The world of B2B e-commerce moves fast, and the language it speaks can be just as complex as the supply chains it powers. Whether you're a procurement manager navigating a new platform, a founder building your first wholesale storefront, or a sales director digitising a legacy pipeline, the terminology you encounter daily matters. Misunderstanding a single concept — say, confusing a punchout catalogue with a standard vendor portal can cost time, money, and relationships.


This glossary was compiled by the BtoBTurk.com team to serve as your definitive reference for B2B e-commerce. We've gathered the most frequently used terms in the industry, arranged alphabetically, and defined each one in plain language. Bookmark this page, share it with your team, and return to it whenever a new acronym lands in your inbox.


A


API Integration (API)

Application Programming Interface integration connects a B2B e-commerce platform to external systems — ERP, CRM, WMS, or third-party marketplaces — allowing real-time data exchange. Seamless API integration eliminates manual data entry, reduces errors, and enables automated order flows between trading partners.


B


Blanket Purchase Order (BPO)

A long-term agreement between a buyer and supplier to purchase goods or services repeatedly over a defined period at pre-agreed prices. BPOs reduce administrative overhead by eliminating the need to raise individual purchase orders for each transaction, making them common in high-volume B2B relationships.


C


Catalog Management

The process of creating, maintaining, and publishing structured product data — including descriptions, pricing, images, and specifications — across one or more sales channels. In B2B contexts, catalogue management often involves maintaining separate price lists, availability rules, and product visibility settings for different buyer segments.


Commission Rate

The percentage of each sale that a marketplace retains as its fee for facilitating the transaction between buyer and seller. In B2B fashion marketplaces, commission rates may vary by product category (e.g., accessories vs. outerwear), seller tier, or fulfillment model, and are typically deducted automatically from seller settlements.


Consolidated Shipping

A BtoBTurk service that allows B2B buyers to place orders from multiple suppliers on the marketplace and receive all goods in a single, combined shipment. Rather than managing separate deliveries from each brand, buyers benefit from reduced shipping costs, simplified receiving logistics, and a single tracking reference, making multi-brand sourcing on BtoBTurk faster and more cost-efficient.


Customer Portal

A secure, personalised online hub where B2B buyers can place orders, view order history, access invoices, track shipments, manage their account details, and communicate with the supplier. A well-designed customer portal reduces inbound calls to sales reps and accelerates the reorder cycle.


D


Digital Procurement

The use of internet-based tools and platforms to manage all stages of the purchasing process — from sourcing and supplier evaluation to purchase-order generation, invoice processing, and spend analysis. Digital procurement replaces paper-based and email-driven workflows with automated, auditable digital transactions.


Dropshipping

A fulfillment model in which a marketplace seller accepts an order and passes it directly to the manufacturer or supplier for shipment to the end buyer — without holding the goods in their own inventory. In B2B fashion marketplaces, dropshipping allows brands to list a broader range of styles without committing to stock upfront.



E


EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)

A standardised method for exchanging business documents — purchase orders, invoices, advance ship notices — electronically between trading partners in a machine-readable format. EDI removes the need for manual re-keying of data and is a foundational technology for high-volume B2B supply chains.



F


Featured Seller

A marketplace designation that gives a brand or supplier increased visibility — such as a homepage placement, category banner, or search-results boost — in exchange for meeting performance criteria or paying a promotional fee. In B2B fashion marketplaces, featured seller status can significantly increase a brand's order volume during buying seasons.


Fulfillment by Marketplace (FBM)

A model in which the marketplace operator handles warehousing, pick-and-pack, and shipping on behalf of the seller. The brand sends bulk stock to the marketplace's fulfillment centre, and the platform dispatches individual wholesale orders to buyers. FBM simplifies logistics for fashion brands selling through multiple B2B channels simultaneously.



G


Guided Selling

An interactive feature on a B2B e-commerce platform that helps buyers identify the right product or configuration through a series of questions, filters, or configurators. Guided selling reduces mis-orders, shortens the sales cycle, and is particularly valuable for complex or technically demanding product catalogues.



H


Headless Commerce

An e-commerce architecture in which the front-end presentation layer (what the user sees) is decoupled from the back-end commerce engine (pricing, inventory, orders). This separation gives B2B companies the flexibility to deliver consistent buying experiences across web, mobile, ERP portals, and IoT devices.


Hosted Storefront

A branded page within a multi-vendor marketplace that presents a single seller's products, story, and policies to buyers in a cohesive, customisable layout. In B2B fashion marketplaces, hosted storefronts allow brands to maintain brand identity — including seasonal imagery, lookbooks, and editorial content — while benefiting from the marketplace's buyer traffic.



I


Inventory Feed

A regularly updated data file or API connection that transmits a seller's current stock levels, availability, and pricing to the marketplace platform. Accurate, real-time inventory feeds prevent overselling, reduce cancellations, and ensure buyers see up-to-date availability — critical in fashion, where sizes and colorways sell out quickly.



J


Just-in-Time Inventory (JIT)

An inventory management strategy in which goods are ordered and received only as they are needed in the production or sales process, minimising storage costs and reducing waste. B2B e-commerce platforms support JIT by enabling automated reorder triggers based on real-time stock-level data.


Joint Business Plan(JBP)

A collaborative document agreed between a marketplace operator and a key brand or seller that sets mutual targets for the trading period — including GMV goals, marketing investment, promotional calendars, and exclusive product launches. JBPs formalise the partnership between platform and seller and align incentives across both teams.



K


Key Account Management(KAM)

A strategic approach to managing and growing a business's most important customer relationships. In B2B e-commerce, KAM is supported by platform features such as dedicated account dashboards, custom pricing, exclusive product access, and assigned sales representatives — all accessible through the buyer's portal.



L


Lead Time

The total elapsed time between the placement of an order and its delivery to the buyer. In B2B commerce, lead time encompasses order processing, manufacturing (if applicable), pick-and-pack, and transit. Accurate lead-time data displayed on a product page is critical for buyers managing production schedules.


M


Minimum Order Quantity(MOQ)

The smallest quantity of a product that a supplier is willing to sell in a single transaction. MOQs exist to ensure that production or fulfillment costs are viable for the seller. B2B platforms enforce MOQs at the product or SKU level and can surface warnings at checkout when a buyer's quantity falls below the threshold.


N


Net Payment Terms

Credit terms specifying the number of days a buyer has to pay an invoice after the goods or services are delivered. Common terms include Net 30, Net 60, and Net 90 — meaning payment is due within 30, 60, or 90 days respectively. Early-payment discounts (e.g., '2/10 Net 30') are often offered as an incentive.


O


OCI Punchout(OCI)

Open Catalog Interface punchout is a protocol that allows a buyer's e-procurement or ERP system to connect directly to a supplier's online catalogue. The buyer 'punches out' to the supplier's site, builds a shopping cart, and the data is automatically returned to their own system — streamlining compliant purchasing within existing workflows.


Onboarding

The structured process through which a new brand or buyer is registered, verified, and activated on a marketplace platform. In B2B fashion, seller onboarding typically includes brand vetting, contract signing, catalogue upload, pricing configuration, fulfillment model selection, and a test-order phase before the storefront goes live to buyers.


P


Purchase Order Management(POM)

The end-to-end handling of purchase orders within a marketplace — from a buyer submitting an order, through seller confirmation and fulfillment, to delivery and invoice settlement. Marketplace POM tools provide both buyers and sellers with real-time visibility of order status, reducing the need for manual communication and minimising fulfillment errors.


Q


Quick-Ship Programme

A marketplace initiative that designates certain in-stock styles as available for fast dispatch. Quick-ship programmes in B2B fashion marketplaces give buyers the ability to replenish bestselling lines at speed, filling gaps in their retail floor without waiting for standard lead times.


R


Request for Proposal(RFP)

A formal document issued by a buying organisation inviting suppliers to submit detailed proposals — including pricing, specifications, service levels, and commercial terms — for a defined scope of goods or services. RFPs are common in large B2B procurement decisions and are increasingly managed through digital procurement platforms.


S


Self-Service Portal

An online interface that enables B2B buyers to manage their own accounts, place and track orders, download invoices, update payment methods, and resolve issues — without needing to contact a sales representative or customer service agent. Self-service portals lower the cost-to-serve while improving buyer satisfaction.


SKU (Stock Keeping Unit)

A unique alphanumeric identifier assigned to each distinct product or product variant held in inventory. SKUs enable suppliers and buyers to communicate precisely about specific items — including size, colour, configuration, and packaging — and form the foundation of catalogue management, inventory tracking, and order accuracy in B2B platforms.


Split Fulfillment

A scenario in which a single buyer order is fulfilled by multiple sellers or from multiple warehouse locations, resulting in separate shipments. In B2B fashion marketplaces, split fulfillment occurs when a buyer orders across different brands. Marketplace operators must clearly communicate split-shipment policies, as they affect delivery timelines and shipping costs.


T


Trade Credit

An agreement in which a supplier allows a buyer to purchase goods or services immediately and pay at a later agreed date, effectively acting as a short-term financing facility. Trade credit is the most common form of B2B financing and is a critical factor in buyer loyalty and purchasing decisions.


U


Unit Economics

The direct revenues and costs associated with a single unit of business, typically a single order, customer, or transaction. In B2B e-commerce, understanding unit economics — average order value, cost-to-serve, gross margin per order — is essential for evaluating the profitability of digital sales channels.


V


Vendor Managed Inventory(VMI)

A supply chain model in which the supplier monitors the buyer's stock levels (via EDI or platform integration) and automatically initiates replenishment orders when inventory falls below agreed thresholds. VMI reduces stockouts, improves demand forecasting accuracy, and shifts the burden of inventory planning to the supplier.


Verified Seller Badge

A trust signal displayed on a brand's marketplace storefront indicating that the seller has passed the platform's vetting process including business registration checks, product authenticity verification, and compliance with ethical sourcing standards. In B2B fashion, the verified seller badge increases buyer confidence and is often a prerequisite for access to premium marketplace programmes.


W


Wholesale E-Commerce

The sale of goods in bulk quantities, typically from manufacturer to distributor or from distributor to retailer, conducted through an online platform. Wholesale e-commerce platforms are optimised for B2B transactions: bulk ordering, tiered pricing, account-specific catalogues, credit terms, and integration with ERP and logistics systems.


Wholesale Buyer Account

A verified business account held by a retail buyer on a B2B fashion marketplace, granting access to wholesale pricing, trade-only catalogues, payment terms, and bulk ordering functionality. Marketplace operators vet wholesale buyer accounts to ensure the platform remains exclusive to legitimate trade customers protecting brand integrity and pricing discipline.


X


XML (Extensible Markup Language)

A flexible, text-based format used to encode and transfer structured data between systems. In B2B e-commerce, XML is widely used to transmit catalogue data (cXML, BMEcat), purchase orders, invoices, and product feeds between suppliers, buyers, and procurement platforms serving as a universal language for system-to-system communication.