100+ Ecommerce Terms Business Owners Should Know

The world of ecommerce is constantly evolving, and so is the language used to describe its ever expanding landscape. That’s why we’ve created a comprehensive list of terms, trends, and technologies that will support you in your journey in exploring ecommerce, especially if you are new to these concepts.

Let’s get down to the basics: here’s 100 Ecommerce Terms that every marketing professional and business owner needs to know.

100+ of the most important ecommerce terms

1. A/B testing: A method or experiment of comparing two versions of a webpage or marketing campaign to website visitors to determine which one performs better.
2. Abandoned cart: A cart that has been filled with products but not purchased, often due to a customer leaving the website before completing the checkout process.
3. Above the fold: The content that you see when you open a web page. The ‘fold’ is the boundary on a website that separates the browser window and any content below it.
4. Add to cart rate: The percentage of users who add a product to their shopping cart after viewing it on a website
5. Accessibility: The concept of creating a website that is inclusive to all customers by ensuring there are no barriers to accessing the platform, regardless of physical, situational, and cognitive disabilities.
6. Account-based marketing (ABM): A targeted marketing strategy that focuses on individual accounts or customers, rather than broader market segments.
7. Affiliate marketing: A type of marketing where a company pays a commission to third-party websites or individuals for promoting its products or services.
8. Average order value (AOV): The average amount a customer spends per order on a website.
9. B2B (business-to-business): A type of ecommerce that involves businesses selling products or services to other businesses.
10. Back-end: The part of a website or ecommerce platform that is not visible to the customer, including databases and server-side code.
11. Behavioral targeting: A type of marketing that uses data about a user’s behavior and interests to deliver personalized content and advertising.
12. Brand equity: The perceived value and strength of a brand based on factors such as reputation, quality, and customer loyalty.
13. Brand voice: The personality and tone of a brand’s communication with its audience.
14. Browsing audience: The group of people who are visiting an ecommerce website but have not yet made a purchase
15. Buyer persona: A fictional representation of a business’s ideal customer based on research and data.
16. Call to action (CTA): A button, link, or other element that encourages a user to take a specific action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
17. Cart abandonment rate: The percentage of users who add items to their cart but do not complete the checkout process.
18. Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of users who click on a link or ad after viewing it.
19. Chat Bot: An AI-powered software program designed to perform tasks or answer questions for users, often through voice commands or text messaging.
20. Content management system (CMS): An application used to manage digital content and organize it in an understandable and meaningful way. Examples of popular website CMS’s are Squarespace, Shopify, WordPress, Magento, Big Commerce. 
21. Collections: Groups of products that are related and presented in an organized way to users to easily find what they are searching for
22. Cookies: Files that ecommerce websites use on a visitor’s data folder or browser in order to identify customers, preserve their login information, and create a customized online experience for them.
23. Conversion event: A specific action taken by a user, such as making a purchase or completing a form on a website
24. Conversion rate: The percentage of website visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.
25. Cross-selling: A strategy in which a business promotes related or complementary products to customers who are already making a purchase.
26. Cost of goods sold (COGS): The total cost of what it takes an ecommerce business to acquire or manufacture the products they sell.
27. Customer acquisition cost (CAC): The cost a business incurs to acquire a new customer.
28. Customer journey: A customer journey is the complete process from discovering a product to post-purchase experiences, shaping perceptions and loyalty.
29. Customer lifetime value (CLV): The estimated total value of a customer to a business over the course of their relationship, taking into account their spending habits, loyalty, and other factors.
30. Customer relationship management (CRM): A system used by businesses to manage interactions with customers, including sales, marketing, and customer support.
31. Customer retention rate: A metric used to measure the percentage of customers who continue to do business with a company over time, often calculated on a monthly or annual basis.
32. Customer segment: A specific group of people that a business will target for their shared attributes and/or behaviors.
33. Digital wallet: A software application that allows users to store and manage digital payment methods, such as credit cards or cryptocurrencies, for online purchases.
34. Direct mail: Marketing materials, such as catalogs or postcards, that are sent directly to potential customers via mail or other physical delivery methods.
35. Direct to consumer: A type of ecommerce that involves businesses selling products or services directly to consumers.
36. Dropshipping: A fulfillment method in which a retailer does not keep products in stock, but instead passes orders to a manufacturer or wholesaler, who ships the product directly to the customer.
37. Ecommerce platform: A software application or service that allows businesses to build, manage, and operate online stores.
38. Email marketing: The practice of using email to promote products or services, typically through newsletters, promotional offers, or other types of marketing messages
39. Exit-intent popup: A type of popup message that appears on a website when a user is about to leave the page, often offering a last-minute promotion or other incentives to encourage the user to stay or make a purchase.
40. Fulfillment: The process of packaging and shipping orders to customers.
41. Gamification: The practice of adding game-like elements, such as challenges and rewards, to non-game contexts like ecommerce websites to increase user engagement.
42. Geotargeting: The process of delivering content or advertisements to users based on their location.
43. Geofencing: Geofencing is a location-based technology that creates virtual boundaries, triggering actions when devices enter or exit specified areas.
44. Google Ads: A type of online advertising that appears on Google’s search results pages and other Google properties.
45. Google Analytics: A web analytics service provided by Google that tracks and reports website traffic and user behavior.
46. Google Analytics 4 (GA4): The newest version of Google Analytics, offering a more comprehensive and secure analytics platform to track website data and optimize your online presence
47. Google Merchant Center: Google Merchant Center is a platform to upload product data for Google Shopping ads, helping businesses showcase products to a wide online audience.
48. Heatmap: A visual representation of where users click and interact with a webpage.
49. Hero section: The hero section of a webpage is its prominent top portion, often featuring key visuals and messages to grab visitors’ attention and convey core information.
50. Inbound marketing: A type of marketing that aims to attract customers through content creation, social media marketing, and search engine optimization.
51. Influencer marketing: A type of marketing where a business partners with social media influencers to promote its products or services.
52. Key performance indicator (KPI): A measurable value used to evaluate the success of a business or marketing campaign.
53. Landing page: A standalone web page designed specifically for a marketing campaign or promotion.
54. Lead generation: The process of drawing the interest of potential clients in order to increase sales funnel traffic and ensure future sales.  
55. Long-tail keywords: Longer, more specific keywords that are less competitive and more targeted than broad keywords.
56. Market basket analysis: The process of analyzing customer purchase data to identify patterns and relationships between products.
57. Marketing automation: The use of software tools to automate repetitive marketing tasks, such as email campaigns and social media posts.
58. Mobile optimization: The process of optimizing a website or ecommerce platform for mobile devices.
59. Multi-channel selling: The practice of selling products through multiple channels, such as online marketplaces, social media, and physical stores.
60. On-site search: The search function on an ecommerce website that allows users to search for specific products or information.
61. Online marketplace: An ecommerce platform that allows multiple sellers to list and sell their products in one place.
62. Omnichannel: A strategy that aims to provide a seamless, integrated shopping experience across all channels and devices.
63. Order management system (OMS): Software that helps ecommerce businesses manage and track customer orders.
64. Organic traffic: Website traffic that comes from unpaid search engine results.
65. Outbound marketing: Traditional marketing techniques such as TV commercials, print ads, and direct mail that aim to reach a broad audience.
66. Pay per click (PPC) ads: A form of advertising used to convert potential customers with search intent where advertisers pay each time an ad is clicked.
67. Payment gateway: A service that facilitates online payments between customers and businesses.
68. Personalization: The practice of tailoring content and marketing messages to individual users based on their behavior and preferences.
69. Pop-up: A window or message that appears on a webpage to promote a specific offer or action.
70. Product description: A written summary of a product’s features, benefits, and specifications.
71. Product feed: A file that contains product information such as pricing, availability, and images, used to create and manage product listings on ecommerce platforms.
72. Product page: The webpage that displays information and images about a specific product.
73. Product recommendation: A suggestion for a related or complementary product that a user may be interested in based on their browsing or purchase history.
74. Programmatic advertising: A system that places ads on apps or websites based on automated tracking of transactions and processes 
75. Referral marketing: A marketing technique that encourages existing customers to refer their friends and family to a business.
76. Retargeting: A type of online advertising that targets users who have already interacted with a business or website.
77. Return on ad spend (ROAS): A metric used to measure the revenue generated by a marketing campaign compared to the cost of the campaign.
78. Return on investment (ROI): A metric used to evaluate the profitability of an investment, calculated as the gain from the investment minus the cost of the investment, divided by the cost of the investment.
79. Sales funnel: A series of stages that a potential customer goes through before making a purchase, typically including awareness, interest, consideration, and conversion.
80. Search engine optimization (SEO): The process of optimizing a website to improve its ranking in search engine results pages, with the goal of increasing organic traffic.
81. Shopify: A specific ecommerce platform
82. Shopping cart: A virtual shopping cart or basket that allows users to add and save items they wish to purchase on an ecommerce website.
83. Social commerce: The use of social media platforms to sell products or services directly to customers.
84. Social media advertising: The use of paid advertising on social media platforms to reach a targeted audience.
85. SSL: An internet security protocol used to protect a website and allows for secure transactions
86. Storefront: The online presence of a business, typically referring to their ecommerce website or online marketplace storefront.
87. Subscription business model: A business model where customers pay a recurring fee for access to a product or service, often delivered on a regular schedule.
88. Tagging: The process of adding labels or metadata to digital content, such as web pages, products, or images, to categorize, track, or analyze them effectively.
89. Target audience: The specific group of people or demographic that a business is trying to reach and market to.
90. Theme: A pre-designed template that dictates the overall look of a website; often includes design elements such as color schemes and fonts but can be customized to fit specific branding or style
91. Third-party logistics (3PL): A logistics provider that helps businesses with the storage, transportation, and delivery of their products.
92. Traffic: The number of visitors or users who access a website or online platform.
93. Unique visitors: The number of distinct individuals who visit a website or online platform, often counted on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
94. Upselling: The practice of encouraging customers to purchase a more expensive or upgraded version of a product or service.
95. User-generated content (UGC): Content created by users or customers, such as reviews, testimonials, or social media posts, that promotes a business or product.
96. User interface (UI): The visual design and layout of a website or application that allows users to interact with it.
97. User experience (UX): The overall experience and usability of a website or application from a user’s perspective.
98. Video marketing: The use of video content to promote a product or service, often through social media, video sharing platforms, or advertisements.
99. Viral marketing: A marketing technique that aims to spread information or content about a product or service through word-of-mouth or social sharing, often through the use of creative or provocative content.
100. Visual search: The use of images or visual cues to search for products or information online, often through the use of AI-powered technology.
101. WCAG 2: Refers to a set of guidelines established by the US government to ensure that digital content is accessible to people with disabilities, including those with visual, hearing, or cognitive impairments. Compliance with these guidelines is required for government websites and many other organizations.
102. Web design: The process of designing and creating the visual and functional aspects of a website, including layout, graphics, and user interface.
103. Web hosting: The service that allows a website to be accessible on the internet by storing the website’s files and data on a server that can be accessed by users.
104. Website analytics: The collection and analysis of data about website usage and performance, often used to track metrics such as traffic, user behavior, and conversion rates.
105. Website optimization: The process of improving the performance and user experience of a website through various techniques, such as improving page load times, optimizing content, and increasing user engagement.
106. Wholesale: The sale of products or goods in large quantities to retailers or other businesses, rather than to individual consumers.
107. Winback opportunity: refers to a chance for a business to re-engage with past customers who have lapsed or become inactive, aiming to regain their patronage and loyalty.
108. WooCommerce: An open-source ecommerce plugin for WordPress that allows businesses to sell products or services on their website.
109. WordPress: A popular content management system (CMS) used to create and manage websites, often used for blogs, ecommerce sites, and other types of online content.
110. 360-degree product photography: A technique used to capture multiple photos of a product from different angles and combine them to create a 360-degree view, allowing customers to see the product from all sides.
111. 404 error page: A webpage that is displayed when a user tries to access a page on a website that does not exist or has been removed, typically displaying an error message or offering suggestions for finding what the user is looking for.

Looking to take your online store to the next level? Our team of digital marketing experts are ready to partner with you. Contact us today to learn more or schedule a free consultation.