DIGITAL SKILLS: RETAIL

ACCENTURE

GLOSSARY

Word / Phrase Definition

A/B testing (also known as split testing or bucket testing) is a
method of comparing two versions of a webpage or app (A and B)
against each other to determine which one performs better. You
A/B testing
split your web traffic between these two versions and measure
their performance using relevant metrics, for example, conversion
rate and sales.
An accountant is a qualified person who performs accounting
functions for a company such as audits or financial statement
Accountant analysis. Accountants can either be employed with an accounting
firm, a large company with an internal accounting department, or
can set up an individual practice.
AliveShoes an Italian shoe company that lets you design, buy and
sell your own footwear online. They offer professional design and
customization tools to create and personalize your shoes and a
complete e-commerce platform to distribute them with zero efforts
AliveShoes
and zero costs. The platform is connected to the best shoe
manufacturing network in the world based in in Le Marche, Italy
(also known as "the Italian shoe valley") that can produce and ship
to you, or your customers in less than 4 weeks.
Amazon, is an American e-commerce and cloud computing
company founded in 1994. It is the world’s largest Internet-based
Amazon
retailer and started as an online bookstore, later diversifying to sell
the extensive range of products and services available today.
Amazon Dash Button is a Wi-Fi connected device that reorders
your favourite product with the press of a button. Each Dash Button
Amazon Dash is paired with a product of your choice, which is selected during the
Button set-up process. When running low, the user can press Dash
Button— helping to ensure the user never run out of essentials
again.
Amazon Go is a new kind of store with no checkout required. That
means, when you shop at Amazon Go, you don’t have to wait in line.
Amazon Go
The store works with the Amazon Go app. With that app, you can
enter Amazon Go, take the products you want, and go.
An app (short for application) is a software program that is
designed to perform a specific function above or on top of what is
built in on a device. Different apps include web apps (for
App
desktops/laptops) and mobile apps (which can be downloaded
onto a mobile device). These enable a user to perform additional
tasks on their smartphone/computer.
A person who develops applications based on the specific needs of
their end-users. They determine what the target group's
App designer expectations are for a particular piece of software (such as
mobile apps or computer games) and then create the software
based on customer demand.

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 Someone who creates, tests and programmes apps for computers,
mobile phones, and other types of electronic devices. These
developers typically work in teams, and think of ideas and concepts
App developer either for the general public, or for a specific customer need. App
developers understand coding languages and how to use them, and
may also work alongside graphic artists, data scientists, and other
software experts to create applications.
Apple is an American multinational technology company
headquartered in California that designs, develops, and sells
consumer electronics, computer software, and online services. The
Apple company's hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, the
iPad tablet computer, the Mac personal computer, the iPod portable
media player, the Apple Watch smartwatch, and the Apple TV
digital media player.
Apple Watch is a line of smartwatches developed, designed, and
marketed by Apple. It incorporates fitness tracking and health-
Apple watch
oriented capabilities with integration with iOS and other Apple
products and services.
The Home app in iOS 10 lets you securely control any "Works with
Apple HomeKit” accessory. You can also organize your accessories
Apple’s Home app
by room, manage multiple accessories at the same time, control
your home with Siri, and more.
Artificial intelligence refers to the development of computer
Artificial
systems that are able to perform tasks which normally require
intelligence (AI)
human intelligence.
Asda Stores Ltd. is a British supermarket retailer founded in 1965.
It became a subsidiary of the American retail corporate giant
Walmart after a £6.7 billion takeover in July 1999, and was the
Asda
second-largest supermarket chain in Britain between 2003 and
2014 by market share, and is currently third behind Tesco and
Sainsbury's.
A technology that provides a live view of your surroundings which
is changed or enhanced by computer-generated imagery (CGI) such
as images, animations and sounds. When a user views their
Augmented Reality
environment with an AR device, they see CGI placed over real
(AR)
world objects. For example, viewing a car in a car showroom
without the physical vehicle present. AR can be used in many
industries such as entertainment, construction, and navigation.
Automation is the process of introducing technology to complete
tasks normally carried out by humans. Tasks that are automated
Automation can often be completed more quickly and require little or no human
intervention. For example, automation is used by machines to carry
out repetitive tasks in the manufacturing industry for making cars.
Birchbox is a New York City-based online monthly subscription
service that sends its subscribers a box of four to five selected
Birchbox samples of makeup, or other beauty related products. These
products include skincare items, perfumes, organic based products
and various other cosmetics.
The day after Thanksgiving in the US which is viewed as the first
day of the Christmas shopping period. On this day retailers make a
large number of special offers and discounts which has made this
Black Friday
become the busiest shopping day of the year. It began as an
American tradition but has now been adopted by British retailers,
especially those under American ownership.
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 Blockbusters was an American-based provider of home movie and
video game rental services through video rental shops, DVD-by-
mail, streaming, video on demand, and cinema theater. It was in
Blockbusters
operation from 1985 to 2013. Competition from Netflix and other
video on demand services were major factors leading to
Blockbusters bankruptcy.
A person who regularly writes material for a blog, a discussion or
informational website published consisting of discrete, often
Bloggers
informal diary-style text entries. A blogger can write about any
topics ranging from food, travel to daily activities.
Hardware devices that transmit Bluetooth signals to nearby
Bluetooth beacons portable device. One example of their use is sending vouchers to
customers within certain areas of a store.
A brand is not only a distinguishing symbol, mark, logo, name,
word, sentence or a combination of these items that companies use
Brand
to distinguish their product from others in the market, but also the
customer's perceived image about a company or a product.
The impression in the consumers' mind of a brand's total
personality (real and imaginary qualities and shortcomings). Brand
Brand image image is developed over time through advertising campaigns with a
consistent theme, and is authenticated through the consumers'
direct experience.
How consumers become attached to brands and make repeated
purchases over a prolonged period of time. Brand loyalty means
Brand loyalty
that customers become less sensitive to price and convenience due
to their faithfulness to the brand.
A person who is responsible for managing how a brand image is
perceived by customers, investors, partners and the general public.
A brand manager overall plans, develops and directs marketing
Brand Manager efforts to increase the value and performance of a specific brand,
service or product. A brand manager must focus on developing a
brand’s profit and loss performance, image and positioning
compared to competitors.
List of the websites, and pages on those websites, that you have
Browsing history previously visited.
A business is an organization or enterprising entity engaged in
commercial, industrial or professional activities. A company
transacts business activities through the production of a good,
Business
offering of a service or retailing of already manufactured products.
A business can be a for-profit entity or a non-profit organization
that operates to fulfill a charitable mission.
A person who makes a purchase.
Buyer

The exchange of products/services for payment.

Buying

How customers act when purchasing items and making decisions

on what to buy. This covers how individuals search for, select,
Buying behaviour
purchase, use and dispose of products and services in order to best
fulfil their wants and needs.
Ability to perform or achieve certain actions or outcomes through a
Capabilities set of features, functions or services.

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 A complete list of items/products/services provided by a company,
Catalogue typically one in alphabetical or other systematic order.
A chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate an
intelligent conversation on a text or verbal basis. It is a form of
artificial intelligence (AI) that operates within defined set of rules
and parameters and provides a form of automated service that
users can interact with. A chatbot can provide many functions and
can be hosted in most major chat platforms like Facebook
Chatbot messenger, text messaging and many others. Chatbots are typically
used for various practical purposes such as customer service. For
example, if a customer typed the question ‘What time does your
store open tomorrow morning’, using the information available, the
chatbot would immediately respond in the same way as a human
would. ‘Our store opens at 9am tomorrow morning and closes at
5pm’.
The point in a store at which a customer pays for the good that they
Checkout wish to buy.
The person who is responsible for the company’s relationship with
Chief Customer its customers. This means that they are the internal representative
Officer of the customer and looks to increase the number, satisfaction and
retention (keeping) of customers.
The person in charge of managing a company. A CEO is largely
Chief Executive responsible for the success or failure of a company and often makes
Officer (CEO) decisions relating to various aspects of a business such as
hiring/firing employees, marketing, finance and public relations.
Coca-Cola (often referred to simply as Coke) is a fizzy soft drink
Coca-Cola produced by The Coca-Cola Company.
Process of creating a map or inventory of certain areas of interest
(e.g. customer interests, satisfaction levels) of individuals,
Community
associations and organisations. The data gathered can then be used
mapping
to understand things like habits and interests of the community
that the retailer is selling to.
A company which is engaged in commercial competition with the
Competitor company in question. For example, New Look is a competitor of
H&M as they both sell clothing to similar customers.
Bring together or into contact so that a real or notional link is
Connect established or associate or relate (something) in some respect.
Smart devices that can be linked together through wireless
technologies (e.g. Bluetooth) and can interact with each other. For
Connected devices
example using my phone to turn on my living room lights (here the
phone and the light system are connected).
A Connected Home (sometimes called Smart Home) is one where
multiple "smart" devices are integrated together creating an
Connected home environment that can be automated and easily controlled. Mobile
devices can be used to control, manage and operate other devices
either from with the home or remotely.
Digital price tags that stores can change the price on remotely.
Connected
These are electronic and prices are stored in a database that can be
shopping tags
easily updated with minimal cost/effort.
Coop is a system of Italian consumers' cooperatives which operates
Coop Italia the largest supermarket chain in Italy.

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 A cost-efficient activity is something that is good value for the
amount of money that was paid for it. Producing in a cost-efficient
Cost-efficient
manner means that you are achieving the best results for the
amount that you have spent on production.
Somebody who transports documents and packages for individuals
Courier driver and companies. This can be done by multiple modes of transport -
most commonly bicycle, motorbike or car.
Creating a unique brand line that provides your customer with a
Curated shopping personal shopping experience that is specific to them.
A customer is an individual or business that purchases the goods or
services produced by a business. Attracting customers is the
Customer
primary goal of most public-facing businesses, because it is the
customer who creates demand for goods and services.
The type and quantity of products and services that people will buy,
Customer demand or would buy if they were available
Perceived value customers seek from the purchase of a good or
service. If the actual experience customers have with a product
Customer
exceeds the expectation, they are typically satisfied. If the actual
expectations
performance falls below the expectation, they are typically
disappointed.
The entirety of the interactions a customer has with a company and
its products. Understanding the customer experience is an integral
Customer part of customer relationship management. The overall experience
experience reflects how the customer feels about the company and its
offerings. Surveys, feedback forms and other data collection
techniques help a company to determine the customer experience.
Customer focus is a business strategy that put the customer's wants
and needs are the first priority of all management and employees
Customer focused by providing a positive customer experience before, during and
after the sale in order to drive repeat business, customer loyalty
and profits.
Customer Communication between a customer and a company.
interactions
The steps that customers must go through when interacting with a
company and brand from start to finish. Instead of looking at just a
Customer journey
part of a transaction or experience, the customer journey takes into
account the full experience of being a customer.
Habits or behaviours currently prevalent among consumers of
goods or services. Consumer trends track more than simply what
people buy and how much they spend. Data collected on trends
Customer trends
may also include information such as how consumers use a product
and how they communicate about a brand with their social
network.
A customer’s belief or confidence in the honesty, integrity or
Customer trust reliability of a company. This is key for companies as high levels of
customer trust often mean high levels of customer loyalty.
The protection of IT systems against attack, damage or
Cybersecurity unauthorised access.
Danone is a French multinational food-products corporation based
Danone in Paris. It has four business lines: Fresh Dairy products, Waters,
Early Life Nutrition and Medical Nutrition.

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 Recorded facts and statistics collected together, which can be
Data organised and used for reference or analysis.
The study of data to understand the effects of certain decisions or
events, to predict how they might turn out in the future and to
influence future behaviours. This allows businesses to evaluate and
Data analytics improve their performance. For example, if a business holds a
promotional sale, they can use analytics to understand whether the
promotion caused their sales to increase and by how much, and
what the effect might be of holding sales for other products.
An incident in which sensitive, protected or confidential data is
Data breach viewed, copied, transmitted, used or stolen by an individual who is
unauthorised to do so.
Data management Team responsible for the acquisition, validation, storage, protection
team and use of a company's data.
A single fact or piece of information e.g. your age, the number of
Data point people who visit a store or the temperature of room.
The aspect of information technology (IT) that deals with the ability
Data privacy an organization or individual has to determine what data in a
computer system can be shared with third parties.
The Data Processing Manager is responsible for the overall
direction, coordination, planning, and operation of the Data
Processing function by managing people responsible for systems
Data processing
analysis and design, programming and operation; scheduling and
manager
directing operation of mainframe, host, and core processing
systems and the data processing production environment to ensure
efficient, effective, and timely service.
Digital privacy measures designed to protect computers, databases,
Data security apps and websites from unauthorised access, modification,
corruption or destruction.
Data storage Places designed to house data storage devices. Data storage devices
facilities archive data in for use by computers/electronic devices.
A person who owns and leads initiatives to define, analyse, design,
and implement DevOps solutions - technical solutions using the
collaboration and communication of both software developers and
information technology (IT) professionals while automating the
DevOps architect
process of software delivery and infrastructure changes. They aim
to make building, testing, and releasing software can happen
rapidly, frequently, and more reliably; leading to better business
performance
Digital is the adjective used to describe how we are changing the
way we operate socially and professionally to reflect emerging
technologies and increasing connectivity to the people and objects
around us. Digital enables us to transmit and store data or
Digital
information and apply this information and technology to improve
human performance and better tackle our tasks. Digital has many
aspects, and this course gives you an introduction to some of its key
areas.
An application that can understand human language and follow
specific voice (or typed) commands to complete electronic tasks for
Digital assistants the user. For example, if you ask what the weather will be like the
next day in Mexico it will look this up and tell you the forecast for
Mexico tomorrow. Examples of these are Siri and Cortana.

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 A digital device is an electronic device that can receive, store,
process or send digital information. Today, countless devices are
digital such as smartphones, tablets and smartwatches. In contrast,
Digital device
there are numerous non-digital (analog) devices, such as a
thermometer, electric fan or bicycle. Car, washing machines and
many other products are both digital and analog.
Disruption occurs when a company, market, industry, or
technology is significantly changed by a newer and more successful
Digital disruption alternative, or way of doing things and produces something new,
more efficient and worthwhile. This improvement changes how we
think, behave, do business, learn and go about our day-to-day lives.
A person who is responsible for the process of capturing data then
integrating data about a building or piece of infrastructure into a
world of digital imagery for customers using digital methods and
Digital engineer
tools in the product creation and production process to interact
with and use in their own plans makes it easier to efficiently build
and manage buildings and infrastructure.
A digital marketer is responsible for connecting with customers
through technology in order to promote their products, services or
Digital marketer
brand. It is mainly on the Internet, and includes, but is not limited
to, marketing via email, social media and display via adverts.
A marketing channel is a network or platform used to deliver
Digital marketing message of a product to customers using digital tools. Digital
channels marketing channels are pay-per-click advertising, email marketing,
search engine optimisation, blogging, social media marketing, etc.
A person born or brought up during the age of digital technology
Digital native and so familiar with computers and the Internet from an early age.
Digital technologies are new, emerging electronic tools, systems,
devices and resources that generate, store or process data. They
change the way we operate socially and professionally to improve
Digital
human performance and better tackle our tasks. These includes
technologies
social media, online games and applications, multimedia,
productivity applications, cloud computing, mobile devices and
many more.
Chatbot that customers can communicate with to order from
Dom Domino's by messaging to Domino's Facebook messenger.
An American pizza restaurant chain. Founded in the United States
Domino’s in 1960, Domino's is in 82 countries, making it the second-largest
franchised pizza chain after Pizza Hut.
An augmented reality app by Gap that helps customers try on
clothes without going in a store. Customer log their measurements
DressingRoom
in and DressingRoom will place a virtual 3D model that you can
choose different items onto it to see how they fit.
Role operating drones (or UAVs - unmanned aerial vehicles). This
Drone includes piloting, maintaining and repairing these machines. Flying
operator/pilot the drones can either be done remotely or by pre-programming the
machine.
eBay Inc. is a multinational e-commerce corporation, facilitating
Ebay online consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales. It is
headquartered in San Jose, California.
E-commerce (electronic commerce) is the buying and selling of
E-commerce goods and services online, for example, buying something from a
clothes website.

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 The ability to accomplish something with the least waste of time,
Efficiency effort and resources.
Email marketing is when a company sends a commercial message
to a group of people by using email in order to stay connected,
Email marketing build customer loyalty and attract more sales. This commonly
appears in the form of advertisements, requests for business, sales
or donations.
Given the authority or power to do something.
Empowered

A men clothing's subscription service where users create an online

profile, answer a questionnaire and a team of stylists will pick out
Enclothed outfits that fit your style the most based on the profile and what
you like, deliver to customers and customers pay for only the items
they want to keep.
When a company provides support to an event either financially or
Event sponsorship by giving products/services at a discount/for free. This allows
companies to get their brand name in front of many people at once.
Facebook is an American an online social media and social
networking service. After registering to use the site, users can
create a user profile indicating their name, occupation, schools
attended and so on. Users can add other users as "friends",
exchange messages, post status updates and digital photos, share
Facebook
digital videos and links, use various software applications ("apps"),
and receive notifications when others update their profiles or make
posts. Additionally, users may join common-interest user groups
organized by workplace, school, hobbies or other topics, and
categorize their friends into list.
Facebook Messenger is an instant messaging service. It is
integrated with Facebook's web-based chat feature. Facebook
Messenger lets Facebook users send messages to each other. It was
Facebook launched as a standalone app on the Android and iOS operating
messenger systems in August 2011 and the functionality was then removed
from the main Facebook app in April 2014. Facebook Messenger
also lets users make video calls both in one-to-one interactions and
in group conversations.
A new concept to refer to the trend of fashion designs moving
quickly from catwalk to high street so that retailers can profit from
Fast fashion current fashion trends. Fast fashion is based on the latest styles
coming from the catwalks and success is dependent on the speed
(and cost) at which retailers can get new designs onto their shelves.
Finance describes the management, creation and study of money,
banking, credit, investments, assets and liabilities that make up
financial systems, as well as the study of those financial
instruments. Finance is divided into three distinct categories:
public finance, corporate finance and personal finance. There is also
the recently emerging area of social finance. Additionally, the Public
Finance finance includes tax systems, government expenditures, budget
procedures, stabilization policy and instruments, debt issues and
other government concerns. Corporate finance involves managing
assets, liabilities, revenues and debt for a business. Personal
finance defines all financial decisions and activities of an individual
or household, including budgeting, insurance, mortgage planning,
savings and retirement planning.

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 A finance analyst researches macroeconomic and microeconomic
conditions along with company fundamentals to make business,
sector and industry recommendations. They also often recommend
a course of action, such as to buy or sell a company's stock based
Finance analyst
upon its overall current and predicted strength. They must be
aware of current developments in the field in which he or she
specializes as well as in preparing financial models to predict
future economic conditions for any number of variables.
Financial performance is a subjective measure of how well a firm
can use assets from its primary mode of business and generate
Financial revenues. This term is also used as a general measure of a firm's
performance overall financial health over a given period of time, and can be used
to compare similar firms across the same industry or to compare
industries or sectors in aggregation.
Fitbit is an American company headquartered in San Francisco,
California, known for its products of the same name, which are
Fitbit activity trackers, wireless-enabled wearable devices that measure
data such as the number of steps walked, heart rate, quality of
sleep, steps climbed, and other personal metrics involved in fitness.
The number of people entering a shop or business in a particular
Footfall period of time.
A prediction or estimate of a future event or trend.
Forecast

Automation is the process of introducing technology to complete

tasks normally carried out by humans. Full automation is when
Full automation
technology completes all of the tasks that have previously been
carried out by humans.
Gap also known as The Gap or Gap Inc., is an American worldwide
clothing and accessories retailer. The company operates five
Gap
primary divisions: Gap Inc, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Intermix,
and Athleta.
All the people born and living at around the same time and
Generation experiencing the same significant events within a given period of
time.
Generation Z (also known as iGeneration, Post-Millennials, Plurals,
or the Homeland Generation in the United States) is the
demographic cohort after the Millennials whose starting birth years
that range from the mid-1990s to early 2000s, and as of yet there is
Generation Z (Gen
little consensus about ending birth years. A significant aspect of
Z)
this generation is the widespread usage of the Internet from a
young age; members of Generation Z are typically thought of as
being comfortable with technology, and interacting on social
media websites for a significant portion of their socialising.
Google is an American multinational technology
company specializing in Internet-related services and products.
These include online advertising technologies, search, cloud
computing, software, and hardware. They offer a core search
machine (Google Search), services designed for work and
Google
productivity (Google Docs, Sheets and Slides), email (Gmail/Inbox),
scheduling and time management (Google Calendar), cloud
storage (Google Drive), social networking (Google+), instant
messaging and video chat (Google Allo/Duo/Hangouts), language
translation (Google Translate), mapping and turn-by-turn

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 navigation (Google Maps), video sharing (YouTube), notetaking
(Google Keep), and photo organizing and editing (Google Photos).
The company leads the development of
the Android mobile operating system, the Google Chrome web
browser, and Chrome OS, a lightweight operating system based on
the Chrome browser. Google has moved increasingly into
hardware; from 2010 to 2015, it partnered with major electronics
manufacturers in the production of its Nexus devices, and in
October 2016, it released multiple hardware products (including
the Google Pixel smartphone, Home smart
speaker, Wifi mesh wireless router, and Daydream View virtual
reality headset).
Google Home is a hands-free smart speaker powered by the Google
Google Home Assistant that will answer to your request or question just by
starting saying, "Ok Google".
H&M is a Swedish multinational clothing-retail company, known
for its low-priced fast-fashion clothing for men, women, teenagers
H&M and children. H&M and its associated brands operate in 62
countries with over 4,000 stores and, as of 2015, employ around
132,000 people. It is the second largest global clothing retailer.
A word or phrase with a hash sign (#) in front of it is used on social
Hashtag media sites like Twitter and Instagram to identify and search for
posts on a specific topic.
A company’s head office (also referred to as headquarters) is the
most important office for a business where key decisions and
Head office policies are agreed. It represents the body at the top of an
organisation that takes responsibility for the overall success of the
business.
A meal kit provider that creates new recipes and delivers fresh
ingredients just enough to cook those recipes every week to
HelloFresh
households in 1 of 3 different types of package: Classic box, Veggie
box and Family box.
A system in which members of an organization or society are
Hierarchy ranked according to relative status or authority. Each item is
represented as above, below or at the same level as another.
High volume Tasks that need to be done repeatedly at a high frequency.
repetitive tasks
Past data, usually used as a basis for forecasting the future data or
Historical data trends.

Homeland The Homeland Generation is another name for Generation Z used in

generation the US.
Hoxton Analytics is a retail research company that uses technology
to monitor footfall and shopper demographics. It uses a tiny camera
embedded at about knee height, typically a store entrance. The
system detects the shoe type (male or female) and style (formal or
Hoxton Analytics
sports), along with size. Recognising two adults, one male and one
female with a toddler, the system might predict that a family had
entered the shop; the information is used to manage staffing,
merchandising and the measurement of customer conversion rates.
A theory or proposed explanation that has been made based on
Hypotheses limited information and requires further examination to prove or
disprove.

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 Relating to digital technology or images that actively engage one's
Immersive senses and may create the impression of reality.
A thing that motivates or encourages someone to do something.
Incentive

Information technology (IT) is the application of computers to

Information store, study, retrieve, transmit, and
technology (IT) manipulate data, or information, often in the context of a business
or other enterprise.
A device in the user’s home that detects and responds to inputs
In-home sensors from its external environment.
Gaining a clear and deep understanding of an issue or situation
Insight through a combination of facts, data and/or analysis of data.
Instagram is a mobile, desktop, and internet-based photo-
sharing application and service that allows users to share pictures
and videos either publicly or privately. Instagram lets registered
users upload photos or videos to the service and apply various
Instagram digital filters to their images, and add locations through geotags.
They can add hashtags to their posts, linking the photos up to other
content on Instagram featuring the same subject or overall topic.
Users can connect their Instagram account to other social media
profiles, enabling them to share photos to those profiles as well.
Within a physical shop.
In-store

Interactive means a computer and a computer user can

communicate with each other: a user can give directions to a
Interactive
computer by using a programmed demand and a computer can
respond to a user’s input.
Changing rooms that have a digital interface that users can interact
with. For example, a touchscreen mirror that allows users to
Interactive
request different sizes/colours, see recommended items based on
changing room
what they have brought to the changing room or ask for help from a
shop assistant.
Interactive Touchscreen displays that allow the user to find out more
displays information about a product.
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the growing network of
objects connected to the internet. These objects can collect and
Internet of Things
send data to each other. Examples of ‘things’ in the IoT include
(IOT)
fitness trackers, home lighting, and security systems that can be
controlled remotely on a mobile device.
The ability to understand something based on your feelings rather
Intuition than on facts. This is often explained as a 'gut feeling' as it does not
rely on any form of reasoning.
Tending to intrude on a person's privacy. For example, unwanted
Invasive adverts that expand on a webpage to play video and audio. In this
instance, overtaking the user’s screen can be thought of as invasive.
Inventory Looking after and managing the stock that a firm has that is ready
management to sell.
An organized system for the collection, organization, storage and
IT systems communication of computer data.

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 John Lewis is a chain of department stores operating throughout
the United Kingdom. The chain is owned by the John Lewis
John Lewis
Partnership. The first John Lewis store was opened in 1864 in
Oxford Street, London.
Live chat is a tool businesses can use on their websites, to support
Live chat customers. Using live chat, a customer can communicate with an
advisor in real time using a chat window.
Logistics is the management of the flow of resources/products
between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order
to meet requirements of customers or businesses. The resources
managed in logistics can include physical items such as food,
Logistics materials, animals and equipment; as well as abstract items, such as
time and information. The logistics of physical items usually
involves the integration of information flow, material handling,
production, packaging, inventory, transportation, warehousing and
often security
A person who is responsible for admin works of logistics division.
Logistics Their responsibilities include order processing and progressing,
administrator conducting shipping-related tasks, ensuring orders are delivered
and received.
A card issued by a retailer to its customers as part of a consumer
Loyalty card incentive scheme, whereby credits are accumulated for future
discounts every time a transaction is recorded.
MapMyRun is a fitness tracking app that allows you to use the built-
in GPS of your mobile device to track all your fitness activities. It
MapMyRun allows you to record and upload your workout details, including
duration, distance, pace, speed, elevation, calories burned, and
route travelled on an interactive map.
Any place where buyers and sellers meet to trade products. When
looking at the market that a retailer operates in we should consider
Market
what they sell, who their competitors are and who their customers
are.
Knowledge on a market gained by spending time working in it/
Market experience analysing it.
The activity of gathering information about consumers’ needs and
preferences about products or services that they could use or buy.
Market research It can help to understand the need for your business, if it will work,
who your competitors are, and how you might change your product
to suit general public needs and likes.
The process of promoting and selling products or services,
Marketing including market research and advertising.
Marketing campaigns promote a product through different media,
including television, radio, print and online platforms. Campaigns
don't have to rely solely on advertising and can also include
demonstrations, word of mouth and other interactive techniques.
Marketing campaigns can be designed with different goals in mind,
Marketing
including building a brand image, introducing a new product,
campaign
increasing sales of a product already on the market, or even
reducing the impact of negative news. Defining a campaign's goal
usually dictates how much marketing is needed and what media
are most effective. Small companies can email invitations to a
special sale and offer a free product to every customer who brings

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 in the invitation. Larger companies can use paid advertising and
professional agencies to reach a wider audience.
A plan of action created to promote and sell a product or service.
Marketing strategy This covers the high level picture of what the business is offering
and how that is communicated to its customers.
McDonald's is an American hamburger and fast food
restaurant chain. McDonald's is one of the world's largest
restaurant chains, serving in 120 countries across approximately
36,899 outlets. McDonald's primarily sells burgers, chicken
Mcdonald’s
products, chips, breakfast items, soft drinks, milkshakes, wraps,
and desserts. In response to changing consumer tastes, the
company has expanded its menu to include salads, fish, wraps,
smoothies, and fruit.
A meal kit refers to a package of ingredients that are pre-portioned
out to make it easier for customer to cook. A meal kit is an
increasingly popular method of doing your weekly shop
providing maximum taste, variety & balance with minimum fuss &
Meal kit
time. Customer can sign up to subscribe to a meal kit service where
meal kits are delivered to their home every week or whenever they
want. Some meal kit companies are HelloFresh, Mindful Chef & Blue
Apron.
One megabyte is 1024 kilobytes. An MP3 audio file of a few minutes
Megabyte or an image from a digital camera would typically take up few
megabytes.
Merchandisers work closely with the buying teams to accurately
forecast trends, plan stock levels and monitor performance to
Merchandiser
ensure that products appear in the right store, or on a website, at
the appropriate time and in the correct quantities.
The activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their
Merchandising presentation in retail outlets.
Bringing science and data into merchandising to improve
Merchant scientist understanding of customer's buying behaviour.
Millennials are the demographic cohort where early 1980s as
starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending
birth years. This is a special cohort as they grow up in a time of
Millennials changes and of technologies, giving them a set of priorities and
demands different from previous generation. They are familiar
with technology since they were young and they tend to invest in
and pay attention to themselves more than other generations.
A wireless handheld device that can be used at a minimum to make
calls and send texts over a radio frequency. At present the majority
Mobile
of mobiles are smartphones which can access the internet and
perform many of the same functions as a computer.
The technology that is used for cellular communication and any
Mobile technology devices that are portable (so can carry with you to perform
multiple tasks).
Monthly Monthly subscription services refers to services that you can only
subscription get access to when you register to pay a monthly fee.
services
Multi-channel is when retailers use multiple channels to sell and
Multi-channel market their products to customers, such as in-store, online and
mobile. This is different to omni-channel, which is where a retailer

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 offers a seamless and integrated experience across multiple
channels.
MyFitnessPal is a free smartphone app and website that tracks diet
MyFitnessPal and exercise to determine optimal caloric intake and nutrients for
the users' goals.
Nespresso is the brand name of Nestlé Nespresso S.A., an operating
unit of the Nestlé Group, based in Switzerland. Nespresso machines
brew espresso and coffee from coffee capsules, or pods in bar
Nespresso
machines. Nespresso is a premium price coffee and by 2011 had
annual sales more than 3 billion Swiss francs. The company sells its
system of machines and capsules worldwide.
Netflix is an American entertainment company founded in 1997. It
specializes in and provides subscription-based streaming
media and video-on-demand online and DVD by mail. In 2013,
Netflix expanded into film and television production, as well as
Netflix online distribution. Netflix entered the content-production industry
in 2013, debuting its first series, House of Cards. It has greatly
expanded the production of both film and television series since
then, offering "Netflix Original" content through its online library of
films and television.
Interconnected among systems, devices or people.
Networked

Omnichannel is a type of retail which integrates the different

methods of shopping available to consumers to increase customer
experience. Channels include physical locations, FAQ webpages,
social media, live web chats, mobile applications and telephone
communication. This means that customers can interact with the
company in multiple ways, providing them with a great, and
Omni-channel
seamless sales experience. For example, if a customer buys a
product on a company’s website, and then receives updates on
their order delivery status on the company’s mobile app. The
customer’s experience from the website to the app is seamless
because they will receive a very similar experience across both of
these channels.
The subscription business model is a business model where a
Online
customer must pay a subscription fee to have access to a product or
membership
service. The model was pioneered by magazines and newspapers,
subscriptions
but is now used by many businesses and websites.
To make something as good or as effective as possible.
Optimise

Pay per click (PPC), also called cost per click (CPC), is an
Pay per Click advertising technique where you pay to have your adverts rank
Advertising (PPC) highly on the web through buying keywords. You are charged every
time someone clicks on your ad.
Information that can be used to identify an individual. This may
Personal
include their name, address, email, phone number, age, sex, marital
information
status etc.
Personalisation means meeting and tailoring a product/service to
Personalisation the customer's needs more effectively and efficiently, and
increasing customer satisfaction and the likelihood of repeat visits.
Pinterest is an internet photo sharing and publishing service that
Pinterest allows users to "Pin" pictures they like and upload their own

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 recommendations to their "pinboards". Users can visit other
pinboards, 're-pin' images to their own pinboards, or 'like' photos.
Pokémon Go is a free-to-play, location-based augmented reality
game developed by Niantic for iOS and Android devices. In the
game, players use a mobile device's GPS ability to locate, capture,
Pokémon Go battle, and train virtual creatures, called Pokémon, who appear on
the screen as if they were in the same real-world location as the
player. The game supports in-app purchases for additional in-game
items.
A shop/business that opens for a limited time in a temporary
Pop-up location.
A PR (Public Relations) assistant is a person who supports a PR
manager in conducting research for PR planning; supporting
PR assistant relations with stakeholders; managing general administrative tasks
for PR team; organising and executing of PR events, campaigns and
undertaking any other related tasks assigned by PR manager.
The process of using statistics and forecasting techniques to get
information from existing data in order to recognise patterns and
predict future outcomes and trends. This form of analytics aims to
answer the question “What could happen?”. Predictive analytics
Predictive provides companies with actionable insights based on data. It is
analytics important to remember that no statistical algorithm can “predict”
the future with 100% certainty since the analytics is based on
probabilities. This is important as business decisions need to be
based on predictive analytics and not purely on gut instinct or
experience.
Price matching Software that tracks competitor’s prices automatically and sends
analytics tools alerts for price changes in competitors pricing.
Agreeing the price at which a product will be sold on the market.
Price setting

A product is the item offered for sale. A product can be a service or

an item. It can be physical, or in virtual or cyber form. Every
Product product is made at a cost and each is sold at a price. The price that
can be charged depends on the market, the quality, the
marketing/advertising and the audience at which it is targeted.
All of the products that a company sells.
Product range

A person who is responsible for delivering projects on time and in

budget, by planning and organising resources and people. They
Project manager need to track work to be completed, set deadlines, delegate tasks to
the project team, identify any potential risks and do any other
related activities to ensure the project runs smoothly.
A promotional email is a marketing strategy that is used to offer
Promotional discounts or other incentives to purchase a product or service, or to
emails subscribe, register, download or perform some other action
intended to drive revenue for the business.
Models designed to show the process that consumers go through
Purchase models when buying a product. Retailers often determine how they will sell
their goods to customers based on these models.
Ralph Lauren Corporation is engaged in the design, marketing and
Ralph Lauren distribution of lifestyle products, including clothing, accessories,
home furnishings and fragrances.
FutureLearn 15
 If a process or action is done in real-time, it will occur in the actual
time, without noticeable delay between the action being triggered
Real-time and completed. For example, if a computer system updates
information at the same rate as it receives data, this system is
acting in real-time.
The ability to have access to a computer/network from a sizeable
Remote distance without a wired connection. This allows workers to work
connectivity outside of their company's office, and still have connection to the
office network.
Rent the Runway is an online service that provides designer dress
and accessory rentals started in 2009. Initially a purely e-
Rent the Runway commerce company, it later opened brick-and-mortar retail
locations in New York City, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los
Angeles and Las Vegas.
A purchase model where the consumer signs up to a subscription
(essentially a repeat order) of a product. Instead of a normal
subscription - where a set amount of the good is sent to the
Replenishment customer within a repeating time cycle (e.g. weekly/monthly) a
subscription replenishment subscription sends the goods to the customer when
models the amount of the good they have falls below a certain level. This is
done with connected devices that can tell how much of the good the
customer has - and automatically sends a notification to the retailer
to send more when this goes beneath a certain level.
Restructuring is a type of corporate action taken when significantly
modifying the debt, operations or structure of a company as a
means of potentially eliminating financial harm and improving the
business. A company restructures its operations or structure by
cutting costs, such as payroll, or reducing its size through the sale
of assets. A company may restructure as a means of preparing for a
sale, buyout, merger, change in overall goals or transfer to a
relative. Perhaps the business has a failed product or service and
does not bring in enough revenue for covering payroll and debts. As
a result, depending on agreement by shareholders and creditors,
Restructure
the company may sell its assets, restructure its financial
arrangements, issue equity for reducing debt, or file for bankruptcy
as the business maintains operations. When a company
restructures internally, the operations, processes, departments or
ownership may change, enabling the business to become more
integrated and profitable. Restructuring should result in smoother,
more economically sound business operations. After employees
adjust to the new environment, the company should be better
equipped for achieving its goals through greater efficiency in
production.
Retailing involves the process of selling a small amount of
consumer goods or services to customers. Retail shops occur in a
Retail diverse range of types and in many different contexts - from strip
shopping centres in residential streets through to large, indoor
shopping malls.
A service provider fills the small orders of a large number of
customers rather than large orders of a small number
Retailer
of wholesale, corporate or government clientele; for example: high
street clothing stores or supermarkets.
Revenue is the total amount of money received by a company for
Revenue products or services sold during a certain time period. It is
calculated by multiplying the price at which products/services are
FutureLearn 16
 sold by the amount sold. To calculate profit, a business subtracts
their costs and expenses from their revenue.
RFID stands for radio-frequency identification. They are chips
which use electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags which
are attached to items. The tags contain the integrated circuit and
RFID
antenna which transmit data to an RFID reader in the nearby area.
This means that companies can know where items are on a
production line, in transit, or in store.
Someone who remotely controls a robot to carry out its given tasks.
Robot operator

A machine that can carry out a complex series of actions

Robots automatically.
Sainsbury's is the second largest chain of supermarkets in the
Sainsbury’s United Kingdom. It was founded in 1869, with a shop in Drury
Lane, London
The exchange of a good or service for money.
Sales

A person who is responsible for greeting and advising customers,

Sales assistant handling payments, arranging orders and delivery, keeping the
shop up to the pre-set standards.
Schuh is a footwear retailer from the UK, with 118 stores in the UK
Schuch and Ireland. The company is predominantly a branded shoe
stockist, selling over 80 brands, including its own Schuh label.
Scientific Retailing is when retailers use data to test and
Scientific retailing experiment with different ideas on how best to improve business
performance.
Describes something having no awkward transitions, interruptions,
Seamless or indications of differences in quality.
The practice of adjusting individual webpages to achieve a high
search engine ranking which leads to more visibility and increased
Search engine
traffic to a given website. Websites can improve their FutureLearn
optimisation (SEO)
6 search engine optimisation by making changes to their content
and ensuring that the pages can be indexed correctly.
A photograph that you take of yourself, typically with a
Selfie smartphone or webcam, and share via social media.
Machines that allow customers to process their own purchases
Self-service
(scan, bag and pay) from retailers in-store without human
checkout
assistance.
A room which is used to display goods which are for sale - these are
Showroom usually more focused on advertising/marketing efforts.
Wearable glasses that use technology to show the user additional
Smart glasses information alongside what they can see with their own eyes. One
example of this is Google glasses.
Packaging that shows the status of a product or provides additional
information to the end user. For example some forms of smart
Smart packaging packaging show how fresh food is, others show if the packaging has
been tampered with. This also includes NFC (Near-field
communication) technology that can be attached to packaging.
A shelf that has had an RFID reader installed. This means that it can
Smart shelf identify how many products/what products are on the shelf. This

FutureLearn 17
 can help retailers know when more stock needs to be put on the
shelf, when items have been misplaced, when items have expired
and how often it is picked up.
Snapchat is an image messaging and multimedia mobile
application. One of the principal concepts of Snapchat is that
Snapchat
pictures and messages are only available for a short time before
they become inaccessible.
A fun, instant overlay to add to a Snap (image/short video) in
Snapchat filters Snapchat. User can stack several different filters onto a Snap. Filters
vary from dog face, flower garland to rainbow.
Social media refers to the apps and websites that enable users to
create and share content or to participate in social networking,
Social media which means interacting with people online. Some examples of
social media apps and websites include Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and Snapchat.
The study of data gathered from social media to understand the
effects of certain decisions or events, to predict how they might
Social media
turn out in the future or influence future behaviours. It is
analytics
commonly used to understand customers feelings towards a brand
in order to inform marketing and other customer focused activities.
A social media manager leads an organisation's social media
strategy in order to boost visibility and customer and client
Social media engagement. This typically involves managing an organisation's
manager online presence by developing a strategy, producing good content,
analysing usage data, facilitating customer service and managing
projects and campaigns.
A social media manager leads an organisation's social media
strategy in order to boost visibility and customer and client
engagement. This typically involves managing an organisation's
online presence by developing a strategy, producing good content,
Social media
analysing usage data, facilitating customer service and managing
manager
projects and campaigns. Although social media management can be
a distinct role, it is sometimes combined with other marketing and
communications responsibilities, particularly in small and medium
sized companies.
A software engineer is a person who applies the principles
of software engineering to the design, development, maintenance,
Software engineer
testing, and evaluation of the software and systems that make
computers or anything containing software work.
Sound branding, also referred to as audio branding is when
companies use signature sounds or music to express their brand
identity. There’s more to it than just memorable jingles and ad
music. Audio branding also refers to the memorable Skype
Sound branding
connection sound or the grand 20th Century Fox music that plays
before the start of certain movies. The idea is to create a sound or
musical signature that consumers can easily associate with a
particular brand.
Spotify is a music, podcast, and video streaming service, launched
Spotify in October 2008. It was developed by startup Spotify AB in
Stockholm, Sweden.
The goods or merchandise kept on the premises of a shop or
Stock warehouse and available for sale or distribution.

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 A person who ensures all policies and guidelines in store are met
through budget planning, stock management and organisation of
Store manager
staff; manage and train all staff in store; dealing with customers as
well as communicating with head office.
Teams that are responsible for the smooth running of the retail
Store operations business in-store.
A plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim. A
social media strategy is a company’s plan for how they will use
Strategy social media to meet their business goals. All interactions and posts
that the company makes on social media should be guided by this
strategy.
A person or organisation that provides something needed such as a
Supplier product or service.
The steps and individuals/organisations/resources involved in
creating a product from raw materials to the finalised product in
Supply chain
the hands of the customer. This includes production, storage and
distribution of a product.
A supply chain manager is responsible for selecting products that
are in demand, negotiating and managing contracts with suppliers;
planning the best way to get goods from suppliers to distribution
Supply chain
centres and retailers; tracking shipments and stock levels; working
manager
with retailers to make sure they receive their goods on time and in
the right condition; monitoring overall performance to make sure
targets are met and preparing forecasts and inventories.
A tablet is a portable personal computer (PC) with a touchscreen
interface. They are smaller than PCs or laptops but bigger than
Tablet
FutureLearn 7 smart phones, and allow users to do many of the
same things. Examples include Apple iPads and Android tablets.
Tech expertise means having experience or knowledge to a very
Tech expertise high level about technology.
A tech start-up is a company whose purpose is to bring technology
products or services to market. These companies deliver innovative
Tech start-ups
new technology products or services or deliver existing technology
products or services in new ways.
Technical The understanding of a certain technology, how it works and how it
knowledge is progressing.
A person who provides solutions by estimating, managing,
Technology
implementing, deploying and administering IT systems on behalf of
consultant
their client organisation.
Tesco PLC is a British multinational grocery and general
merchandise retailer. It has stores in 8 countries across Asia and
Europe and is the grocery market leader in the UK, Ireland,
Tesco Hungary, Malaysia and Thailand. Tesco has diversified
geographically since the early 1990s and into areas such as the
retailing of books, clothing, electronics, furniture, toys, petrol and
software; financial services; telecoms and internet services.
A cash register or drawer for money in a shop, bank, or restaurant.
Till

A transaction is an agreement between a buyer and a seller to

Transaction exchange goods or services.

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 "Tweet", a message sent using Twitter, an online news and social
networking service where users post and interact with messages,
Tweet
"tweets", restricted to 140 characters. Registered users can post
tweets, but those who are unregistered can only read them.
Twitter is an online news and social networking service where
users post and interact with messages, "tweets", restricted to 140
Twitter characters. Registered users can post tweets, but those who are
unregistered can only read them. Users access Twitter through its
website interface, SMS or a mobile device app.
Uber Technologies Inc. is an American transportation network
company headquartered in California, United States, operating in
570 cities worldwide. It develops, markets and operates the Uber
car transportation and food delivery mobile apps. Uber drivers use
Uber
their own cars, although drivers can rent a car to drive with Uber.
The Uber app software requires the drivers to have a smartphone,
and users must have access to either a smartphone or the mobile
website.
Ubiquitous Refers to the ability of today’s consumers to shop whenever,
shopping wherever and for whatever they want.
Under Armour is an American company that manufactures
Under Armour footwear, sports and casual clothing.
The number of people who do not have a job, have actively looked
Unemployment for work in the past four weeks, and are currently available for
work.
Visualisation Someone who creates the imagery used for augmented and virtual
photographer reality.
The ability of a machine or program to identify words and phrases
in spoken language and convert them to a machine-readable
Voice recognition format. The voice recognition software has a limited vocabulary of
words and phrases, and it may only identify these if they are
spoken very clearly.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is working with a robotics company to
Walmart shopping
develop a shopping cart that helps customers find items on their
cart
lists and saves them from pushing a heavy cart around the store.
Wearables are digital devices that can be worn as accessories or
clothing. Wearables can connect to the Internet, enabling data on
Wearable devices your activity to be recorded and measured. Examples of wearables
include smart watches like the Apple Watch, and sport trackers like
FitBits.
A person who prepares content for the Web. It encompasses
Website designer several different aspects, including webpage layout, content
production, and graphic design.
YouTube is an American video-sharing website. The site allows
Youtube users to upload, view, rate, share, add to favourites, and comment
on videos, and subscribe to other users.
Zara is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer. The company
Zara was founded in 1975 and is the main brand of the Inditex group
which is the world's largest apparel retailer.

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