E-Commerce Glossary
A comprehensive glossary of e-commerce terms every Amazon, Etsy, Shopify, and TikTok Shop seller should know. Click any term to read a detailed explanation, learn how it relates to online selling, and discover how SellerBowl can help.
ACoS
Advertising Cost of Sales — the ratio of ad spend to ad revenue, measuring PPC campaign efficiency on Amazon.
Arbitrage
Buying products at a lower price from one source and reselling them at a higher price on another marketplace.
ASIN
Amazon Standard Identification Number — a unique 10-character alphanumeric code assigned to every product on Amazon.
BSR
Best Sellers Rank — Amazon ranking that indicates how well a product sells relative to others in its category.
Buy Box
The prominent "Add to Cart" section on an Amazon product page — winning it means your offer is the default purchase option.
COGS
Cost of Goods Sold — the direct costs of producing or purchasing the products a business sells.
Conversion Rate
The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase after viewing a product listing.
Dropshipping
A fulfillment model where sellers list products without holding inventory — orders are shipped directly from the supplier.
EAN
European Article Number — a 13-digit barcode standard used internationally to identify products.
FBA
Fulfillment by Amazon — a service where Amazon stores, packs, and ships products on behalf of sellers.
FBM
Fulfillment by Merchant — when sellers handle storage, packing, and shipping themselves instead of using Amazon FBA.
Keyword Ranking
The position at which a product appears in marketplace search results for a specific keyword or search term.
POD (Print on Demand)
Print on Demand — a business model where products are printed and shipped only after a customer places an order.
PPC
Pay-Per-Click — an advertising model where sellers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked.
Private Label
A business model where sellers create their own branded products, typically manufactured by third-party suppliers.
ROI
Return on Investment — a measure of profitability calculated as net profit divided by total investment cost.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization — the practice of optimizing product listings and content to rank higher in search results.
SKU
Stock Keeping Unit — a unique identifier assigned by sellers to track individual products and inventory.
UPC
Universal Product Code — a 12-digit barcode used to identify products in retail and e-commerce.
Wholesale
A business model where sellers buy branded products in bulk from distributors and resell them on marketplaces.