Cookie Policy

Cookie Policy

This cookie notice provides information about the cookies and similar technologies Birchin Insurance Brokers uses, why we use them, and how you can control them. To learn about the personal data we process and your data protection rights, please read our Privacy Notice.

What are cookies and similar technologies?

Cookies are small data files that a website places on your device. They help us to operate the site, remember your preferences, and understand how the site is used.

We also use related technologies that work in a similar way. In particular, our website contains tracking pixels (also called web beacons or tags) — small snippets of code or transparent images that, together with cookies, let us record that a page was viewed or an action was taken, link that activity to our own customer-relationship management (CRM) system, and measure and improve our marketing. In this notice, references to "cookies" include these technologies.

Your consent

We set strictly necessary cookies automatically because the site cannot function without them. We only set analytics and tracking cookies and pixels with your consent, which we ask for when you first visit the site. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time using the cookie settings link in the footer, or by clearing cookies and revisiting the site.

Categories of cookies we use

• Strictly necessary cookies: Essential for the website to work — for example, enabling you to move around the site, securing forms, and remembering your cookie-consent choices. These cannot be switched off in our systems.
• Analytics and performance cookies: Help us understand how visitors find and use the site — which pages are visited, how long people stay, and whether they encounter errors — so we can improve it. This information is aggregated and used for statistical purposes. We use Google Analytics for this (see below).
• Tracking cookies (our CRM): Set through a tracking pixel connected to our own customer-relationship management (CRM) system. They let us recognise enquiries, link website activity to a contact record, and measure which marketing brings visitors to the site.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC, to help us understand how the website is used. Google Analytics sets cookies that collect information such as the pages you visit, how you arrived at the site, your approximate location, and your device and browser type. This data is processed in aggregate and is not used to identify you personally; we have IP-address anonymisation enabled where available.

Typical Google Analytics cookies include:

• _ga — distinguishes individual visitors. Expires after 2 years.
• _ga_<container-id> — persists session state for Google Analytics 4. Expires after 2 years.
• _gid — distinguishes individual visitors. Expires after 24 hours.
• _gat — used to throttle the request rate. Expires after 1 minute.

Information collected by Google Analytics is shared with Google and handled under Google's Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Our CRM tracking pixel

Our website includes a tracking pixel that is part of our own customer-relationship management (CRM) system. When it loads, it may set or read cookies on your device so that we can measure visits and enquiries, link website activity to a contact record in our CRM, and understand which marketing brings people to the site. These cookies are only set where you have given consent.

The data collected through the pixel is used by Birchin and processed within our CRM. Where our CRM is provided by a third-party software supplier, that supplier acts as a processor on our behalf and only handles the data under our instructions. We do not use this pixel to sell your data or to serve you third-party advertising.

Managing cookies in your browser

In addition to our cookie settings, most web browsers let you control cookies through their settings — you can usually refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or be alerted when cookies are being set. Useful guides are available for Chrome, Safari and Firefox. Please note that if you disable cookies, some parts of our website may not function properly.

Changes to this policy

We may update this cookie notice from time to time to reflect changes to the cookies we use or for operational, legal or regulatory reasons. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last updated.

Contact us

If you have any concerns or questions about how we use cookies on our website, you can contact us at info@birchin.co.uk.