This Amazon Glossary includes over 400 terms and abbreviations you need to know when selling on Amazon.

Whether you’re doing business as a vendor or seller: This A-Z Amazon dictionary will help you navigate all the jargon, abbreviations, and technical terminology you are likely to come across when selling on the world’s largest marketplace.

Make sure to bookmark this page and come back whenever you need to look up any term in the future. I update this Amazon glossary regularly.

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TermDefinition
1PFirst Party, describes Amazon’s direct relationship with manufacturer brands and distributors that receive purchase orders from the retailer (refers to Vendor Central).
3PThird-Party, describes sellers trading goods on Amazon’s marketplace without selling these items to Amazon first (refers to Seller Central).
3PLThird-Party Logistics
3PSThird-Party Seller
3Y JBP3-Year Joint Business Plan

A

TermDefinition
A+ ContentProduct page with enhanced content features on Amazon, e.g., feature comparison tables, enhanced imagery, etc.
A2ZA-to-Z Guarantee
A9Shortened version of the word Algorithms (“A” followed by nine characters). Describes the search technology behind the Amazon product search.
AAAmazon Advertising
ABAmazon Business
AB GVAmazon Business Glance Views
ABVPAmazon Brand View Pro. An Amazon Advertising analytics platform.
AcapulcoRefers to Amazon Pallet Ordering.
ACoSAdvertising Cost of Sale. Describes the ratio of your ad budget to your ad revenue. ACoS = total ad spend ÷ total ad revenue.
ACTActuals
ACUAverage Cost per Unit. The average weighted cost price for which Amazon has ordered a product in a given time period.
ADVAdvertising
AGSAmazon Global Store
AITBBAnything In The Buy Box
AMCAmazon Marketing Cloud
AMGAmazon Media Group, now known as Amazon Ads.
AMPAmazon Marketing Package
AMSAmazon Marketing Services, now known as Sponsored Ads.
AMZ, AMZN or AZAmazon
AMZLAmazon Logistics
AMZNCCAmazon Carton Content Code. External Container ID to label cartons to be sent to Amazon and generated via Vendor Central.
Andon CordIf customers report a product as dangerous or as repeatedly delivered damaged, customer service representatives will remove a product’s listing from the website until the cause is identified and resolved.
AOCAmazon Owned Carrier. A supply chain option for Direct Fulfilment vendors. Under this option, Amazon chooses the carrier for a shipment. The other possible supply chain option for Direct Fulfilment vendors is Vendor Own Carrier (VOC).
APAccounts Payable
APBAmazon Private Business
APIApplication Programming Interface. Allows computers to communicate with each other, often used between Amazon and its suppliers.
APRAnnual Percentage Rate
ARAmazon Resale. Formerly known as Amazon Warehouse.
ARAAmazon Retail Analytics, also referred to as ARA basic. A data reporting section in Vendor Central that brands can access to analyse their sales and inventory with Amazon.
ARAPAmazon Retail Analytics Premium. A now-deprecated reporting section that allowed vendors to analyse customer behaviour and traffic on product pages.
ARNAmazon Reference Number. Used for Collect (WePay) shipments only.
ASINAmazon Standard Identification Number. A unique 10-character alphanumeric identifier for a product on Amazon (for example, B07ZB5C3ZM). It is linked to a unique SKU/EAN/ISBN code and is used as a reference to manage catalogue attributes, prices and inventory of a product.
ASNAdvanced Shipment Notification. A document that notifies Amazon about the time and characteristics of a pending shipment.
ASPAverage Selling Price. Calculated by net sales ÷ volume sold.
ATCAdd to Cart
ATSAmazon Transportation Services
AVNAnnual Vendor Negotiation. Describes the yearly alignment of terms between Amazon and its 1P suppliers.
AVSAmazon Vendor Service, formerly known as Strategic Vendor Service (SVS). It’s a paid programme that gives vendors access to a dedicated contact to assist with operational matters such as ordering and catalogue.
AWAmazon Warehouse
AWSAmazon Web Services

B

TermDefinition
B2BBusiness to Business
B2CBusiness to Consumer
B2RBorn to Run. A programme that allows vendors to request an initial purchase order for new products from Amazon.
BABrand Analytics. Dashboard for brand owners registered with Amazon’s Brand Registry to understand the wider performance of their brand (not account) on the Amazon marketplace.
BAUBusiness as Usual
BBBuy Box. Refers to the Amazon product detail page area where customers can choose to add products to their shopping cart.
BDBest Deal. A type of price discount on Amazon that runs several days or weeks.
BFWBlack Friday Week
BISSBusiness Industrial & Scientific Supplies. A category on Amazon that targets sales to industrial and scientific customers.
BOGOBuy One Get One. A promotion type for sellers.
BOLBill of Landing. Document issued by a carrier that serves three purposes: 1) serves as a receipt for the goods delivered to the carrier for shipment, 2) defines the contract of carriage of the goods from the point of origin to the point of destination according to the responsibilities of the service provider listed on the bill of lading, 3) under certain conditions, provides evidence of title for the goods.
Brand AnalyticsDashboard for brand owners registered with Amazon’s Brand Registry to understand the wider performance of their brand (not account) on the Amazon marketplace.
Brand RegistryProgramme for brands to verify their brand to access enhanced analytics and brand protection features.
Brand StorePart of Amazon Advertising. Brands can create a free store, showcasing their products with customisable images, logos and content.
Browse NodeA numerical code to identify an Amazon product category.
BSBest Seller
BSBrand Specialist
BSRBest Seller Rank
BTPBrand Tailored Promotions
BTRBorn to Run. A programme that allows vendors to request an initial purchase order for new products from Amazon.
BTSBack to School
BundleMultiple single items that can be identified with different EAN/ASIN codes sold together as a single offering.
Buy BoxRefers to the area on the Amazon product detail page where customers can choose to add products to their shopping cart.
BWPBuy with Prime. A service that allows brands to sell through their online shop using Amazon’s order processing for end customers.
BWSBeer, Wine & Spirits

C

TermDefinition
CAGRCompound Annual Growth Rate
CARPCarrier Appointment Request Portal
Category PageA landing page for product groups within the Amazon store. Examples include Home & Furniture, Grocery, Beauty, etc.
ChargebackDescribes a penalty that Amazon charges for non-compliance with standardised processes or late/inaccurate product deliveries.
Child ASINDescribes a product listed under a parent ASIN (e.g., chocolate bar). The child ASINs are the variations under this parent ASIN (e.g., dark/white/milk flavour).
ChimeAmazon’s instant messenger that lets employees and brands meet, chat, and place business calls inside and outside their organisation.
CIVCustomer Instock Value
Climate Pledge FriendlyAmazon’s programme to visibly mark eco-friendly and sustainable products on its marketplace.
CMContribution Margin. The formula: (Average Selling Price – Average Cost per Unit + Contra-COGS – Var. Costs) ÷ Average Selling Price.
COECentre of Excellence
COGSCosts of Goods Sold. The value of goods sold during a selected time period.
Co-op or CoopShort for cooperative marketing. Also referred to as Automated Marketing on Amazon.
ConcessionsThe dollar amount Amazon has refunded to customers.
Contra COGSThe money vendors spend with Amazon to offset COGS. Calculated based on the cost price (list price) at which a product is sold to Amazon.
Coupon (also: Vendor Powered Coupon, or VPC)A type of discount vendors and sellers can offer to customers. Customers redeem the coupons on the product detail page.
CPCost Price
CPContribution Profit. The dollar value of the Contribution Margin.
CPCCost per Click. Measures the dollar amount Amazon Advertising charges vendors and sellers when customers click on their ads.
CPFClimate Pledge Friendly
CPICost Price Increase
CPPUContribution Profit Per Unit
CPQCase Pack Quantity
CPSCommercial, Public and Strategic Accounts
CRConfirmation Rate
CRAPCannot Realise Any Profit. Products that got delisted because they are unprofitable to Amazon.
CSCustomer Service
CSACost Support Agreement
CSMCustomer Success Manager
CTCContribution to Change
CTRClick-through Rate. Calculated as the number of clicks ÷ number of impressions.
CVRConversion Rate
CXCustomer Experience
CXDCross Dock. Also see IXD.
CYCalendar Year

D

TermDefinition
D2FCDelivery-To-FC. Calculated as: Units received with booking or transit defects / total units received at an Amazon warehouse.
DADamage Allowance
Deal OPSRevenue generated by deals and promotions run with Amazon.
DFDirect Fulfilment
DIDirect Import
DMFDiscretionary Marketing Funds
DOTDDeal of the Day. A type of promotion for vendors to discount a product for up to 24 hours during key deal events (e.g., Prime Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc.). Nowadays also known as “Top Deal”.
DPDetail Page. The product page for an ASIN on Amazon.
DPVDetail Page Views. The number of impressions of a detail page in a selected time period.
DSPDemand Side Platform. A platform that enables brands to programmatically buy display and video ads.
DSIDown Stream Impact. A measure that estimates how a product, feature, or service indirectly drives additional customer spending across Amazon.

E

TermDefinition
EANThe International Article Number is a standard describing a barcode symbology and numbering system used in global trade to identify a specific retail product type, in a specific packaging configuration, from a specific manufacturer.
EBCEnhanced Brand Content. The seller equivalent of A+ Content that is available to Amazon vendors.
ECDDEstimated Cargo Delivery Date
EDDEstimated Delivery Date
EDIElectronic Data Interchange. A method to send digital information between companies, mainly used to receive and process purchasing orders.
EDIFACTA standard EDI format and one of the supported EDI message formats at Amazon. Primarily used by Retail vendors in the EMEA region, but also supported for Australia and Brazil.
EFNEuropean Fulfilment Network. Enables brands to sell across European marketplaces while only delivering to Amazon in their home country.
EODEnd of Day
EOMEnd of Month
EPOSElectronic Point of Sale System
ERPEnterprise Resource Planning. A term for software that companies use to manage business activities (for example, SAP or Oracle). You can integrate EDI or API with Amazon through any ERP system, if you can map it according to Amazon’s EDI mapping guidelines and specifications.
EVMEmerging Vendor Management

F

TermDefinition
FBAFulfilment by Amazon. Programme for 3P sellers who let Amazon handle and ship their products to end customers.
FBMFulfiled by Merchant. Refers to 3P sellers shipping products directly to the end customer.
FCFulfilment Centre. Describes Amazon’s warehouses.
FCAFree Carrier for Air. Amazon takes ownership of freight and supply chain at vendor factory, starting with inland truck transportation, available in China.
FCFFree Cash Flow
FCSTForecast
FFPFrustration-Free Packaging. An Amazon programme aimed at eliminating excessive and difficult-to-open packaging.
FLOWForward-Looking Order Workflow. Amazon purchase orders with a shipping window for a future week for best-selling products.
FNSKUFulfilment Network Stock Keeping Unit. Identifies products fulfilled by Amazon.
FOBFree on Board. Relates to the Direct Import model with Amazon, under which vendors are responsible for all costs until the goods are on the vessel at the designated port.
FOPVFeatured Offer Page Views (formerly known as Glance Views)
FREForecast Recast Events. A mechanism for Amazon to automatically refresh PO Forecasts when significant supply/demand focused events (e.g., deals, bulk buys, product obsolescence, etc.) occur.
FTEFull-Time Employee
FTLFull Truck Load
FYFull Year

G

TermDefinition
Gated ProductRefers to products that are blocked for sale by 3P sellers on the Amazon marketplace.
GDSNGlobal Data Synchronization Network. A tool that allows catalogue updates with Amazon.
GEMBABusiness process review to see how the vendor company and Amazon operate. Often used in supply chain related discussions.
GIPEGlobal Imports Program Expansion
GLGeneral Ledger. Describes the P&L of the main product category (e.g. Home, Consumer Electronics, Beauty, etc.)
Glance ViewsEquivalent to the number of impressions of a product detail page.
GLNGlobal Location Number. A unique 13-digit number that identifies a location, entity, or company. Common types of GLNs at Amazon include warehouse GLN, company GLN, buyer GLN, and supplier GLN.
GMMGuaranteed Minimum Margin
GMSGross Merchandise Sales
GMVGross Merchandising Value
GoldboxRefers to Amazon’s deals & promotions page.
GPEGlobal Procurement Excellence
GPEGlobal Program Expansion
GPOGlobal Procurement Organization
GPSRGeneral Product Safety Directive
GTINGlobal Trade Item Number (GTIN). A 14-digit code that uniquely identifies products, items and services.
GVGlance Views

H

TermDefinition
H1First half of the year
H2Second half of the year
HazmatHazardous materials. Refers to highly flammable, toxic or pressurised items that must therefore be handled with special care to protect the health of employees and customers.
HBHeavy Bulky
HCPOHigh Confidence Purchase Order
HOTWHands Of The Wheel
HPCHealth and Personal Care
HPOHot Purchase Order
HTDHalf Year to Date

I

TermDefinition
IBInbound
IDQItem Data Quality. Used to spot product listings with missing titles, bullet points or other content features that need improvement.
IncotermsInternational Commercial Terms
ImpressionsDescribes the number of views of a product page.
IORImporter of Record
IPIntellectual Property
IPCPInbound Preferred Carrier Programme
IPIInventory Performance Index
IPIPItems Per Inner Pack
IPMPInner Packs Per Master Pack
IRDRInventory Record Defect Ratio
ISAInbound Shipment Appointment
ISBNInternational Standard Book Number. A 13-digit number assigned to identify products in a catalogue. Similar to EAN/SKU.
IXDInbound Cross Dock. An Amazon warehouse that accepts freight from vendors/sellers and ships product to various fulfilment centres. IXDs do not ship customer orders.

J

JBPJoint Business Plan. Describes the commercial alignment between Amazon and 1P vendors to review their performance and create a plan for growing their business together over a set period of time.

K

KDPKindle Direct Publishing
KPIKey Performance Indicator. A measurable value that shows how effective you are at achieving business objectives.
KVIKey Value Item
KYCKnow Your Customer

L

TermDefinition
LBBLost Buy Box
LBOLost Business Opportunity
LCLLess Than Container Load
LDLightning Deal. A type of discount on Amazon that is limited to 4–6 hours of running time.
LFOLost Featured Offer. Expected to replace the Lost Buy Box metric in Amazon analytics dashboards in the future.
Listing OptimisationRefers to the process of improving the content of a listing to improve its organic ranking in the Amazon search results.
LPNLicense Plate Number. A unique identifier assigned to a particular inventory unit in Amazon’s fulfilment centres.
LPRLicence Plate Receive. Receive process where items are received by scanning a barcode (SSCC / AMZNCC) on the outside of the package, thus eliminating the need to scan each item.
LSPLLarge Scale Product Launch. A vendor-specific programme where Amazon increases inventory coverage for new items with no return policy but in exchange for advertising investments.
LTLLess than Truck Load

M

TermDefinition
MAPMinimum Advertised Price. Used by brands to ensure a product is not sold under a minimum set price (only applicable in the US).
MarketplaceThe locale or domain in which Amazon is active. Examples are Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, etc.
MCFMulti-Channel Fulfilment. A service that allows brands to use Amazon warehouses to store and ship products sold outside of Amazon.
MCPMatching Compensation. Refers to Amazon’s request to support low-margin products with investments to keep them listed in the catalogue.
MDAMajor Domestic Appliances
MDFMarketing Discretionary Funding, or Marketing Development Fund. A trade term offered by Vendor Managers during annual negotiations.
MFMerchant Fulfilled. Refers to sellers shipping products directly to the end customer.
MFCAmazon Manufacturing Central
MFPMinimum Featured Price
MLMachine Learning
MLAMachine Learning Algorithm
MMAMinimum Margin Agreement
MOAManufacturer on Amazon Policy
MoMMonth over Month
MOQMinimum Order Quantity. Describes the minimum amount Amazon needs to order.
MPMarketplace
MPPPMaster Packs Per Pallet
MTDMonth to Date
MSRPManufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price
MWSMarketplace Web Services

N

TermDefinition
NAFNNorth American Fulfilment Network
NARFNorth American Remote Fulfilment
NASPNorth American Selection Policy
NCNSNo-Call-No-Show
NCXNegative Customer Experience
NDANon-Disclosure Agreement
Net PPMNet Pure Product Profit. The ratio between your average selling price and cost price, which also considers any accruals and C-COGS a vendor has with Amazon. Calculated as (Average Selling Price – Average Cost per Unit + Contra-COGS) ÷ Average Selling Price (Net PPM calculator).
Net PPUNet Pure Profit Per Unit
Net ReceiptsExpresses the volume received by Amazon multiplied by the vendor’s cost price.
NISNew Item Setup. Describes the listing process of a product.
nIXDNational Inbound Cross Dock. An Amazon warehouse that accepts freight from vendors/sellers nationwide (e.g., US) and ships product to various fulfilment centres. nIXDs do not ship customer orders.
NPNew product. Refers to a newly listed item.
NPDNew Product Development
NPLNew Product Launch
NRNon-Replenishable. An item that cannot be restocked.
NS / NONSORTNon sortable item. Amazon considers an item non-sortable if its dimensions are greater than 18 in x 14 in x 8 in (45.5 cm x 34.0 cm x 26.5 cm) or if it weighs more than 20 lbs (12.3 kg).
NTBNew to Brand. Reflects whether an ad-attributed purchase was made by an existing or new customer.
NTSNet Sales

O

TermDefinition
O2COrder to Cash. Describes the process that entails all aspects of handling the sale to Amazon. This includes shipping goods to Amazon, creating invoices, receiving payments, and reporting on the end-to-end process.
OAOnline Arbitrage
OBObsolete
OBOutbound
ODROrder Defect Rate
OHOn Hand
OHLOther Hardlines
OIHOrder Inventory Health
OLROrganisation and Leadership Review
OMOQOffer Minimum Order Quantity
OMSOrder Management System
OTIFOn Time, In-Full. On-Time (OT) tracks the actual delivery date/time vs. the expected or committed delivery time. Amazon measures the actual delivery date/time upon check-in. In-Full (IF) refers to the quantity of the delivered product. It can be exact, more, or less than ordered.
OOSOut of Stock
OpExOperational Excellence
OPSOrdered Product Sales, equivalent to Ordered Revenue
Ordered RevenueRefers to the orders placed by end customers that have not yet shipped by Amazon. It’s based on the average selling price at the time of the order. Calculated as: ASP * Volume Ordered.
Ordered VolumeEquals Ordered Revenue ÷ ASP
OTCOver the Counter
OTPOne-Time Password

P

TermDefinition
P1Priority 1
P2Priority 2
P3Priority 3
P2GPath to Green
P70Amazon estimates with a 70% probability that future weekly customer demand will be at or below this value.
P80Amazon estimates with an 80% probability that future weekly customer demand will be at or below this value.
P90Amazon estimates with a 90% probability that future weekly customer demand will be at or below this value.
P&LProfit and Loss
Parent ASINDescribes the ASIN under which the variants of a product are grouped together. The parent ASIN could be a chocolate bar, while the child ASINs are the flavour variations (e.g., dark/white/milk flavour).
PBPrivate Brand
PBDDPrime Big Deal Days
PBSPredictive Buying System
PCAPersonal Care Appliances
PCOGSProduct Costs of Goods Sold. Expresses the quantity sold multiplied by the cost price of a vendor. PCOGs equal Shipped COGS in Vendor Central.
PCTPercentage
PD1Prime Day 1. Refers to Amazon Prime Day in June/July.
PD2Prime Day 2. Refers to Amazon’s Prime Fall event in October/November.
PD4Prime Day 4. Refers to the 4 days Prime Day event in June/July.
PDPrime Day
PDAProduct Display Ads
PDPProduct Detail Page. The webpage a shopper views when browsing an item on Amazon.
PEDPrime Exclusive Deal, or Prime Exclusive Discount
PFAPlease Find Attached
PFRProvisions for Receivables. Describes an accounting tactic where Amazon prioritises its own cash flow and only pays vendor invoices when the sum of outstanding amounts from trade terms, chargebacks and financial disputes is less than the actual invoice amount from the vendor.
PIBPerfect Inbound. Describes the number of shipments that Amazon fulfilment centres can process quickly, without delays or problems.
PIBDRPerfect Inbound Defect Rate. Measures the number of inbound defects as a % of all received units at Amazon fulfilment centres.
PLPrivate Label. Describes products sold by Amazon under their own brand name but made by other manufacturers.
PLTProcurement Lead Time
PICSPan European Inbound Consolidation Service. A logistics programme that helps vendors reduce the number of fulfilment centres they need to supply in any given (EU) market.
SPICSSuper PICS (Super Pan European Inbound Consolidation Service). A logistics programme that helps vendors reduce the number of fulfilment centres they need to supply across European markets.
POPurchase Order
POAPlan of Action
POCPoint of Contact
POCAPurchase Order Change Acknowledgment is an EDI message which acknowledges acceptance of the Purchase Order Change Request (POC).
PODProof of Delivery
PPAPrice Pack Architecture
PPAPrice Protection Agreement. Protects Amazon against a reduction in value of the units currently on hand and in transit.
PPCPay Per Click. A type of Amazon Advertising where a brand pays when an ad gets clicked.
PPMPure Profit Margin. Describes the ratio between the average selling price and cost price. In other words, it is the amount of money Amazon makes from the sale of a product before costs. Calculated as (Average Selling Price – Average Cost per Unit) ÷ Average Selling Price.
PPOOSProcurable Product OOS. Describes the out of stock (OOS) rate on all products that are procurable. Procurable Product OOS = OOS Glance Views (GVs) on Procurable ASINS / Total GVs.
PPPUPure Profit Per Unit
PPUPrice Per Unit
PPVProduct Price Variation. When the cost price of a vendor invoice does not match the cost price of the Amazon purchase order.
PQVProduct Quantity Variation. When the product quantity of a vendor invoice does not match the number of received items at the Amazon warehouse.
PRPlanned Replenishment
PrimeAmazon’s subscription service for free delivery, which also entails services like Amazon Music and Video.
PROProgressive Number. A tracking number that is issued by a carrier for its freight.

Q

TermDefinition
Q1First Quarter (Jan–Mar)
Q2Second Quarter (Apr–Jun)
Q3Third Quarter (Jul–Sep)
Q4Fourth Quarter (Oct–Dec)
Q5Fifth Quarter. Refers to a hectic first quarter right after the Christmas period (colloquial).
QAQuality Assurance
QBRQuarterly Business Review
QDQuantity Discount. Applicable for sales with Amazon Business.
QUIDQuantitative Ingredient Declaration

R

TermDefinition
R&RRoles and Responsibilities
RARetail Arbitrage
RGMRevenue Growth Management
rIXDRegional Inbound Cross Dock. An Amazon warehouse that accepts freight from vendors/sellers in one pre-defined region and ships product to various fulfilment centres. IXDs do not ship customer orders.
ROORemoval of Offer. Refers to the removal of the Buy Box, while active Subscribe and Save customers will continue to receive orders.
ROASReturn on Ad Spend. Describes how much revenue a brand gets in return for its advertising budget. Calculated as ROAS = 100 * total ad revenue ÷ total ad spend.
ROIReturn on Investment
RRARapid Retail Analytics
RRPRecommended Retail Price
RSPRetail Selling Price. The price at which a product is sold to a consumer.
RVRRetail Vendor Recruitment

S

TermDefinition
S2PSource to Pay
SASStrategic Account Services. A programme that gives sellers access to a designated Amazon account manager to help them increase sales and optimise their business.
SBSponsored Brands
SBSASStandards for Brands Selling in the Amazon Store Policy
SCSeller Central. The admin interface used to market and sell products directly to Amazon customers.
SCACStandard Carrier Alpha Code. A unique, four-letter alpha code used to identify a carrier.
SCMSupply Chain Management
SCPSupply Chain Programme
SDSales Discount. Describes amounts related to promotional activities that Amazon conducts at the customer checkout.
SDASelective Distribution Agreement. Used by suppliers to maintain control over the resale of its products by only selling to distributors meeting specific criteria.
SDASmall Domestic Appliances
SDNSelective Distribution Network. Describes the distributors that are part of an SDA.
SEOSearch Engine Optimisation
SFPSeller Fulfilled Prime. Refers to sellers that ship products from their own warehouses and comply with Amazon’s strict SLA.
Shipped COGSThis metric is based on the cost price of a product at the time of Amazon purchasing it, multiplied by the shipped volume during the selected time period. Expressed as a dollar value and calculated as: Vendor Cost Price * Volume Shipped (to end customers). Shipped COGS equals Amazon PCOGs.
Shipped RevenueThe revenue Amazon makes by shipping a vendor’s products. It’s based on the average selling price to the end customer at the time of shipment and multiplied by the sold volume during the selected time period. Calculated as: ASP * Volume Shipped (to end customers).
Shipped VolumeEquals Shipped Revenue ÷ ASP
SIASell-In Agreement. Margin funding for Amazon that is granted as a percentage or $ amount per shipped item to Amazon warehouses.
SIOCShips in Own Container. Describes products that don’t need an Amazon overbox.
SIPPShips in Product Packaging. Describes products that don’t need an Amazon overbox (equivalent to SIOC).
SKUStock Keeping Unit. A unique code to identify a product.
SLAService Level Agreement
SnLSmall and Light. Fulfilment programme that results in low shipping costs for qualified products that fit into an envelope.
SnSSubscribe and Save. Amazon’s loyalty programme to entice customers to make repeat purchases of replenishable products on its marketplace in exchange for a small discount.
SOASell-out Agreement. Margin funding for Amazon that is granted as a percentage or $ amount per sold item to end customers.
SOHSellable on Hand
SoROOSSourceable Replenishment Out of Stock. This metric measures the instances when products are shown as unavailable for purchase on the product detail page, even though they can be sourced from a 1P vendor. Factors that affect SoROOS include temporary sales suppression due to repeat customer complaints or safety concerns (Andon Cords), manual buyer suppressions, and lack of inventory.
SORTSortable. Describes products that are shipped and sold in standard parcel dimensions.
SOVShare of Voice
SPSmall Parcel
SPSponsored Products
SP-APISelling Partner API. A suite of REST-based APIs that provides Amazon selling partners programmatic access to their Amazon Seller or Vendor Central account data.
SPDSmall Parcel Delivery
SPNService Provider Network
SPOCSingle Point of Contact
SQPSearch Query Performance
SRSales Rank. The ranking of an item in a product category.
SRPSecure Receive Process
SRPSuggested Retail Price
SSCCSerial Shipping Container Code. External Container ID to label cartons to be sent to Amazon, which can be passed via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).
SSPASelf-Service Performance Advertising. A self-service, display advertising solution for endemic and nonendemic advertisers to grow their business with Amazon at scale by engaging audiences across the shopping.
SSRSelf Service Registration
STRSell-Through Rate. Calculated as the number of units shipped compared to the number of units at Amazon at the start of the period, plus any units received during the same time period. Sell Through Rate = (Shipped units – customer returns) / (On hand units + received units).
StorefrontA curated brand store, typically paid for by vendors.
SWShip Window. The date range in which a PO needs to be delivered to an Amazon warehouse to avoid chargebacks.

T

TermDefinition
T5Turkey Five. Refers to the five days stretching from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday, otherwise known as Thanksgiving weekend (2023).
T12Turkey Twelve. Refers to the twelve days stretching from Early Black Friday Sales, to Thanksgiving, to Cyber Monday (2024).
T30DTrailing 30 Days
T60DTrailing 60 Days
T90DTrailing 90 Days
T12MTrailing 12 Months
Third-Party SellerDescribes sellers trading goods on Amazon’s marketplace without selling these items to Amazon first.
TLTruck Load
TOSTerms of Service
TSITrans Shipment In
TSOTrans Shipment Out
TTMTrailing Twelve Months

U

TermDefinition
UFTUltra Fast Track (UFT). The percentage of time that an ASIN can be shipped to the customer from a fulfilment centre, versus the selection Amazon intended to carry.
UNSPSCUnited Nations Standard Product and Services Code. Amazon uses this code to categorise products.
UPCUniversal Product Code. 12 numeric digits that are uniquely assigned to a product item for tracking it in-store.
UTAUnable to Access
UTLUnable to Locate
UXUser Experience

V

TermDefinition
VariationProducts available in different colours, sizes, and forms, grouped on a detail page.
VAPVendor Acceleration Programme
VATValue Added Tax
VBVirtual Bundle
VCVendor Central. The admin interface used by manufacturers and distributors who work directly with Amazon as a first-party vendor (1P).
VCRVendor Confirmation Rate
VendorDescribes brands that sell directly to Amazon instead of to end customers. Amazon places the orders and takes care of pricing and inventory management.
VF / VFlexVendor Flex. A supply chain programme through which vendors supply products to end customers out of their warehouse.
VFBDVendor Funded Business Discounts
VFHVendor Flex Hub
VFMCVendor Funded Managed Coupons. Set up and managed by Amazon’s Subscribe and Save team.
VGPVendor Growth Plan. Outlines the metrics that the AVS Brand Specialist is targeting to improve with a vendor.
VVFVirtual Vendor Flex. Like Vendor Flex, but the vendor, not Amazon, provides the labour for picking and packing the shipments to the end customer.
VIAOVendor Initiated Allocated Offer
VineAn Amazon programme where sellers can register their products to receive reviews from verified product testers.
VIOVendor Initiated Order
VIPVendor Improvement Plan. Outlines the metrics that the AVS Brand Specialist is targeting to improve with a vendor.
VIRVolume Incentive Rates. Refers to rebates that are granted either as a fixed or tiered percentage. They incentivise Amazon to buy additional volume from vendors.
VLTVendor Lead Time
VMVendor Manager
VMSValue Market Share
VOCVendor Own Carrier. A programme that allows Direct Fulfilment vendors to use their own choice of carrier for shipping. The other main supply chain option for Direct Fulfilment vendors is Amazon owned carrier (AOC).
VOCVoice of the Customer
Voucher (also: Vendor Powered Voucher, or VPV)A type of discount vendors and sellers can offer to customers. Customers redeem the vouchers on the product detail page.
VRIDVehicle Run Identification. An alpha-numeric identifier unique to the truck and load for an assigned shipment.
VSPVendor Success Programme
VSS-MVendor Self-Service Merchandising
VTOVirtual Try-On

W

TermDefinition
WAPWalk Away Position
Warehouse DealUsed or returned items sold at a discount to Amazon customers to prevent waste and reduce the liquidation of imperfect products.
WCOWorld Customs Organisation
WEEEWaste Electronic and Electrical Equipment
WHSWarehouse Health and Safety
WIPWork In Progress
WOCWeeks of Cover. A metric used to measure how many weeks of demand Amazon currently holds in inventory for a product.
WOCWeeks on Hand. See definition for WOC.
WoWWeek over Week

X

TermDefinition
X-Channel ManagementRefers to brands selling their products across multiple Amazon channels (e.g., Amazon Core, Fresh, Go, etc.).

Y

TermDefinition
YoYYear over Year
YTDYear to Date
YTGYear to Go

Z

TermDefinition
Zero InventoriesRefers to an inventory control mechanism that eliminates any waste due to built-up inventory levels. Sellers stock only the items they need and intend to sell within a certain time period.

Still having questions?

I hope this glossary has helped you understand some of the most common Amazon terms that you’ll come across as a vendor or seller.

Spotted any term or abbreviation that I haven’t covered here? Then let me know on Twitter!

About Martin Heubel

Hi, I’m Martin Heubel – founder of Consulterce and ecommerce strategy consultant, based in London, UK. I help global consumer brands reliably increase their margins with Amazon Vendor Central.