Categories & Purposes
Categories
Categories are the top-level groupings shown to users in the consent banner and Preference Center. Each category has a toggle (except Necessary, which is always on).
Default categories
| Category | Default label | Always on? |
|---|---|---|
necessary | Necessary | Yes — cannot be rejected |
analytics | Analytics | No |
marketing | Marketing | No |
functional | Functional | No |
Customising categories
You can rename, reorder, and delete non-necessary categories. You can also add custom categories if your data processing requires it (e.g. a personalization category).
Policy → Categories → Edit
Category descriptions
Each category has a description shown in the Preference Center. Write clear, plain-language descriptions:
Analytics
We use analytics cookies to understand how visitors interact with our
website. This helps us improve our content and user experience.
All data is anonymised and aggregated.
Purposes
Purposes are specific data processing activities within a category. They provide more granular information than categories.
Example purposes
| Category | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Analytics | Measure page views and sessions |
| Analytics | A/B testing and optimisation |
| Marketing | Show personalised ads |
| Marketing | Retargeting across platforms |
| Functional | Remember language preference |
| Functional | Live chat support |
Configuring purposes
Policy → Categories → [Category] → Purposes → Add Purpose
Each purpose has:
- Name (shown in Preference Center)
- Description (optional detail)
- Which vendors fulfil this purpose
TCF v2.3
If your property uses IAB TCF v2.3, purposes map to IAB-standardised purpose IDs. ConsentForge handles the TC string generation automatically when TCF mode is enabled.