Account Group
Members of various advertising, promotion or public relations agency functional departments who are assigned to work on an ongoing basis on projects for a specific client.
Account Opener
A premium or special promotional item given to induce the opening of a new account, especially in financial institutions and stores that operate on an installment-credit-plan basis.
Account Specific Programs
Marketing support campaigns designed to accomplish previously-established objectives for a specific retailer.
Accrual Fund
Promotional moneys that "accrue" with the number of cases a distributor sells. Typically, a distributor accrues a fund in one year to be spent in the next.
Acculturation
The learning of the behaviors and mores of a culture other than the one in which the individual was raised. For example, the process by which a recent U.S. immigrant learns the American way of life.
Acknowledgement of Delivery (A.O.D.) Card
A card returned to the shipper (usually a retail store) signed by the receiver (usually a clearinghouse) that gives the date and acknowledges delivery of a shipment made by UPS or similar return receipt.
Activity-based costing (ABC)
An accounting system that recognizes total systems cost and helps the user determine which activities are value- or nonvalue-added.
Ad
A name often used to indicate an advertising message in the media.
Adaptive Selling
An approach to personal selling in which selling behaviors are altered during the sales interaction or across customer interactions, based on information about the nature of the selling situation.
Ad Slick
A product or promotion line that is provided by marketers to retailers in a reproducible form for retailer ads.
Add-on
In charge accounts, the purchasing of additional merchandise without paying in full for previous purchases, especially in installment-credit-plan selling.
Additional Markup
Adding another markup to the original markup. The amount of a price increase, especially in stores that operate under the retail-inventory accounting.
Additional Markdown
An increase of a previous markdown to further lower a selling price.
Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN)
An electronic message from a supplier to a distributor sent when an order leaves the supplier's facility. The notice contains information about the exact contents of a shipment and its expected time of arrival.
Advertised Brand
A product supported by media advertising. An advertised brand is normally promoted by a manufacturer, in contrast to private label, which is normally marketed by a retailer.
Advertising
The placement of announcements and persuasive messages in time or space purchased in any of the mass media by business firms, nonprofit organizations, government agencies and individuals who seek to inform and/or persuade members of a particular target market or audience about their products, services, organizations or ideas.
Advertising Agency
A business the provides a variety of advertising-related services to clients seeking assistance with the advertising activities. A full-service agency engages in the planning and administration of advertising campaigns including setting objectives, developing strategies, developing and producing advertising messages and developing and executing media plans.
Advertising Allowance
A payment or service by a manufacturer to a retailer for advertising one of the manufacturer's product.
Advertising Council
A nonprofit U.S. organization consisting of advertisers, advertising agencies and advertising media, that organizes and carries out public service advertising. The Council selects public service organizations to support, identifies volunteer advertising agencies to create campaigns for selected organizations and coordinates the distribution of advertising materials to the media, which donate time or space for disseminating the campaigns.
Advertising/Marketing Effectiveness
An evaluation of the extent to which an advertisement or advertising campaign meets the client's objectives. Effectiveness measurements include recall of ads and advertising themes, attitudes toward the ads, persuasiveness of the ads and ads' impact on sales levels.
Advertising Media
Various media that can be used to carry advertising messages for products, services, organizations or ideas to potential audiences or target markets. Examples include newspapers, magazines, direct mail, Yellow Pages, radio, television, outdoor advertising, transit advertising, online advertising and specialty advertising.
Advertising Specialties
A form on direct promotion in which products that bear the name, address and/or slogan of a business are given away for free to prospective customers. Sometimes called premium promotions.
Advocacy Advertising
Ads placed by a business or organization that are intended to communicate viewpoints about controversial social, political or economic topics.
Affinity Marketing
A marketing approach that uses common denominators that appeal to a specific audience.
Affiliated Chain
A group of retail stores associated with noncompeting stores to take advantage of large-scale purchasing or for exclusive territorial rights to the marketing of certain brands.
Affiliated Retailer
A retailer that is affiliated with a voluntary chain. Also refers to a retailer that participates with other retailers in cooperative wholesale purchasing.
Affiliated Wholesaler
A wholesaler that sponsors a voluntary chain of affiliated retailers or a wholesaler that is a member of a voluntary chain of wholesalers.
After-market
Potential future sales generated by owners of equipment that needs repairs and/or replacement parts.
Agency of Record (AOR)
An agency that is under a retainer agreement to supply specific services to a client.
Aggregation
A form of market segmentation that assumes most consumers are alike. Retailers abiding by this concept focus on common dimensions of the market rather than uniqueness. The strategy is to focus on the broadest possible number of buyers by appealing to universal product themes. Relies on mass distribution, mass advertising and a universal theme.
Aging
- In retailing, the length of time merchandise has been in stock.
- For certain products, a part of the curing process.
- The classification of accounts receivable according to the number of days outstanding.
All Commodity Volume (ACV)
The basis for measuring retailer distribution, taking into account the relative importance of each retailer.
Allocation (Allotment)
A preassigned quantity of merchandise made available or sold to an individually designated area retailer or retail outlet.
Allowance
A temporary price reduction or discount offered to a retailer by a manufacturer for specific performance, sometimes given as free goods.
Alternative Formats
Alternative channels for packaged goods distribution, including mass merchandisers, discount drug chains, club stores and supercenters.
Alternative Free Method of Entry
A method of entry, sometimes called AMOE, designed to offset the chance element of a promotion that involved consideration. The AMOE allows the sponsor to execute a game in compliance with most federal and state lottery laws by making consideration optional. The AMOE must be clearly disclosed and provide "equal dignity" to the entrant.
Alternative Media
Media vehicles that are considered secondary to traditional media. Examples include point-of-sale advertising and on-cart advertising.
Ambush Marketing
An attempt to use a popular marketing and/or promotional event without gaining approval of the event sponsor.
American Advertising Federation
A professional advertising association comprised of corporate advertisers, agencies, media companies, suppliers and academia.
Antitrust Laws
Federal antitrust policy is set forth in four laws: the Sherman Antitrust Act, the Clayton Act, the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Robinson-Patman Act. These laws outline restraint of trade, monopolization, attempts to monopolize, unfair competition, and, where they may substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly, price discrimination, exclusive dealings and mergers.
Area of Dominant Influence (ADI)
Geographic division of markets on the basis of television viewing.
Aseptic Packaging
A process of packaging perishable products in boxlike containers that require no refrigeration, thus extending the shelf life.
Association of National Advertisers (ANA)
Trade association for companies that advertise and market their products and services in the U.S.
Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC)
Organization sponsored by advertisers, advertising agencies and print media publishers that verifies audience circulation figures claimed by newspapers and magazines.
Automatic Distribution
The distribution of goods by a wholesaler or retail chain headquarters to individual retail stores without a specific order. Usually done on guaranteed-sale products.
Awareness
A consumer's recall of information about a brand, ad or promotion. There are two types - "unaided" and "aided."
Baby Boom
The period from the end of World War II until the early 1960's when the number of births increased significantly, resulting in a population surge characterized as "the baby boom generation."
Back-bar Display
A point-of-purchase display designed to sit on the back counter of a bar or pub.
Back Card
Also known as a stack card, a back card is a point-of-sale card that is applied over a free-standing display of product or above a dump bin or floor stand.
Backhaul
A promotional allowance given by a supplier to a distributor if the distributor picks up a purchased product at the supplier's door and "hauls it back" to the distributor's warehouse.
Back-light Display
The illumination of a transparency from behind using a fluorescent light box. Often used in public places or retail outlets.
Back Order
(Retail definition) Part of an order that a vendor did not fill on time but which will be shipped as soon as the goods in question are received, manufactured or procured. (Physical distribution definition) An order not filled or shipped at the time originally requested and "kept on the books" to be shipped later.
Bait and Switch
A deceptive sales practice in which a low-priced product is advertised to lure customers to a store, where they are then persuaded to buy a higher-priced model when the less-expensive model is disparaged or is out of stock.
Ballot Test
A sample mailing of special offer leaflets to randomly selected known users of a product category to learn about consumer responsiveness to the offer and its likely cost if used broadly.
Banded Pack
Two or more packages of same or different products that are banded together and sold at a lower price.
Bar Code
A combination of parallel lines or bars and spaces that can be read by an electronic scanner and that communicates data about a product, shipping container, or coupon.
Barter
Product given by an advertiser as full or partial payment for broadcasting time or free mentions on radio or television. Barter also refers to merchandise that is traded for other merchandise or services.
Benchmark
A base measurement to which a program is compared to determine if it has been a success.
Benefit Segmentation
The process of grouping consumers into market segments based on a product's stated benefits.
Best Food Day (BFD)
The day of the week that most food stores in a particular market usually run their newspaper ads - usually Wednesdays or Thursdays.
Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Non-profit organization sponsored by local businesses that offer a variety of consumer-education materials, handle consumer inquiries, mediate and arbitrate complaints and maintain records of consumer satisfaction and dissatisfaction with individual companies.
Billback Allowance
A merchandising allowance in which a discount is not given to a retailer until proof is provided that the retailer has complied with the merchandising requirements of the seller. This allowance is paid by a separate check, unlike a buying allowance, which is deducted from the invoice.
Billboard
Outdoor advertising and promotion space.
Billing Rate
The published hourly rate established for an agency person, consisting of actual costs plus overhead and profit.
Billing Service
A company that receives coupons from retailers and that performs the sort-and-count process, only allowing the retailer to hold its own receivables.
Bill of Lading
A written account of goods shipped, signed by an agent of the transportation company, acknowledging receipt of the goods and promising to deliver them in good condition to the recipient.
Bin
A bin for displaying product in retail stores. Also called a dump bin because of the process of dumping merchandise into it.
Black Market
The availability of difficult or impossible-to-purchase merchandise at higher than ordinary prices. It typically involves illegal transactions.
Black Plate
A change in coupon value or offer code, using black ink. FSI publishers charge a nominal fee for this. A black plate change within a Form can result in a Form Break charge.
Bleed
The areas of printing plates that extend beyond the edges of a final, trimmed sheet, thus eliminating a white margin around the edges.
Blind Offer
An offer placed inconspicuously in the body copy of a print ad, often used to measure reader attention to the ad. Also called a buried or hidden offer.
Blister Pack
A package consisting of a card faced with a plastic casing that encloses the product. Also called a bubble card or skin back.
Body Copy
The words in an ad or promotional piece that describe the headline offer. Body copy is normally much smaller in type size that the headline or subhead copy.
Boilerplate
Standard legal copy used to explain and define an offer or product claim.
Bonus Couponing
The practice at retail of doubling, tripling or even quadrupling the face value of a coupon.
Bonus Goods
Salable merchandise given by a manufacturer to a retailer as a reward for a specific purchase or a purchase exceeding a retailer's buy-in goal.
Bonus Pack
A trade item that has increased quantity (e.g., net weight, count or volume) and is sold at the same price as the regular quantity item.
Borrowed-interest Promotion
A promotion that uses the recognition and/or impact of a well-known event or personality to capture the attention and interest of the target audience via an implied endorsement.
Bottle Hanger
A promotional collar designed to hang around the neck of a bottle. Also known as a neckhanger or necker.
Bounceback Offer
A promotional offer that provides the consumer with additional reasons to repurchase a promoted product. Bounceback offers include coupons, sweepstakes and premium offers.
Boutique
A carefully selected group of merchandise with unusual displays and fixtures, informal and attractive decor and an atmosphere of personal attention. Boutique also refers to small specialized agencies.
Box-top Offer
An offer for a premium or refund based on the return of the box top from a package.
Brand
A name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's product or service from those of other sellers. The legal term for brand is trademark. A brand may identify one item, a family of items or all items from that seller. If used for a line or products or for a firm as a whole, the preferred term is "trade name."
Brand Development Index (BDI)
(Market Volume/Market Population) versus (National Volume/National Population). An average market is "100".
Brand Equity
The value of a brand. For consumers, brand equity is based on consumer attitudes about positive brand attributes, awareness and favorable consequences of brand use.
Brand Generic
The second half of a product's identifying title. "Brand" identifies one seller's version, the generic name identifies the general class of item. For example, Jello (brand) gelatin dessert (generic). This is not to be confused with generic private-label identification, for which there is no individual brand.
Brand Image
The consumer's perception of a brand; what people think about, feel about or expect from a brand.
Brand Loyalty
- The inclination of a consumer to buy the same brand of product or service repeatedly over time rather than buying from multiple manufacturers within a product category.
- The degree to which a consumer consistently purchases the same brand within a product class.
Brand Name
Words, letters or numbers that can be spoken to identify an item. "Trademark" is synonymous with "brand name," but is derived from the legal rights on how to use those words, letters or numbers as an exclusive identity description.
Brand Personality
The image or psychological profile the manufacturer intends to convey to the public as opposed to the "brand image," which refers to the consumer's perception and the image the consumer has of a brand.
Brand Switching
The tendency of consumers to switch from one brand of product to another. It can be measured statistically to establish an index that indicates consumer loyalty to a particular brand name.
Breakage
the quantity of products sold as a result of the enticement of a rebate offer, but that did not result in an executed rebate.
Break-even Calculation
A technique used to determine the absolute or percent sales increase needed to pay for the cost of a promotion.
Bribe
An illegal payment made to a buyer's employee or agent to influence purchase decisions.
Brief
A document outlining an assignment to either an agency or an internal promotion group. The brief usually outlines the brand background, objectives, budgets, etc.
Broadside
A giant folder, often sent as a self-mailer, used in direct marketing.
Broker
A middleman who serves as an agent for the seller. The broker assumes no title risks, usually does not have physical custody of products and is not an employee of either the buyer or the seller.
Bulk Mail
A large mailing of identical pieces that is delivered to the post office in bulk to qualify for reduced-rate postage.
Bullet Point
A copy point in an ad or brochure that is preceded by a bullet-point dot.
Bundling
Merging a number of brands into a multibrand promotion event.
Burst
A printed graphic device used in or on a package or at the point-of-sale to draw attention to a product.
Business Gift
A gift to a customer, stockholder, employee or other business friend as an expression of appreciation.
Business Reply Card (BRC)
A prepaid postcard that allows a consumer or buyer to respond to a promotion or an offer for information.
Business-to-business Advertising/Promotion
The marketing of products, services, resources, materials and supplies purchased and used by businesses. This area includes industrial advertising and promotion, trade advertising and promotion, professional advertising and promotion and agricultural advertising and promotion.
Buy-back Allowance
A form of trade promotion in which retailers are offered incentive to restock a store or warehouse with the level of product that existed prior to a previous promotion.
Buying Committee (Merchandising/Marketing Committee)
A group of appointed executives within a retail operation that approves or disapproves marketer offers.
Buy One Get One Free (BOGO, B1G1F)
A promotion to a consumer or retailer that offers one free product with the purchase of one of the same product.
Buy Short
A retail term that refers to buying from day-to-day in small quantities.
Buyer's Market
Economic conditions that favor the position of the retail buyer rather than the vendor. The opposite of seller's market.
Buying Power
(Consumer Behavior) The income available for discretionary spending among segments of the population. It is a measure of the ability and willingness to buy goods or services.
(Industrial) The relative influence of an individual or job function in a purchase decision. May be based on reward abilities, coercion, legitimacy, personality or expertise.
Category Development Index (CDI)
Same as BDI but for an entire category or group of brands. The CDI is sometimes known as a Segment Development Index (SDI).
Cents-Off Coupon
A coupon offering consumers a specified amount off the price of a particular item at the time of purchase.
Chargeback
Notification by a manufacturer or manufacturer's agent to a retailer and/or clearinghouse that coupons submitted by the retailers have been denied payment and that the retailer/clearinghouse is being billed back for the coupons' face value plus handling. Usually requires a lengthy reconciliation process between manufacturer and retailer.
Clearinghouse
An agent that processes coupons from grocery and other stores and sends them to manufacturers or their agents for payment.
Color Plate
A change in ad copy or any other color item in an FSI. The FSI publisher will charge a Color Plate Charge, which can be fairly expensive. A Color Plate Charge within a Form can result in a Form Break charge.
Consolidated Store Tag
Summarization of multiple store tag amounts from one retailer for one manufacturer within a clearinghouse invoice.
Consumer-redeemed
Coupons submitted by consumers when purchasing the featured item.
Co-op (Cooperative)
Term describing coupons that appear with other coupons from the one or multiple manufacturers.
Coupon
A certificate with a stated value (in money or merchandise) that the customer presents to the cashier in a store that entitles the customer to savings on a specified item at the time of purchase.
Coupon "Drop"
The distribution of a coupon by a manufacturer at a specific time through one or more media.
Coupon Mix
A variety of coupons from different media and for different products submitted by a store in a single, common submission.
Decode
Converting the bars and spaces in a bar code symbol into its corresponding data.
Decoder
The part of the scanning system equipment that interprets the bar code.
Deduction
The difference between manufacturer invoice and the amount of the submitter's (wholesale or retailer) actual remittance.
Direct Submission
Coupons that are redeemed by a retailer and sent directly to the manufacturer.
Double Coupon
In some markets, retailers may double, triple or even quadruple manufacturer's coupons. There is typically a maximum value (usually $0.50 or $1.00). Most manufacturers have guidelines they use to help their promotion planners know what values are best for these markets for their brands.
Duplication
Some newspaper subscribers may receive two newspapers and, thus, two of your coupons. Only a few major urban areas have serious duplication (15%-30%), and manufacturers often will take both newspapers anyway because the non-duplicated readers are important, and it is worth the "premium" for the market.
EAN
European Article Numbering System for global label standards.
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) The computer-to-computer transmissions of business information in standard file format - purchase orders, invoices, etc.
Efficient Consumer Response (ECR)
A strategy for a cooperative effort between manufacturers, brokers, retailers and wholesalers to eliminate unnecessary costs from the overall supply chain, resulting in more value for the consumer. The ECR strategy focuses particularly on four major opportunities to improve efficiency:
- Efficient Replenishment – Streamline the distribution of goods from the assembly line to the retail shelf.
- Efficient Promotion – Shift away from a buying strategy to a consumer-oriented selling strategy, reducing costs for inventory handling, storage, and uneven manufacturing runs.
- Efficient Assortment – Optimize shelf space with the assortment that meets consumer needs, thereby eliminating the cost of non-required sizes, products with little differentiation and those with low turns.
- Efficient Product Introduction – Reduce system costs by finding new and better ways to identify and introduce new products that are more directly related to consumer needs.
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
The pre-authorized transfer of funds electronically via computer.
Escheatment
The reversion of unclaimed property (such as un-chased rebate checks) to the states, in the abscence of legal heirs or claimants.
Excessive Volume
A submission of coupons that appears to be too large based on the sales volume of a particular store, area or coupon drop.
Expiration Date
The last date a consumer may redeem a coupon for a product. Expressed as (MMYY), it always implies the last day of the specified month.
Face Value
The actual worth of the coupon or the amount subtracted from the product price to the consumer.
Family Code
A three-digit code assigned to manufacturer's products that is part of the UPC code for the purpose of coupon validation.
Foreign Coupons
Manufacturers' term referring to coupons sent to their agent for redemption but issued by other manufacturers. Most manufacturers return such coupons to the sender.
Form Breaks
FSI publishers require clients to purchase newspapers in groups, resulting in lower overall costs due to fewer press changes and less plate administration. All papers within a form will have the same FSI version, unless form breaks are allowed.
Free Item Coupon
A coupon that entitles the consumer to a product at no cost and that requires the retailer to fill in the retail price for that product on the coupon.
Gang-Cut
Coupons that appear to have been cut in groups and submitted for redemption; a form of coupon fraud.
Grace Period
Period beyond expiration date that manufacturers allow for coupons to complete the redemption process.
Group Promotion
A promotion involving several brands from one or different companies united by a theme or a mutually shared promotional device.
Handling Fee
The amount paid by the issuing manufacturer to the retailer for redemption of a coupon.
Indexes
Neutralized data that allows comparison between data sets without the influence of varying factors.
In-House Processor
A manufacturer that operates its own coupon-redemption center rather than contracting with an agent.
Invoice Receipt Date
The date the manufacturer or agent receives the invoice.
Manufacturer Coupons
Coupons issued by manufacturers offering consumers specific amounts off the purchase price of one or more of the manufacturer's products. The coupons may be distributed through a variety of media - newspaper or magazine ads, free-standing inserts, in or on product packages, direct mail, door-to-door delivery, etc.
Manufacturer's Agent
An independent company hired by a manufacturer to handle coupon redemption on behalf of the manufacturer.
Manufacturer's Processing Service
A service that provides the labor-intensive work related to the processing of coupons, including receiving coupon shipments and data entry work.
Manufacturer's Representative
A sales representative of a manufacturer, who may be either a salaried employee or a broker acting as an agent for several manufacturers on commission.
Maquiladora
A company in Mexico that provides services to U.S. companies.
Misredemption
Coupons that were not redeemed properly for the correct products in accordance with the stipulations printed on the particular coupon.
National Association of Retail Marketing Services
Association representing suppliers of incentive services to retailers and direct marketers in all industries.
Non-Coupon
A piece of paper that may resemble a coupon or may even be part of a coupon, but is not an actual coupon.
Offer Code
A five-digit number assigned to the company issuing the coupon as a key to marketing information not carried in the UCC Coupon Code.
Pay Directs
Coupons that are submitted by a clearinghouse to a manufacturer on behalf of a retailer with instructions to pay the store directly instead of the clearinghouse.
Point of Sale (POS)
The place where the purchase is made, usually the checkstand or scanning terminals in a retail store.
Price Lookup Function (PLU)
A feature of an in-store computer system that verifies the selling price of an item through use of a centrally maintained price file.
Promotion
- A marketing tool temporarily used to create extra interest in the purchase of a product or service by offering values in excess of those customarily afforded by such purchases. This includes temporary discounts, allowances, premium offers, coupons, contests, sweepstakes, etc.
- Loosely, any effort to encourage the purchase of a product or service.
Promotional Allowance
Also called merchandising allowance, a discount from a supplier to a retailer, who agrees to use the discount to promote the product's purchase.
Proof-of-Purchase
- Invoices showing a retailer's purchase of a sufficient quantity of product to validate the number of coupons submitted for redemption by the retailer.
- The U.P.C., label, bottle capliner, etc. used as evidence that a promotional item was purchased.
Questionnaire
A series of questions used by a manufacturer clearinghouse or a manufacturer to confirm that a merchant submitting coupons for redemption is a bona fide merchant redeeming coupons in accordance with the stipulation of the manufacturer's coupon redemption policy.
Quick Pay
A program in which the manufacturer pays the retailer within five days of receipt of scanned data collected at the retailer and sent through the retailer's clearinghouse.
Redeem
To fulfill the requirements of a consumer promotional offer (such as a coupon) in a prescribed manner resulting in receipt of goods at a reduced price or for free.
Redemption
The use of coupons to receive a discount on specific merchandise.
Redemption Center
A location maintained by a manufacturer or the manufacturer's agent where coupons redeemed by consumers are submitted by retailers and clearinghouses to obtain reimbursement.
Redemption Rate
A weighted measure of response calculated by dividing cumulative coupon redemptions by cumulative coupon distributions.
Refund Certificate
A certificate, issued by a manufacturer, that offers consumers money back on the purchase price of a product, usually after the consumer mails proof of purchase to the manufacturer. Also referred to as a rebate.
Retail Clearinghouse
An independent company used by a retailer to sort, count and submit coupons for payment to manufacturers or their agents.
Retailer Agreement
An agreement between a retailer and a clearinghouse authorizing the clearinghouse to serve as the retailer's agent in submitting coupons to manufacturers.
Retailer Verification
Authentication of the legitimacy of a retailer (usually by means of questionnaire) to verify that a retail location exists and that products for which coupons have been submitted are actually available for sale in that store.
Return Receipt Card
A green card returned to the sender of a shipment by U.S. Post Office signed by the receiver of the shipment and showing the date the shipment was received.
Scan Validation
The process of matching scanned coupons with product purchases.
Seasonal
Products which have strong seasonal cycles and/or newspapers which have seasonal circulations.
Shelf-Talker
A written promotion designed to hang over the edge of a retailer's shelf.
Single Count
A one-count processing system where coupons are collected, and all coupon processing procedures are done at one location.
Slippage
Rebate checks that are issued, but are never cashed.
Store Check
An examination of a store to determine what merchandise it carries.
Store Coupon
A coupon printed by a retailer and available to shoppers in the store, either in a special flyer or at the shelf or display where the couponed product is stocked.
Submission Verification
A clearinghouse process of counting and sorting a shipment of coupons from a retailer.
A defined method of representing numeric or alphabetic characters in a bar code; a type of bar code.
Tearsheet
An unbound page from a newspaper or periodical showing an article, advertisement, etc. as printed; used as proof or as an extra copy.
Truncation
Printing a symbol shorter than the symbology specification's minimum height recommendations. Truncation can make the symbol difficult for an operator to scan and make the bar code invalid.
Uniform Communication Standard (UCS)
A set of standard transaction sets for the grocery industry that allows computer-to-computer, paperless exchange of documents between trading partners.
Universal Product Code (U.P.C.) Coupon Code
A 12-digit, all-numeric code, beginning with a number system character (NSC) assigned by the UCC as part of the manufacturer's ID number. Next comes the five-digit manufacturer identification number, a three-digit family code, a two-digit value code, and a modulo 10 check character.
Universal Product Code (U.P.C.) Symbol
A combination of vertical bars printed on product packages (or on coupons) that can be "read" by an electronic scanner at the checkout to identify the item, automatically look up the item's price (or the coupon's value) in a computer, and instantaneously ring-up the price (or the value) on the cash register.
Value Code
A two-digit number in a table maintained by the Uniform Code Council, Inc. and the Joint Industry Coupon Committee that defines the dollar and cent redemption value, quantity purchase requirements, and free merchandise associated with a coupon.
