Glossary of Marketing and Ecommerce Terms

Marketing Terms

  • A/B testing: A method of comparing two versions of a web page or marketing material to see which performs better.
  • Brand awareness: The recognition and familiarity of a brand among consumers.
  • Call to action (CTA): A prompt that encourages a specific action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.
  • Conversion rate: The percentage of website visitors who complete a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.  
  • Customer acquisition cost (CAC): The total cost of acquiring a new customer.
  • Customer lifetime value (CLTV): The total revenue a customer generates over their lifetime.
  • Market segmentation: The process of dividing a market into distinct groups of customers based on shared characteristics.
  • Marketing mix: The combination of strategies used to promote a product or service, including the four Ps: product, price, place, and promotion.
  • Return on investment (ROI): A measure of the profitability of an investment.
  • Search engine optimization (SEO): The process of optimizing a website to improve its ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs).  
  • Target market: The specific group of people that a product or service is designed to appeal to.

Ecommerce Terms

  • Abandoned cart: A shopping cart that a customer has started filling but has not completed the purchase.
  • Checkout process: The series of steps a customer must complete to purchase a product or service.
  • Conversion funnel: The path a customer takes from visiting a website to making a purchase.
  • Ecommerce platform: Software that enables online businesses to sell products and services.
  • Inventory management: The process of tracking and managing the stock of products.
  • Merchant account: A bank account that allows a business to accept credit card payments.
  • Payment gateway: A service that processes credit card payments.
  • Shipping carrier: A company that transports products to customers.
  • Shopping cart: A virtual container where customers can place items they intend to purchase.
  • Web analytics: The process of collecting and analyzing data about website visitors.

Additional Terms

  • Local search optimization (LSO): The practice of optimizing a website to rank higher in local search results.
  • Business-to-business (B2B): A type of transaction between businesses.
  • Business-to-consumer (B2C): A type of transaction between a business and a consumer.

B2B and B2C Specific Terms

  • Buying center: The group of people involved in making a purchase decision in a B2B environment.
  • Customer relationship management (CRM): A software system used to manage customer interactions and data.
  • Lead generation: The process of attracting potential customers.
  • Sales pipeline: The stages a sales opportunity goes through from lead generation to closing.
  • Value proposition: The unique benefits a product or service offers to customers.
  • Point of sale (POS): A system used to process transactions in a retail setting.
  • Customer journey: The path a customer takes from initial awareness of a brand to making a purchase.

Branding Marketing

  • Branding: The process of creating a unique identity for a product or service.
  • Brand identity: The combination of elements that define a brand, such as its logo, tagline, and messaging.
  • Brand awareness: The recognition and familiarity of a brand among consumers.
  • Brand equity: The value a brand holds in the minds of consumers.
  • Brand loyalty: The degree to which customers are committed to a particular brand.
  • Brand messaging: The communication of a brand's values and benefits to customers.
  • Brand positioning: The way a brand is perceived in the marketplace.
  • Brand architecture: The structure of a brand's portfolio, including the relationship between different brands and sub-brands.
  • Brand guidelines: A set of rules that govern the use of a brand's elements, such as its logo and colors.

Digital Marketing Terms

  • Content marketing: Creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain customers.
  • Social media marketing: Using social media platforms to build brand awareness, engage with customers, and drive traffic to a website.
  • Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising: A type of advertising where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked on.
  • Email marketing: Sending marketing messages to a list of email subscribers.
  • Search engine marketing (SEM): A form of online advertising that includes both SEO and PPC.
  • Mobile marketing: Marketing specifically designed for mobile devices.
  • Influencer marketing: Partnering with influencers to promote a brand or product.
  • Conversion rate optimization (CRO): The process of improving the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action.
  • Analytics: The process of collecting and analyzing data to understand customer behavior and improve marketing efforts.
  • Digital marketing strategy: A comprehensive plan for achieving marketing goals through digital channels.

Please note: This is just a basic overview of some common marketing and ecommerce terms. There are many other terms that may be relevant depending on the specific context.