Whether you’re new to Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) or a seasoned pro who occasionally has to Google an acronym, here’s a handy cheat sheet to help you know everything from your AUP to your YTD and everything in-between.

Download FMCG Cheat Sheet.

Abbreviation Stands For Meaning/Usage
3PL Third Party Logistics A 3PL (third-party logistics) provider handles everything involved in getting products to customers, including storage and shipping.
4PL Fourth Party Logistics In a 4PL model, a company hands over both the management and execution of its logistics activities to an external provider. This provider not only handles day-to-day logistics tasks but also helps the company make strategic decisions about its entire supply chain. Essentially, a manufacturer relies on a 4PL to take care of all its logistics operations.
ACV All Commodity Volume A measure of a product’s distribution based on the total sales of all products in the outlets where it is sold.
API Average Price Index A calculation that indexes the price of a product vs. the average price of the category. E.g. 105 API means the product is 5% more expensive than the category average.
ATP Available to Promise The amount of stock available that can be promised to customers.
AUP Average Unit Price The average price at which a unit of product is sold, often used in sales and pricing analysis, calculated by dividing value sales by unit sales.
BOGOF Buy One Get One Free A common sales promotion offering a free product when another is purchased.
BOGSHP Buy One Get Second Half Price A promotional offer where the second item is sold at half the original price.
BPS Basis Points A unit of measure used in finance to describe percentage changes (e.g. share); one basis point is equal to 0.01%.
COGS Cost of Goods Sold The direct costs attributable to the production of the goods sold by a company.
CPG Consumer Packaged Goods Goods consumed daily and bought often.
CPI Cost Price Increased Refers to an increase in the cost price of goods, affecting profit margins and pricing strategies.
CRM Customer Relationship Management A strategy for managing customer interactions and data.
CSR Corporate Social Responsibility Business practices involving initiatives that benefit society.
CTA Call to Action A prompt in marketing to encourage an immediate response or action from the audience, such as “Buy Now” or “Sign Up”.
CWD Category Weighted Distribution A metric that measures a product’s distribution weighted by the category’s sales, giving insight into its market reach.
D2C or DTC Direct to Consumer A sales strategy where brands sell directly to customers, bypassing traditional retail channels.
DMS Distribution Management System A system for managing distribution and logistics operations.
DSR Daily Sales Report A report showing daily sales activity.
EAN European Article Number A barcode standard used internationally to identify products uniquely.
EDLP Everyday Low Pricing Pricing strategy offering low prices continuously.
EDLP Every Day Low Price A pricing strategy promising consumers a low price without the need to wait for sales events.
EPCG Export Promotion Capital Goods A program that promotes the export of capital goods.
EPOS Electronic Point of Sale Computerised systems used in retail that record sales and manage inventory. EPOS is often used in reference to the data created, available from retailers or to purchase via a third party agency (e.g. Nielsen or Circana/IRI).
ERP Enterprise Resource Planning A software system that integrates core business processes.
FIFO First In, First Out An inventory management principle where the oldest stock is sold first.
FMCG Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Products that sell quickly at relatively low cost, such as packaged foods, beverages, household goods, toiletries. FMCG is often used in the UK to refer to the industry that produces and sells these products. Other terms used include CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), which is used in the same way in some other markets e.g. USA.
FOS Front of Store The area at the front of a retail store, typically featuring high-demand or promotional items.
FSDU (or FSU) Free Standing Display Unit A type of display unit used in retail stores for merchandising products, also known as a shipper.
GE Gondola End The end-cap display at the end of a store aisle used for high-visibility product promotion.
GTIN Global Trade Item Number Global version of EAN. Some companies use both to describe the product’s barcode.
ILP In Line Plinth A prominent in-aisle display area designed to draw attention to specific products, also known as a ‘Hotspot’.
JBP Joint Business Plan A collaborative plan/agreement created between a retailer and supplier to achieve mutual business goals. JBP is used to describe the plan itself as well as the process of creating it.
KAM Key Account Manager A Key Account Manager is assigned to a company headquarters to oversee the account team assigned to a particular account. This includes planning and managing the full relationship between a business and its most important customers.
KPI Key Performance Indicator A measurable value that shows how effectively a company is achieving business objectives.
LFL Like-for-Like A measurement to understand retail performance excluding any new stores opened.
LIFO Last In, First Out An inventory management principle where the newest stock is sold first.
LSP Logistics Service Provider A third-party provider that manages logistics services.
MAT Moving Annual Total The total sales or other metric measured over the most recent 12 months.
MOQ Minimum Order Quantity The minimum amount of units to be ordered.
Mplan A marketing or merchandising plan A retail plan focusing on marketing and merchandising activities.
MRP Maximum Retail Price The highest price a product can be sold for.
NPD New Product Development The process of bringing a new product to the market. NPD is often used to refer to new products themselves, interchangeable with “Innovation”, e.g. NPD is worth 10% of category sales.
NPD New Product Development The process of developing new products to bring to market.
NRM Net Revenue Management Strategies to optimize the revenue of a company, considering pricing, promotions, product mix, and channels.
NSV Net Sales Value The value of goods sold after returns and discounts.
OOS Out of Stock Indicates that an item is not available for sale because the inventory is depleted.
OSA On Shelf Availability The availability of products for sale to a shopper, in the place they expect it and at the time they want to buy it.
OTC Over The Counter Non-prescription medication sold in retail stores.
OTIF On Time In Full A measurement for delivering products both on time and completely.
P&L Profit and Loss A statement that summarizes revenues, costs, and expenses.
Planogram A visual representation of a store’s products to optimize shelf space and maximize sales. Used in retail for optimizing shelf space and maximizing sales.
POS Point of Sale The location where a transaction occurs between a retailer and a customer. POS is often used in relation to ‘POS material’, which refers to in store shopper marketing displays.
POS Point of Sale Where retail transactions are completed.
PWP Purchase with Purchase Promotion where consumers buy an item to qualify for discounts on another.
QSR Quick Service Restaurant A type of restaurant that offers fast service and limited menus.
R&D Research and Development The process of creating new products or improving existing ones.
Rep Representative An appointed person to perform retail execution tasks in store.
ROAS Return on Advertising Spend Used to calculate the performance of advertising investment in driving sales. Unlike an ROI, this calculation will not include other costs associated in a product’s performance.
ROI Return on Investment The measure of profitability from an investment.
ROI Return on Investment A measure of the profitability of an investment, calculated as a ratio or percentage.
ROPA Research Online Purchase Anywhere The term used to describe shoppers who research purchases online but purchase instore or online.
ROS Rate of Sale The speed at which products are sold over a certain period, often used to measure product performance, e.g. Units per Store per Week (UPSPW) or Weighted ROS.
RRP Recommended Retail Price The price at which the manufacturer suggests the retailer sell the product. Legally, price is at the sole discretion of the retailer, so it is important that brands use this language.
RSV Retail Sales Value Value Sales sold through retail (as opposed to turnover of sales sold from manufacturer to retailer).
RTM Route to Market Route to market is ways and means of distribution of product to shoppers or end-consumers.
S&OP Sales and Operations Planning The process of aligning sales and operations for better demand and supply management.
S&OP Sales and Operations Planning A process to integrate sales and production planning to ensure supply meets demand efficiently.
SEL Shelf Edge Label The price label placed on the shelf below or above the product, contains key information about the product.
SKU Stock Keeping Unit An individual product or line, usually with an individual barcode e.g. we have 5 SKUs in our range.
SKU Stock Keeping Unit A unique identifier for a product.
SL Service Level The service level or performance standard.
SOS Share of Shelf The total amount of space available in a store to display goods for sale, or the amount of space for particular goods.
TAT Turnaround Time The time taken to complete a process or fulfill an order.
TCO Total Cost of Ownership The full cost of owning a product or system over its lifetime.
TMI Trade Marketing Investment The investment made in trade marketing efforts.
WIGIG When It’s Gone, It’s Gone A sales strategy indicating a temporary listing of limited stock that won’t be replenished once sold out.
WMS Warehouse Management System A system that manages warehouse operations.
YOY Year on Year A comparison of a specific metric over the same period in different years, often used to track growth or performance trends.
YTD Year to Date The period starting from the beginning of the current year to the present date (or latest available data).
YTG Year to Go The period from the present date to the end of the current year.

Did we miss any? Let us know and we can add them to our list.

Whether you’re new to Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) or a seasoned pro who occasionally has to Google an acronym, here’s a handy cheat sheet to help you know everything from your AUP to your YTD and everything in-between.

Download FMCG Cheat Sheet.

Abbreviation Stands For Meaning/Usage
3PL Third Party Logistics A 3PL (third-party logistics) provider handles everything involved in getting products to customers, including storage and shipping.
4PL Fourth Party Logistics In a 4PL model, a company hands over both the management and execution of its logistics activities to an external provider. This provider not only handles day-to-day logistics tasks but also helps the company make strategic decisions about its entire supply chain. Essentially, a manufacturer relies on a 4PL to take care of all its logistics operations.
ACV All Commodity Volume A measure of a product’s distribution based on the total sales of all products in the outlets where it is sold.
API Average Price Index A calculation that indexes the price of a product vs. the average price of the category. E.g. 105 API means the product is 5% more expensive than the category average.
ATP Available to Promise The amount of stock available that can be promised to customers.
AUP Average Unit Price The average price at which a unit of product is sold, often used in sales and pricing analysis, calculated by dividing value sales by unit sales.
BOGOF Buy One Get One Free A common sales promotion offering a free product when another is purchased.
BOGSHP Buy One Get Second Half Price A promotional offer where the second item is sold at half the original price.
BPS Basis Points A unit of measure used in finance to describe percentage changes (e.g. share); one basis point is equal to 0.01%.
COGS Cost of Goods Sold The direct costs attributable to the production of the goods sold by a company.
CPG Consumer Packaged Goods Goods consumed daily and bought often.
CPI Cost Price Increased Refers to an increase in the cost price of goods, affecting profit margins and pricing strategies.
CRM Customer Relationship Management A strategy for managing customer interactions and data.
CSR Corporate Social Responsibility Business practices involving initiatives that benefit society.
CTA Call to Action A prompt in marketing to encourage an immediate response or action from the audience, such as “Buy Now” or “Sign Up”.
CWD Category Weighted Distribution A metric that measures a product’s distribution weighted by the category’s sales, giving insight into its market reach.
D2C or DTC Direct to Consumer A sales strategy where brands sell directly to customers, bypassing traditional retail channels.
DMS Distribution Management System A system for managing distribution and logistics operations.
DSR Daily Sales Report A report showing daily sales activity.
EAN European Article Number A barcode standard used internationally to identify products uniquely.
EDLP Everyday Low Pricing Pricing strategy offering low prices continuously.
EDLP Every Day Low Price A pricing strategy promising consumers a low price without the need to wait for sales events.
EPCG Export Promotion Capital Goods A program that promotes the export of capital goods.
EPOS Electronic Point of Sale Computerised systems used in retail that record sales and manage inventory. EPOS is often used in reference to the data created, available from retailers or to purchase via a third party agency (e.g. Nielsen or Circana/IRI).
ERP Enterprise Resource Planning A software system that integrates core business processes.
FIFO First In, First Out An inventory management principle where the oldest stock is sold first.
FMCG Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Products that sell quickly at relatively low cost, such as packaged foods, beverages, household goods, toiletries. FMCG is often used in the UK to refer to the industry that produces and sells these products. Other terms used include CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods), which is used in the same way in some other markets e.g. USA.
FOS Front of Store The area at the front of a retail store, typically featuring high-demand or promotional items.
FSDU (or FSU) Free Standing Display Unit A type of display unit used in retail stores for merchandising products, also known as a shipper.
GE Gondola End The end-cap display at the end of a store aisle used for high-visibility product promotion.
GTIN Global Trade Item Number Global version of EAN. Some companies use both to describe the product’s barcode.
ILP In Line Plinth A prominent in-aisle display area designed to draw attention to specific products, also known as a ‘Hotspot’.
JBP Joint Business Plan A collaborative plan/agreement created between a retailer and supplier to achieve mutual business goals. JBP is used to describe the plan itself as well as the process of creating it.
KAM Key Account Manager A Key Account Manager is assigned to a company headquarters to oversee the account team assigned to a particular account. This includes planning and managing the full relationship between a business and its most important customers.
KPI Key Performance Indicator A measurable value that shows how effectively a company is achieving business objectives.
LFL Like-for-Like A measurement to understand retail performance excluding any new stores opened.
LIFO Last In, First Out An inventory management principle where the newest stock is sold first.
LSP Logistics Service Provider A third-party provider that manages logistics services.
MAT Moving Annual Total The total sales or other metric measured over the most recent 12 months.
MOQ Minimum Order Quantity The minimum amount of units to be ordered.
Mplan A marketing or merchandising plan A retail plan focusing on marketing and merchandising activities.
MRP Maximum Retail Price The highest price a product can be sold for.
NPD New Product Development The process of bringing a new product to the market. NPD is often used to refer to new products themselves, interchangeable with “Innovation”, e.g. NPD is worth 10% of category sales.
NPD New Product Development The process of developing new products to bring to market.
NRM Net Revenue Management Strategies to optimize the revenue of a company, considering pricing, promotions, product mix, and channels.
NSV Net Sales Value The value of goods sold after returns and discounts.
OOS Out of Stock Indicates that an item is not available for sale because the inventory is depleted.
OSA On Shelf Availability The availability of products for sale to a shopper, in the place they expect it and at the time they want to buy it.
OTC Over The Counter Non-prescription medication sold in retail stores.
OTIF On Time In Full A measurement for delivering products both on time and completely.
P&L Profit and Loss A statement that summarizes revenues, costs, and expenses.
Planogram A visual representation of a store’s products to optimize shelf space and maximize sales. Used in retail for optimizing shelf space and maximizing sales.
POS Point of Sale The location where a transaction occurs between a retailer and a customer. POS is often used in relation to ‘POS material’, which refers to in store shopper marketing displays.
POS Point of Sale Where retail transactions are completed.
PWP Purchase with Purchase Promotion where consumers buy an item to qualify for discounts on another.
QSR Quick Service Restaurant A type of restaurant that offers fast service and limited menus.
R&D Research and Development The process of creating new products or improving existing ones.
Rep Representative An appointed person to perform retail execution tasks in store.
ROAS Return on Advertising Spend Used to calculate the performance of advertising investment in driving sales. Unlike an ROI, this calculation will not include other costs associated in a product’s performance.
ROI Return on Investment The measure of profitability from an investment.
ROI Return on Investment A measure of the profitability of an investment, calculated as a ratio or percentage.
ROPA Research Online Purchase Anywhere The term used to describe shoppers who research purchases online but purchase instore or online.
ROS Rate of Sale The speed at which products are sold over a certain period, often used to measure product performance, e.g. Units per Store per Week (UPSPW) or Weighted ROS.
RRP Recommended Retail Price The price at which the manufacturer suggests the retailer sell the product. Legally, price is at the sole discretion of the retailer, so it is important that brands use this language.
RSV Retail Sales Value Value Sales sold through retail (as opposed to turnover of sales sold from manufacturer to retailer).
RTM Route to Market Route to market is ways and means of distribution of product to shoppers or end-consumers.
S&OP Sales and Operations Planning The process of aligning sales and operations for better demand and supply management.
S&OP Sales and Operations Planning A process to integrate sales and production planning to ensure supply meets demand efficiently.
SEL Shelf Edge Label The price label placed on the shelf below or above the product, contains key information about the product.
SKU Stock Keeping Unit An individual product or line, usually with an individual barcode e.g. we have 5 SKUs in our range.
SKU Stock Keeping Unit A unique identifier for a product.
SL Service Level The service level or performance standard.
SOS Share of Shelf The total amount of space available in a store to display goods for sale, or the amount of space for particular goods.
TAT Turnaround Time The time taken to complete a process or fulfill an order.
TCO Total Cost of Ownership The full cost of owning a product or system over its lifetime.
TMI Trade Marketing Investment The investment made in trade marketing efforts.
WIGIG When It’s Gone, It’s Gone A sales strategy indicating a temporary listing of limited stock that won’t be replenished once sold out.
WMS Warehouse Management System A system that manages warehouse operations.
YOY Year on Year A comparison of a specific metric over the same period in different years, often used to track growth or performance trends.
YTD Year to Date The period starting from the beginning of the current year to the present date (or latest available data).
YTG Year to Go The period from the present date to the end of the current year.

Did we miss any? Let us know and we can add them to our list.

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