Glossary
The plain-English AI glossary for retail businesses
Cut through the vendor jargon. Short, clear definitions of the AI terms you’ll hear in pitches, demos, and trade press — written for operators, not engineers.
F&B
Terms for restaurants and food retailers
Menu Engineering
Use sales and margin data to design menus that nudge customers to your most profitable dishes.
Sentiment Analysis
AI that reads reviews and messages and tells you whether customers are happy, unhappy, or neutral.
Retail (general)
Core retail AI terms
Demand Forecasting
Predict how much you’ll sell — by product, location, and time period — using your data.
Recommendation Engine
Suggests products to a customer based on their behavior and similar customers’ purchases.
Personalization
Tailor what each customer sees — products, offers, messaging — based on their behavior.
Customer Lifetime Value
Total revenue you expect from a customer over their entire relationship with you.
Computer Vision
AI that interprets images and video — recognizing products, counting customers, reading shelves.
Inventory Optimization
Decide how much of each item to hold, where, and when to reorder — continuously.
Retail · Electronics
Terms for electronics retailers
Cold-Start Problem
What happens when an AI system has no history yet — new products, customers, or stores.
Dynamic Pricing
Adjust prices in near real-time based on demand, competitor moves, and inventory.
Retail · Clothing
Terms for clothing retailers
SKU-Level Forecasting
Predict demand for each individual variant — sizes, colors, styles — not just category totals.
Virtual Try-On
AI overlays clothing, eyewear, or accessories on you (via camera or photo) before you buy.
Retail · Education
Terms for education retailers
Adaptive Learning
AI that personalizes a learner’s path — adjusting difficulty, topics, and pacing.
SME · Core AI concepts
Concepts every operator should know
Large Language Model
The AI behind ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini — what it is and what it can do. Singapore’s AI Strategy covers how LLMs fit into the national framework.
Generative AI
AI that creates new content — text, images, code — instead of just analyzing existing data. The PDPC Model AI Governance Framework guides responsible use in Singapore.
Chatbot vs AI Assistant
Old rule-based bots vs modern context-aware assistants — night-and-day difference.
Automation vs AI
When you need AI vs when plain automation is cheaper and more reliable. IMDA SMEs Go Digital helps Singapore businesses choose the right tools.
Home Business
Terms for solo and home-based sellers
Conversational Commerce
Selling through messaging — WhatsApp, Instagram DMs, chat — with AI handling the routine.
Need help applying these?
From definitions to deployment
Knowing the terms is one thing. Putting them to work in your business is another. We help you do both.