Shopivo eCommerce Glossary of Terms
Welcome to the Shopivo ecommerce glossary! Whether you’re just starting out in the world of ecommerce or you’re a total pro, every once in a while you may run into a term you’ve never heard of. We created this dictionary to help. Check back regularly for updates and new search terms added to our list. All terms are in alphabetical order to make your search as easy as possible. If you don’t see what you’re looking for in our list, we’d love for you to reach out to us!
eCommerce Glossary
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is an agreement a retailer makes with a third-party website to have the third-party advertise on the retailer’s behalf. Most affiliate marketers are paid through a commission, which means they receive a portion of the sales you earn as a direct result of their marketing efforts.
API
API means “application programming interface.” Essentially APIs are the toolbox a computer developer uses to build software. Most non-developers won’t need to utilize APIs but if you find yourself in need of a custom program, you can easily hire someone with the correct level of API experience.
Bounce Rate
The percentage of people who visit a website but leave after looking at a single page is known as the bounce rate.
B2B and B2C
B2B is an acronym for “business to business.” It describes a business that sells its products and services to other businesses.
A business known as B2C or “business to consumer” instead sells their product directly to a consumer.
Conversion Funnel
The term conversion funnel describes the steps a consumer takes before buying a product. The steps usually begin with an internet search or ad click for a product. It then leads the consumer to the seller’s website so they can see the product in detail. Finally, the conversion funnel results in a purchase. As the customer goes through each step, they have fewer options to navigate away from buying the product (hence the term “funnel”).
Cookies
When a web browser stores a text file on a user’s device, those files are known as cookies. They can be used to store site preferences and browsing information.
Dropshipping
When a business uses dropshipping as a method of order fulfillment, they never actually see or store the product they sell. Instead, when a customer makes a purchase, the retailer sends the order details to a manufacturer or similar third-party. The manufacturer then sends the product to the customer.
eCommerce
eCommerce, otherwise known as electronic commerce, is a term used to describe when goods and services are sold/purchased using the internet. The product itself can either be physical (and actually shipped to the buyer) or digital (where the buyer receives access to the product online).
HTML
HTML is the abbreviated version of the term “hypertext markup language.” HTML is language programmers use when building web pages. It tells a web browser how to show images, text, and other media on a page.
Keyword Ranking
When a search engine displays results, they do so by using “keyword ranking.” Using this system, the engine browses your website to search for any keywords that are related to what a user may be searching for. The stronger your keywords match the query, the higher up in the results your site will appear. This is a part of SEO or search engine optimization.
Landing Page
When a person clicks on a link, the location the link directs them to is called a landing page. Landing pages are also sometimes called “lead capture pages,” “static pages,” and “destination pages.”
Metrics
When measuring and reporting on business statistics, the method of measurement is called metrics. In ecommerce, there are a variety of metrics a business owner should keep in mind. Some of those include the sale conversion rate, email opt-ins, shopping cart abandonment rates, and more.
Mobile Indexing
Also sometimes called “mobile-first indexing,” mobile indexing is a method used by search engines to make the internet more mobile-friendly. With mobile indexing, Google adds the mobile version of new websites to their search first. The reason behind this is that, in recent years, more people are choosing to access the web through smartphones and tablets rather than through desktop computers.
Mobility
Mobility as it relates to ecommerce means two things. One: mobility refers to how mobile-friendly a website is. Two: mobility may also refer to the different methods a business owner can manage their ecommerce site (ex. through desktop, mobile, etc.).
Niche
In the world of ecommerce, a niche is a segment of the market that a business can directly focus on to target. When a business provides a product or service to a niche, their goal is to fill a need that the mainstream market does not currently address.
Open Source
When the code for a piece of software is publicly available for use, it is considered open source. Open source software may be taken by any business and modified to meet the needs of said business.
Optimized Conversions
When a business claims to have optimized conversions, they mean the systems the business uses help turn website visitors into paying customers. Conversions can be optimized by making sure a website’s design is appealing to customers and also easy for search engines to find. Optimized conversions are also sometimes called the “conversion optimization rate.”
Organic Growth
Also sometimes called “internal growth,” organic growth refers to the ways a business expands through the use of internal resources. The resources may include increasing operation locations, adding new products to sell, or expanding promotions and marketing efforts. Most businesses measure organic growth through profits (not including profits created through acquisitions or mergers).
Payment Gateway
Payments gateways allow websites to accept and process payments through credit cards. They safely transfer financial information between the site the product is being purchased from and the institution that will accept the money. Shopivo partners with PayPal and Stripe for payment transactions.
Scalability
There are two different types of scalability: business scalability and website scalability. Business scalability refers to a business’ overall ability to adapt to and grow with an expanding workload. Website scalability is similar but only refers to a website’s ability to increase request processing when the business the site serves grows in popularity.
SEO
SEO is the acronym for “search engine optimization.” SEO uses keywords in a website’s content that search engines will find relevant based on the popularity of the word (for example, the word “ecommerce glossary” is a great keyword for this page). The better a site’s SEO, the more likely it is to appear at the top of search engine results.
SKU
SKU means “stock keeping unit.” In retail, an SKU is a method of identifying and keeping track of inventory items. SKUs can be a blend of numbers and letters, based on the needs of your business. For example, a black polka-dot shirt in size small might have the SKU “DOT-BLK-SM.” If the shirt comes in white and size medium, the SKU might be “DOT-WHT-M.”
SSL
SSL is a term that describes the security of a website. SSL essentially keeps interactions between computers safe and private. If two computers are sharing information online without SSL security, every piece of information they share may be seen by anyone with internet access. That same transaction with SSL means only the computers involved can see what is being shared.
Traffic
Thirty years ago, traffic made you want to shake your fist out of the window of your car while aggressively honking and maybe letting out a colourful swear or two. Today, the term has evolved to have a second definition. In the world of ecommerce, traffic refers to the number of visitors received by a website. Instead of dreading heavy traffic, it has become the goal of most online store owners. In general, an ecommerce store wants to see heavy traffic from a variety of sources and ideally from people interested in buying that store’s products.
Have more terms you’d like us to add to our ecommerce glossary? Send us a message here!