GLOSSARY
Every Amazon term.
Defined in plain language.
54 terms sellers meet in Seller Central, Campaign Manager and agency reports, each with a definition, why it matters and the process that moves it.
HOW TO USE IT
Look it up. Then act on it.01Find the term
02Read what moves it
03Open the linked process
A
A+ ContentAmazon's enhanced product description for brand-registered sellers. Image and text modules that replace the plain description section on the product page.ACoSAdvertising cost of sales. Ad spend divided by the sales those ads produced, shown as a percentage. The first number most sellers look at, and the one most often misread.Amazon DSPAmazon's demand-side platform for programmatic display, video and audio ads on and off Amazon, bought on impressions rather than clicks and usually through an agency or Amazon's managed service.Amazon Marketing CloudAmazon's privacy-safe clean room for analyzing ad and shopping signals across formats. Advertisers query aggregated, anonymized data with SQL and build custom audiences from the results.ASINAmazon Standard Identification Number. The 10-character code Amazon assigns to every product in its catalog. One ASIN is one product page, shared by every seller who offers that product.
B
Backend Search TermsThe hidden keyword field in a listing's Seller Central edit page. Words that help the listing index for searches without appearing on the product page, limited to 250 bytes per listing.BidThe maximum amount you are willing to pay for one click on an Amazon ad for a given keyword or target. Amazon's auction, dynamic bidding settings and placement modifiers decide what you actually pay.Brand AnalyticsThe set of reports in Seller Central available to Brand Registry sellers, including Search Query Performance, Top Search Terms, Market Basket, Repeat Purchase Behavior and Demographics.Brand RegistryAmazon's program for trademark owners. It gives control over listing content and unlocks A+ Content, Brand Store, Sponsored Brands, Brand Analytics, Vine and the tools used to remove unauthorized sellers.Brand StoreA brand's own multi-page storefront on Amazon, built from templates and tiles, reachable from the brand name on any listing and from Sponsored Brands ads.Brand Tailored PromotionsA Seller Central tool for Brand Registry sellers that offers percentage discounts to specific audiences Amazon defines, such as repeat customers, brand followers, cart abandoners and high-spend customers.BSRBest Sellers Rank. Amazon's ranking of a product's recent sales against other products in the same category, shown on the listing and updated roughly hourly.Buy BoxThe Featured Offer on an Amazon product page, the offer that goes in the cart when a shopper clicks Add to Cart or Buy Now. Ads only run for the seller who holds it.
C
Campaign ManagerThe section of the Amazon Ads console where sponsored ad campaigns are created, edited and reported on, reached from Seller Central under Advertising or directly at advertising.amazon.com.Conversion RateThe share of visits to a listing that end in a purchase. On Amazon it is usually read as Unit Session Percentage, or in advertising as orders divided by clicks.COSMOAmazon's commonsense knowledge framework for search and recommendations. It infers why a shopper wants a product and what it is for, so listings can match queries that do not contain their keywords.Coupons and DealsAmazon's seller-funded price promotions. Coupons show a clippable badge on the listing and search results; deals include Lightning Deals, 7-Day Deals, Best Deals and Prime Exclusive Discounts, each with fees and eligibility rules.CTRClick-through rate. Clicks divided by impressions, shown as a percentage. It measures how often shoppers who see your product in search results or an ad choose to open it.
D
Daily BudgetThe average amount per day you allow an Amazon ad campaign to spend. Amazon can spend up to 25% more on a busy day as long as the monthly total stays within the daily budget multiplied by the days in the month.DaypartingAdjusting Amazon ad bids or budgets by hour of the day or day of the week, so spend concentrates in the hours that convert and eases off in the hours that only produce clicks.
F
FBAFulfillment by Amazon. You ship inventory to Amazon's warehouses and Amazon stores it, picks, packs, ships and handles customer service and returns, with the offer eligible for Prime.FBMFulfilled by Merchant. You store, pack and ship orders yourself or through a 3PL and handle customer service. No FBA fees, but no Prime badge unless you qualify for Seller Fulfilled Prime.
H
I
ImpressionsThe number of times an ad was displayed on a page, whether or not anyone looked at it or clicked. The top of the advertising funnel and the first number to check when traffic falls.IndexingWhether Amazon has associated a listing with a keyword so that it can appear in search results for it. A listing must be indexed for a term before it can rank for it, organically or through ads.IPIInventory Performance Index. Amazon's 0 to 1000 score of how well an FBA seller manages inventory, based on excess stock, sell-through, stranded inventory and in-stock rate. It affects FBA storage limits.
K
L
M
N
Negative KeywordA keyword you add to a campaign or ad group to stop your ads showing for searches that contain it. Available as negative exact and negative phrase, plus negative product targeting for ASINs.New-to-BrandAn Amazon Ads metric that counts orders from shoppers who had not bought from your brand on Amazon in the previous 12 months. Reported for Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, Sponsored TV and DSP, and now for Sponsored Products.
O
P
PlacementWhere on Amazon an ad appears. Sponsored Products reports three placements, top of search on the first page, rest of search and product pages, each with its own bid modifier and performance.Premium A+ ContentThe larger, interactive tier of Amazon A+ Content, with video, hover hotspots, carousels and full-width modules. Available to brand-registered sellers who meet Amazon's eligibility criteria.Prime DayAmazon's annual multi-day sale for Prime members, usually held in July, with a second Prime Big Deal Days event in October. Traffic, cost per click and deal fees all rise, and preparation starts weeks earlier.
R
ROASReturn on ad spend. Ad-attributed sales divided by ad spend. The inverse of ACoS, expressed as a multiple rather than a percentage.RufusAmazon's generative AI shopping assistant, built into the Amazon app and site. It answers shopper questions about products by reading listing content, reviews and Q&A, and it recommends products in conversation.
S
Search Query PerformanceThe Brand Analytics report that shows, for each search query, how many impressions, clicks, cart adds and purchases your brand or ASIN received compared with the total for that query.Search TermThe exact words a shopper typed into Amazon search before clicking your ad. Distinct from the keyword you bid on; the Search Term report shows the two side by side.Seller CentralAmazon's web portal for third-party sellers. Where listings, inventory, orders, pricing, FBA shipments, reports, account health, Brand Registry tools and support cases are managed for a selling account.SessionsAmazon's count of visits to a product listing within a 24-hour period, reported in the Detail Page Sales and Traffic report. The denominator of Unit Session Percentage.SKUStock keeping unit. The seller's own identifier for an offer in Seller Central, chosen by the seller and used for inventory, shipments and reporting. Several SKUs can point at one ASIN.Sponsored BrandsAmazon's brand-level ad format for Brand Registry sellers. Headline banners, video ads and Store spotlight ads that show your logo and several products and can land on your Brand Store.Sponsored DisplayAmazon's self-service display ad format for Brand Registry sellers. Audience and product targeting that reaches shoppers on and off Amazon, including retargeting of listing visitors.Sponsored ProductsAmazon's cost-per-click ad format that promotes a single ASIN in search results and on product pages. Open to all professional sellers and the base of most Amazon advertising accounts.Sponsored TVAmazon's self-service streaming TV ad format for Brand Registry sellers. Video ads on Prime Video, Fire TV, Twitch and other streaming inventory, bought in the same console as search ads.Stranded InventoryFBA units sitting in Amazon's warehouses with no active offer to sell them, because the listing is suppressed, closed, deleted or blocked. They incur storage fees and cannot be bought.Subscribe & SaveAmazon's recurring-delivery program for replenishable products. Shoppers subscribe for a discount and receive the item on a schedule, with the seller funding part of the discount and Amazon adding more for multi-item subscribers.Suppressed ListingA listing Amazon has hidden from search and browse because it fails a content or policy requirement. Shown in Seller Central under Fix Your Products with a reason code. Ads stop serving while it is suppressed.
T
TACoSTotal advertising cost of sales. Ad spend divided by total sales, organic and paid together. The number that shows whether advertising is building the business or carrying it.Top of SearchThe sponsored ad slots at the top of the first page of Amazon search results. The placement with the highest visibility and usually the highest click-through rate and cost per click.
U
V
VariationA parent-child listing structure that groups versions of the same product, such as sizes or colors, on one product page with a single set of reviews and a selector for the options.VineAmazon's own early-review program. Brand-registered sellers enroll an ASIN and supply free units to invited Vine Voice reviewers, who post reviews Amazon labels as Vine. The one review-generation route Amazon runs itself.
A CLEAR PLAN COMES FIRST
Know the terms. Now see the plan.
An account audit, a 90-day roadmap, and a written scope before you pay.