Amazon Glossary

P1 stands for Priority 1 - a label Amazon uses to classify the most urgent and business-critical issues that require immediate attention and resolution.

P2 stands for Priority 2 - a classification for high-priority issues that are important and impactful but do not require an immediate, emergency-level response like a P1 incident.

P2G stands for Path to Green - Amazon’s internal planning term for the steps needed to bring a project, metric, or performance area back into acceptable (or “green”) status.

P3 stands for Priority 3 - a classification for moderate-impact issues or feature requests that are important but do not require urgent attention and do not disrupt core business functions.

P70 is Amazon’s forecast estimate indicating there’s a 70% probability that weekly customer demand for a product will be at or below the given value.

P80 is Amazon’s demand forecast indicating there is an 80% probability that weekly customer demand will be at or below the projected number.

P90 is Amazon’s forecast level indicating there’s a 90% probability that weekly customer demand will be at or below the given value.

Parent ASIN is the top-level identifier Amazon uses to group multiple product variations (child ASINs) under a single listing - helping customers view all options like size, color, or flavor on one product page.

 PB stands for Private Brand - a product line owned and developed by Amazon (or another retailer) and sold under a proprietary brand name, typically offering exclusive products at competitive prices.

PBDD stands for Prime Big Deal Days - a major Amazon shopping event offering exclusive discounts to Prime members, typically held in Q4 as a second Prime-focused sales period alongside Prime Day.

PBS stands for Predictive Buying System - Amazon’s internal forecasting tool that predicts future customer demand and generates automated purchase orders for 1P vendors based on that data.

Personal Care Appliances (PCA) refer to electrical grooming and hygiene devices designed for personal use, such as hair dryers, electric shavers, trimmers, hair straighteners, epilators, and similar small appliances.

Product Cost of Goods Sold (PCOGS) represents the total cost incurred by a vendor for the products sold to Amazon, calculated as the quantity of units shipped multiplied by the vendor’s unit cost price. In Vendor Central, PCOGS is equivalent to Shipped COGS.

Percentage (PCT) represents a proportional value expressed as a fraction of 100, commonly used across Amazon’s reporting and analytics to indicate growth rates, performance ratios, or share of total.

Prime Day (PD) is Amazon’s flagship annual global shopping event, exclusive to Prime members, offering major discounts and promotions across nearly all categories. It typically takes place in June or July and lasts two days or more, depending on the year and region.

Prime Day 1 (PD1) refers to the first day of Amazon’s annual Prime Day event, typically held in June or July, during which Amazon offers exclusive deals and discounts to Prime members worldwide.

Prime Day 2 (PD2) refers to Amazon’s second major Prime event of the year, typically held in October or November, also known as the Prime Fall Deal Event or Fall Prime Day. It offers exclusive discounts for Prime members ahead of the holiday shopping season.

Prime Day 4 (PD4) refers to the four-day version of Amazon’s Prime Day event, typically held in June or July, where Amazon extends its flagship Prime Day promotion over four consecutive days instead of the usual two.

Product Display Ads (PDA) were one of Amazon’s legacy advertising formats, allowing vendors and sellers to promote specific products using interest-based or product-targeted display ads that appeared on product detail pages, customer review pages, or below the Buy Box.

A Product Detail Page (PDP) is the dedicated webpage on Amazon where a shopper views all information about a specific product, including images, title, price, bullet points, description, reviews, and purchase options.

A Prime Exclusive Deal (PED), also called a Prime Exclusive Discount, is a limited-time price promotion available only to Amazon Prime members, offering special discounts clearly marked on product detail pages and search results.

Please Find Attached (PFA) is a common business email abbreviation used to indicate that one or more files are included as attachments within the message.

Provisions for Receivables (PFR) is an accounting and cash flow management practice used by Amazon to balance vendor payments against outstanding amounts such as trade term deductions, chargebacks, and unresolved financial disputes. Under PFR, Amazon delays or partially offsets vendor invoice payments until the vendor’s outstanding liabilities are smaller than or equal to the invoice amount.

Perfect Inbound (PIB) is an Amazon supply chain performance metric that measures the percentage or number of inbound shipments that are received by Amazon fulfilment centres accurately, on time, and without any issues - such as labelling errors, missing units, or shipment delays.

Perfect Inbound Defect Rate (PIBDR) is an Amazon operational metric that measures the percentage of inbound defects - such as labelling errors, quantity mismatches, or packaging issues - relative to the total number of units received at Amazon fulfilment centres.

PICS - Pan-European Inbound Consolidation Service

 Pan-European Inbound Consolidation Service (PICS) is an Amazon logistics programme that allows vendors to ship their products to a single consolidation point within the EU, from which Amazon distributes the goods to multiple fulfilment centres across Europe.

P&L stands for Profit and Loss - a financial statement that summarizes a business’s revenues, costs, and expenses over a specific period to show whether it made a profit or incurred a loss.

Private Label (PL) refers to products sold by Amazon under its own brand names, but manufactured by third-party suppliers or vendors. These items are designed, sourced, and marketed by Amazon as exclusive in-house brands

 Procurement Lead Time (PLT) refers to the total time required to source, purchase, and receive goods - from the moment an order is placed with a supplier to when the items are available for shipment or production.

PO - Purchase Order

 A Purchase Order (PO) is a formal document issued by Amazon to a vendor, specifying the products, quantities, and agreed prices that Amazon intends to purchase. It serves as a legally binding contract between Amazon (the buyer) and the vendor (the seller).

POA - Plan of Action

 A Plan of Action (POA) is a formal document or written explanation submitted by a seller or vendor to Amazon, outlining the steps they have taken (or will take) to resolve a performance, policy, or compliance issue that led to an account, ASIN, or listing suspension.

POC - Point of Contact

 Point of Contact (POC) refers to the designated individual or team responsible for communication and coordination between Amazon and a vendor, seller, or partner regarding a specific business, operational, or technical matter.

POCA - Purchase Order Change Acknowledgment

 Purchase Order Change Acknowledgment (POCA) is an EDI message used by vendors to confirm acceptance or rejection of a Purchase Order Change Request (POC) sent by Amazon. It serves as a formal, electronic confirmation that the vendor has received and processed Amazon’s requested modifications to an existing Purchase Order (PO).

POD - Proof of Delivery

 Proof of Delivery (POD) is a document or digital confirmation that verifies a shipment has been successfully delivered to Amazon’s fulfilment centre, consolidation hub, or final customer, including details such as delivery time, date, and recipient signature.

PPA - Price Pack Architecture

 Price Pack Architecture (PPA) refers to the strategic design of product packaging and pricing combinations used to target different customer segments, price points, and shopping occasions - optimising assortment, value perception, and profitability across Amazon and other retail channels.

PPA - Price Protection Agreement

 Price Protection Agreement (PPA) is a contractual arrangement between Amazon and a vendor that protects Amazon from losses caused by a price reduction on units already purchased, received, or in transit. When the vendor lowers the wholesale price of a product, the PPA ensures Amazon is compensated for the resulting loss in inventory value.

PPC - Pay Per Click

 Pay Per Click (PPC) is a performance-based advertising model used on Amazon in which a brand, vendor, or seller pays only when a shopper clicks on their ad, rather than when the ad is displayed.

PPM - Pure Profit Margin

 Pure Profit Margin (PPM) is an Amazon retail profitability metric that measures the difference between the average selling price (ASP) and the average cost per unit, expressed as a percentage of the selling price. It represents how much profit Amazon earns from selling a product before deducting additional costs such as fulfilment, advertising, and operations.

PPOOS - Procurable Product Out of Stock

 Procurable Product Out of Stock (PPOOS) measures the out-of-stock rate for all products that are considered procurable - meaning Amazon can actively replenish them from a vendor. It is calculated as the percentage of customer glance views (GVs) that occur when procurable ASINs are unavailable for purchase.

PPPU - Pure Profit Per Unit

 Pure Profit Per Unit (PPPU) is an Amazon retail profitability metric that measures the absolute amount of profit Amazon earns per unit sold, before accounting for additional costs such as fulfilment, shipping, or marketing. It represents the pure monetary value of the margin generated from each product sold.

PPU - Price Per Unit

 Price Per Unit (PPU) is the standardised cost of a product expressed per single unit of measure - such as per item, per litre, per kilogram, or per count - allowing customers and Amazon to easily compare product value across different pack sizes and brands.

PPV - Product Price Variation

 Product Price Variation (PPV) refers to a discrepancy between the cost price stated on a vendor’s invoice and the cost price listed on Amazon’s purchase order (PO). It indicates a mismatch in unit pricing between what Amazon expected to pay and what the vendor billed.

PQV - Product Quantity Variation

 Product Quantity Variation (PQV) occurs when the quantity of products invoiced by a vendor does not match the number of units Amazon confirms as received at its fulfilment centre (FC). It represents a discrepancy between the invoiced quantity and the actual physical receipt of goods.

PR - Planned Replenishment

 Planned Replenishment (PR) refers to the forecast-based process through which Amazon automatically generates purchase orders (POs) to maintain optimal inventory levels for products based on demand trends, sales velocity, and stock availability.

Prime - Amazon Prime

 Amazon Prime is Amazon’s paid membership programme that offers subscribers a bundle of benefits - including free and fast delivery, exclusive shopping deals, and access to digital entertainment services such as Prime Video, Prime Music, and Prime Reading.

PRO - Progressive Number

 Progressive Number (PRO) is a unique tracking identifier assigned by a carrier to a specific shipment or freight load. It allows Amazon, vendors, and logistics partners to track the movement and delivery status of goods throughout the transportation process.