--- title: Glossary url: "https://parcellab.com/glossary/" type: Page date_published: "2025-03-07T12:23:04+00:00" date_modified: "2025-10-02T14:25:06+00:00" description: This glossary includes different ecommerce terminology including words pertaining to the post-purchase experience and returns management. --- ## parcelLab glossary This glossary covers key eCommerce terms, including definitions related to the post-purchase experience, order tracking, delivery communication, returns management, and more. Index- [A](#section-A) - [B](#section-B) - [C](#section-C) - [D](#section-D) - [E](#section-E) - [F](#section-F) - [G](#section-G) - [H](#section-H) - [I](#section-I) - [J](#section-J) - [K](#section-K) - [L](#section-L) - [M](#section-M) - [N](#section-N) - [O](#section-O) - [P](#section-P) - [Q](#section-Q) - [R](#section-R) - [S](#section-S) - [T](#section-T) - [U](#section-U) - [V](#section-V) - [W](#section-W) - [X](#section-X) - [Y](#section-Y) - [Z](#section-Z) ## A [Average Order Value Average Order Value (AOV) in ecommerce measures the average total of every order placed with a retailer over specific time period. AOV is a useful indicator for understanding a customer’s purchasing behavior, and you can use it to inform decisions about pricing, marketing, and product positioning. Your AOV can tell you… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/average-order-value/) ## B [Branded Tracking Branded tracking in ecommerce is the practice of personalizing order status pages and emails that customers receive. Instead of a generic update from a shipping provider, customers get notifications customized with your branding. Unlike non-branded tracking, where the communications are standard and generic, branded tracking can be tailored to include specific… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/branded-tracking/) [Branded Emails Branded emails in ecommerce are emails specifically designed to reflect a retailer’s brand, values, and identity. These messages are crafted with a consistent visual design that aligns with the look and feel of your other branded assets (i.e., your logo, website, etc.) Branded emails are often part of a broader marketing… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/branded-emails/) ## C [Customer Retention Customer retention is the ability of a company to retain its customers over a specific period. It’s a metric for determining how well you can engage existing shoppers and maintain long-term customer relationships. How do you calculate customer retention rate? As a KPI or metric, customer retention is expressed as a percentage…. Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/customer-retention/) [Customer Lifetime Value Customer lifetime value is a metric that predicts the net profit attributed to a customer over their entire relationship with your brand. It represents the total amount of money you can reasonably expect a single customer to spend on your products or services during the lifetime of that customer’s relationship… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/customer-lifetime-value/) [Churn Rate Churn rate is the proportion of customers or subscribers who leave or stop using your products or services during a given time period. While it’s typically a metric tracked by SaaS companies, churn is also relevant to ecommerce and DTC brands, particularly those that implement a subscription-based business model. How do… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/churn-rate/) [Carrier Scorecard A carrier scorecard is a tool that evaluates logistic service providers’ (LSPs) and third-party logistic providers’ (3PLs) performance by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and the health of your carrier relationships. Scorecards help brands make decisions that lower risks, differentiate themselves, and identify areas for improvement. Today, some carrier scorecards are… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/carrier-scorecard/) [Cargo Tracking Cargo tracking refers to the system or method used to monitor and trace the movement, location, and status of goods as they move from the point of origin to their destination. This process usually involves the use of barcodes, RFID tags, GPS devices, and electronic data interchange to provide real-time… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/cargo-tracking/) ## D [Direct to Consumer Direct to consumer—DTC or D2C for short—is a business model where companies sell their products or services directly to the end customer without relying on intermediaries like retailers, wholesalers, and distributors. If you’re a DTC merchant, you sidestep the middleman (i.e., retailers, wholesalers, and distributors) and sell directly to the end… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/direct-to-consumer/) [Delivery Status In the context of ecommerce, delivery status is the current state or position of a customer’s order as it goes through the delivery process. It indicates where an item is—in terms of its physical and geographical location, as well as its status in the order fulfillment lifecycle. The delivery status sheds… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/delivery-status/) [Delivery Notification Software A delivery notification software equips brands with the ability to alert their customers about arrival times or delay information regarding their order. It should allow customers to send delivery drivers important information, like instructions for where to leave their package, without having to contact the retailer’s customer support team. Additionally,… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/delivery-notification-software/) [Delivery Management Delivery management refers to the process of delivering a product to the customer. In the context of ecommerce and logistics, delivery management focuses on the systems and steps required to ensure that goods ordered online are packed, transported, and ultimately delivered to shoppers as efficiently as possible. For obvious reasons, delivery… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/delivery-management/) [Delivery Date Estimate A delivery estimate is the predicted date (and sometimes time range) when a product will be delivered to the recipient. Delivery estimates are typically used in ecommerce, in which brands provide an estimated delivery time frame to give customers an idea of when they can expect their products to arrive… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/delivery-date-estimate/) ## E [Ecommerce Tracking Updates Ecommerce tracking updates can be implemented within a branded tracking page on a retailer’s website. This page would use a customer’s name and tracking number to pull in near real-time information about their orders. It should be thought of as a personal dashboard of information for each customer so that they can… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/ecommerce-tracking-updates/) ## F [Final Mile Carrier A final mile carrier (aka last mile carrier) is a specialized carrier whose role is transporting goods from a hub or warehouse right to the customer’s doorstep. The “final mile” term implies this is the concluding stage of the delivery process, but it’s far from the simplest. In fact, the last mile… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/final-mile-carrier/) ## I [Improve Carrier Performance Carrier performance can be improved by taking a look at these six items: On-time pickup/delivery: Gain visibility into a carrier’s performance by measuring their on-time percentage. When retailers know which carriers are going to have issues, they can prioritize carrier improvement or when they need a different carrier to fulfill orders. Communication:… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/improve-carrier-performance/) ## L [Last Mile Delivery Analytics Last mile delivery analytics refers to the data that is gathered from the last mile process of a customer’s online purchase. Internally, a logistics partner may enable their teams to track the progress of a delivery using a unique order ID number. Some use status codes that enable their colleagues… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/last-mile-delivery-analytics/) ## M [Marketing Automation Marketing automation refers to the use of software platforms and technologies designed to streamline your marketing efforts and customer communications. As its name suggests, marketing automation enables you to automate various marketing activities across multiple channels—including email, social media, ecommerce sites, etc. This not only reduces manual work, it also allows… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/marketing-automation/) ## O [Order Fulfillment Order fulfillment is the comprehensive process involved in receiving, processing, packing, and delivering orders to customers. Order fulfillment starts the moment a customer places an order and concludes when the customer receives the product or service. In many ways, order fulfillment represents the latter part of the buying journey because it… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/order-fulfillment/) [Omnichannel Returns Omnichannel returns enable retail customers to choose how they want to return their in-store, online, or mobile purchases. All are not equal in returns and deliveries. Instead of opting for a “one-size-fits-all” approach, retailers should partner with an ecommerce returns management solution that provides granular options and flexible rules. That way, retailers… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/omnichannel-returns/) ## P [Pre-Shipment Pre-shipment is a tracking status used by the United States Postal Service (USPS). It refers to the initial stage of the shipping process when a shipping label has been created by the sender, but the item has not yet been received by USPS for transport. Essentially, “pre-shipment” indicates that USPS has… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/pre-shipment/) [Parcel Tracking Automation Parcel tracking automation is the process in which customers can receive real-time, personalized delivery updates about their parcel (or package) from the retailer. These tracking messages can also take customers back to an order status page, so they can find more details about their parcel. There are different ways a retailer can… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/parcel-tracking-automation/) [Parcel Monitoring Parcel monitoring (or package monitoring) is the process in which customers can receive updates on their orders throughout the delivery process. This process is usually done through a track and trace or order status page. Parcel monitoring can be depicted in many ways. It could include a visual representation, a word… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/parcel-monitoring/) ## R [Return Merchandise Authorization A Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) is a slip or number that can be provided by a retailer to permit the return of a purchase. This allows a customer to receive a refund, replacement, or store credit. How does a return merchandise authorization work? It is important to provide a return process that is… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/return-merchandise-authorization/) ## S [Shipment Tracking API A Shipment Tracking API (Application Programming Interface) is a powerful tool that bridges your ecommerce platform with shipping carriers’ tracking systems. Shipment tracking APIs are especially useful for ecommerce, because orders typically go through several stages and transit points before they make it to their final destination. A shipment tracking API… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/shipment-tracking-api/) ## T [Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Third-party logistics, often abbreviated as 3PL, refers to the outsourcing of ecommerce logistics to a third-party company. These logistics services can range from warehousing and distribution to transportation, parcel monitoring, last mile tracking, and even customer service. In other words, 3PLs can look after the backstage tasks that ensure customers receive… Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/third-party-logistics/) ## W [WISMR WISMR is a commonly used acronym in ecommerce that stands for “Where is My Return?” These are customer inquiries to customer service about the status of their return. It is more common than not that customers are left in the dark after they drop their return off at a carrier location…. Learn more ](https://parcellab.com/glossary/wismr/) ### Can’t find what you’re looking for? 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