletion Requests in Shopify]

As we’ve learned, the manual option always takes much more time and increases the chance of human error. So, the question is, how can you automate DSRs in Shopify? 

The answer? Users of our platform may integrate it into their Shopify account. We have short tutorials for easy set-up. We’ll attach them with this video. 

But once it’s set up, you’ll be able to complete the request in just four simple stages:

Stage 1: Review. 

After entering the Privacy Portal, click on a verified request to view its identifying details, including: ‍

• Additional information reported by the user,
• And communication with the users that was done via the privacy portal.

Based on these details, you may choose to proceed with the deletion process or reject the request.  

Stage 2: Process. 

From there, 

• Select Shopify and any other data source from which you want to delete the user’s data.
• Next, check the box to confirm that “all data was deleted” from the company’s data sources.
• Click “Continue” and move to the next stage.

Stage 3: Reply. 

No need to think up the perfect reply on your own. Use our email templates to provide consistent responses and save time. To complete the request, click “Reply & close.”

Stage 4: Close.

Congrats! You have successfully fulfilled a request.

It’s as simple as that. With just a few clicks, you’ll be able to review the data, delete it, and send a confirmation to the user. That’s the power of working smarter, not harder! We’ll move on to break down collaboration and set up a DSR workflow in our next video, so stay tuned!”