If you work in digital – whether it’s SEO services, products, marketing, or growth – you’ve probably noticed how often conversations turn into a wall of abbreviations.

MVP, CAC, LTV, SQL, API…

These terms aren’t just jargon. They’re a shared language used by teams to move faster, align decisions, and communicate complex ideas in seconds.

This guide breaks down 90 of the most commonly used abbreviations across product, marketing, analytics, and technology – with clear, practical explanations you can actually use in your day-to-day work.

Product & Strategy

Understanding product and strategy terminology is critical for anyone involved in building, positioning, or scaling digital products. These concepts help teams define directions, prioritise features, and align around customer value.

• MVP – Minimum Viable Product: a basic version of a product with just enough features to validate an idea;
• MMP – Minimum Marketable Product: a version of a product that is ready to be launched and sold;
• PMF – Product-Market Fit: the stage where a product satisfies strong market demand;
• JTBD – Jobs To Be Done: the core task or problem a user hires a product to solve;
• ICP – Ideal Customer Profile: a detailed description of your target customer;
• UVP – Unique Value Proposition: a clear statement of why your product is different and valuable;
• GTM – Go-To-Market: a plan for launching and selling a product;
• NSM – North Star Metric: the key metric that reflects product value;
• PRD – Product Requirements Document: a document describing product features and requirements;
• NFR – Non-Functional Requirements: requirements like performance, security, scalability;
• TAM – Total Addressable Market: total market demand for a product;
• SAM – Serviceable Addressable Market: the portion of TAM you can target;
• SOM – Serviceable Obtainable Market: the share of SAM you can realistically capture.

These terms are especially important when defining product direction, pitching ideas, or communicating with stakeholders. A clear understanding here helps avoid misalignment and speeds up decision-making.

Metrics & Economics

Metrics and financial indicators are the foundation of any data-driven business. They help evaluate performance, understand profitability, and guide investment decisions.

• KPI – Key Performance Indicator: a measurable value used to track performance;
• OKR – Objectives and Key Results: a framework for setting goals and outcomes;
• LTV – Customer Lifetime Value: total revenue expected from a customer;
• CAC – Customer Acquisition Cost: cost of acquiring one customer;
• ARPU – Average Revenue Per User: average revenue generated per user;
• MRR – Monthly Recurring Revenue: predictable monthly subscription revenue;
• ARR – Annual Recurring Revenue: predictable yearly subscription revenue;
• GMV – Gross Merchandise Value: total value of goods sold through a platform;
• AOV – Average Order Value: average amount spent per order;
• ROI – Return on Investment: return relative to investment cost;
• GM – Gross Margin: revenue minus cost of goods sold;
• EBITDA – Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization: operating profitability without non-cash and financing factors;
• P&L – Profit and Loss: a report showing revenue, costs, and profit.

At digital marketing company BAMS we understand, without these metrics, it’s impossible to understand whether growth is sustainable or where optimisations are needed. They are widely used across marketing, finance, and product teams.

Analytics & Growth

Growth and analytics terminology is essential for understanding user behaviour, optimising funnels, and scaling acquisition channels.

• DAU – Daily Active Users: number of users active per day;
• WAU – Weekly Active Users: number of users active per week;
• MAU – Monthly Active Users: number of users active per month;
• CR – Conversion Rate: percentage of users who complete a target action;
• CTR – Click-Through Rate: percentage of users who click;
• CPC – Cost Per Click: cost per ad click;
• CPA – Cost Per Action: cost per specific action (e.g. signup);
• CPL – Cost Per Lead: cost per generated lead;
• CPM – Cost Per Mille: cost per 1,000 impressions;
• NPS – Net Promoter Score: likelihood of users recommending a product;
• CSAT – Customer Satisfaction Score: level of customer satisfaction;
• AARRR – Acquisition, Activation, Retention, Revenue, Referral: growth funnel stages;
• SEO – Search Engine Optimization: improving rankings in search engines;
• ASO – App Store Optimization: improving app visibility in stores;
• SMM – Social Media Marketing: promoting through social platforms;
• MQL – Marketing Qualified Lead: a lead likely to become a customer;
• SQL – Sales Qualified Lead: a lead ready for sales outreach.

These abbreviations come up daily in performance discussions, reporting, and growth strategy. Knowing them allows teams to quickly identify bottlenecks and opportunities.

Processes & Delivery

Efficient processes are what turn strategy into execution. These terms are commonly used in product development, project management, and cross-functional collaboration.

• DoR – Definition of Ready: criteria required before starting work;
• DoD – Definition of Done: criteria for completed work;
• WIP – Work In Progress: tasks currently being worked on;
• RICE – Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort: prioritization framework;
• ICE – Impact, Confidence, Ease: lightweight prioritization model;
• RACI – Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed: roles and responsibilities framework;
• UAT – User Acceptance Testing: validation by end users before release;
• QA – Quality Assurance: processes to ensure quality;
• QC – Quality Control: checks to verify final output;
• SLA – Service Level Agreement: defined service performance standards;
• BPM – Business Process Management: managing and optimizing workflows;
• NDA – Non-Disclosure Agreement: legal agreement to protect confidential information.

Using these frameworks helps teams stay structured, reduce risks, and deliver consistent results – especially in fast-moving environments.

Data & Technology

Modern digital products rely heavily on data infrastructure and technical systems. Even non-technical specialists benefit from understanding these core concepts.

• API – Application Programming Interface: a way systems communicate with each other;
• CRM – Customer Relationship Management: system for managing customer data;
• CMS – Content Management System: system for managing website content;
• ERP – Enterprise Resource Planning: system for managing company operations;
• LMS – Learning Management System: system for training and education;
• BI – Business Intelligence: tools for analyzing business data;
• SQL – Structured Query Language: language for working with databases;
• ETL – Extract, Transform, Load: process of preparing data for storage;
• ELT – Extract, Load, Transform: data processing approach where transformation happens later;
• DWH – Data Warehouse: centralized storage for structured data;
• AI – Artificial Intelligence: systems that simulate human intelligence;
• ML – Machine Learning: algorithms that learn from data;
• LLM – Large Language Model: AI models trained on large text datasets;
• NLP – Natural Language Processing: working with human language in AI;
• CX – Customer Experience: overall experience of a customer;
• UX – User Experience: how users interact with a product;
• UI – User Interface: visual and interactive elements of a product.

Having a shared understanding of these terms improves collaboration between technical and non-technical teams and helps bridge communication gaps.

Business Models & Markets

Different business models define how companies generate revenue and interact with customers. These abbreviations are widely used in strategy, sales, and market analysis.

• B2B – Business to Business: selling products to other companies;
• B2C – Business to Consumer: selling directly to end users;
• C2C – Consumer to Consumer: users selling to other users;
• SaaS – Software as a Service: software delivered via subscription;
• PaaS – Platform as a Service: platform for building and deploying applications;
• IaaS – Infrastructure as a Service: cloud-based computing resources;
• KYC – Know Your Customer: process of verifying customer identity.

Understanding these models helps position products correctly and choose the right go-to-market strategy.

Teams & Roles

Clear role definitions are essential for scaling teams and avoiding confusion in responsibilities. These titles are commonly used across startups and enterprises alike.

• CPO – Chief Product Officer: executive responsible for product strategy;
• PO – Product Owner: responsible for managing the product backlog;
• PM – Product Manager: manages product development and execution;
• CEO – Chief Executive Officer: responsible for overall company direction;
• COO – Chief Operating Officer: oversees day-to-day operations;
• CTO – Chief Technology Officer: leads technology strategy and development;
• CFO – Chief Financial Officer: manages financial planning and risks;
• CMO – Chief Marketing Officer: leads marketing strategy and execution;
• HR – Human Resources: manages hiring and employee relations;
• L&D – Learning and Development: focuses on employee growth and training;
• B2G – Business to Government: selling products or services to government entities.

These roles define how organisations operate and collaborate, especially as they grow and become more complex.

You don’t need to memorise all 90 at once. However, the more fluent you are in this language, the easier it becomes to navigate product discussions, marketing strategies, and technical conversations.

And in fast-moving digital teams – clarity always wins.

Which abbreviations would you like to add? Let’s conduct this encyclopaedia together.