We have compiled a list of basic ecommerce terms in our ecommerce glossary section. This section may help you to strengthen your knowledge about ecommerce.
A/B Split: A test that is performed in a controlled
environment which interchanges two pages to random groups of visitors with the goal of testing
the performance of specific page variables. However, this simple method can only be used to
test one variable at a time.
Also see Multi-variable A/B testing.
Abandonment: When a visitor exits a page or process without
completing the desired action.
Also see Shopping Cart Abandonment.
Above the Fold: The part of the page or email that is initially
visible to the visitor without having to scroll.
Acquisition Cost: The total campaign expense divided by the number of leads or customers it generated.
Also see Return-On-Investment.
Acquisition List: A borrowed list of prospects who have requested to receive online communication about a specific subject.
Address Book Whitelisting: When a company’s email address or domain name is added to a particular individual’s email address book, this prevents unintentional filtering out of emails that the consumer requested to receive.
Address Verification Service: A service provided by the credit card companies to verify the given billing address with the address mentioned on the records of the credit card company.
Addressable Calls: A key metric in the Pay per Call search which consists of description of phone inquiries that may result in an action or sale.
Affiliate: A partner who is paid a commission on the basis of the results shown by marketing your products and services. An affiliate may simply place a link to the merchant’s site on their own site or create a site dedicated solely to promoting the merchant’s products or services.
Affiliate Program: A popular website promotion tool where a website
contracts with other websites for driving visitor to its
site. The revenue is calculated according to the traffic brought by a particular website.
Alert: An online message notification sent to subscribers to share
important information.
Also see Autoresponder
Application Service Provider (ASP): A web-based services provider wherein the clients need not install software on
their own computers as all tasks are hosted on the companies ASP servers.
Attachment: A file of any format included with an email that is not part of the main body of the email message.
Authentication: Automated verification of an email sender’s identity.
Autoresponder: An automated email message sent to a new subscriber as soon as they trigger an event.
Batched Records: A delivery of files in large quantities, instead of in real time.
Bayesian Filter: A content based filter that works like an anti-spam program to evaluate header and content of incoming email messages to determine the probability that
it is spam.
Also see Authentication
B2B: Business-to-business
B2C: Business-to-consumer
Bill-me Later: A deferred payment method provided on purchase of a particular product or service.
Blacklist: A database of addresses that includes domains or IP addresses of an email sender suspected of
sending spam.
Also see Authentication
Block: Refusal by an ISP or mail server to allow your email message to go through to a recipient on the basis of suspected spam, viruses or violation of
email policy.
Also see Blacklist
Browser: Software Application program required to access and read the
websites on the Internet.
Business to Business: A business model for business on Internet.
Popularly called as B2B,it includes ecommerce
transaction between two business organizations.
Business to Consumer: A business model for business on Internet.
Popularly called as B2C, it includes ecommerce
transactions between a business organizations and an individual.
Domain Name:
The unique name given to every website. It is used to physically locate a
website over the Internet. A domain name consists of
three different parts with each separated by a dot.
These are host server name, the unique name of the website and the third
defining the purpose/type of the website.
Ecommerce: A methodology used for executing business - either wholly or
partially - over Internet or a network.
FTP: File Transfer Protocol (FTP). A globally accepted set of rules used
while transferring files from one computer to another
computer of a network or Internet.
Gateway: A hardware or software that acts as a mediator between two
distinct protocols and help in the transfer of
information between diverse systems.
Hosting: A term used for storing and maintaining files, email or domains
on a server that is connected with Internet.
Merchant Account: An online bank account required by a store to receive
payments through electronic mediums like credit cards.
It can be considered as a virtual bank account that receives
electronic money.
Modem: Acronym for Modulator-Demodulator. It is hardware required to
access Internet through a telephone line. Modem converts
the format of information received from the telephone
line (Analog) into a computer friendly format (Digital)
and vise-versa.
Network: Group of computers or devices connected with each other. A
network is used to transfer data within the devices.
Order Tracking:The process of tracing the status of particular order
placed by a customer in a web store.
PCI Compliance: All online merchants processing, transmitting, or
storing credit card data were required to
act in accordance with the new Payment Card
Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard developed by the major credit card companies as
a guideline to help organizations that process card payments prevent credit card fraud,
hacking and various other security issues.
Payment Gateway: A computer system that acts as a mediator between a
merchant account and online storefront. Payment gateway
is used in authentication of credit card information and
real-time charging from a credit card.
SaaS:
Software as a service (SaaS) is a latest software application delivery model where a software vendor builds up a software application and hosts and operates the application for use by its customers over the Internet. In the SaaS model customers pay not for holding the software itself but for using it.
Shipping Provider: An organization that provides the services of
physically transporting the goods ordered on the
Internet, to the address specified by a buyer.
Shopping Cart:
Software required for building an online store and accept orders online.
SSL: Secure Socket Layer. It’s a protocol designed for secure transfer
of Information over the Internet. It helps to maintain
security, reliability and privacy of the information and ensures that
the information is not tempered with while the transfer
is taking place.
Website: A collection of files organized in a structure that can be read
through a browser. The domain name given to a website is
the unique identification of a website in the World Wide Web.
Website Traffic: The number of times a website is viewed by a unique
visitor within a stipulated time.
WYSIWYG: “What You See is What You Get” is a feature of an editor.
Such editors show the exact appearance of the desired
output while you are creating the document or a web page.