This glossary provides definitions for common terms used in retail media.
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Catalog | The catalog contains the items that will be promoted by the advertisers. For example, for a retailer, the products are the items sold by its 1P and 3P sellers. |
| Campaign | The campaigns are the tools used by advertisers to promote products, enabling advertisers to promote their catalog in the retailer’s platform. |
| Auction | Every promoted item inside a campaign is eligible for participating in auctions. An auction is sent requesting the best options to fill a placement. The resolution of the auction considers different optimization parameters to meet the advertiser’s performance objective and the retailer’s financial goals. |
| Event | To generate the campaign metrics, ROAS, CTR and CVR, the retailer sends the interactions of the shopper with the ads, including impressions, clicks and purchases, among others. |
| Attibution | The purchases made by shoppers who interacted with an ad are attributed to the corresponding campaigns. Different parameters can be considered to define how attribution works, such as attribution window and attribution model (last click, multi-touch, etc). |
Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Ad Type | The format or style of an advertisement. Common types include: All, Sponsored Listings, Banner Ads, Video Ads, etc. |
| Attribution Window | The period of time in which conversions or sales are attributed to an ad. Common attribution windows: 7, 14, 30 days. |
| Device Type | The type of device where the ad is viewed or interacted with: Mweb (Mobile Web), Desktop, or App. |
| Placement / Ad Slot | The specific location or area where the ad is displayed within a retail platform or website (e.g., homepage, search results, product pages). |
| Keyword / Search Term | The words or phrases used by customers in search queries that trigger the ad placement (e.g., ""running shoes,"" ""laptop accessories""). |
Metrics
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Impressions | The total number of times an ad is shown to users. |
| Clicks (Charged/Billable) | The number of times users clicked on an ad for which an advertiser will be billed. |
| Click-Through Rate (CTR) | The percentage of impressions that result in clicks. Formula: CTR = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100. |
| Average CPC | The average cost per click. Formula: Average CPC = Total Ad Spend ÷ Total Clicks. |
| Total Ad Spend | The total cost of the campaign, including all ad clicks and associated charges. |
| Sales ($) | The total revenue generated from purchases as a result of the ad campaign. |
| Orders (Transactions) | The total number of completed orders resulting from clicks on the ad. |
| Units Sold | The total number of individual items sold as a result of the ad campaign. |
| Conversion Rate | The percentage of users who completed a purchase after clicking on the ad. Formula: Conversion Rate = (Sales ÷ Clicks) × 100. |
Advanced Metrics
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Total ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) | The total revenue generated per dollar spent on ads. Formula: ROAS = Sales ÷ Total Ad Spend. |
| Same SKU Click ROAS | The ROAS for the same product (SKU) clicked. This tracks the revenue generated per dollar spent specifically on the clicked SKU. |
| Same BRAND Click ROAS (Halo) | The ROAS for products from the same brand that were clicked. This is often used to track brand lift. |
Campaign Assets
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Average Ad Spend (Per Campaign) | The average total spend across all campaigns or ads. Formula: Average Ad Spend = Total Ad Spend ÷ Number of Campaigns. |
| SKU # / Product Identifier # | The unique product identifier (e.g., SKU, UPC, or ASIN) associated with the product(s) being advertised. |
| Creative Size | The dimensions and format of the ad creative (e.g., 970x90, 300x250 pixels for banner ads, 16:9 for video ads). |
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) | The cost to acquire a customer through an ad campaign. Formula: CPA = Total Ad Spend ÷ Conversions (Sales). |
| Average Order Value (AOV) | The average value of an order generated from an ad click. Formula: AOV = Sales ÷ Orders. |
| Average Ad Rank | The average position of an ad relative to other ads in a given placement. Higher rank means better visibility. |
| Share of Voice (SOV) | The percentage of total ad impressions captured by a brand versus competitors. Formula: SOV equals your ad spend or impressions divided by the total ad spend or total impressions for all brands, multiplied by 100 to express the result as a percentage. |
Attribution & Impact
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Last Click Attribution | Attribution model where the final ad click before a purchase is credited with the sale. |
| Multi-Touch Attribution | Attribution model where credit is given to multiple touchpoints throughout the customer journey. |
| View-Through Attribution (VTA) | Attribution model where credit is given to ads shown but not clicked, influencing a purchase after the fact. |
Optimization
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Bid Adjustments | Changes made to bids to optimize ad placement, typically based on factors like time of day, device type, location, or keyword performance. |
| Budget Allocation | The distribution of ad spend across different campaigns, keywords, or placements to maximize ROI. |
Retailer-Specific
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Sponsored Listings | Ads that appear within product search results or category pages, typically appearing as ""sponsored"" or ""promoted"" products. |
| Banner Ads (Display / Audience Ads) | Ads displayed in fixed sections of a webpage, such as at the top, side, or bottom of the page. |
| Dynamic Retargeting | Ads targeted at users who have previously interacted with the brand or product but have not yet converted. |
Creative & Design Ad Types
| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Native Ads | Ads designed to blend seamlessly with the content of the website or platform, making them look like part of the organic content (e.g., sponsored articles). |
| Carousel Ads | A type of ad that allows multiple products to be displayed in a sliding format. Often used for showcasing different product variations or collections. |
