Private label and brand creation glossary: terms in plain language

Forty terms you meet when creating a product brand, explained for the people who pay for the decisions.

Brand creation terms in plain language

Suppliers, freight forwarders, retail buyers and trademark attorneys each use their own shorthand, and a misunderstood term can cost real money. A quote marked FOB is not a delivered price, and a CPNP notification is not an approval. This glossary defines the words used across the seven stages of building a brand, from positioning and assortment to manufacturing, compliance and launch. Each entry gives a short definition you can quote, then explains how the term works in practice and where brand owners go wrong. Regulatory entries are general information checked against official sources, and they do not replace advice from a licensed specialist.

A

AQL

The worst defect rate a sampling inspection will treat as acceptable for a production lot.

Assortment matrix

A table that sets which products you carry by category, price tier, role and channel.

B

Brand architecture

How a company organises its master brand, sub-brands and product lines.

Brand identity

The name, logo, colours, type, packaging style and voice that make a brand recognisable.

Brand positioning

The specific place a brand aims to hold in buyers’ minds compared with the alternatives.

C

Category management

Running each product category as a business unit with its own role, range, price and targets.

CE marking

The manufacturer’s mark that a product meets the EU harmonised rules that require it.

Co-packer

A contract manufacturer that produces and packs goods, often food or drinks, for other brands.

Contract manufacturing

Outsourcing production to another company that makes the product for you under a contract.

Contribution margin

What a sale leaves after all variable costs, to cover fixed costs and profit.

CPNP

The EU portal where a cosmetic product is notified by its responsible person before sale.

D

DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)

The seller delivers to the named destination, cleared for import with duties paid.

Dieline

The flat template of a package showing cut, fold, glue and bleed lines for print.

E

EPR (extended producer responsibility)

Rules that make producers responsible for the waste stage of their packaging and products.

EU responsible person

The EU-based operator answerable to authorities for a product’s compliance.

EXW (Ex Works)

The seller makes goods available at its premises; the buyer arranges and pays for the rest.

F

Factory audit

An on-site assessment of a supplier’s capability, quality system and working conditions.

FOB (Free on Board)

The seller delivers goods on board the vessel at the port of shipment; the buyer handles the rest.

G

Go-to-market strategy

The plan for who you sell to first, through which channels, at what price and budget.

Golden sample

The approved reference unit that mass production and inspections are compared against.

Good-better-best

A range structure with three tiers of quality and price, so each shopper finds a level.

GPSR

EU Regulation 2023/988 setting safety duties for consumer products, applicable since 13 December 2024.

Gross margin

Revenue minus the cost of goods sold, shown as a percentage of revenue.

I

Incoterms

ICC trade terms that set where delivery happens and how risk and costs split between buyer and seller.

L

Landed cost

The full cost of a product once it reaches your warehouse, including freight, duties and fees.

M

Madrid Protocol

The WIPO system for seeking trademark protection in many countries through one application.

MoCRA

The US 2022 law that added registration, listing and safety duties for cosmetics.

MOQ

The smallest quantity a supplier will produce or sell in one order, per product or variant.

N

Nice classification

The international system of 45 classes of goods and services used in trademark filings.

O

ODM

A factory supplies a product it designed itself, adapted and branded for the buyer.

OEM

A factory produces goods to the buyer’s own design and specification, under the buyer’s brand.

Own brand / store brand

A brand owned by a retailer or distributor and used on products made by other companies.

P

Planogram

A diagram showing exactly where and how each product is placed on a retail shelf.

Private label

Products made by a third-party manufacturer to your specification and sold under your brand.

S

Sell-in

The quantity a brand sells into retailers or distributors, before shoppers buy it.

Sell-through

The share of stock received that a retailer actually sold to shoppers in a given period.

SKU

A unique internal code for each sellable variant of a product, such as one size in one colour.

T

Tech pack

The technical specification a factory needs to make a product: drawings, materials, sizes, labels.

Toll manufacturing

You supply the raw materials, and a processor turns them into product for a service fee.

W

White label

A standard product a supplier sells to many buyers, each adding their own brand.

Have a product idea? Check it before you buy stock.

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Tell us about your brand

A few lines are enough: what you want to sell, where and to whom. We reply with an honest view of feasibility, the stages you need and the next step.

  • No obligation: the first review of your idea is free
  • If we think the idea will not pay back, we say so
  • Your idea stays confidential; we can sign an NDA

What happens next

  1. 1
    We review your briefand may ask a few questions
  2. 2
    A short callabout goals, budget and limits
  3. 3
    Written proposalstages, scope, fees and timing
  4. 4
    First stage startswith a decision gate at its end
  • usually 300–1 000 units per product in a first order
  • usually 6–12 months from brief to first sales
  • EU company, contract under Polish law
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