Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

SelfServiceSpot is an independent media and research website about self-service machines, vending machines, kiosks, automated retail, smart stores, micro markets, machine costs, suppliers, locations, maintenance, design, tools, and business ideas.

We are an independent publisher. We do not sell machines directly, and we do not act as a machine manufacturer, installer, broker, financial advisor, or legal advisor. Our role is to help readers discover, compare, understand, and plan before spending money.

You can contact us at [email protected].

2. What this Privacy Policy covers

This Privacy Policy explains what information may be collected when you visit selfservicespot.com, why it may be collected, how it may be used, how third-party services may process data, how cookies and similar technologies may be used, and what choices you may have.

This policy applies only to SelfServiceSpot. It does not apply to external websites, suppliers, tools, videos, maps, advertisers, affiliate partners, or other third-party services we may link to or embed.

3. Information we collect

Information you provide directly

You can read most of our content without giving us personal information. We only receive personal information when you choose to provide it, such as when you contact us, email us, or use a future newsletter, checklist, download, tool, or business inquiry form.

Information collected automatically

Like most websites, we and our service providers may automatically collect technical information when you visit the site. This may include your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, pages viewed, referring website, approximate location, time of visit, and general usage patterns.

Information from third-party services

Some information may be collected or processed by third-party services we use or may use in the future, such as hosting providers, security and content delivery services, email tools, analytics tools, advertising partners, affiliate platforms, embedded content providers, and payment processors if digital products are introduced.

4. Contact forms

If you use our contact form, you may submit your name, email address, subject, and message. We use this information to read and respond to your inquiry.

Contact form submissions may be sent to [email protected] and handled through our website, form plugin, email delivery tools, and email provider. Please do not send sensitive personal information through the contact form.

5. Email communication

If you email us or submit a form, we may keep your message and contact details so we can reply, manage the conversation, prevent abuse, and keep reasonable records related to the inquiry.

We use email services to send and receive messages. Email is not a fully secure communication method, so please avoid sending private, financial, medical, legal, or highly sensitive information by email.

6. Newsletter and downloadable resources, if added

If we add a newsletter, checklist, planning tool, or downloadable resource, we may ask for your email address so we can send what you requested. If we do this, we will explain the purpose at the point of signup.

If you subscribe to emails from us, you will be able to unsubscribe using the link in our emails or by contacting us. We will not require newsletter signup to access basic public content unless clearly stated for a specific resource.

7. Comments, if enabled in the future

Comments are not a core feature of SelfServiceSpot at this stage. If we enable comments in the future, we may collect the name, email address, comment content, IP address, browser information, and anti-spam data needed to display comments and protect the site from abuse. We may update this Privacy Policy if comments become an active feature.

8. Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small files stored on your device. We and certain third parties may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage, or similar technologies for purposes such as:

• basic website functionality;
• security and fraud prevention;
• performance and caching;
• analytics and traffic measurement;
• advertising and ad measurement;
• affiliate tracking;
• embedded content and external media.

You may be able to manage or delete cookies through your browser settings. Where required, we may also use a consent banner or privacy controls to request consent before setting non-essential cookies. Blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the site work.

9. Analytics and performance measurement

We may use analytics tools such as Google Analytics or similar services to understand how visitors find and use the site. These tools may collect information such as pages visited, device and browser type, approximate location, traffic source, and usage patterns.

Analytics helps us improve navigation, content quality, technical performance, and editorial planning. We do not use analytics to identify individual visitors personally.

10. Advertising and Google AdSense

SelfServiceSpot may display advertising to support the site. If we use Google AdSense or other advertising networks, third-party vendors, including Google, may use cookies or similar technologies to serve ads, measure ad performance, prevent fraud, and improve ad relevance.

These technologies may use information about your visits to this website and other websites to show ads based on your interests, depending on your settings and applicable law.

Where required, we will ask for your consent before non-essential advertising cookies are set. You may also be able to manage advertising preferences through your browser settings, an on-site consent control, or the settings provided by advertising vendors.

For information about how Google uses data from partner sites, you can visit Google’s partner sites policy. You can manage Google ad preferences through Google My Ad Center.

11. Affiliate links

Some pages may include affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and take an action, such as making a purchase or requesting information, we may earn a commission or referral fee at no extra cost to you.

Affiliate links may use tracking technologies to determine whether a referral or purchase occurred. Affiliate relationships do not change our commitment to honest, practical, reader-first content. You can read more on our Advertising & Affiliate Disclosure page.

12. Sponsored content, paid placements, and partnerships

We may publish sponsored content, paid placements, supplier features, or partner-supported resources. When we do, we aim to label them clearly. Being paid for a placement does not remove the need for editorial transparency, and it does not mean we guarantee that a product, supplier, or service is the best choice for every reader.

13. Supplier leads and business inquiries

If we later offer supplier inquiry forms, quote request forms, partnership forms, or business lead features, we may collect the information you submit for that purpose. This may include contact details, business details, location, budget range, project type, or machine interests.

If information may be shared with a supplier, partner, or service provider, we will aim to explain that at the point where you submit the information.

14. Digital products, tools, templates, and downloads

If we offer digital products, planning tools, templates, calculators, checklists, or downloads, we may collect the information needed to deliver them to you, such as your email address.

If paid products are introduced, payments would normally be handled by a third-party payment provider with its own privacy policy. We would not store your full payment card details on SelfServiceSpot.

15. Embedded content from other websites

Our articles may include embedded content such as YouTube videos, maps, supplier widgets, social posts, calculators, or other external media. Embedded content behaves as if you visited the other website directly.

These third-party websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional tracking, and monitor your interaction with the embedded content according to their own privacy policies.

16. External links

We link to external websites, including suppliers, tools, references, manufacturers, marketplaces, videos, articles, and other resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, accuracy, content, offers, or security of external websites.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of any external website before sharing information or making a purchase.

17. How we use information

We may use the information described in this policy to:

• operate, maintain, and secure the website;
• respond to messages and inquiries;
• send newsletters or resources if you requested them;
• improve content, navigation, and user experience;
• measure website performance and traffic;
• display and measure advertising, where applicable;
• track affiliate referrals, where applicable;
• detect spam, abuse, fraud, and security issues;
• meet legal, regulatory, or operational obligations.

18. How we share information

We do not sell your personal information for money. We may share or allow access to information only in limited situations, such as:

• with service providers that help us run the website, including hosting, security, CDN, email, forms, analytics, advertising, affiliate, and technical providers;
• with advertising or analytics partners where cookies or similar technologies are used, subject to applicable consent requirements;
• with suppliers or partners if you submit a specific inquiry and the sharing is explained at the point of submission;
• when required by law or to protect our rights, users, website, or the public;
• in connection with a future business transfer, such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

Some laws may treat certain advertising, analytics, or affiliate tracking activities as “sharing” or “sale” of personal information for targeted advertising purposes. Where applicable, you may have the right to opt out.

19. How we protect information

We use reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect the information we handle. These may include secure hosting, HTTPS encryption, reputable service providers, access controls, spam protection, security tools, and regular website maintenance.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

20. How long we keep information

We keep personal information only as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described in this policy, unless a longer period is required or allowed by law.

For example, contact messages may be kept while we handle your inquiry and for a reasonable period afterward. Newsletter data, if newsletters are added, may be kept until you unsubscribe. Data held by analytics, advertising, affiliate, hosting, or security providers is retained according to those providers’ own policies.

21. User choices and rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights over your personal information. These may include the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, object to certain processing, request a copy of your information, withdraw consent, or opt out of certain advertising or data sharing activities.

To make a privacy-related request, contact us at [email protected]. We may need to verify your request before responding. We will respond to valid requests as required by applicable law.

You can also manage cookies through your browser settings and, where available, through an on-site consent banner or privacy control.

22. International visitors

SelfServiceSpot is an English-language website that may be read by visitors from the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Canada, Australia, and other regions.

If you visit from outside the country where our service providers operate, your information may be processed in countries with different data protection laws. Where required, we rely on appropriate safeguards and service provider commitments for international processing.

23. Children’s privacy

SelfServiceSpot is intended for adults and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age required by applicable law. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to remove it.

24. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as the website grows or as we add new tools, services, analytics, advertising, affiliate programs, newsletters, downloads, forms, or other features.

When we update this policy, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page from time to time.

This Privacy Policy is provided for general transparency about how SelfServiceSpot handles information. It is written in good faith to be clear and honest, but it is not legal advice and does not replace advice from a qualified professional. Privacy laws differ by country and region, and you should consider professional guidance for your specific situation.