Shopify Ops Glossary
Every operations and ecommerce term that Shopify brand operators need to know — clearly defined with benchmarks.
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Backorder
An order placed for a product that is temporarily out of stock.Bundle
A group of products sold together at a combined price.Backroom Operations
The internal operational processes that customers don't see but that directly affect their experience.BFCM (Black Friday / Cyber Monday)
The biggest sales event of the year for most Shopify brands.Brand Voice
The consistent personality and tone that characterizes all of your brand's communications.
An order placed for a product that is temporarily out of stock.Bundle
A group of products sold together at a combined price.Backroom Operations
The internal operational processes that customers don't see but that directly affect their experience.BFCM (Black Friday / Cyber Monday)
The biggest sales event of the year for most Shopify brands.Brand Voice
The consistent personality and tone that characterizes all of your brand's communications.
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CLV (Customer Lifetime Value)
The total revenue a customer generates over their entire relationship with your brand.CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)
A metric measuring customer satisfaction with a specific interaction or experience.Churn Rate
The percentage of customers or subscribers who stop buying within a given period.Conversion Rate
The percentage of site visitors who complete a purchase.CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
The cost of acquiring one new customer.Chargeback
A forced payment reversal initiated by a customer through their bank.Cross-sell
Recommending complementary products that pair well with what a customer is purchasing.Cart Abandonment Rate
The percentage of shoppers who add items to cart but don't complete the purchase.COGS (Cost of Goods Sold)
The direct costs of producing or purchasing the products you sell.Customer Touchpoint
Any interaction between a customer and your brand.Carrier Claim
A formal dispute filed with a shipping carrier for a lost or damaged package.Customer Self-Service
Enabling customers to resolve issues without contacting support — through portals, FAQs, and automation.Cohort Analysis
Analyzing customer groups by the time period they first purchased to track retention and LTV over time.Contribution Margin
Revenue minus all variable costs — the amount each order contributes to fixed costs and profit.
The total revenue a customer generates over their entire relationship with your brand.CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score)
A metric measuring customer satisfaction with a specific interaction or experience.Churn Rate
The percentage of customers or subscribers who stop buying within a given period.Conversion Rate
The percentage of site visitors who complete a purchase.CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost)
The cost of acquiring one new customer.Chargeback
A forced payment reversal initiated by a customer through their bank.Cross-sell
Recommending complementary products that pair well with what a customer is purchasing.Cart Abandonment Rate
The percentage of shoppers who add items to cart but don't complete the purchase.COGS (Cost of Goods Sold)
The direct costs of producing or purchasing the products you sell.Customer Touchpoint
Any interaction between a customer and your brand.Carrier Claim
A formal dispute filed with a shipping carrier for a lost or damaged package.Customer Self-Service
Enabling customers to resolve issues without contacting support — through portals, FAQs, and automation.Cohort Analysis
Analyzing customer groups by the time period they first purchased to track retention and LTV over time.Contribution Margin
Revenue minus all variable costs — the amount each order contributes to fixed costs and profit.
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Dispute
A formal claim by a customer challenging a transaction.Dunning
The automated process of recovering failed subscription payments.DCR (Defective/Chargeback Rate)
A combined metric tracking product defects and chargeback rate.Dead Stock
Inventory that is not selling and is unlikely to sell at full price.Demand Forecasting
Predicting future order volume to plan inventory and ops staffing.Dead Stock
Inventory that hasn't sold and is unlikely to sell at full price.Dropshipping Operations
Fulfilling orders directly from a supplier without holding inventory yourself.
A formal claim by a customer challenging a transaction.Dunning
The automated process of recovering failed subscription payments.DCR (Defective/Chargeback Rate)
A combined metric tracking product defects and chargeback rate.Dead Stock
Inventory that is not selling and is unlikely to sell at full price.Demand Forecasting
Predicting future order volume to plan inventory and ops staffing.Dead Stock
Inventory that hasn't sold and is unlikely to sell at full price.Dropshipping Operations
Fulfilling orders directly from a supplier without holding inventory yourself.
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LTV:CAC Ratio
The ratio of customer lifetime value to customer acquisition cost.Loop Returns
The most popular Shopify returns management platform.Loyalty Program
A structured rewards system that incentivizes repeat purchases.Lost in Transit
A shipment that cannot be located by the carrier and is presumed lost.Landed Cost
The true total cost of a product including purchase price, shipping to your warehouse, duties, and handling.
The ratio of customer lifetime value to customer acquisition cost.Loop Returns
The most popular Shopify returns management platform.Loyalty Program
A structured rewards system that incentivizes repeat purchases.Lost in Transit
A shipment that cannot be located by the carrier and is presumed lost.Landed Cost
The true total cost of a product including purchase price, shipping to your warehouse, duties, and handling.
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Macro (Support Macro)
A pre-written response template in a helpdesk that agents can insert with one click.Marketplace Operations
Managing sales and fulfillment across multiple selling channels simultaneously.Marketing Attribution
Determining which marketing channel or touchpoint drove a customer to purchase.
A pre-written response template in a helpdesk that agents can insert with one click.Marketplace Operations
Managing sales and fulfillment across multiple selling channels simultaneously.Marketing Attribution
Determining which marketing channel or touchpoint drove a customer to purchase.
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Ops-as-a-Service (OaaS)
Outsourcing operational business functions to a specialized service provider.Omnichannel Support
Providing consistent support across multiple channels (email, chat, social, phone).Ops Playbook
A documented set of procedures for handling common operational scenarios.On-Time Delivery Rate (OTD)
The percentage of orders delivered within the committed timeframe.Omnichannel Customer Service
Providing seamless customer support across multiple channels from a single platform.
Outsourcing operational business functions to a specialized service provider.Omnichannel Support
Providing consistent support across multiple channels (email, chat, social, phone).Ops Playbook
A documented set of procedures for handling common operational scenarios.On-Time Delivery Rate (OTD)
The percentage of orders delivered within the committed timeframe.Omnichannel Customer Service
Providing seamless customer support across multiple channels from a single platform.
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Post-Purchase Email Sequence
The automated email series sent to customers after they place an order.Proactive Support
Reaching out to customers before they contact you about a known issue.Peak Season
The time of year when order volume and customer support volume are highest.Pre-Order
Accepting orders for a product before it is available for shipment.
The automated email series sent to customers after they place an order.Proactive Support
Reaching out to customers before they contact you about a known issue.Peak Season
The time of year when order volume and customer support volume are highest.Pre-Order
Accepting orders for a product before it is available for shipment.
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Return Rate
The percentage of orders returned by customers.Repeat Purchase Rate
The percentage of customers who buy more than once.RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization)
A return authorization number assigned to a return request.Refund Rate
The percentage of orders that result in a full or partial refund.Retention Rate
The percentage of customers who continue to buy from you over time.ReCharge
The most widely used subscription management platform for Shopify brands.Referral Program
A system that rewards existing customers for referring new customers.
The percentage of orders returned by customers.Repeat Purchase Rate
The percentage of customers who buy more than once.RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization)
A return authorization number assigned to a return request.Refund Rate
The percentage of orders that result in a full or partial refund.Retention Rate
The percentage of customers who continue to buy from you over time.ReCharge
The most widely used subscription management platform for Shopify brands.Referral Program
A system that rewards existing customers for referring new customers.
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Shipping SLA (Service Level Agreement)
The committed timeframe within which orders are fulfilled and shipped.SLA (Service Level Agreement)
A defined commitment for response time, resolution time, or service quality.Satisfaction Guarantee
A policy that promises customer satisfaction or a refund/replacement.Shopify Tag
A label applied to orders, customers, or products in Shopify for filtering and automation.SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
A unique identifier for each distinct product variant.Sentiment Analysis
Automated analysis of customer communications to identify positive, neutral, or negative sentiment.Subscription Pause
Temporarily suspending a subscription without cancelling it.SMS Marketing
Marketing and transactional messages sent via text message to opted-in customers.Support Automation
Using rules, bots, or AI to automatically handle common support interactions.Sell-Through Rate
The percentage of inventory sold versus the amount received in a given period.SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
A unique identifier for each distinct product variant in your inventory.
The committed timeframe within which orders are fulfilled and shipped.SLA (Service Level Agreement)
A defined commitment for response time, resolution time, or service quality.Satisfaction Guarantee
A policy that promises customer satisfaction or a refund/replacement.Shopify Tag
A label applied to orders, customers, or products in Shopify for filtering and automation.SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
A unique identifier for each distinct product variant.Sentiment Analysis
Automated analysis of customer communications to identify positive, neutral, or negative sentiment.Subscription Pause
Temporarily suspending a subscription without cancelling it.SMS Marketing
Marketing and transactional messages sent via text message to opted-in customers.Support Automation
Using rules, bots, or AI to automatically handle common support interactions.Sell-Through Rate
The percentage of inventory sold versus the amount received in a given period.SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)
A unique identifier for each distinct product variant in your inventory.
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WISMO (Where Is My Order)
The most common type of customer support ticket — customers asking about the status of their order.Waitlist
A list of customers interested in purchasing a sold-out product when it restocks.Wholesale / B2B Operations
The ops processes specific to managing wholesale and B2B orders.
The most common type of customer support ticket — customers asking about the status of their order.Waitlist
A list of customers interested in purchasing a sold-out product when it restocks.Wholesale / B2B Operations
The ops processes specific to managing wholesale and B2B orders.
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