Glossary
Ecommerce terms, explained simply
Short, plain-English definitions of the terms sellers run into on Amazon, Shopify and beyond.
A+ Content
A+ content is the enhanced section of images, comparison charts and text below the main details on an Amazon product page.
ACOS
ACOS is the percentage of ad-attributed sales spent on Amazon advertising. It is calculated as ad spend divided by ad sales, times 100.
Amazon DSP
Amazon DSP lets advertisers buy display and video ads programmatically, on and off Amazon, using Amazon's shopper data.
ASIN
An ASIN is the 10-character ID Amazon assigns to every product in its catalog. Books use their ISBN instead.
Brand Registry
Amazon Brand Registry is a program for brand owners with a registered or pending trademark. It gives more control over listings and access to brand tools.
Buy Box
The Buy Box is the "Add to Cart" and "Buy Now" area on an Amazon product page. When several sellers offer the same product, only one wins it at a time.
Conversion rate
Conversion rate is the percentage of visitors or sessions that end in a purchase.
CTR
CTR is the share of people who click after seeing an ad or search result: clicks divided by impressions, times 100.
FBA
FBA is Amazon's program where sellers send inventory to Amazon warehouses and Amazon stores, picks, packs, ships and handles returns.
FBM
FBM means the seller stores and ships orders themselves or through their own 3PL instead of using Amazon's warehouses.
GEO
GEO is the practice of making a brand more likely to be mentioned and cited in answers from AI assistants like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.
Google Merchant Center
Google Merchant Center is where brands upload their product feed so products can appear in Google Shopping ads and free listings.
Listing hijacking
Listing hijacking is when another seller jumps on your Amazon listing, often with a counterfeit or lower-quality version, or changes your listing details.
Performance Max
Performance Max is a Google Ads campaign type that runs one campaign across Google Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, Gmail and Maps.
Repricing
Repricing is adjusting product prices, often automatically, in response to competitors, demand or Buy Box status.
ROAS
ROAS is ad revenue divided by ad spend. A ROAS of 5 means every $1 spent on ads brought in $5 in sales.
Seller Central
Seller Central is the dashboard third-party sellers use to manage their Amazon business: listings, inventory, orders, ads and payments.
SKU
A SKU is the seller's own code for tracking a specific product and variation in inventory.
Sponsored Products
Sponsored Products are cost-per-click Amazon ads that promote individual listings in search results and on product pages.
TACOS
TACOS is ad spend divided by total sales (ad and organic), times 100. It shows how much advertising costs relative to the whole business.
UPC
A UPC is the 12-digit barcode number used to identify a product in retail. Marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart use it to match listings.
Vendor Central
Vendor Central is for brands that sell wholesale to Amazon. Amazon buys the inventory and becomes the seller of record.