Glossary

A

add-to-cart rate

The percentage of visitors who place at least one item in their cart during the session. To calculate your add-to-cart rate, consider the following formula: (Sessions with cart item viewed) / (total sessions)

allocate

In inventory management, the process of assigning a product as sold so that it cannot be applied to another order and does not count toward on-hand inventory

analytics

Software that tracks and manages your website's key metrics

anywhere returns

The omnichannel strategy that allows the consumer to return a product in the way that works best for them: at any store (even if they didn't purchase it there) or shipped back to the warehouse, even if bought in store

API

API

Application Programming Interface; a set of functions and procedures allowing the creation of applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service

API Extensions

API Extensions

Formerly known as arc.js, a development framework that allows developers to execute custom code whenever certain API actions occur

appeasements

A goodwill credit that can be applied to a fulfilled order where a customer has experienced difficulties but does not wish to return or exchange the items

application

An application is a major and distinct revenue component of the overall account, which allows the client to flexibly structure the hierarchy of applications from a brand, country, channel, region and/or vertical standpoint

application groups

Applications can be rolled up into application groups for organizational and reporting purposes, across any combination of the following: brand, country, channel, region and vertical

application ID

Application ID is used to uniquely identify an application within an account for many usages, including data collection, reporting, access permission, etc.

application program interface API

application program interface (API)

A set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software applications. APIs allow different software programs to interact and exchange information with each other

ARR

Annual Recurring Revenue; an accounts Kibo subscription and platform fees (excl. Professional Services, Cross-sales, upgrades, etc.)

artificial intelligence AI

artificial intelligence (AI)

The concept and programming of machines to perform and complete tasks in a "smart" manner

audience

Audiences are a way to segregate your site traffic for testing and segmentation purposes

automated personalization

A technique used in personalization strategy to automatically optimize customer experience for each person. It uses rapid data aggregation and analysis, cross-channel deployment, and machine learning to predict customer behavior and adjust to changes faster than marketers can.

available to promise ATP

available to promise (ATP)

When evaluating overall inventory, available to promise is the on-hand inventory that has not been allocated elsewhere and is available to commit to an order

average order value AOV

average order value (AOV)

This evaluates how much customers generally spend on each transaction. To calculate your average order value, consider the following formula: (Sum of revenue generated) / (number of orders received)

AWS

AWS

Amazon Web Services; hosts Kibo's databases, services and web applications.

B

business to business B2B

B2B

A commerce transaction that takes place between two or more companies or businesses, like a manufacturer and retailer; a merchant that has a business-to-business sales model

business to consumer B2C

B2C

A commerce transaction that takes place between a company and an individual customer; a merchant that has a business-to-consumer sales model

badging

A way to graphically highlight specific products, promotions, new items, or inventory levels. Badges also allow you to dynamically target visitors based on audience segmentation, so you can emphasize a key selling point of a product based on your audience.

Boost Bury

Boost/Bury

Allows you to manually change the ranking of certain products relative to others

BOPIS

BOPIS

Buy Online, Pickup In Store

bounce

To leave a website without browsing or clicking

bounce rate

A measure of how many visitors leave a website after landing on just one page with no interaction on the page. When analyzing bounce rate, it's important to see how quickly visitors left. If they bounced immediately, this may indicate that what they saw was different from what they expected. A visitor who bounced after spending a fair amount of time on your site suggests there may be a problem with your page.

BPM

Business Process Management, a shipment flow concept that can be customized with Kibo Professional Services.

brick and mortar

A common way to refer to a physical storefront. The opposite of brick and mortar is an online store, marketplace, or e-tailer

C

Campaign

A subsection of Search Settings where merchandisers have the ability to create and schedule boost and bury expressions, as well as specify the search terms that trigger those expressions

cart abandonment rate

This statistic shows the amount of users who were initially interested in your products compared to those who actually made a purchase. To calculate your cart abandonment rate, consider the following formula: Completed Transactions/ Shopping Carts with at least one item x 100 = Cart Abandonment Rate

catalog

A list of products you sell, pulled from the master catalog for a specific location where you define categories and discounts. Kibo module and suite of microservices for showcasing products or services and setting them up for online consumption using technology.

category

Divisions of the catalog that organize products to control where they appear on your site

channel

The source that an order originates from, usually defined by region or type of sale such as the online storefront, Amazon, or eBay

channel conflict

Channel conflict occurs when brand manufacturers sell directly to consumers online and consequently harm existing relationships with their other distribution channels such as distributors, retailers, and dealers

click and collect

Another common way of saying that a consumer purchased a product online and picked it up in the store

cloud computer the cloud

cloud computer/the cloud

The practice of storing and accessing your programs and data over a network (typically the Internet), rather than on a local server or a personal computer

hosted services

Cloud Computing

Outsourced IT systems and functions. Typically hosts physical servers offsite. Hosted services are not the same as the Cloud. Also see Cloud Computing and On-Premise

collection

Allows retailers to merchandize a group of individual products. Complementary or related configurable products can span across Categories and be marketed as a group. This provides flexibility for the shopper to purchase individual products in desired quantities and available options from a single page.

content management system

A database-driven content solution that automates tasks such as archiving and promotion

conversion driver

The force that moves customers to a purchase or helps them overcome resistance prior to converting. A customer may have decided they want a product because it meets their requirements, but may require an extra conversion driver to complete the purchase. Examples of conversion drivers include free shipping and handling and warranty offers.

conversion rate

The rates at which visitors to your website complete a pre-determined action. To calculate conversion rates, consider the following formula: Conversions/total number of visitors = conversion rate

conversion rate optimization

The ongoing process of increasing the probability that a website user will take a desired action or convert based on their customer experience

customer service representative CSR

CSR

Customer Service Representative; someone who interacts with customers to answer questions on behalf of the company, typically referring to commerce orders placed with a company. Uses a customer care interface to accomplish tasks

call-to-action CTA

CTA

Call to Action; elements on your site (images, links, buttons, etc.) that tell the customer what action to take

curbside

The fulfillment option that allows customers to park outside the store and wait for an associate to deliver their order, allowing retailers to serve their customers while limiting traffic within the store and contact between individuals

customer care

customer care

Status of an order/shipment when issue(s) require CSR manual intervention (for example, there is no inventory available to fulfill a customer's shipment)

customer care interface

A customer service program or tool used in call centers to look up customer information, modify order, process returns, and provide customer appeasements

customer relationship management CRM

customer relationship management (CRM)

Managing the relationship with customers through technologies, strategies, and programs, to manage customer interactions throughout the customer lifecycle

D

D2C

D2C

A merchant with a direct-to-consumer business model; a business with no phyiscal storefont

dampening

In Kibo Personalization experience analytics, the dampening setting allows you to scale purchases in the report that are above the selected threshold to a specific number of standard deviations (SD) above the mean

dashboard

dashboard

A user interface that displays a set of metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) related to the sales, revenue, products, and customers of an e-commerce business

dealer locator

A tool on your website that helps consumers find a local dealer that carries your products. Dealer locators are slowly becoming extinct, as consumers move their preferences to product locators that allow them to find (and purchase) the exact product they desire before driving to the store (see Local Product Search)

demographic targeting

The most common form of segmentation, usually by age and gender

distributed order management DOM

distributed order management (DOM)

The process in which an order management system handles complex fulfillment networks and acts as a central hub for the management of all aspects of a customer's order

distribution center DC

distribution center (DC)

A large, specialized facility with the sole purpose of storing inventory for quick redistribution to nearby stores or homes. Distribution centers are also commonly referred to as warehouses

drop shipper

A business that ships products ordered by customers via the storefront of another business; the business that books the sale doesn't carry the inventory for that product

E

eCommerce

Business conducted over the Internet. Two of the most common forms of electronic commerce (eCommerce) are online shopping websites and online marketplaces

EMV

Intended to reduce fraud, EMV (which stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa) refers to the global standard for credit cards equipped with computer chips, rather than magnetic stripes, and the technology used to authenticate them. Also known as chip cards or smart cards.

endless aisle

An omnichannel strategy that prevents sales loss by giving in-store consumers access to your full catalog from a kiosk or mobile application. If you are out of stock of an item, or do not carry a particular product, consumer can still purchase the item they need from your store without having to go to a competitor

enterprise resource planning ERP

enterprise resource planning (ERP)

An integrated view of core business processes, usually integrated applications, used by companies to manage, collect, and store resources for inventory management, shipping and payment, product planning, manufacturing, distribution, customer service, accounting, and/or human resources

F

facets

Element or attribute values within categories that filter the site product results

franchise business

The process of selling your firm's business model, brand, and products to third parties in order to capture market share as an alternative to building chain stores

fraud

fraud

Criminal deception conducted during a commercial transaction over the internet with the goal of financial or personal gain

fraud engine

A sophisticated program that monitors and tracks order payments for suspicious activity, payment errors, and potential fraudulent activity

fulfillment

fulfillment

The process of managing and shipping or completing customer orders

fulfillment options models

fulfillment options/models

Consumer order shipping options that include in-store pickup, ship-from-store, ship-to-store, third-party vendor dropship and ship directly from a warehouse or distribution center. The ability to flexibly offer all these fulfillment options is the heart of omnichannel retailing

fulfillment partners

Stores that carry a branded manufacturer's products and have agreed to act as an order fulfillment source. In omnichannel retailing, fulfillers are the valuable partners responsible for managing order that are assigned as ship-from-store or in-store pickup

future-proof

The idea that technology can be constantly evolving with the commerce and omnichannel space, instead of being stale and stagnant, ensuring relevant technologies in the future

fuzzy matching

A way of increasing the recall of a query by loosening the requirements for a match; allows two terms to match if they are "close enough"

G

geographic targeting geotargeting

geographic targeting/geotargeting

Pinpoints where you want to promote your products

gift card

A prepaid money card that is used as an alternative to cash within a particular store or online. Not all eCommerce platforms support gift card programs

GMV

GMV

Gross Merchandise Value; revenue that is sold online

H

headless commerce

headless commerce

An e-commerce architecture where the front end is decoupled from the back-end commerce functionality and can thus be updated or edited without interfering with the back end

I

impression

An impression is counted when a single Kibo-delivered recommendation is presented to a visitor

in-store pickup ISPU

in-store pickup (ISPU)

The omnichannel fulfillment option that allows shoppers to purchase a product online, but pick it up from a local store, sometimes within an hour or two or the purchase. In-store pickup saves shopping costs, drives traffic into stores and allows retailers and branded manufacturers to offer an expanded product mix

inline analytics

Kibo Inline Analytics provides displays of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in context within the Kibo Administration (Admin) tool, to help merchandisers make data-driven decisions as they manage, merchandise, and implement marketing for a shopping site

integrated inventory sharing

The process in which retailers share their real-time inventory data feeds with branded manufacturers through APIs. By increasing visibility across all platforms with integrated inventory sharing, retailers are enabling their inventory to be easily found where the consumer is researching or purchasing. Also known as inventory lookup.

inventory turnover

The measure of the number of times inventory is sold and replaced over a certain time period. Omnichannel retailing strategies such as in-store pickup and ship-from-store can help increase inventory turnover

J

jumble display

Also known as a clearance table, jumble displays are an array of varying products offered at the same price

K

Kibo Composable Commerce Platform

KCCP

Kibo Composable Commerce Platform; the extensible platform that allows end-to-end Kibo solutions to be integrated on a unified interface and/or API implementation and seamlessly share data between solutions

key performance indicators KPIs

key performance indicators (KPIs)

A metric used to evaluate factors that are crucial to the success of a business. In retail, KPIs should be defined specifically for each sales channel, including eCommerce (online), in-store and mobile

L

launchpad

A landing page of all developer accounts and environments to which you have access

line busting

The ability to place customer orders from anywhere in the store with a mobile point of sale device (rather than fixed location registers), allowing store associates to alleviate long checkout lines and provide a superior customer experience

customer lifetime value LTV

LTV

Lifetime Value/Customer Lifetime Value; the total sum of a customer's past order totals

M

machine learning

A subfield of computer science that involves the ability of computers to ''learn'' from past experiences and observations. This predictive programming combines data, code, and science to find patterns that rule-based programming cannot. With machine learning, instead of creating a program based on ''if-then'' rules, an algorithm is programmed to find opportunities based on mining data to produce reliable decisions. These decisions are consistently improved when more data is stored and analyzed.

manifest

A document required by some carriers (such as Canada Post) that details shipment information for a group of shipments being picked up by the carrier

manufacturer's suggested retail price MSRP

manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP)

Pricing guidance from manufacturers regarding the price they recommend their products sell for. Because MSRP is simply a suggestion, price points can vary greatly between vendors

markdown

A reduction in the price of an item, usually taken to encourage sales. An order management system reduces markdowns by fulfilling online orders from stores with the slowest moving inventory

marketing return on investment ROI

marketing return on investment (ROI)

This is related to determining the value of investing in marketing resources such as creative, overhead and media as related to the overall business.

master catalog

The complete list of all products you sell regardless of where you sell them (location), how you sell them (physical or virtual), and which channel you assign to them

max edits

This setting within Typo Tolerance allows you to specify the number of characters allowed for typos within fuzzy matching

merchandising

A set of merchandising tools used to create presentations that feature products, content, categories, or groups on the pages of your shopping experience

microservices

microservices

A system where each application operates as a small, independent service

minimum advertised price MAP

minimum advertised price (MAP)

Set by the manufacturer, the minimum advertised price is the lowest possible price that your channel partners can advertise your products for, both online and offline

MinMatch

"Minimum number should match" allows you to specify a percentage of query words or blocks that should appear in a document. The allowable range is 0 to 100% and up to three values.

mobile point of commerce mPOC

mobile point of commerce (mPOC)

A complete solution for mobile point of sale, including checkout, omnichannel fulfillment, line busting, and an instant view of a customer's lifetime value

mobile point of sale mPOS

mobile point of sale (mPOS)

A mobile device that functions as a cash register

modular

modular

Building the functions of a commerce platform from a set of components rather than using a single prepackaged system so that retailers can scale commerce more efficiently

multi-tenant architecture

Programming architecture that allows a single instance of a software program to serve multiple customers (tenants). In a multi-tenant architecture environment, all applications share a single, common infrastructure and code base that is centrally maintained

N

net promoter score

A customer loyalty metric created in 2003 that allows companies to product a clear measure of performance through a customer's eye. Having a high net promoter score means loyal customers, which in turn means growth.

O

omnichannel retailing

The concept of creating a seamless shopping experience through all available shopping channels, such as mobile, online, in-store, catalogs, direct mail and more. Omnichannel retail strategies can be made easier and more effective with an order management system

order management system OMS

OMS

Order Management System; the most important tool in your omnichannel retailing strategy. Enterprise-level order management systems handle complex order entry and fulfillment models, allowing for advanced order routing capabilities and all critical omnichannel fulfillment options, such as in-store pickup, ship-from-store, and ship-to-store.

on-hand inventory

The total number of a particular item in your inventory across all your channel. On-hand inventory includes items that have been allocated or designated as safety stock

online marketplace

A website where multiple vendors sell and fulfill product purchases, but transactions are processed by the marketplace operator. eBay is an example of an online marketplace

order routing

Advanced rules that determine which of your fulfillment locations are best suited to ship a customer order. Order routing fulfillment options can include dealer proximity to the consumer, velocity of product, store ranking, load balancing of orders or cost-based

P

packing slip

A piece of paper outlining the items in a shipment. It can usually be found in a pouch attached to the package, or inside the package itself.

partner network

A group of third-party vendors that a software provider integrates with. Software providers with strong partner networks offer manufacturers and retailers more options and flexibility when establishing an omnichannel infrastructure.

payment card industry data security standard PCI DSS

payment card industry data security standard (PCI DSS)

Mandated by the major credit card brands, the PCI security standard is required for all businesses that process credit cards and is intended to increase controls around credit card data to reduce fraud

phrase slop

The number of other words permitted between words in query phrase. The lesser the distance between two terms the higher the score will be. Phrase slop specifies a maximum slop, or the number of positions that tokens need to be moved to get a match. The slop is zero by default, requiring exact matches. The allowable value is any integer greater than or equal to zero.

pick and pack

The process of picking an item off a shelf and packing it into a package for shipment to a customer

pick sheet

A list of items within a pick wave that is printable for store associates

pick wave

The process of picking items for a group of shipments at the same time, usually based on similar product types or locations

point of commerce

Combining the physical and digital worlds as a customer interacts with a brand or retailer

point of sale POS system

point of sale (POS) system

The primary element of the front-end eCommerce system, the point-of-sale software accomplishes the same functions as a cash register during the checkout process

price list

An override to the catalog pricing of products for a specific customer segment and/or site

product attribute

A detail about a product configured as either an option, property, or extra

product locator

Unlike a dealer locator, a product locator offers real-time inventory visibility directly on a website, so consumers can find a product online before they head into the store

product recommendations

Part of an eCommerce personalization strategy wherein products are dynamically populated to a user on a webpage, app, or email based on data such as customer attributes, browsing behavior, or situational context providing a personalized shopping experience

product slicing

Splitting a configurable product based on its option values, such as displaying each color of a shirt separately in the category or search results without creating individual product listings

product type

A template defined at the master catalog level and used to create similar products as standard, configurable, bundle, bundle component, or collection

promotions

Enhanced tools for personalization, product display, merchandising, and content integration

psychographics

Targets based on customer interest and personal views, hobbies, interests, opinions, and attitudes

R

real-time inventory

An instantaneous look at all your inventory items across all your locations. Real-time inventory feeds can help your products be found more easily, as well as ensure availability before purchase (see integrated inventory sharing)

responsive design

Web design that automatically resizes so it can be correctly viewed on a variety of differently sized devices, such as computers, tables, and smart phones

retail associate platform RAP

retail associate platform (RAP)

An interface tool for retail associates that makes it easy for them to provide seamless customer service, either by shipping orders, saving the sale, processing returns and more when the customer is in the store

return on investment ROI

return on investment (ROI)

measures the cost of an investment compared to the results generated. ROI can be calculated through the following formula: (Net Income / Cost of Investment)

S

safety stock

A reserved amount of stock maintained to avoid the risk of running out of inventory, due to uncertainties in supply and demand

sandbox

sandbox

A client environment where features can be tested in the software application before leveraging those features in Production

save the sale

An omnichannel fulfillment tool that allows retailers to look up inventory and find the product in another store, even if they don't carry it

schema

schema

Structured data markup code that can be leveraged to store data and make data easier to be referenced in another channel or workflow

search engine optimization SEO

search engine optimization (SEO)

The process of increasing visibility (and thereby increasing traffic) of a web page or website on a web search engine's unpaid results

search redirects

Allows merchandisers to redirect a user to a specific URL based on specific search terms

search schema

The first phase of search configuration in UCP

search settings

The second phase of search configuration in UCP where you create and refine a set of rules applied to your site

seasonality

A statistical consideration that is based on an estimated monthly traffic percentage

segmentation

Using qualitative and quantitative research to identify defining characteristics that are likely to influence a purchase decision

session

A particular visit from a specific individual

SFS

SFS

Ship From Store

ship-from-store

Pick, pack and ship eCommerce orders in stores. Increase sales without inventory costs and provide a better shopping experience by fulfilling online orders with inventory already on the shelves of local retailers

ship-to-store

Ship any order directly to a specific store from other stores and warehouse. Provide an endless aisle to in-store customers by offering fulfillment from another nearby location

shipping carriers

Third-party shipping companies such as the United States Postal Service, UPS, FedEx, and Canada Post

shopping cart

An eCommerce software that allows visitors on an eCommerce site to set aside or select items with the intent of an eventual purchase

showrooming

The process or researching the reviews and process of a product while standing in a store looking at that product

site search

A subcategory within UCP search settings

software-as-a-service SaaS

software-as-a-service (SaaS)

A software licensing and distribution model based on subscriptions and available to customers over the Internet

stackable discounts

A configurable option to allow multiple discounts to be applied to the same line item or order

standard test experience

An A/B/n test that offers a controlled learning environment

static category

A category that allows you to manually specify the individual products that belong to it

STH

STH

Ship To Home

STH-C

STH-C

Ship to Home Consolidation; when multiple products are needed from multiple locations, the system will automatically ship the products to one location where they are then shipped to the customer together in a single package

stock keeping unit SKU

stock keeping unit (SKU)

A store catalog's product and service identification code, typically shown as a bar code

street price

A retail price that is typically lower than advertised price

STS

STS

Ship To Store; store pickup

subscription

subscription

Selling products on a recurring basis

T

technographic profile

A way to segment visitors by how they've reached your web property and what they've used to see it

theme

Customizable stylesheets and templates that give you complete control over your storefront's front-end experience to design home pages, tailor product and category pages, leverage Hypr and JavaScript, and more

transfer shipment

A shipment provided from one fulfillment location to another to fill inventory when a BOPIS (ISPU) pick-up location does not have all items in stock

turnkey

A software package that is easy to set up and operate, frequently including shopping cart, checkout functionality, or a complete eCommerce solution

typo tolerance

This search settings feature uses fuzzy matching/fuzziness to loosen the requirements for a match. As an example, a search for a misspelled term such as aple with no fuzzy matching will only match the same misspelling. With fuzziness enabled, however, aple can match apple with an edit distance of 1.

U

user interface UI

UI

User Interface; the interface in which a person (the user) interacts to communicate with a program to accomplish certain tasks

V

variant discount

A discount that targets a product variant by excluding/including specific product variant options or as part of the condition for qualifying for the discount

W

wardrobing

When a customer purchases an item, uses it, then returns it for a refund

warehouse management system WMS

warehouse management system (WMS)

Software that supports the operations in a warehouse or distribution center, tracking inventory levels and locations of stock