Here at The Quality Edit, we’re all about finding you the best products and brands on the internet. To do so, we’re constantly on the lookout for brands that meet our standards. And trust us, they’re high.
If you’ve been a TQE reader for a while, thank you! And if you’re new here, welcome! We realize our reviews and recommendations are peppered with niche language every now and then, so we figured it’s time to let you all in to our Quality Edit lingo. From industry abbreviations to TQE phrases, we whipped up a glossary of our most commonly-used terms so you always know what we’re saying. Refer to this whenever you need some clarity or are looking for new words to add to your own vocab. If you have any new terms you think we need to add, just let us know!
Add to Cart: A monthly series where we share our editors’ most loved and used products of the month. Find all of our past monthly favorites here.
Brick-and-Mortar: A traditional business with a physical storefront. Many e-commerce brands eventually open up brick-and-mortar locations, like Warby Parker and Casper.
Digitally Native Brands: A brand that exists solely online. Many digitally native brands may end up opening brick-and-mortar locations once their online businesses are thriving. Even if they have physical retail locations, it’s clear these businesses got their start online.
Disruptors: Brands that are shaking up their respective industries. Think chicken-less chicken nuggets from Daring Foods.
DTC: Direct-to-consumer. DTC brands cut out the middleman -- that means no third party retailers or wholesalers.
E-comm: Abbreviation for e-commerce.The buying and selling of goods via the internet.
Editors: Writers at The Quality Edit. We’re product-obsessed and always on the hunt for finding the best new brands and products for our readers.
Founders: People who found startups and businesses. We love learning about what has inspired founders to start their own businesses, so we interview them for our series Quality Makers.
Hero Product: A brand’s best-seller. What they’re most known for. Ex: Bombas hero product is its socks. Now they have shirts and underwear, but socks are where it all began.
Quality Makers: A recurring interview series at The Quality Edit where we highlight pioneers in the direct-to-consumer space. Get a behind-the-scenes look at your favorite founders and brands like Scout Brisson and Sabeena Ladha of DEUX.
Sharing Economy: The idea, and system, of sharing the use of assets between a group of people. The sharing economy has been around for a while (renting cars and apartments), but has been popularized recently with brands like Rent the Runway and Uber. The sharing economy is becoming more popular as more and more consumers prefer access over ownership.
Startup: A young company. Many startups have aspirations of disrupting their respective industries and shaking up the status quo. While they may start small, many startups also have lofty growth goals.
TQE: The Quality Edit. The publication you’re reading right now. We curate the web’s best brands for discerning shoppers like you.
Now that you’re feeling good on all of the industry buzzwords and TQE terminology, you can get back to reading about our favorite brands, launches, and exciting new products. Did we miss something? Email hello@thequalityedit.com if there’s anything else you think we should add to this list. Or, if you just want to talk e-comm and DTC brands, we’re here for that too.
