The vast majority of people operating online businesses are interested in their business not the technology they use to conduct it. The Internet has created potentials for business that simply never existed before but nothing creates an insurmountable wall of jargon quite like technology. Since the introduction of the Internet and the computer age countless words have entered the dictionary and many other wait in the wings. To help the online merchant understand the tools of their trade we offer this glossary of ecommerce terms.

ASN- Advance Shipping Notice- A document sent by a wholesale supplier or retailer to a customer informing them of the details of a shipment of merchandise. Normally it includes details of shipping method and expected delivery date. Also called a shipping manifest or shipping notice.

ASCII- American Standard Code for Information Interchange- A standard computer code that controls the exchange of information between two non-mainframe computers.

Authentication- A process by which a website ensures the identity of a visitor or user. Usually this is simply achieved through the use of a secure password but purely electronic forms exist.

B2B- Business to Business- An acronym to describe the sale of merchandise or services from one business to another as opposed to business to consumer.

Bandwidth- A measurement in bits per second of the amount of data that can be transferred through an Internet connection. For example, a fast modem can transfer approximately 15,000 bits per second. Is also used to measure the amount of space used by a website.

Blanket PO- A purchase order authorizing a merchant or wholesaler to continue filling orders until a preset amount is spent. This differs from a regular purchase order for each specific order or shipment.

Buy Side System- Software usually used by large companies to allow the purchase of goods and services from a selected list of authorized suppliers. Usually contains settlement, reporting, and maintenance features.

C2B- Customer to Business- An acronym used to describe communications and transactions from a consumer to a retailer or wholesale supplier.

CGI- Common Gateway Interface- A piece of software located on an Internet server that controls some portion of the data entered onto a site. For example, a shopping cart or image loading program.

Challenge/Response- An authentication system by which a site presents the user with an unpredictable request for information. Usually this is in the form of skewed text that must be translated and entered into a form.

Cookie- A small piece of information sent to a web browser from a visited website, often used to keep passwords and login information that will automatically appear on the visitors browser each time they return to a site. Most are completely harmless and expire after a predetermined amount of time; others can send information from one computer to another without permission.

DSO- Days Sales Outstanding- The total number of days that pass between the placement of an order and receipt of payment.

Electronic Form- A computer recreation of any business form that allows users to enter information necessary for a transaction.

EFT- Electronic Funds Transfer- A method for transferring monies from one bank account to another done entirely online. All banks allow electronic fund transfers but in some cases it can be a difficult process.

Encryption- A method of transferring electronic data in a format that cannot be read without de-encryption. This is achieved through the use of complicated mathematical formulas. Normally the message includes a transcription key that can only be read by the receiving computer. This prevents a stolen copy of an email or other data from being readable by the thief.

Hit- Any request for information from a website by a browser or search engine. Because any request for information, even one for info that doesn’t exist counts as a hit. A single webpage that contains images will geta hit for each image plus one for the page itself. The number of things that constitute a hit is so great that it makes the information provided by a count of them almost meaningless.

Art Micklewraith is a freelance writer and regular contributor to Top Ten Wholesale. He can be reached at Content and Solutions or by email at artmicklewraith@gmail.com.