Glossary

A

AB test

A/B test

A method of comparing two or more versions of an email, SMS/MMS, or Site campaigns to see which performs better. Customers are randomly shown a version. The version with better results, such as higher clicks or conversions, can be adopted.

Abandoned cart

A customer has an item in their cart, but did not remove it from their cart or left the site before completing their purchase.

Abandoned Product

A customer viewed an item on a product detail page (PDP), but did not add to cart or complete their purchase.

Abandoned Search

A customer clicks on a category or types in a search term on a website, but did not view a product page and did not add to cart or purchase. This term refers to the search itself, and not the entire website browsing behavior.

Active Buyer Lifecycle Stage

Customers that made a purchase in the last year.

At-risk Buyers Lifecycle Stage

Customers who are slipping from their typical buying cycle and are at risk of not purchasing again.

Attribution

A method of identifying which touchpoints or channels contributed to a customer’s action, such as a purchase or signup. Attribution helps understand the effectiveness of campaigns and optimize marketing strategies.

Attribution hours

The length of your attribution window in hours.

Attribution window

A set time frame (default 120 hours for email and SMS/MMS campaigns, and static 24 hours for Site campaigns), where conversions and revenue are associated with campaigns.

Auto-Winner AB Test

Auto-Winner A/B Test

A type of A/B test where the campaign variants are sent out to a small percentage of the overall audience. Based on the initial results the holdout, or remainder of the audience, will receive the highest performing variant.

Automated campaigns

A recurring campaign. Campaign sends can be prompted by a defined cadence or a change in a customer or product attribute. Many automated campaigns are trigger campaigns.

AOV

Average order value (AOV)

The average amount of money customers spend per order with a brand.

AOV = Total attributed revenue / Total conversions

B

Back in Stock campaign

A type of campaign that notifies customers that an item they viewed is now back in stock and can be purchased.

Batch campaign

Campaigns sent to a group or list of people. Batch campaigns are sent one time instead of recurring, and are usually sent to a list that doesn't rely on an action in order for them to qualify.

Bluecore Pixel

A tiny, transparent, tracking image embedded in web pages, emails, or advertisements to capture purchase and email unsubscribe events. There are two types of Bluecore Pixels available for use: Bluecore Purchase Pixel and Bluecore Unsubscribe Pixel.

Bluecore Purchase Pixel

A type of Bluecore Pixel that captures purchase events.

Bluecore Unsubscribe Pixel

A type of Bluecore Pixel that captures email unsubscribe events.

Bluecore Website Integration

A JavaScript snippet that you can embed in your website's headers that captures Email Eligibility, Customer Behavior, Product Catalog, and Customer Profile events in near real-time.

Browse abandonment

A customer viewed an item on a product page, but did not add to cart or purchase. This is sometimes referred to as window shopping.

Buyer

A customer who has made a purchase in the current year.

C

CCPA

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)

A California law that gives customers rights over their personal data, such as the right to know, delete, or opt out of the sale of their information. Clients must comply with CCPA when collecting or processing data from customers in California.

Campaign Assistance and Management CAM

CAM

A team within Bluecore that specializes in building and managing clients' campaigns. The team works closely with clients to understand marketing objectives, target audience, and brand guidelines to create effective, personalized marketing campaigns. The CAM team leverages Bluecore's platform capabilities to design, execute, and optimize the campaigns to ensure they align with the client's goals and deliver the desired outcomes.

Catch-up campaigns

A campaign that targets customers who should have qualified and received a campaign, like Abandon Cart, but were opted out due to campaign- or channel-level settings.

Channel preferences

A predictive, machine learning model to filter audiences down by which customer prefers email, mobile, shows no preference, or whose preference is unknown.

CAN-SPAM

Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing (CAN-SPAM)

A U.S. law that sets rules for commercial email, such as requiring clear sender information and an option to unsubscribe. Clients must follow CAN-SPAM guidelines when sending marketing emails to customers.

Conversion rate

Conversion rate = Conversions / Delivered

Cookies

Small text files stored on a customer’s device by a website. Cookies help clients track customer behavior, remember preferences, and personalize marketing experiences.

CAC

Cost of acquisition per customer (CAC)

The total cost required to acquire a new customer, including marketing and sales expenses. CAC measures how much you spend to gain each new customer.

CPC

Cost per click (CPC)

The cost an advertiser pays to a publisher for every click on an ad.

D

Deep linking

A method of creating a link that takes customers directly to a specific page or content within a website or app, rather than the homepage. You can use deep linking to guide customers to targeted products or offers.

Defer rate

The aggregate number of emails that indicates the receiving server delayed accepting the message.

Defer Rate = Deferred / Delivered

Deliver-to-conversion rate

Deliver-to-conversion rate = Total conversions / Delivered

Delivered rate

The aggregate number of emails or SMS/MMS messages successfully delivered to the customer’s inbox or device.

Delivered rate = Delivered / Sends

DTC

Direct-to-consumer (DTC)

When a company sells their goods directly to the customer that will use them, without the assistance of resellers.

Domain

The unique name that identifies a website, such as www.bluecore.com. Domains are used to send emails, track customer activity, and personalize marketing within Bluecore.

Double opt-in

A two-step process for confirming a customer’s SMS/MMS subscription. After signing up, the customer receives a confirmation message and must click a link to complete enrollment.

E

Eligibility

How Bluecore determines whether or not a customer receives promotional campaigns from your brand.

Email capture conversion

Email capture conversion = (Orders / Net new emails) * 100

Email captures

The aggregate number of emails captured during a Site campaign.

Email headers

A code snippet that consists of essential details to authenticate an email message. It precedes the email body and also contains information about the sender and recipient. Email headers usually contain design elements such as a brand’s logo, contact buttons, and website navigation links.

Exit intent

A type of Site campaign, often a pop-up, that detects when a customer is about to leave a website. Exit intent campaigns can trigger messages or offers designed to retain customers before they leave the site.

XD

Experience Designer (XD)

A cross-channel automated workflow or customer journey tool. It's used to create tailored multi-touch experiences that customers flow through from beginning to end.

F

Fallback

A set of products defined by the user which will show to customers if they do not meet the criteria set in the campaign product blocks. For example, the product block logic may be defined to show products recently added to cart. A customer who has never added an item to their cart will see the fallback.

FDE

Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE)

A technical role at Bluecore. FDEs work closely with clients to implement, optimize, and troubleshoot Bluecore products. They bridge the gap between technical and business, ensuring that the Bluecore platform is tailored to meet the specific needs of each client.

Frequency capping

A limit on how many times a customer is sent an email or text message within a set period. Frequency capping can prevent overexposing customers and reduce the risk of unsubscribes or ad fatigue.

G

GDPR

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

A European Union law that regulates how companies collect, store, and use customers’ personal data. Clients must comply with GDPR when handling or processing data from customers in the EU.

H

Halt

When an email or SMS/MMS campaign doesn’t send, it halts. Halts are frequently the result of a campaign or channel configuration issue.

Hard bounce

An email delivery failure that occurs when a message cannot be delivered to a customer’s email address because it is invalid or no longer exists.

Hard bounce rate

Hard bounce rate = Hard bounces/ Sends

Hero image

A large, prominent image placed at the top of an email or webpage to capture customers’ attention and highlight key content or offers. Hero images can create visual impact and drive engagement.

Holdout group

A specific portion of an audience that is held out or set aside to test the incrementality of a campaign, journey, or channel.

I

Inactive customer

Customers that did not buy last year but did buy in a previous year. Within Customer Analytics, this segment is subdivided into three categories; Inactive 13-24, Inactive 25-36, Inactive 37+.

Incentives

An A/B test type that changes the motivation of the campaign, such as free shipping against a discount.

Input products

A set of products that a customer interacts with that generates recommendations, such as products added to cart, products viewed, products purchased, or products searched for.

J

Jinja

A templating language used to create dynamic content in campaigns.

K

Known eligibility status

The customer has been identified but has neither opted-in nor unsubscribed.

L

Lifecycle Marketing

The process of guiding customers & customers through stages in the customer journey. Lifecycle marketing is meant to tailor messages and campaign strategy based on the current stage of the customer and meet the needs they have to move them to the next stage.

Lifetime Value

The expected revenue a customer will generate throughout their lifetime as a customer with a brand.

Lost Buyers Lifecycle Stage

In the Bluecore model, Lost Buyers are defined as customers who have a high probability of not purchasing again after a time period defined by their unique purchase history pattern.

Low-value customers

Low PCLV (predicted customer lifetime value) customers would sit between the 1st and 4th decile.

M

Mid-value customers

Mid PCLV (predicted customer lifetime value) customers would sit between the 4th and 7th decile. This is the biggest area of opportunity for a retailer, also known as the movable middle.

N

Namespace

A Bluecore environment that uses one primary currency, consistent products, and refers to a single website URL to ingest data. Namespaces contain a website integration, customer lists and segments, product data and catalogs, and campaign templates.

NRT

Near real-time (NRT)

Relates to the speed of data transfer, slower than real-time, but with few delays.

Net new captures

The aggregate number of emails captured from the Site campaign that previously did not exist within Bluecore.

New buyer

This is a new buyer to a brand or first time buyer and will show up in the year that they made their first purchase.

Next Best Purchase

A prediction of which product a customer is most likely to buy next, based on their behavior and preferences.

Non-buyers Lifecycle Stage

Customers who have not made a purchase but have given you some form of personally identifiable information (PII).

NQE

Notification Queue Entry (NQE)

A unique ID given to every email sent by Bluecore, which is used to document the time sent, image, and customers received.

Notify Me

A type of campaign that allows customers to request notifications when a product is back in stock or coming soon.

O

One-time campaigns

Campaigns that are sent once.

Onsite message conversion

Used to measure Site campaign performance.

Onsite message conversion = Orders / Unique clicks

Opt-In Eligibility Status

The customer has given their explicit consent to receive either email or mobile communication.

Orders

The aggregate number of online orders. Orders can be calculated differently based on the type of Site campaign: Email Capture Campaigns The aggregate number of orders placed by a net new email within 24 hours of that customer signing up for emails. Onsite Message Campaigns The aggregate number of orders placed within 24 hours of clicking on the campaign.

P

Page scrolled

A Site targeting rule that allows you to target customers that have scrolled a certain percentage or pixels on the page.

Page views

A Site targeting rule that allows you to target customers based on how many pages they’ve viewed on the website.

Parent catalog structure

A catalog structure chosen during onboarding where the parent product ID is unique and child products use the parent ID.

PII

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Any data that can be used to identify an individual customer, such as name, email address, or phone number. You must protect PII to comply with privacy laws and ensure customer data security.

Post Purchase Campaigns

A campaign type sent to customers after a purchases. Usually used to thank customers, request feedback, or promote related products.

PCLV

Predicted Customer Lifetime Value (PCLV)

An estimate of the amount a customer will spend over the next two years with your brand.

Predictive Audiences

Highly valuable audience groups based on consumers’ predicted actions, preferences, and lifetime value. These audiences allow targeted sends to distinct groups of customers, maximizing engagement and conversion rates while optimizing the amount of communication per customer.

Price Decrease Campaign

A type of campaign that alerts customers when a product they have shown interest in has dropped in price.

Product Abandonment

Customers who browsed for products and did not add the products to their cart or make a purchase.

Product Badge Campaign

A Site campaign that places a badge or callout on a product detail page when the product meets specific criteria, such as new arrival or low stock.

PDP

Product details page (PDP)

A webpage that displays detailed information about a specific product, such as images, descriptions, price, and availability.

Product variant catalog structure

A catalog structure chosen during onboarding where each product variant is a unique product ID, or SKU.

R

Recipe rules

Rules that determine which products are dynamically displayed within campaigns, such as Next Best Purchase or Best Sellers, based on user-defined criteria

Repeat buyer

A customer who makes multiple purchases with a brand within the same year.

RPC

Revenue per click (RPC)

The revenue each engagement drives. This determine the effectiveness of the content or recommendations in the campaign.

Revenue per click = Total attributed revenue / Total clicks

RPE

Revenue per email (RPE)

The average revenue generated from a delivered email.

RPE = Revenue / Emails delivered

RPM

Revenue per message (RPM)

RPM = Total attributed revenue / SMS/MMS delivered

S

SFTP

Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)

A network protocol for accessing, transferring, and managing files on remote systems. This allows businesses to securely transfer billing data, funds, and data recovery files. Bluecore uses SFTP to easily and securely import and export customer and product data.

STO

Send time optimization (STO)

Determines the ideal time to send an email to each customer for the highest likelihood of engagement.

Session source

How the lead arrived on your website. Used to measure Site campaign performance and identification. The following sources are available:

  • Bluecore email
    • The customer arrived at your website after clicking on a Bluecore email.
  • Direct
    • The customer arrived at your website without a traceable referral source, such as typing the URL into their browser or using a browser bookmark.
  • Organic
    • The customer arrived at your website after using a search engine such as Google or Microsoft Bing.
  • Paid
    • The customer arrived at your website from a paid search ad such as Google Ads or Bing Ads.
  • Referral
    • The customer arrived at your website by clicking on a link from another website.
  • Social
    • The customer arrived at your website from a social networking site, such as Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.

Single opt-in

A one-step process for confirming a user’s SMS/MMS subscription. After signing up, the customer will receive marketing communication.

Site engagement

Used to measure Site campaigns performance.

Engagement = Clicks / Impressions

Smart Campaign

A recurring campaign with automate sends and determines the best personalized email for every customer.

Smart Content

Dynamic content, such as customer or product data, that can be added to a campaign without additional segmentation. Smart content dynamically personalizes batch campaigns that would otherwise be static.

Soft bounce

The aggregate number of emails that reached the customer’s email server but is bounced back for reasons like the customer’s inbox is full.

Soft bounce rate

An email may receive this status if the email gets to the customer's email server, but is bounced back for reasons like the customer's inbox is full.

Soft bounce rate = Soft bounces / Sends

Spam report

If a customer marks an email as spam and their ESP informs the ESP you send email campaigns through. The email address is added to a spam report list.

Spam report rate

Spam report rate = Spam reports / Delivered

Subscribed buyer

A customer who is explicitly subscribed to the retailer's email or SMS/MMS channels and has made a purchase.

Subscribed non-buyer

A customer who is explicitly subscribed to the retailer's email or SMS/MMS channels and has never made a purchase.

Suppression

A list of customers to which campaigns won't be sent.

T

Tap-to-join

A type of campaign in which customers “tap” a URL that redirects them to their mobile device’s messaging app with a pre-configured message to initiate the SMS/MMS campaign signup.

Templates

Reusable campaign designs that are dynamic and can be adjusted to the target audience. Templates can be made in the Visual Template Editor (VTE) or HTML.

Toll-free code

A free phone number beginning with 800 to send and receive SMS/MMS messages.

Total attributed revenue

The aggregate revenue attributed to an email or SMS/MMS campaign after a customer clicks on an email or SMS/MMS campaign and makes a purchase within the attribution window.

Total CTR

Total click through rate (CTR)

The total number of campaign clicks out of the total number of sends or impressions, expressed as a percentage for email and SMS/MMS.

Total click-to-conversion rate

Total click-to-conversion rate = Total clicks / Total conversions

Total CTOR

Total click-to-open rate (CTOR)

Total CTOR = Total clicks / total opens

Total clicks

The aggregate number of times a link is clicked. Used to measure email, SMS/MMS, and Site campaigns.

Total conversion rate

For email and SMS/MMS campaigns, the aggregate number of times a link is clicked and a customer makes a purchase within the attribution window.

For Site campaigns: Conversion = Orders / Total clicks

Total conversions

The aggregate number of times a link is clicked and a customer makes a purchase within the attribution window.

Total delivered

The aggregate number of emails successfully delivered to the customer’s inbox.

Total impressions

The aggregate number of times a Site campaign is viewed. Used to measure Site campaign performance.

Total open rate

The aggregate number of times an email is opened. Used to measure email campaign performance.

Total open rate = Total opens / Delivered

Transactional campaigns

Automated messages sent to customers after specific actions, such as order confirmations, shipping updates, or password resets.

Trigger campaigns

Marketing messages that are automatically sent to customers based on specific actions or behaviors, such as cart abandonment or browsing activity.

U

Unique CTR

Unique click-through rate (CTR)

Unique CTR = Unique clicks / delivered

Unique click-to-conversion rate

Unique click-to-conversion rate = Unique clicks / Unique conversions

Unique CTOR

Unique click-to-open rate (CTOR)

Unique CTOR = Unique clicks / Unique opens

Unique clicks

The number of times a distinct customer clicked a specific link. Used to measure email, SMS/MMS, and Site campaign performance.

Unique conversion

The number of times a distinct customer clicked on a link and made a purchase within the attribution window.

For Site campaigns: Conversion = Orders / Unique clicks

Unique impressions

The number of times a distinct customer views a specific Site campaign. Used to measure Site campaign performance.

Unique open rate

The number of times a distinct customer clicked on a specific email. Used to measure email campaign performance.

Unique open rate = Unique opens / Delivered

Unique unsubscribe event rate

The number of times a distinct customer clicked to unsubscribe.

Unsubscribe rate = Unsubscribe events / the previous day’s total subscribed customers.

Unsubscribe rate

Unsubscribe rate = Unsubscribes / Delivered

Unsubscribed eligibility status

The customer has chosen to no longer receive marketing email or mobile communication from your brand. This typically happens when the customer unsubscribes via an unsubscribe link in an email or preference center for email, or by replying STOP for mobile.

V

VTE

Visual Template Editor (VTE)

A code-free editor used for building email campaign templates.

W

Widgets

Widgets are blocks of content within the Bluecore campaign Visual Template Editor (VTE) that can be dragged into a template.