Glossary

Terms

Definitions

Active

One of the states in Seller Activity. This refers to sellers who have at least one product offering listed every day throughout the selected date range.

Authorized

The "Authorized" seller group is identified by a green checkmark icon displayed beside the seller's name, indicating that the seller account or website has been officially authorized to sell the brand's products on a specific marketplace. This classification is part of the seller groups feature, designed to easily distinguish between different types of sellers based on their authorization status.

Brand

It refers to a specific trademark or business that utilizes the Brand Guarde platform to monitor and protect its intellectual property and enforce compliance with its pricing policies across various online marketplaces and retail channels.

Buybox

The Buy Box on third-party marketplaces refers to the white box on a product's page where customers can add items for purchase into their shopping cart. Essentially, it's the "Add to Cart" button area. For products sold by multiple sellers, the Buy Box plays a crucial role in determining which seller's product is chosen when a customer clicks "Add to Cart" or "Buy Now."

Buybox Seller

This refers to the seller who has been granted the prominent position of being the featured seller on a marketplace's product page, specifically in the "Buy Box" section.

Date Selector and Date Range

The Date Selector is an interface component in Brand Guarde that allows users to choose a specific date to view relevant data for that day. For broader inquiries, such as viewing data over a period, users can combine the Date Selector with the Date Range component, selecting an end date and specifying the desired range, like "Last 7 days," to retrieve data across a consecutive span.

Export

The export feature allows users to download or email spreadsheets (.xlsx format) containing comprehensive data from the Products, Sellers, and Pipeline Pages. This feature is aimed at facilitating analysis and record-keeping. For datasets exceeding 500 data points, the export is directly sent to the user's email to manage large volumes of information efficiently. The exported data is meticulously organized into three tabs: Seller Details and Product Offerings, Contact Information of Sellers, and notes encompassing email threads or enforcement actions. Conversely, the Contacts Page export is streamlined to include only the contact information, catering to specific data retrieval needs.

Filters

This is a feature that provides access to various filtering options within the product, seller, and contacts pages, allowing users to refine their search and view according to specific criteria.

Fulfillment

It refers to the method by which a product offering is delivered to the customer distinguished as either being fulfilled by the marketplace itself (e.g., Amazon FBA) or directly by the seller. This distinction aids in understanding the logistics behind a product's delivery, impacting shipping speed, product availability, and customer service experiences.

Inactive

One of the states in Seller Activity. This refers to sellers who do not maintain active product offerings each day for the entire selected date range.

Labels

These are "tags" added to notes that allow us to track and count specific details per seller.

Link/Unlink

The "Link/Unlink" feature allows users to manage the relationships between products or sellers, making it easier to organize and gain insights. This feature can be accessed from the Products and Sellers pages and is used to create or dissolve connections based on user needs. When products or sellers are linked, a blue line connects them in all list-formatted pages.

Lowest price

This term represents the lowest price currently available for a specific product across all sellers in the Products page.

MAP 

Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) is the lowest price at which a retailer can advertise a product for sale. 

MAP Difference

This refers to the dollar amount difference between the lowest seller's offering price for a product and the Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) set for that same product.

MAP Percentage Difference

It refers to the percentage difference between the lowest seller's offering price for a product and the Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) set for that same product. It is calculated by dividing the MAP Difference by the MAP and multiplying the result by 100.

Marketplace Page

The "Marketplace Page," also referred to as the Product Display Page (PDP) or Product URL within Brand Guarde, is a crucial feature that provides direct access to a product's listing on an online marketplace. Users can navigate to this page by clicking on a product's ID within the platform and selecting "Marketplace Page" from the dropdown menu. This functionality is designed to streamline the process of viewing the live listing of a product, enabling users to quickly and efficiently verify product details, monitor listing compliance, or conduct competitive analysis directly from their Brand Guarde interface.

Marketplace Profile

It is the dedicated page a marketplace assigns a seller. For some marketplaces or retail websites where a seller profile page doesn't exist, the root URL of the website is shown in place of a profile.

New

One of the states in Seller Activity. A seller is categorized as "New" when they list one or more active offerings on a brand for the first time in the selected date range.

New Unauthorized

A brand new seller that has never been identified on the account.

Notes

Notes are added to seller profiles,  which can be in the form of mail, email; phone, or regular notes. These notes are used to describe any relevant actions or information for the seller.

On Hold Seller

"On Hold" denotes a unique seller group category for sellers who are currently unauthorized to sell on the marketplace but require separate identification due to a potential or existing relationship with the brand. This status is represented by an orange question mark icon, signifying the need for further evaluation or action regarding their authorization status

Price Violations

This term applies to instances where products or sellers' offerings are listed and sold at prices below the Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) or the target price specified on each product’s page.

Price Violator

A seller or website that is selling below the Minimum Advertised Price or target price entered in the MAP price column on the products page.

Product ID

The product ID, also known as Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) on Amazon, is a unique identifier assigned by the marketplace for a product listing.

Product Name

This is the name or title used to describe the product on various marketplaces. It serves as the primary identifier for consumers to recognize and differentiate the product from others.

Product Status

This refers to the current availability of a product in a marketplace. Products can be categorized as either "active" when they are currently listed and available for purchase, or "inactive" when they have been removed or are no longer available for sale. This status helps users effectively monitor and manage their product listings across different marketplaces.

Product Tag

Product Tags are customizable labels that users can assign to products on the Products Page. These tags make it easier to categorize and retrieve product data. You can add or edit tags by clicking the "+" icon in the Product ID column, and you can include up to three distinct tags per product. These tags are visible through a toggle button in the Product ID column and are also included in various exports. Product tags enhance searchability and organization by enabling filtering based on specific labels in the Sidebar Filter.

Products with Violations

This term indicates the number of products that have been identified with pricing violations during a specified timeframe on the dashboard. 

Removed

One of the states in Seller Activity. This refers to a seller who ceases all product offerings on a brand.

Removed Unauthorized

An unauthorized seller that has removed all product offerings from their account and is no longer selling any of the products we are monitoring in our system.

Returned

One of the states in Seller Activity. This refers to a seller who, after being marked as "Removed," lists one or more product offerings on a brand they previous products on.

Returned Unauthorized

A seller that at a point and time was active on the account but removed all product offerings, and after being inactive, returned to the account.

Seller Activity

Seller Activity is defined by five distinct states that reflect the level of a seller's engagement and changes in their product listings over a selected date range. These states include Active, Inactive, New, Removed, and Returned.

In the overall dashboard metrics, sellers are counted only once under their final Seller Activity state, providing a clear and concise view of seller dynamics. However, on the Sellers page, an individual seller may be represented by up to two states to show their activity within the selected date range, such as a seller who was "Returned" and then "Removed”. This dual-state representation offers a more nuanced understanding of seller behavior and market trends over various selectable date ranges.

Seller Groups

Seller groups are used to classify sellers within our software, making it possible to differentiate them and gather specific metrics/data for each group. These classifications include categories such as Authorized, Unauthorized, and On Hold. In the Brand Guarde portal, each seller group is indicated by a unique icon next to the seller's name. This feature enables precise data filtering and helps generate targeted results in exports from the Brand Guarde portal, as well as within the portal's interface itself.

Seller ID

This refers to a unique identifier associated with a seller on an online marketplace, derived from the Product Display Page (PDP) of that marketplace. For instance, Amazon.com uses Amazon Standard Identification Number (ASIN) as their product ID to identify sellers of specific products. In situations where a marketplace does not embed a product ID within the product link, Brand Guarde assigns a unique identifier to ensure each seller can be distinctly recognized and tracked. This system allows for precise monitoring and analysis of seller activities, providing valuable insights into seller performance and compliance across various marketplaces.

Seller Name

Seller Name is the publicly displayed name or business name under which a seller operates on online marketplaces. This identifier is crucial for human-readable identification and differentiation of sellers. However, because sellers may change their display names, Brand Guarde meticulously tracks sellers at the "Seller ID" level—a unique numeric or alphanumeric identifier that remains constant even if the seller name changes. This approach ensures uninterrupted tracking and analysis of seller activities, performance, and compliance across e-commerce platforms, providing a reliable method for monitoring seller dynamics and maintaining accurate seller records despite name changes.

Seller Offerings

This denotes the total number of listings or offers provided by different sellers for a specific product.

Seller Profile

Seller Profile is a pop-up module in Brand Guarde where you can view Seller Activity, Contact Information, and Notes of a specific seller.

Seller/Product Offerings

A "Seller Offering" or "Product Offering" in Brand Guarde is considered to be a product for sale by a seller with a unique condition and fulfillment. One seller can be present with more than one offering per product based on these factors.

Sellers with Violations

This term denotes the count of sellers who have listed and sold one or more products below the Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) within the specified timeframe in the Brand Guarde portal.

Set Notification

It is a feature in Brand Guarde accessible from the Products and Sellers pages, designed to keep users informed about key data. By selecting "Set Notification" through bulk actions, users can customize and schedule reports to be delivered directly to their inbox with options ranging from daily (every 24 hours) to less frequent periods such as monthly or quarterly. This feature ensures that users stay up-to-date with the latest data on products or sellers, facilitating timely and informed decisions.

Single-seller Marketplace

A single-seller marketplace, also known as a single-vendor marketplace, is an e-commerce platform where only one seller offers products or services to many buyers. In contrast to multi-vendor marketplaces where multiple sellers can list and sell their goods, a single-seller marketplace is controlled and managed by one entity, typically the brand or business that owns the platform. This model gives the seller complete control over inventory, branding, customer experience, and operations. Brand Guarde supports both third-party marketplaces and single-seller marketplaces or sites.

Sub-Brand

A "Sub-brand" in Brand Guarde refers to a specific group of products that are categorized under a main brand within the platform. This organizational structure allows for detailed tracking and management of products that may represent distinct lines or categories within a larger brand umbrella. When sub-brands are added to the platform, they utilize the Product Display Credits (PDPs) allocated to the main brand, ensuring efficient credit usage. Notably, a single PDP listed in both the main brand and any of its sub-brands will consume only one credit

Suppressed Buybox 

This term is specific to Amazon.com and describes a situation where Amazon has removed the "Add to Cart" button from a product's page. In the Brand Guarde portal, a Suppressed Buybox is visually represented by the color grey in the Buybox chart.

Third-Party Marketplace

A third-party marketplace is a type of e-commerce site where multiple third parties provide products or services, with transactions being processed by the marketplace operator. It acts as an intermediary platform that connects sellers and buyers, facilitating the exchange of goods and services. Unlike traditional e-commerce websites, which typically focus on a single business selling products directly to consumers, third-party marketplaces allow for a wide range of sellers to list their offerings, thus providing a broader selection for consumers.

Unauthorized

"Unauthorized" refers to a seller group category for sellers who lack authorization to sell the brand's products on the marketplace. This category is visually indicated by a red dash icon next to the seller's name, highlighting their unauthorized status.

Unique Products

This pertains to the unique count of products that a seller is active on. If a seller has multiple product offerings on the same product, the unique count would still be 1.

Unique Sellers

This represents the total count of distinct sellers offering a specific product for sale, with each seller counted only once regardless of the number of listings they have for that product.