Glossary of Digital Marketing and E-commerce Terms

Abandoned cart email

A follow-up email sent to customers who added an item to their cart but didn't complete the purchase

Alt text

A brief, written description of an image with the primary purpose of assisting individuals who are visually impaired

BOPIS

An acronym for "buy online, pick up in store"

Brand evangelists

Customers who are so passionate about a product or service that they enthusiastically promote it to others

Brand voice

The distinct personality a brand takes on in its communications

Branding

To promote a product or service by identifying it with a particular brand

Brick-and-mortar

A traditional retail store with a specific location where customers can come to shop

Call to action

An instruction that tells the customer what to do next

Campaign

A plan of action for how a set of one or more ad groups that share a budget, location targeting, and other settings will be distributed online

Cart abandonment

When a customer adds an item to their cart, but doesn't complete the purchase

Click-and-mortar

A type of retail store that sells online as well as in a brick-and-mortar store

Competition

The other sellers that exist already in the market

Contact page

A common webpage on websites that provides information for visitors to contact the organization or individual hosting the website

Conversion

The completion of an activity that contributes to the success of a business

Cost per acquisition (CPA)

The average cost of acquiring a potential customer

Cost per thousand impressions (CPM)

The amount a marketer pays for every 1,000 impressions an ad receives

Customer engagement

The interactions and emotional connection between a customer and a brand

Customer relationship management (CRM) system

Software that helps a business manage and monitor its interactions with existing and potential customers

Demand

How much consumers are willing and able to buy a certain product over a given period of time

Digital shopping cart

The virtual equivalent of a physical shopping cart

Display campaign

A Google Ads tool that allows businesses to place image advertisements across various websites

Domain

The core part of a website's URL, or internet address

Dropshipping

A fulfillment method in which products are shipped from the supplier directly to the customer

Dynamic remarketing

A technique that allows a company to show previous visitors ads that contain products and services they viewed on the company's site

E-commerce

The buying and selling of goods or services using the internet

E-commerce platform

A software application that allows businesses to sell products or services online

E-commerce point-of-sale (POS) system

Software that allows a business to process payment transactions from customers online

E-commerce store

A store that sells its products online

E-commerce strategy

A working plan to promote an online store and increase its sales

Editorial and technical requirements

The quality standards set for ads, websites, and apps

Footer

A navigation section at the bottom of a website

Forecasting

The process of predicting the future demand for products

Fulfillment service

A third-party company that prepares and ships orders from their fulfillment centers

Geographic segmentation

The grouping of customers with regards to their physical location

Google Ads

An online advertising platform where advertisers bid to display brief advertisements, service offerings, product listings, or videos to web users

Google Display Network

A group of websites, videos, and apps where Display ads can appear

Google Merchant Center

A tool advertisers use to upload their store and product data to Google and make it available for Shopping ads and other Google services

Google Trends

A free Google tool that lets people explore what citizens around the world are searching for on Google

Home page

The main page of a website

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)

A method of transferring information over the internet that protects the integrity and confidentiality of data between the user's computer and the site

Landing page

The first page a visitor encounters when they go to a website

Law of diminishing returns

An economic principle stating that if investment in a particular area increases, the rate of profit from that investment will eventually decrease if other variables remain constant

Market research

The process of gathering information about consumers' needs and preferences

Market size

The total number of potential customers within a specific industry

Meta description

Text that provides search engines with a summary of what the page is about

Mobile-first design

A design approach that aims to create better experiences for users by designing specifically for mobile devices

Navigation bar

A collection of links to other pages within a website

Net profit

The amount of money left over after expenses are paid

Net profit margin

The percentage of revenue left over after expenses are paid

Off-season

The period where customers tend to take more time in making purchases, especially if it's for a larger ticket item

Online advertising

A form of marketing which uses the internet to deliver promotional marketing messages to consumers

On-season

The period where customers are much more likely to buy products due to related weather variables or special events

Open-source

Software that allows the user to access and edit the original source code

Order fulfillment

All the steps that take place between receiving an order and delivering the order to the customer

Pain point

A specific problem faced by current or prospective customers while interacting with a site

Payment service provider

A secure way to process transactions online

Performance Planner

A Google tool that allows an advertiser to forecast the impact of different spending scenarios and events during upcoming seasons

Personalization

The practice of delivering a customized experience for each customer

Point of diminishing returns

The point at which revenue-to-ad spend is at its highest

Primary research

Research obtained first-hand

Privacy policy

A legal document that discloses some or all of the ways a business gathers, uses, discloses, and manages a customer's data

Prohibited content

The content brands are not allowed to promote on the Google Network

Prohibited practices

The things brands can't do if they want to advertise with Google

Product description

The text on the product detail page of an e-commerce store that provides details and information to customers about the product

Product detail page (PDP)

A page on an e-commerce site that provides information about a specific product

Product recommendation engine

Software that uses artificial intelligence to analyze customers' data, learn which products might interest them, and display those products to the customer

Product sourcing

How a business acquires the products they sell to customers

Product viability

The sales potential for a specific product

Responsive website design

A website that is designed to work on all types of devices, including computers, mobile phones, and tablets

Restricted content

Content that can be advertised, but with limitations

Return on ad spend (ROAS)

How much revenue is gained versus how much was spent

Return policy

A document that describes, in detail, a business's process and requirements for accepting returns

Revenue-per-click

The average revenue for each individual click on all of a company's pay-per-click keywords and ads

Rewards program

A marketing strategy designed to build customer loyalty by providing incentives for customers to continue shopping with the brand

Search campaign

Text ads that appear on search results when people search on Google for related products and services

Seasonality

The regular and predictable fluctuation of e-commerce traffic around special holidays, events, and weather on a quarterly or yearly basis

Secondary research

Research done by others

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate

A digital certificate that authenticates a website's identity and enables an encrypted connection

Shopping campaign

Product listings that appear on search results and the Google Shopping tab

Smart bidding

A subset of automated bid strategies that uses machine learning to optimize for conversions or conversion value in every auction

Smart campaign

An automated campaign management tool within Google Ads that helps promote a business

Smart Shopping campaign

An advanced Shopping campaign that uses technology to optimize for more sales and reach Google shoppers across Google's sites and networks

Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

Web-based software available on a subscription basis

Stock keeping unit (SKU)

A unique code that retailers use to identify a product

Supply chain

The flow of goods from the beginning stage of sourcing raw materials all the way to the finished product that is delivered to the customer

Target audience

The group of people most likely to purchase a company's products

Terms of service

Legal agreements between a business and customers

Theme

A pre-built website template that creates the design and layout of an e-commerce store

Tone

How a brand's voice is applied

Traffic

The number of visits that a website receives

Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate

(refer to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate)

User experience

How a person—the user—feels about interacting with or experiencing a product

Video campaign

A Google Ads tool that allows businesses to place video advertisements before, during, or after YouTube videos and in the search results

Web accessibility

The practice of designing and developing a website or mobile app so that people with disabilities can use it

Webpage title

An element that provides both users and search engines with a page's topic