Analytics Terms
Analytics terms cover the metrics and tracking concepts behind ecommerce reporting. Each definition explains what the number means and how to read it.
26 terms
Attribution WindowsThe time period during which a conversion can be credited to a specific marketing touchpoint or interactionAnalyticsBounce RatePercentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page without any interaction or engagementAnalyticsBreak-Even PointThe sales level where total revenue equals total costs, meaning the business neither makes profit nor loses moneyAnalyticsClick-Through Rate (CTR)CTR measures the percentage of people who click a link after seeing it, indicating how compelling your ads, emails, or search results are.AnalyticsCohort AnalysisCohort analysis groups customers by shared characteristics to track behavior patterns and measure retention over time.AnalyticsContribution MarginThe amount remaining from sales revenue after variable costs are deducted, used to cover fixed costs and generate profitAnalyticsConversion EventsConversion events are tracked actions that represent valuable user behaviors, such as purchases, sign-ups, or form submissions.AnalyticsData LayerA data layer is a JavaScript object that stores structured information about page content and user interactions for analytics tracking.AnalyticsEngagement RatePercentage of sessions where users actively interact with your website through scrolling, clicking, or spending meaningful timeAnalyticsEnhanced EcommerceEnhanced Ecommerce is a set of tracking features that measure user interactions throughout the shopping journey from product views to purchases.AnalyticsEvent TrackingMethod of recording specific user interactions on a website such as clicks, form submissions, video plays, and scroll depthAnalyticsExit RatePercentage of visitors who leave your website from a specific page, regardless of how many pages they viewed beforeAnalyticsFirst-Party DataFirst-party data is information collected directly from your customers and website visitors, owned and controlled by your business.AnalyticsFixed CostsBusiness expenses that remain constant regardless of sales volume, such as rent, salaries, and software subscriptionsAnalyticsGA4 (Google Analytics 4)GA4 is Google's current analytics platform that uses event-based tracking to measure user behavior across websites and apps.AnalyticsMargin of SafetyThe difference between current sales and break-even sales, showing how much revenue can drop before a business starts losing moneyAnalyticsPages Per SessionThe average number of pages a visitor views during a single session on your websiteAnalyticsProfit MarginProfit margin is the percentage of revenue that remains as profit after subtracting costs, measured as gross margin (after product cost) or net margin (after all expenses).AnalyticsSamplingSampling is when analytics platforms analyze a subset of data instead of the complete dataset, providing faster results with some accuracy tradeoff.AnalyticsScroll DepthScroll depth measures how far down a page users scroll, indicating content engagement and where visitors lose interest.AnalyticsSession DurationThe total time a visitor spends on your site during a single session, from first page load to last interactionAnalyticsTag ManagerTag Manager is a platform that lets you deploy and manage tracking codes on your website without editing source code directly.AnalyticsTime on PageThe amount of time a visitor spends viewing a single page before navigating away or closing the browserAnalyticsUTM ParametersUTM parameters are tags added to URLs that track traffic sources, helping identify which marketing campaigns drive visits and conversions.AnalyticsVariable CostsBusiness expenses that change in direct proportion to sales volume, including product costs, shipping, and payment processing feesAnalyticsZero-Party DataInformation that customers intentionally and proactively share with a brand, such as preferences, purchase intentions, and personal contextAnalytics
