eCommerce Glossary

An additional authentication layer for online card payments that helps prevent fraud.

An outside company that handles warehousing, fulfillment, and shipping on behalf of a business.

Method that compares two versions (A and B) of a webpage, app, or marketing campaign to determine which one performs better for a specific goal (e.g., increasing click-through rates). Only one element is changed between the two versions (for example, button color or wording), and users are randomly divided so each group sees only one version.

An artificial-intelligence tool that helps customers find products or make purchase decisions.

Paid leave granted to employees for vacation or personal time off.

An indicator that shows the average amount a customer spends per order

Software intermediary that allows two applications to communicate with each other.

computing platform providing servers, storage, databases, and other services.

A situation where a user of an online store adds a product to the cart, but does not complete the purchase process.

A bank or financial institution that processes card payments on behalf of a merchant.

A person or company that promotes another company’s products or services in exchange for a commission on the sales generated.

A performance-based marketing model where affiliates earn commissions for driving sales or leads.

A security process whereby the user's identity is verified (eg using a password, SMS code or biometrics).

The security process in which the system verifies that the user is authorized to use a particular service or perform an action (e.g. payment)

The average duration a visitor spends browsing a website during a session.

B&B: small items or miscellaneous details.

Interaction between business and administration

Interaction between businesses

A commercial model where a company sells products or services directly to the end user.

The server-side part of an application or website that handles logic, database, and server configuration.

A payment option that lets customers receive a product immediately and pay for it in installments.

the final stage of the marketing funnel, where potential customers are ready to make a purchase decision. At this stage, they already know about the product or service and are comparing options, evaluating value, and looking for final reassurance (e.g., reviews, demos, discounts)

A promotion where a customer receives an additional item free when buying one.

Promotion where the second item is half price when purchasing the first.

A shopping option that lets customers order online and collect their purchase at a physical store.

An order for a product that is temporarily out of stock but will be fulfilled once restocked.

It is a metric used to measure the percentage of visitors to a website who leave after viewing only one page, without taking any other actions, such as clicking on links or navigating to other pages. It is calculated by dividing the total number of single-page visits by the total number of visits to the website over a given period of time.

Bundling is a marketing strategy that consists of offering several products or services as a package in order to create value for consumers, since the package usually has a lower price than buying the items separately.

A buyer persona is a detailed fictional representation of an ideal customer for a business. It is developed by conducting research and analyzing data on the target audience's characteristics, behaviors, goals, motivations, and pain points. Consumer personas are created to help companies better understand their customers and make data-driven decisions that will resonate with their target audience.

A model where citizens interact with government agencies online — for example, to purchase services, fill out applications, or make payments.

Interaction between users and businesses

A commercial model where users sell or exchange products with each other via an online platform

The average amount a business spends to acquire one new customer

Two-letter domain code for a specific country.

The total value a customer brings over time, estimated based on their repeat purchases and loyalty to the brand.

A program that allows users to create, edit and manage content on a website without coding.

A payment method where the customer pays in cash when the order is delivered.

The average cost a business pays to acquire one paying customer or lead.

CPC is a digital advertising metric that measures how much an advertiser pays each time a user clicks on their ad.

CPL measures how much it costs a business to acquire a lead, someone who has shown interest in a product or service, typically by filling out a form, subscribing to a newsletter, or signing up for a trial.

A digital advertising metric that measures the cost of showing an ad 1,000 times (impressions) to users, regardless of whether they click it.

Software or system used to manage interactions with customers, such as purchase records, contact information, etc.

Process of increasing the percentage of users who perform a desired action on a website.

Support provided to customers before, during, and after purchase.

Comparison Shopping Engines (CSEs) are websites or applications that allow consumers to search for and compare products and prices across multiple retailers or merchants. They typically aggregate product listings and pricing information from various online retailers and present them side-by-side, allowing consumers to quickly compare similar products' features, specifications, and prices.

CSP is a web security standard that helps prevent attacks like Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) and data injection by specifying which sources of content (scripts, images, styles, etc.) are allowed to load on a website.

A prompt encouraging users to take a specific action, such as clicking a button.

A button or link that prompts the user to perform a specific action.

The percentage of people who click on an ad after seeing it.

Percentage of users completing a desired action on a website, e.g., purchase or form submission.

Overall experience a customer has with a brand or service.

The percentage of shoppers who add items to their cart but leave without completing the purchase.

A webpage that groups and displays products belonging to the same product category.

A forced reversal of a card payment, usually initiated by the customer's bank due to a dispute.

An automated program that simulates conversation with users, often for customer service.

The process where a customer confirms their order and completes payment on a website.

The webpage where customers enter shipping and payment details to finalize a purchase.

The checkout process is the series of steps a consumer goes through to complete a purchase on an ecommerce website. Typically, this involves entering personal and payment information, reviewing order details and confirming the purchase.

A percentage that shows how many customers stop using the service or leave the platform over a certain period of time.

A service allowing customers to order online and pick up their items at a designated location.

An approach that builds an eCommerce platform from independent, interchangeable software modules.

A marketing strategy that involves creating and sharing relevant content to attract and engage a target audience.

Selling products through chat-based interfaces such as messaging apps or chatbots.

One of the main metrics of online marketing, which indicates the performance of the desired action by the user (for example, placing an order, subscribing to a newsletter, etc.).

A person or company that transports and delivers packages to their destination.

Online buying and selling of products between customers and sellers in different countries.

The process of attracting and converting new customers to a business.

A ratio comparing how much value a customer generates over time to the cost of acquiring them.

Strategies and practices used to keep customers satisfied and encourage them to purchase from a brand repeatedly over time.

The ability of a business to keep customers returning for repeat purchases.

A business model in which a company does not use intermediaries, such as retailers and wholesalers, and sells its products or services directly to consumers. The company can offer lower prices and more customized products by controlling the entire process.

An international shipping term (Incoterm) where the seller is responsible for delivering goods to a specified destination, ready for unloading. The buyer is responsible for import duties, taxes, and unloading costs.

Marketing designed to elicit immediate and measurable response from the audience.

Slides out like a drawer over the web page to provide content (e.g., mini basket, currency switcher).

It is the process of integrating third-party delivery services into an ecommerce platform. By integrating with popular delivery services, online retailers can offer their customers a range of shipping options, including same-day or next-day delivery, tracking information, and other features that can help improve the overall customer experience.

Marketing strategies carried out through digital channels, such as social media, search engines, email, and more.

A software-based system that securely stores payment information for online and mobile transactions.

Visitors who arrive at a website by typing its URL directly or using a bookmark.

Offering a customer a cheaper alternative when they hesitate to buy a more expensive product.

A business model in which the retailer does not keep the products in stock, but instead ships them directly from the supplier to the customer.

Unique identifier for products, used globally for inventory and sales tracking.

End of the working day.

Integrated software to manage business processes, including HR, accounting, inventory, and CRM.

Platform that sends bulk emails and manages email marketing campaigns.

Indicators used to assess the performance of an online store, such as conversion rates, traffic, etc.

A metric measuring how actively users interact with content, such as likes or comments.

A faster, often premium shipping option that delivers orders more quickly than standard shipping.

Frequently asked questions and their answers, usually provided on a website to address customer queries.

The part of a website or application visible to users.

Provided without payment.

Items highlighted in an online store to increase their visibility.

A special offer with significant discounts available for a limited time.

Systems and processes used to identify and prevent fraudulent transactions.

Offer of delivery at no cost to the customer.

Complete logistics process, including product receipt, storage, order packaging, and delivery to the customer

A warehouse facility where orders are stored, packed, and shipped to customers.

The total value of goods sold through a platform over a given period, before deducting costs.

Free gifts offered when a customer makes a purchase.

Gross profit expressed as a percentage of total revenue.

Revenue remaining after subtracting the cost of goods sold.