Ecommerce Glossary

The version of a page's URL search engines are told to treat as the "master" copy, preventing duplicate-content issues.

When a shopper adds items to their cart but leaves without completing checkout - recoverable with reminder emails or retargeting.

Improving listing content - titles, bullet points, images, attributes - so a product converts better and ranks higher in search.

A marketplace restriction requiring seller approval before listing in certain categories, such as Amazon's restricted categories.

A network of servers that caches a site's content closer to visitors, reducing load times.

A forced transaction reversal initiated by a customer's bank, often used to dispute a charge instead of requesting a refund directly.

The percentage of customers who stop buying (or cancel a subscription) over a given period.

The software used to create and publish a site's content without writing code for every page.

Grouping customers by a shared starting point (like signup month) to compare how their behavior changes over time.

A measure of how complete a product's content is - titles, images, bullets, descriptions, attributes and compliance fields.

The percentage of visitors who complete a purchase - the clearest single measure of how well a store or listing performs.

Google's set of page-speed and stability metrics used as a ranking factor for user experience.

The amount charged each time a shopper clicks a paid ad, set by an auction against competing advertisers.

Unloading inbound goods and loading them directly onto outbound shipments, with little or no storage time in between.

A post-interaction survey score measuring how satisfied a customer was with a specific support experience.

The percentage of people who see a search result, ad or listing and click on it: clicks divided by impressions.

A brand selling straight to shoppers through its own store or channels, skipping traditional wholesale and retail middlemen.

Scheduling ad spend to run only during the hours or days that actually convert, instead of bidding the same 24/7.

Inventory that hasn't sold and isn't expected to, tying up warehouse space and capital that could fund something else.

Predicting future sales volume from historical data and trends, used to plan purchasing and avoid stockouts or overstock.

A seller lists a product without holding inventory; the supplier ships directly to the customer once an order comes in.

Amazon's programmatic advertising platform for buying display, video and audio ads on Amazon and across the web, targeting audiences rather than keywords.

A neutral third party holding payment until both sides of a transaction meet agreed conditions.

Swapping a returned item for a different size, color or model instead of issuing a refund.

Amazon stores, picks, packs, ships and handles returns for inventory a seller sends to its warehouses.

The seller ships orders themselves instead of using Amazon's fulfillment network.

Full Container Load / Less-than-Container Load - booking an entire shipping container versus sharing container space with other shippers' cargo.

The offer shown in the main purchase box on an Amazon product page, which Amazon now calls the Featured Offer rather than the Buy Box.

How long it takes a support team to send an initial reply to a new customer inquiry.

A company that arranges international shipping logistics on a business's behalf, without owning the ships or planes itself.

The EU's data protection law governing how businesses collect, store and use personal data from EU residents.

The total value of goods sold through a marketplace or seller account over a period, at the buyer's price and before fees, refunds or returns.

Global Trade Item Number - the umbrella term for standardized product identifiers like UPC and EAN, required by most marketplaces to list a product.

Separating a store's front-end (what shoppers see) from its back-end commerce engine, so either can be changed independently.

Harmonized System Code - a standardized number identifying a product type for customs, used to calculate duty and clear shipments internationally.

A standardized set of international trade terms - like FOB or DDP - defining exactly when shipping cost and risk transfer from seller to buyer.

How many times inventory is sold and replaced over a period. Higher usually means healthier cash flow, rather than simply more sales.

Selling or listing a product that violates someone else's trademark, copyright or patent - a common cause of marketplace suspensions.

Inventory Performance Index - Amazon's 0-1000 score for how efficiently a seller manages FBA stock. A low score can cap storage limits.

Ordering stock to arrive right as it's needed for sale or production, minimizing how much cash sits in a warehouse.

Assembling multiple individual items into a single sellable bundle before it ships.

The total cost of a product once it reaches a warehouse, including unit price, freight, duty and insurance - beyond what the supplier invoiced.

The final leg of a shipment's journey, from a local hub to the customer's door - usually the most expensive part of fulfillment.

The total time between placing a purchase order and having that inventory ready to sell.

Improving every part of a product listing - title, images, bullets, A+ Content, search terms and price - to rank higher and convert more visitors.

When Amazon hides a listing from search and the Buy Box because of a policy, attribute or compliance issue - the listing still exists but can't be bought.

Real-time messaging support embedded on a storefront, often the fastest channel for pre-purchase questions.

A longer, more specific search phrase with lower volume but usually higher purchase intent than a broad keyword.

Less-Than-Truckload - shipping a partial trailer load shared with other shippers' freight, cheaper than booking a full truck.

The total revenue a business expects from one customer across the entire relationship, beyond their first order.

A manufacturer's policy setting the lowest price a retailer can advertise a product at - though not necessarily what it must sell for.

A law requiring platforms like Amazon or Walmart to collect and remit sales tax on a seller's behalf, shifting that compliance burden off the seller.

The short summary shown under a page's title in search results, written to earn the click rather than to rank directly.

The smallest quantity a supplier will accept per order - it shapes how much cash gets tied up in a single purchase.

Search terms you exclude from a PPC campaign so ads don't show for irrelevant searches that waste budget.

The connection between a business and a state or country significant enough to require it to collect and remit sales tax there.

A survey-based score measuring how likely customers are to recommend a business, used as a proxy for loyalty.

The percentage of orders with a negative review, A-to-z claim or chargeback - marketplaces suspend accounts that exceed their threshold.

Selling and supporting customers consistently across every channel - marketplace, store, social - as one connected experience.

A saved-payment flow that lets a returning customer complete a purchase without re-entering shipping or card details.

Visitors who arrive through unpaid search results, as opposed to paid ads.

A single product page (parent) linking multiple size or color variations (children) so shoppers pick from one listing.

The service that securely processes a shopper's card details and authorizes a transaction between checkout and the bank.

The security standards a business must follow to safely store, process or transmit card payment data.

A temporary per-unit surcharge Amazon adds to FBA fulfillment fees during the holiday season; in 2026 it runs from October 15 to January 14.

A centralized system for storing and syncing product data - titles, specs, images - across every sales channel a business sells on.

A structured file (XML, CSV) listing product data that's sent to a marketplace, ad platform or comparison engine to keep listings in sync.

A website built to behave like a native app, including offline access and home-screen installation.

Ultra-fast local delivery, often under 30 minutes, run through dark stores - popularized by apps like Blinkit and Zepto.

A returned or used product that's been inspected, repaired if needed, and resold at a reduced price.

The inventory level that triggers placing a new purchase order, calculated from lead time and average demand.

Software that automatically adjusts a listing's price based on competitor pricing rules, aiming to win the Buy Box without manual monitoring.

A charge deducted from a refund to cover the cost of processing and re-shelving a returned item.

Whether a product page is ready to convert traffic before you send any to it: content, reviews, price, stock and compliance.

Showing ads to shoppers who already viewed a product or visited a site, aimed at bringing them back to finish the purchase.

The percentage of orders that come back as returns - a key signal of sizing, quality or listing-accuracy problems.

The process of moving returned goods back through the supply chain, including inspection, restocking or disposal.

How quickly a product gains new customer reviews over a period - a conversion and ranking signal on Amazon.

The approval and tracking number issued before a customer is allowed to send a product back.

Revenue generated per dollar of ad spend - the inverse framing of ACOS, often preferred when talking to stakeholders.

An advertising report showing the actual shopper searches that triggered your ads, with their clicks, spend and sales.

Help content (FAQs, chatbots, order tracking) that lets customers resolve issues without contacting a human.

The percentage of received inventory sold within a given period - a key signal of how well a product is actually moving.

Amazon's AI helper for sellers, built into Seller Central, that answers account questions and can act on listings, prices and inventory once the seller approves.

How visible your brand or products are compared with competitors across search results, ads and category pages.

A unique code a business assigns internally to track a specific product variant across its own systems.

A defined commitment for how quickly and thoroughly customer requests will be handled.

Pay-per-click ads that place a single listing in marketplace search results and on competing product pages.

A free, branded multi-page shop on Amazon that Brand Registry sellers build to show their full range outside normal search results.

FBA stock sitting in Amazon warehouses with no active listing, so it can't be sold.

Code added to a page that explains its content to search engines in a standardized format, enabling rich results like star ratings.

Ad spend as a percentage of total sales, beyond ad-attributed sales alone - a healthier long-term efficiency read than ACOS alone.

The category and subcategory structure a catalog is organized into, which shapes how shoppers browse and how listings get classified.

The legal agreement a marketplace or platform requires sellers and buyers to accept before using it.

An outside company that handles warehousing, picking, packing and shipping on a seller's behalf.

Moving an unresolved customer issue to a more senior or specialized team.

The direct revenue and cost tied to a single unit sold, used to judge whether a product is actually profitable.

A specific version of a product that differs by an attribute like size or color, usually grouped under one parent listing.

A consumption tax applied at each stage of a product's sale in many countries outside the US.

Amazon's invitation-only portal where brands sell wholesale to Amazon, which then sells to shoppers (first-party, or 1P, selling).

Amazon's invitation-only review program: trusted reviewers (Vine Voices) get free units of new products and write honest reviews.

Walmart's fulfillment program for marketplace sellers - Walmart stores, picks, packs and ships orders, and handles customer service and returns.

Buying products in bulk at a discounted rate to resell individually, as opposed to manufacturing them.

A structured file listing a site's pages, submitted to search engines to help them find and index content.

Comparing a metric to the same period a year earlier, filtering out seasonal noise to see real growth or decline.

Information a customer deliberately shares with a business (a stated preference, a quiz answer), as opposed to data inferred from behavior.