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This glossary provides definitions for common terms used in retail media advertising and campaign management.

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Core Concepts

Catalog

The catalog contains the items that will be promoted by advertisers. For retailers, these are products sold by 1P and 3P sellers.

Campaign

Tools used by advertisers to promote products, enabling them to promote their catalog on the retailer’s platform.

Auction

Every promoted item in a campaign is eligible for auctions. An auction requests the best options to fill a placement, considering optimization parameters for advertiser performance and retailer financial goals.

Attribution

Purchases made by shoppers who interacted with an ad are attributed to campaigns. Parameters include attribution window and model (last click, multi-touch, etc).

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General Terms

The format or style of an advertisement. Common types include: Sponsored Listings, Banner Ads, Video Ads, Native Ads, etc.
The period of time in which conversions or sales are attributed to an ad. Varies by ad format: 7-14 days for Sponsored Listings, 14-30 days for Sponsored Brands, 30-90 days for Banner/Video Ads.
The type of device where the ad is viewed or interacted with: Mobile Web, Desktop, or App.
The specific location where the ad is displayed within a retail platform (e.g., homepage, search results, product pages).
Words or phrases used by customers in search queries that trigger ad placement (e.g., “running shoes,” “laptop accessories”).
Internal term for the unique identifier of a product in your catalog. Also called Product ID or SKU. In the API, this is the id field in product objects.
An anonymized user identifier used when you cannot share actual user IDs. Must be consistent across events for the same user session to enable attribution.
Fraudulent or bot traffic that should be filtered from reporting. Marketplaces are responsible for filtering SIVT before sending events to Topsort.

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Performance Metrics

The total number of times an ad is shown to users.
The number of times users clicked on an ad for which an advertiser will be billed.
The percentage of impressions that result in clicks. Formula: CTR = (Clicks ÷ Impressions) × 100
The average cost per click. Formula: Average CPC = Total Ad Spend ÷ Total Clicks
The total cost of the campaign, including all ad clicks and associated charges.
The total revenue generated from purchases as a result of the ad campaign.
The total number of completed orders resulting from clicks on the ad.
The total number of individual items sold as a result of the ad campaign.
The percentage of users who completed a purchase after clicking on the ad. Formula: Conversion Rate = (Sales ÷ Clicks) × 100

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Advanced Metrics

The total revenue generated per dollar spent on ads. Formula: ROAS = Sales ÷ Total Ad SpendA ROAS of 3.0 means 3inrevenueforevery3 in revenue for every 1 spent on advertising.
The ROAS for the same product (SKU) that was clicked. Tracks revenue generated per dollar spent specifically on the clicked SKU.
The ROAS for products from the same brand that were clicked. Used to track brand lift and halo effects.

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Cost & Pricing Models

The cost per thousand impressions. A pricing model where advertisers pay for every 1,000 times their ad is shown.Formula: CPM = (Total Ad Spend ÷ Impressions) × 1,000
The cost an advertiser pays each time a user clicks on their ad. A performance-based pricing model where payment occurs only when the ad is clicked.Formula: CPC = Total Ad Spend ÷ Total Clicks
The cost to acquire a customer through an ad campaign.Formula: CPA = Total Ad Spend ÷ Conversions (Sales)
The average value of an order generated from an ad click.Formula: AOV = Sales ÷ Orders
The average position of an ad relative to other ads in a given placement. Higher rank means better visibility.
The percentage of total ad impressions captured by a brand versus competitors.Formula: SOV = (Your Impressions ÷ Total Market Impressions) × 100

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Attribution Models

Attribution model where the final ad click before a purchase is credited with the sale. Most common model for direct response campaigns.
Attribution model where credit is given to multiple touchpoints throughout the customer journey. Useful for understanding the full path to purchase.
Attribution model where credit is given to ads shown but not clicked, influencing a purchase after the fact. Common for awareness campaigns.
Attribution model where a vendor receives credit when a user clicks on Product A but purchases Product B from the same vendor. Requires vendorId in purchase events.
The unique identifier returned from an auction that connects events (impressions, clicks, purchases) back to the winning bid for attribution purposes.

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Campaign Management

Changes made to bids to optimize ad placement, typically based on factors like time of day, device type, location, or keyword performance.
The distribution of ad spend across different campaigns, keywords, or placements to maximize ROI.
The average total spend across all campaigns or ads.Formula: Average Ad Spend = Total Ad Spend ÷ Number of Campaigns
The unique product identifier (e.g., SKU, UPC, or ASIN) associated with the product(s) being advertised.
The dimensions and format of the ad creative (e.g., 970x90, 300x250 pixels for banner ads, 16:9 for video ads).

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Ad Formats

Ads designed to blend seamlessly with the content of the website or platform, making them look like part of the organic content (e.g., sponsored articles).
Ads targeted at users who have previously interacted with the brand or product but have not yet converted.
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