Decoding Shopify and E-commerce Lingo: Essential Terms for Agency Collaborations

Simplifying Shopify Lingo for Better Collaboration #

If you’ve ever found yourself smiling and nodding in a Zoom call while your agency drops terms like PDP, sticky ATC, or Checkout Extensibility, you’re not alone. Shopify projects are full of shorthand — and while it may sound like code, it's actually the language of smooth collaboration. This article unpacks the core lingo every brand should understand when working with a Shopify agency.

The Layout of a Shopify Store #

Every e-commerce journey begins on the homepage — your digital storefront. Here, you’ll typically see a thin promo bar (“Free shipping on orders over $50”), followed by a header with your logo and main navigation. Got lots of products? You might use a mega menu — a wide dropdown with links, categories, and maybe even images.

Next comes the hero banner: a large image or video promoting a product or campaign with a bold CTA like “Shop Now.” As you scroll, sections tell your story — think brand values, featured collections, and social proof like customer reviews or press mentions. Finally, there’s the footer — packed with SEO-rich links, legal pages, and contact info.

From Collection to Checkout #

Click into a product category and you’ll hit the collection page. It’s a grid of products, often sortable by price or popularity, and filterable by size, color, or tag — known as faceted filtering.

Choose a product, and you’ll land on the Product Details Page, or PDP. This is where conversion happens. On desktop, the page is typically split: images and video gallery on the left, product details on the right — name, reviews, price (regular and sale), variant selectors (like size or color), quantity input, and the Add to Cart button (aka ATC). Scroll down and you might see shipping info, accordions with FAQs, or a section suggesting related products (“Buy it with”).

Mobile layouts often feature a sticky ATC — a floating Add to Cart button that follows users as they scroll, which helps maintain purchase intent.

After a user adds an item, the cart appears — either as a drawer that slides in or as a dedicated cart page. From there, it’s off to the checkout, which can be either:

• Single-page checkout, where shipping and payment details are entered on one screen, or
• Multi-page checkout, which splits the steps into stages.

Shopify Plus merchants have even more power with Checkout Extensibility, allowing deeper customization of layout, logic, and content at each step — no Liquid files required.

The Thank You Page and Beyond #

Once payment is completed, customers land on the Thank You Page, which includes order details and tracking info. It's also an opportunity to upsell, offer discounts, or just leave a great final impression.

Agency Talk — Explained #

To work seamlessly with developers and designers, it helps to speak in shorthand. Here are some of the most common terms:

• PDP: Product Details Page
• ATC: Add to Cart
• CTA: Call to Action
• AOV: Average Order Value
• LTV: Lifetime Value
• HP: Homepage
• PLP: Product Listing Page
• UX/UI: User Experience / User Interface
• Mega Menu: Expanded navigation for large catalogs
• Sticky ATC: Floating Add to Cart button on mobile
• Cart Drawer: Mini cart that slides in after adding to cart

Behind the Scenes: Shopify’s Structure #

Shopify’s backend may look simple, but it’s packed with flexibility:

• Themes control the storefront design. You can check which theme your competitors are using with our free Shopify Theme Detector.

• Sections and Blocks are modular units you can move or customize in the theme editor.

• Liquid is the templating language used to build dynamic content.

• Metafields store extra product data — think ingredient lists, care instructions, or unique shipping details.

• Apps extend functionality, from reviews to subscriptions to loyalty systems.

Why It Matters #

Understanding the language of Shopify helps avoid delays, miscommunication, and unnecessary back-and-forth. Instead of saying “Can we make the menu bigger?”, you can say “Let’s add a mega menu with collections and images.” Instead of “Make sure people see the buy button,” try “Add a sticky ATC on mobile PDP.”

Speaking the same language as your agency means smoother feedback, faster turnaround, and — most importantly — better results.

Whether you're launching a store, tweaking product pages, or redesigning your navigation, this guide ensures that you’re not just a stakeholder — you're a fluent collaborator.

Shopify for $1/month + Earn 1% of all sales as subscription credits, up to $10,000.