Ecommerce terms

A 3D model is a 360º product image that allows you to view a product online from every angle.

An abandoned cart email is sent to prospective customers after they fail to purchase items at your online checkout.

Above the fold refers to the content that sits in the first section of a web page that’s visible without the need to scroll. Anything lower is considered ‘below the fold’.

Adobe Commerce (previously known as Magento) is an ecommerce platform aimed at large businesses with complex needs.

An ASIN is a unique 10-character identifier assigned by Amazon to every product listed on its marketplace.

Average order value (AOV) is a key ecommerce metric. It represents the average monetary value of each transaction or order made on your website within a specific period.

BigCommerce is a popular ecommerce platform that helps brands build and manage their online store.

Black Friday is a huge shopping event that was traditionally held the day after Thanksgiving in the US. It’s now celebrated worldwide and is a fantastic opportunity for ecommerce brands to reel in new customers with irresistible offers and discounts.

Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who land on a page of your website and leave without taking any further action.

A buyer persona is a fictional profile that represents your ideal customer, based on research and real data about your audience.

A call-to-action (CTA) is a prompt that encourages your audience to take a specific action — like 'Buy now', 'Sign up' or 'Learn more'.

A challenger brand aims to disrupt and shake up its industry. They’re often small businesses that go toe-to-toe with industry leaders by providing alternative solutions, backed by ethical mission statements.

A chargeback is when a customer disputes a transaction and their bank reverses the payment, taking the money back from the retailer.

The checkout process is the series of steps a customer goes through to complete a purchase on your online store.

Click-through rate (CTR) is the percentage of people who click on a link or ad after seeing it.

Competitor analysis is the process of researching and evaluating other businesses in your market to understand their strengths, weaknesses and strategies.

Consignment is a popular trading method, particularly in the retail industry. Instead of buying loads of stock upfront, you could get your goods on consignment, meaning you only pay for what you sell.

A content management system (CMS) is a platform that lets you create, manage and publish content on your website without needing to write code.

A conversion funnel is a model that maps out the stages a customer goes through — from first discovering your brand to making a purchase.

Dropshipping is a business model often used by ecommerce brands. When a customer orders a product from an online store, the retailer then orders from a third-party supplier who’ll ship the product directly to the customer.

A European Article Number (EAN), also known as International Article Number, is a type of barcode unique to your products.

Ecommerce - also spelled e-commerce or eCommerce - is short for 'electronic commerce' and is the process of selling products online.

GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is a unique code used to identify a specific product or product variant in the supply chain.

Headless commerce lets ecommerce brands split out their front-end (like their online store) from their back-end systems (like inventory and order processing).

Lifestyle photography aims to tell a story about your brand and capture the emotions of your target audience.

Logistics describe the process of how a company manages, stores and delivers their goods.

A niche is a specific segment of the consumer market. Think ‘vegan pet toys’ or ‘eco-friendly watering cans’. It caters to a very specific set of customers and, when done right, can be incredibly lucrative for your business.

A private label is a product manufactured by a third-party supplier and sold exclusively under a retailer’s brand.

Product bundling is when you collect together a selection of related products and sell them at a discounted price.

A Product Detail Page (PDP) is a dedicated webpage on an ecommerce site that provides comprehensive information about a specific product. It serves as the primary interface where customers evaluate product details and decide whether to make a purchase.

Product positioning is a strategic exercise. It gives clarity on how a product matches your target audience’s needs and what sets it apart from the competition.

A returning customer rate is measured by how many times a customer purchases something from your ecommerce store.

Shopping cart abandonment rate is the percentage of online shoppers who add items to their cart but leave your website without completing their purchase.

Third-party logistics (or 3PL), is when an ecommerce business hires an outside company to handle their logistics and supply chain activities.

Universal product codes (UPCs) are unique 12-digital barcodes that are required for product identification.

White label products are ready-made by third-party manufacturers, which you can brand and sell yourself.