Glossary

This refers to the stage in the e-commerce process when a customer has successfully selected products or services, provided payment information, and confirmed their purchase. The order is placed, and the e-commerce platform generates an order confirmation for the customer.

Order tracking allows customers to monitor the status and location of their packages as they move through the shipping and delivery process. It provides real-time updates on the order's progress.

As the name suggests, OTP is a one-time use, temporary, secure PIN code that is issued to you via SMS or email to prevent identity threats.

It refers to the record of all the orders placed by a customer from placed but not received to retrospective orders. It provides all the details of an orders like shipping details, payment status etc.

Order cancellation occurs when a customer or the e-commerce business decides to cancel an order before it is shipped or fulfilled. This can happen for various reasons, such as changes in the customer's decision or insufficient stock.

Unified tracking refers to the provision that allows users to track all their orders from a single platform. This eliminates restrictions on having multiple tracking portals, you can track all your shipments on a single dashboard. Order tracking while shipping from multiple carrier partners can be vigorous if you don't have unified tracking system.

Whenever there is a difference between the weight of a shipment provided by the seller and measured by the courier company, a case of weight discrepancy arises which is often called a weight dispute. Change in the weight of a shipment can lead to high shipping costs subsequently increasing the price of the whole order that has to be shipped. One of the ways to avoid weight disputes is to calculate the volumetric weight (product of length, breadth, and height by 5000) after the packaging of the item is done to know the exact weight. Connecting with a shipping partner, a logistics aggregator can help you ease off and make the weight disputes issues hassle-free giving you time to focus on your business.

Dangerous goods refer to certain hazardous goods that the secretary of transportation has recognized as dangerous and are capable of imposing a threat to health, safety, and property while being shipped. Most courier firms ban the shipment of certain items because of the nature of the goods. These items must be carried with extreme caution and must be declared prior to shipment. Some harmful commodities are forbidden from shipping by one or more modes of transportation. Because of their chemical or physical qualities, certain commodities are designated as DG goods. Crackers, gases, flammable liquids, corrosive substances, and so on are examples.

RTO stands for "Return to Origin," which happens when a delivery attempt fails and the package is sent back to the seller's location. RTO detection is a system that identifies such cases and allows the e-commerce business to take appropriate action, such as reshipping or issuing a refund.

After a customer selects the COD payment option and places an order, the e-commerce platform generates an order confirmation specifically for COD orders. This confirmation often includes details on how and when to make the payment upon delivery.

API meaning Application Programming Interface consists of several open endpoints that allow two software components to communicate based on a defined request and response system. eCommerce Shipping APIs are a great example that explains how data can be pushed across channels easily without having to fetch information manually. Swift API integration allows direct integration with all the major sales channels and courier partners like Shopify, Amazon, Delhivery, Bluedart, etc.

COD stands for "Cash on Delivery." COD risk refers to the potential challenges and risks associated with accepting cash payments upon delivery. It includes the risk of non-payment or fraudulent orders.

This is a webpage or interface that customers can access to enter their order details (usually a tracking number) to see the current status and expected delivery date of their orders.

Some e-commerce businesses customize the order tracking experience with their branding. This branded tracking page provides a consistent and on-brand experience for customers while they track their orders.

A refund is the process of returning the payment to a customer for a canceled, returned, or unsatisfactory order. Refunds are typically issued through the same payment method used for the original purchase.

The "Your Orders" section is a part of an e-commerce website or app where customers can view a history of their past orders, track deliveries, and access order-related information.

An exchange occurs when a customer wishes to return a product they've purchased and, instead of a refund, they request a replacement product of the same or equivalent value. This is common for clothing or items with sizing issues.

This action involves a customer placing a new order for the same or similar products or services they've previously purchased. Customers may reorder items they like, need again, or want to stock up on.

A tracking page is used by merchants and customers to know the status of a shipment. Every shippment has a unique tracking number using which a customer can get details around the whole journey of a shipment.

Abandoned cart recovery rate is the percentage of people who returns back to complete their purchase after abandoning their cart. Sellers using email, whatsapp, messages can send reminders and discounts to customers to entice them to complete their orders.

The success of a business is determined by your cart conversion rate. It is the percentage of carts that end up as a purchase. It is measured by dividing the number of successful orders by the total number of shopping carts opened by potential buyers

All the carts that have been opened i.e. contains atleast 1 item but has not completed the purchasing process is an abandoned cart.

It is calculated by dividing the number of people who abandons their cart by the total number of visitors to your website.

Drop-off is an activity that happens in the purchasing journey of an online shopper. Whenever a customer goes through a bad experience like filling of long and verbose forms at checkout or multiple page redirects, customers leaves the site and does not complete the checkout journey.

BNPL or buy now pay later allow customers to make a purchase and defer payment to a later date or split it into multiple installments.

Integrating discount on the website allows shoppers to easily access the predefined offers via dicount coupon.

Payment failure in e-commerce refers to a situation where a customer's attempt to make a payment for a product or service on an online store is unsuccessful or declined. Payment failures can occur for various reasons, and they are a common challenge that e-commerce businesses need to address to ensure a smooth and successful transaction process.

Payment methods in e-commerce refer to the various ways customers can pay for products or services they purchase online. Offering a variety of payment options is crucial for e-commerce businesses to accommodate the preferences and needs of their diverse customer base.

Digital wallets, also known as e-wallets or mobile wallets, enable customers to store their payment information securely in a digital format. Examples of digital wallets include Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, PayPal, and various region-specific options.

Credit card payments are one of the most widely accepted and used payment methods in e-commerce. Customers can enter their credit card details, including the card number, expiration date, and CVV code, to complete a transaction.

Debit card payments directly deduct the purchase amount from the customer's bank account. Debit cards are also widely accepted and are often used by customers who prefer not to accrue credit card debt.

It is a feature that converts a physical description of a location or a place into coordinates to find a location on earth's surface.

A payment gateway can be defined as a network that merchants use to accept money from your customers. Customers and businesses must coordinate while using a payment gateway in order to complete a transaction.

RTO Detection is a feature which once incorporated, proactively checks the address of the customer and provides indication based on the previous data. It gives information to the merchant if previously placed orders have been RTOd or if the courier partner is inefficient in delivering the orders.

Address Verification is a feature that validates the authenticity and deliverability of an address given by a cutomers. It has been proven an efficient sytem to reduce RTO for online stores.

Auto-fill feature automatically fills the column based on previously filled similar information or related information.

Auto-feature, also known as "auto-suggest" is a feature that automatically attempts and suggests to complete a word or a phrase based on the previously filled information or AI based. It makes searches faster.

The final stage in a customer's online purchasing process is the checkout. Consumers have to provide shipping information as well as select the methods of payment availaible on the website. The simplicity of your online store checkout procedure will also affect your website conversion rate.

Just like customers put selected items to buy in a shopping cart at a brick and mortar store, an online shopper puts it in add to cart. It is before the final step in the purchasing process, i.e. the checkout.

A wishlist option on a website is a feature that allows users to create a personalized list of items or products they are interested in, but may not be ready to purchase immediately.

It is the percentage of visitors to your website that complete a desired goal(a conversion) out of the total number of visitors.

The percentage of visitors who leave the website after viewing only one page without interacting further. A lower bounce rate is generally desirable because it means users are exploring multiple pages or engaging with the site's content.

The amount of time a user spends on the website during a single visit. Longer session durations often suggest that users find the content valuable and engaging.

The number of pages a user views during a single visit to the website. A higher number of pageviews may indicate that users are exploring the content in-depth.

User engagement on a website refers to the degree and quality of interaction between users (visitors) and the content or features offered on the website. It is a measure of how effectively a website captures and maintains the attention and interest of its audience.

Many websites include social media share buttons that allow users to share content on their social media profiles. Clicks on these buttons indicate a user's interest in sharing the content.

Call to action buttons or links are designed to encourage users to take a specific action, such as signing up for a newsletter, downloading a resource, or starting a free trial. Clicks on CTAs are often used to measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

Websites may have interactive elements like sliders, carousels, accordions, or tabs. Clicks on these elements can trigger actions like changing content, revealing hidden information, or sliding through images.

When users click inside form fields like text inputs, checkboxes, radio buttons, or dropdown selects, it indicates their intention to enter data or make selections.

Clicking on images, such as product images in an e-commerce store or thumbnails in a gallery, can be used to view more details or enlarge the image.

Websites often use buttons for actions like submitting forms, making purchases, or navigating to different sections. Button clicks indicate that a user is taking a specific action.

A website session refers to a series of interactions or activities that a user engages in on a website within a single, continuous period of time.

Clicking on menu items, navigation bars, or dropdown menus is another common interaction on websites. Users use these clicks to access different sections of a website.

Clicks typically refer to instances where a user interacts with a webpage or a web element. Clicks are a fundamental measure of user engagement and are used to track user interactions with various elements on a website.

Website cookies are small pieces of data that websites store on a user's device, typically within the user's web browser. These cookies serve various purposes and are commonly used to enhance the user's browsing experience, improve website functionality, and collect information about user behavior.

When a user clicks on a hyperlink (text or image) that leads to another web page or resource, it's called a link click. This is one of the most basic and important interactions on the web.

The first delivery attempt for a shipment.

A shipping option that guarantees delivery on the same day the order is placed.

A shipping option that guarantees delivery on the following day.

An attempt to return the shipment to its origin (e.g., due to delivery issues) was unsuccessful.

The shipment is ready for the recipient to pick up.

The shipment is prepared and ready for transportation.

Sending multiple batches of parcels to various destinations.

Sending multiple parcels in a single shipment, often used for business or commercial purposes.

Shipping parcels back to their origin or to a designated return location.

Shipping parcels from one location to another, typically from a sender to a recipient.

The RTO shipment is out for delivery back to its origin.

The RTO shipment is currently in transit back to its origin.

The Return to Origin (RTO) shipment has been successfully delivered back to the sender.

The Return to Origin (RTO) shipment has been successfully delivered back to the sender.

The pickup request has been canceled, and the shipment will not be collected.

The shipment has been collected from the sender's location and is in transit to the recipient.

The shipment is scheduled for pickup but has not been collected yet.

The shipment has been successfully delivered to the recipient.

The shipment cannot be located or has gone missing during the shipping process.

The shipment has been canceled, and delivery will not take place.

The shipment is currently en route and is between the sender and the recipient.

The shipment has sustained damage during transit, and it may not be in its original condition.

The delivery service did not make an attempt to deliver the package to the recipient.

An unauthorized or false claim of a delivery attempt, often used as a cover-up for non-delivery or improper handling.

The customer cannot be contacted or reached, which may impact the delivery process.

The provided mobile number for the recipient is incorrect or invalid, making it difficult to contact them for delivery.

The delivery date or time has been changed or postponed to a different day or time.

Wrong address refers the situation where the address put up by the customer is inaccurate or incomplete, this might occur because of wrong pin code, wrong details and etc.

Customer unavailability refers to the situation where the customer is unavailable to receive the order while delivery attempt.

Transit insurance is a type of insurance policy that provides coverage for business goods or personal belongings during transportation from one location to another. Such policies typically offer protection from the moment the goods are loaded onto the specified mode of conveyance (such as a truck) until they reach the destination declared on the policy.

QC charges or quality control chargess refers to the charge incurred by sellers from their courier handlers in respect to handling and packaging the goods.

Special zones refers to a zone defined by a courier compay based on some specific traits like location, geography etc. Special zones usually have higher shipping rates and require special efforts for successful delivery. For example: Delivering goods in Jammu & Kashmir may need special vehicles because of limited connectivity.

Pickup city refers to the city from where the package to be delivered will be picked up. Pickup city is the one from where the seller has the warehouse.

Destination city refers to the city where the final delivery to the end customer will take place. Destination city is recognised by the address provided by the shopper.

Re schedule refers to the changing the date of the delivery by the end customer, this might be because of multiple reasons such as unavailability, etc.

KYC stands Know your customer and is a mandatory process to start shipping. According to government laws KYC can be completed either by PAN card or GST number.

Re attempt refers to the re attemp of making the delivery to the end customer by the delivery agent. Re attempt usually happens when delivery in first attempt fails.

The Permanent Account Number, or PAN, is a method of identifying taxpayers in the country. The PAN card is a unique alphanumeric identification number, consisting of 10 digits that are assigned to Indian citizens, particularly those who are required to pay taxes.

A GSTIN, which stands for Goods and Services Tax Identification Number, is a unique identification number consisting of 15 digits that is assigned to every taxpayer, including dealers, suppliers, and other business entities, that is registered under the GST regime.

The term "HSN code" refers to the "Harmonized System of Nomenclature", which is a globally recognized system for classifying goods in a systematic manner. This system makes use of a 6-digit uniform code to categorize over 5000 different products, and is widely accepted and used across the world. India has added 2 more digits to the code to make the codes more precise resulting in 8 digit classification.

Credit notes are discount certifiactes passed on to customers from suppliers to record a reduction in sales. In effect they reduce the payable due to the supplier against a particualr invoice.

Debit notes are commerical documents passed on to suppliers from customer to fromally request for a customer. In effect they reduce the expenses recorded in the customer's books of account.

Credit Period refers to the timeframe extended by suppliers to customers within which customers are required to payback the cupplier for services already rendered.

Zone in logistics is used a proxy for distance travlled in shipping. Most courier partners define regions such as North, South, East, West or Special regions (this demarcates areas where cost of operations is higher than other parts of the country. For instance cost of operations in North East and Jammu, Kashmir is high due to difficult terrain). Zone is then defined as movement of shipments within the same city, within the same region, between two different regions, from metro to metro or to/from Special Regions.