Glossary
The words of catalogue work.
Shopify terms as Shopify's help pages use them, and Ecomsync's own terms as the product uses them. Each definition stands on its own.
- 301 redirect
- A permanent redirect from an old address to a new one, so links and search rankings follow a page that moved. Ecomsync creates one automatically when it changes a product's URL handle.
- Access scope
- A permission a Shopify app is granted, such as reading or writing products. Ecomsync asks for 13 catalogue scopes and never for orders or customers.
- Admin API
- Shopify's GraphQL API for managing a store: products, collections, inventory and the rest of the admin. Catalogue tools like Ecomsync write through it. The Storefront API is the separate, buyer-facing one.
- AI agent
- Software that uses an AI model to plan and carry out a task with tools, rather than only answering in text. Ecomsync is an AI agent for Shopify catalogue work: it reads the store, then stages the changes for a person to approve.
- Alt text
- A short description of what an image shows, read aloud by screen readers and used by search engines for image search. In Shopify it is set per product image, and in a product CSV in the Image alt text column. Alt text guide
- Bulk editor
- The Shopify admin grid for editing selected products, variants or collections at once, with fields added under Columns. Saved changes cannot be undone. Bulk editing titles
- Catalogue
- Everything a store sells and the data that describes it: products, variants, options, images, collections, tags, metafields, prices and stock.
- Catalogue health scoreEcomsync term
- Ecomsync's daily score out of 100 for a store's catalogue, across SEO completeness, descriptions, imagery and alt text, metafields and data quality, with the products short on each named. Audit checklist
- Category metafields
- Metafields that come with a product category in Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy, such as size, fabric or neckline. They are stored under product.metafields.shopify and can drive filters and colour swatches. Metafields guide
- Change setEcomsync term
- Ecomsync's list of staged changes for one request: every field on every product, with its current value beside the new one. Nothing in it is written to Shopify until a person approves it.
- Collection
- A group of products in Shopify, shown as its own page. Products can be picked by hand, matched by conditions such as a tag or product type, or since July 2026 both in one collection, with exclusions. Collections guide
- Compare-at price
- A variant's original price. When it is higher than the price, Shopify themes show the product as on sale. Equal to or below the price, it shows a broken sale. Sale prices guide
- Custom app
- An app built for one store rather than listed in the Shopify App Store. Since January 2026 new ones are created in the Shopify Dev Dashboard, with the access scopes the merchant chooses. Ecomsync connects through one.
- Dev Dashboard
- Shopify's dashboard for creating apps, reached from the admin under Settings, Apps, then Develop apps. Custom apps made since January 2026 live there.
- GuardrailsEcomsync term
- Limits Ecomsync checks in code before any write: protected products it skips, a cap on how far a price may move and a floor it never goes below. They hold whatever a request or a product page says.
- Meta description
- The summary a search engine may show under a page's title. In Shopify it is set in a product's Search engine listing. Shopify's SEO guidance suggests about 160 characters, and an empty one falls back to the product description. Meta descriptions guide
- Metafield
- A custom field on a Shopify product, variant, collection or other resource, with a namespace, a key and a type. A metafield definition gives it a name and validation, and makes it editable in the admin. Metafields guide
- On hand and available
- On hand is the stock physically at a location, including units committed to orders. Available is what can still be sold. Shopify's inventory CSV sets stock through On hand (new). Inventory guide
- Option and option value
- A way a product varies, such as Size or Colour, and its choices, such as M or Black. Each combination of option values is a variant.
- Page title (SEO title)
- The title a search engine shows for a page. In Shopify it is set in a product's Search engine listing. Shopify suggests 60 characters or fewer, and an empty one falls back to the product title. SEO lengths guide
- Product category
- A product's place in Shopify's Standard Product Taxonomy. It unlocks category metafields and is used to work out tax rates in the United States.
- Product CSV
- Shopify's spreadsheet format for importing and exporting products, with columns such as URL handle, Title, Description, Tags, SEO title, SEO description and Image alt text. An import cannot be undone. Undo guide
- Review listEcomsync term
- How Ecomsync shows a change set: product by product, with each product's photo, the current value and the new one. Any change can be edited or deselected before approval.
- RunEcomsync term
- One approved change set written to Shopify by Ecomsync. Every field it wrote is recorded first, so the run can be reversed in one click within the undo window, and its history stays for 90 days.
- Sidekick
- The AI assistant built into the Shopify admin. It answers questions, drafts product descriptions with Generate text and presents changes for review before applying them. Ecomsync vs Sidekick
- SKU
- Stock keeping unit: a code a merchant gives each variant to track it in stock and orders.
- Style profileEcomsync term
- Ecomsync's per-store settings for how the agent writes: tone, language, units, brand terms that are never changed or translated, and words to avoid.
- Tag
- A keyword on a Shopify product used to group, filter and search. Collections with conditions can include products by tag. Tags guide
- Translate & Adapt
- Shopify's own free app for translating store content, by hand or automatically. Automatic translation is free for up to two languages. Translation guide
- Undo windowEcomsync term
- How long an Ecomsync run can be reversed in one click: 3 days on Essential, 7 on Growth and 14 on Pro.
- URL handle
- The part of a Shopify product's address after /products/. A product CSV matches rows to products by it. Changing it moves the page, so a redirect should follow.
- Variant
- One purchasable version of a product, such as a T-shirt in Black, size M. Each variant has its own price, compare-at price, SKU and stock.