V
Variation Glossary
A Variation is the relationship that groups similar products into a single detail page: several child offers that differ by one defined attribute — size, colour, flavour, pack quantity, material, style — sitting under a common parent.
Variation Lifecycle Management Glossary
Variation Lifecycle Management is the practice of maintaining a product family over time: adding children as the range grows, retiring variants that stop performing, and restructuring the family when the product line itself changes.
VAT (Value Added Tax) Glossary
VAT (Value Added Tax) is the consumption tax charged on goods and services at each stage of production and distribution. In the European Union and the United Kingdom, selling into a market generally means registering for VAT there and collecting, reporting, and remitting it.
VB (Virtual Bundle) Glossary
A Virtual Bundle groups two to five complementary products from the same registered brand into one buyable offer, without physically packing them together. The components are separate inventory and the order is assembled at fulfilment.
VC (Vendor Central) Glossary
Vendor Central is the supplier-facing platform used by manufacturers and distributors who sell to the retailer itself as a first-party supplier: the retailer buys wholesale and resells, owning the retail price, the content, and the customer relationship.
VCR (Vendor Confirmation Rate) Glossary
VCR (Vendor Confirmation Rate) is the share of ordered units a vendor confirms within the required window: of the units requested on a purchase order, how many were accepted and confirmed on time.
Vendor Glossary
A Vendor is a first-party supplier: a business that sells inventory in bulk to the retailer itself, which then sets the retail price, manages the listings, and serves the customer. The brand becomes a wholesaler; the platform becomes the retailer.
VFBD (Vendor Funded Buy-Down) Glossary
VFBD (Vendor Funded Buy-Down) is an arrangement in which the brand funds a temporary retail price reduction: the brand pays a set amount per unit for the duration of a promotion, and the retail price comes down accordingly.
VFH (Vendor Flex Hub) Glossary
A Vendor Flex Hub is a coordination point for several Vendor Flex locations: a node that organises inbound flows, redistribution, and capacity across the flex sites in its area rather than each one operating independently.
VFMC (Vendor Funded Managed Coupons) Glossary
VFMC (Vendor Funded Managed Coupons) are coupons within the subscription programme that the platform creates, schedules, and optimises, with the vendor providing the funding. The brand pays; the platform decides when and where the coupon runs.
VF / VFlex (Vendor Flex) Glossary
Vendor Flex embeds the platform’s fulfilment operation inside the vendor’s own facility. Space is allocated within or beside the vendor’s warehouse, the platform installs its systems and equipment, and its staff pick, pack, and ship from there under its own processes.
VGP (Vendor Growth Plan) Glossary
A Vendor Growth Plan is a structured agreement between a vendor and the platform setting out growth targets, the initiatives that will pursue them, and who owns each one. It is the working document of the vendor relationship rather than a formality.
VIAO (Vendor Initiated Allocated Offer) Glossary
A VIAO (Vendor Initiated Allocated Offer) is a pricing proposal a vendor submits to the buying team: the brand offers a temporary discount on a specific product, and the discount goes live only if the offer is accepted.
Vine Glossary
Vine is the official early-review programme: a brand enrols an eligible product, makes a number of units available, and invited reviewers receive them at no cost in exchange for writing reviews that appear on the listing.
Vine Voices (Amazon Vine Voices) Glossary
Vine Voices are the reviewers in the Vine programme: a small group of people the platform invites based on the quality and helpfulness of their past reviews, who receive enrolled products at no cost and write about them.
VIO (Vendor Initiated Order) Glossary
A VIO (Vendor Initiated Order) lets a first-party vendor propose a purchase order rather than wait for the platform’s automated buying to generate one. The brand initiates the purchase; the retailer decides whether to accept.
VIP (Vendor Improvement Plan) Glossary
A VIP (Vendor Improvement Plan) is the corrective counterpart to a growth plan: a structured programme for a vendor whose performance is affecting the customer experience or the retailer’s operational efficiency, setting out specific metrics to fix and the actions required.
VIR (Volume Incentive Rebate) Glossary
A VIR (Volume Incentive Rebate) is a trade term in which the supplier pays a rebate once agreed volume thresholds are reached: the more the retailer sells or buys, the better the effective terms it earns.
Virtual Try-On Glossary
Virtual Try-On is the augmented-reality feature that lets a shopper see how a product looks on them before buying — primarily used for footwear and eyewear, and part of a wider set of immersive features built on 3D models.
VLT (Vendor Lead Time) Glossary
VLT (Vendor Lead Time) is the total time a vendor needs to fulfil a purchase order: from the order being received through processing and confirmation, picking and packing, arranging transport, transit, and finally the appointment and check-in at the destination facility.
VM (Vendor Manager) Glossary
A Vendor Manager is the person on the retailer’s side who owns the commercial relationship with the brand: a category buyer responsible for a portfolio of vendors within one product area, covering negotiation, assortment, performance, and promotional participation.
VMP (Virtual Multi-Pack) Glossary
A Virtual Multi-Pack sells several units as a single offer without physically bundling them. The pack is created at catalogue level, a new listing is linked to the single-unit product, and when a customer orders the pack the warehouse picks that number of individual units and ships them together.
VMS (Vendor Management System) Glossary
A Vendor Management System is the software layer that organises first-party operations: purchase orders, logistics, catalogue data, and financial reconciliation brought into one place rather than handled across scattered spreadsheets and portals.
VOC (Vendor Own Carrier) Glossary
VOC (Vendor Own Carrier) is the direct-fulfilment option in which the vendor chooses and manages the carrier delivering to the end customer, rather than routing through the platform’s own carrier arrangements.
VOC (Voice of the Customer) Glossary
Voice of the Customer is the dashboard that aggregates customer sentiment about a product into a single health view: reviews and ratings, return comments, customer service contacts, and post-purchase feedback, combined into a rating for each item.
Voucher / Vendor Powered Voucher (VPV) Glossary
A Voucher is a clip-able discount shown as a badge on a listing and in search results — an amount or a percentage that the customer activates before checkout. The discount is funded entirely by the brand, plus a small merchandising fee in most markets.
VRID (Vehicle Run Identification) Glossary
A VRID (Vehicle Run Identification) is the identifier assigned to a vehicle and its load for a specific run in the logistics network: the code that ties together the truck, the goods it is carrying, and the schedule it is meant to follow.
VSP (Vendor Success Programme) Glossary
The Vendor Success Programme is the entry-level managed support arrangement for vendors: structured guidance and account support covering operational health, catalogue management, and growth opportunities, priced below the more comprehensive managed service.
VSS-M (Vendor Self-Service Merchandising) Glossary
Vendor Self-Service Merchandising is the set of tools that lets a vendor manage merchandising directly — setting up promotions, creating and funding deals, applying placements, and managing enhanced content — without waiting on the buying team to arrange each one.
VTR (Valid Tracking Rate) Glossary
Valid Tracking Rate is the share of self-fulfilled shipments carrying valid, verifiable tracking: parcels dispatched with a tracking number that can actually be scanned and followed from dispatch to delivery.
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