Does your WooCommerce store need to comply with cookie and privacy regulations? Merchant’s Cookie Banner module adds a customizable consent banner that links to your Privacy Policy and lets customers know about your data collection rules, helping you meet the legal requirements.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up the Cookie Banner module in Merchant.
Before you get started, make sure you’ve installed and activated the Merchant plugin on your WordPress site. If you’re using premium modules, ensure you have Merchant Pro installed and active.
Customers give consent by clicking the opt-in button on the banner. Once they do, Merchant sets a cookie in their browser as proof that they accepted your Privacy Policy, and the banner disappears for the duration of that cookie. When the cookie expires, the banner reappears and the customer accepts it again. Here’s an example of the Cookie Banner module on the frontend of a WooCommerce store:
1. Create a Privacy Policy page
Before enabling the Cookie Banner module, create a Privacy Policy page. The banner technically works without one, since it only needs the page’s URL, but linking to a real Privacy Policy is what keeps your store compliant with most privacy regulations.
WordPress takes privacy seriously and includes a few helpful defaults. First, it ships with a default Privacy Policy draft that you can edit and publish. Find it on the Pages » All Pages admin screen:
Second, it has a dedicated Privacy area, which you can reach from the Settings » Privacy menu in the left sidebar:
In the Policy Guide tab, you’ll find information about the cookies WordPress and WooCommerce use, which can help you write an accurate Privacy Policy.
2. Save your Privacy Policy page in WordPress (optional)
This step isn’t required for the Cookie Banner module, since it only needs the URL of your Privacy Policy page. However, saving the page as your default in WordPress helps you comply with different privacy regulations, so it’s worth doing.
Once your Privacy Policy page is published, click the Change your Privacy Policy page dropdown, select the page, then click the Use This Page button:
WordPress now stores the page as your default Privacy Policy. It also links to it from the login page of your website:
You can also link to your Privacy Policy from other areas of your site. For example, add it to your footer menu from the Appearance » Menus admin page.
3. Open the Cookie Banner module
Once your Privacy Policy page is set up, open your Merchant dashboard by clicking the Merchant menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area. Under the Protect Store heading, click the Cookie Banner module to open its settings page:
4. Configure the module settings
On the module’s admin page, find the Settings section and configure the following options:
- Theme: Choose whether to show a floating or fixed cookie banner.
- Bar text: The text Merchant shows on the cookie banner.
- Privacy policy text: The text of the link that takes users to your Privacy Policy page (default text: “Learn More”).
- Privacy policy URL: The URL of the Privacy Policy page you created in the first step.
- Button text: The label on the button users click to accept your Privacy Policy (default text: “I Understand”).
- Cookie duration (days): How long the cookie lasts in the user’s browser. The banner stays hidden for this many days after they accept, then reappears.
- Show close “x” button: Show or hide the close button in the top-right corner of the cookie banner.
Once all the settings are configured, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page.
5. Customize the design of your cookie banner
Merchant also lets you customize the style of your cookie banner. Find the Style section below the Settings section on the module’s admin page, where you get the following options:
- Modal height: The height of the cookie banner in pixels.
- Modal background color: The background color of the cookie banner.
- Text color: The color of the text shown on the cookie banner.
- Link color: The color of the link that takes users to your Privacy Policy page.
- Button background color: The background color of the consent button.
- Button text color: The text color of the consent button.
When you’re happy with the style of your cookie banner, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page.
6. Enable the Cookie Banner module
Finally, activate the module by clicking the Enable button at the top of the page:
Frequently asked questions
Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about the Cookie Banner module.
Do I need a Privacy Policy page to use the cookie banner?
The banner works with just the URL of your Privacy Policy page. Creating and saving a real Privacy Policy page is strongly recommended, since that’s what keeps your store compliant with privacy regulations.
How long does a customer’s consent last?
You control this with the Cookie duration option. After a customer accepts, the banner stays hidden for the number of days you set, then reappears so they can accept again.
Can I change how the cookie banner looks?
Yes. The Style section lets you adjust the banner’s height, background color, text color, link color, and button colors to match your store’s branding.
That’s it! You’ve successfully set up the Cookie Banner module in Merchant and linked it to your Privacy Policy.
Next, would you like to add another layer of legal protection at checkout? Check out our guide on the Agree to Terms Checkbox module to learn more.
