Amazon Acronyms: What You Need to Know

The acronym, "SKU," is depicted inside a magnifying glass resting on a laptop.

Below is a guide to the general terminology for selling on Amazon. What does SKU stand for? What is an Amazon ASIN? These terms will be essential to you when starting your Amazon journey, so understanding the meaning and how they will affect how you run your business is very important. 

  • 1P (First-Party): Selling products wholesale to Amazon via a Vendor Central account, with Amazon managing the brand’s marketplace presence. 
  • 3P (Third-Party): Selling products directly to consumers on the Amazon marketplace via a Seller Central account.
  • ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number): A unique identifier assigned by Amazon that is used for product identification; an ASIN is assigned when you create a new product in Amazon’s catalog. 
  • AWS (Amazon Web Services): A cloud platform offered by Amazon. 
  • AMS (Amazon Marketing Services): The set of advertising tools 
  • designed to help sellers run and manage their ads on the Amazon platform.
  • Parent & Child ASIN: A standard product (the Parent) and its many variations (the Child).
  • SKU (Stock Keeping Unit): A unique identifier used internally for inventory tracking.
  • UPC (Universal Product Code): A printed code used in product packaging to identify a specific item.
  • Variation: Allows brands to show multiple variations (such as size or color) of the same product to Amazon customers on a single product detail page—allowing shoppers to easily compare attributes before making a purchase decision. See an example here, with flavor being the product variation. 

Have questions about our Acronym Guide to the Amazon Basics? Contact us today to learn more about all of our services and how we can improve your Amazon business!


Share this post:
Chickity-Check Yourself
Before You Wreck Yourself
See how your
brand is doing with a
FREE Amazon Audit!