Product data glossary.
Clear definitions for the product-data concepts ecommerce teams need when they are building for search, shopping feeds, AI commerce, and machine-readable catalogs.
Start here when you need the relationship between a product catalog, PIM, structured data, schema markup, and content syndication to make sense in one place.
Browse the glossary
Each entry explains the term in plain language, shows where it fits in ecommerce product-data work, and links to related concepts in the glossary.
- Product data foundation
Product catalog
The organized set of product facts, content, media, categories, prices, and channel-ready records a business uses to present and sell products.
Read definition - Source of truth
PIM
Product information management: the operational system and workflow for centralizing, governing, and distributing product content.
Read definition - Machine-readable data
Structured data
Information organized in predictable fields, formats, and relationships so software can parse, validate, and reuse it reliably.
Read definition - Search signals
Schema markup
Structured data added to webpages with Schema.org vocabulary so search engines and AI systems can understand entities and offers more clearly.
Read definition - Channel distribution
Content syndication
The distribution of content or product data to third-party channels such as retailers, marketplaces, feeds, APIs, and AI-shopping surfaces.
Read definition
A practical reading path
If you are building the foundation, start with the product catalog and PIM. If you are making product pages easier for software to interpret, continue to structured data and schema markup. If you are distributing product facts across retailers, marketplaces, feeds, APIs, or AI-shopping surfaces, read about content syndication.
