A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

B

Back Order
Merchandise not available when the first part of an order is sent. It is then shipped seperately at a later date. Abbreviated as BO.

Balance Sheet
A financial statement showing the total assets and total liabilities of the business, added together to give the business's net worth.

Bar Code
A universal product code that can be machine read. It shows the distributor's number as assigned by the Uniform Product Code Council and also identifies the individual item so that a price can be assigned to that item in the store's point-of-sale system.

Big-box Stores
Very large, no-frills discount stores.

Big-ticket, Large-ticket Items
Expensive products that mean a large sales.

BOM
Stands for Beginning of Month. The value of inventory at the beginning of the month.

Bottom Line
The profit or loss line on the income statement.

Brick-and-Mortar Store
Term for a physical retail store in a building, as opposed to an on-line site.

Bundling
Pricing two or more items together as a unit. Can be used to offer customers a savings or to add markup without customers noticing.

Business Plan
A written budget and statement of intent outlining a plan for creating and sustaining a new business.

Business to Business (B2B)
A web site or service marketing or selling from one business to another, rather than selling or marketing to consumers.

Buying Group
An association of independent stores that come together to purchase merchandise in quantity in order to get better prices, terms and selection.