ENGLISH BUSINESS VOCABULARY
MARKETING and SALES VOCABULARY
The meaning of words relating to marketing and sales.
| WORD | MEANING |
| After sales service | Service that continues after the sale of a product (maintenance, etc.) |
| Agent | Person or company that acts for another and provides a specified service. |
| B2B e-commerce | Business to business e-commerce: use of commercial networks, online product catalogues and other online resources to obtain better prices and reach new customers. |
| B2C e-commerce | Business to consumer e-commerce: online sale of goods and services directly to consumers. |
| Benchmarking | Comparing one's products to those of competitors in order to improve quality and performance. |
| Buyer | 1) Any person who makes a purchase. 2) A person employed to choose and buy stock for a company. |
| Cash refund offer | Offer to pay back the purchase price of a product to customers who are not satisfied and send a "proof of purchase" to the manufacturer. |
| Chain store | Two or more shops or outlets that have the same owner and sell similar lines of merchandise. |
| Client | A person who buys services or advice from a lawyer, an accountant or other professional. |
| Close | Finalise or conclude a sale or deal. |
| Convenience store | Small shop located near a residential area that opens long hours, seven days a week. |
| Coupon | A voucher offering a discount to customers when they purchase a specific product. |
| Deal | A business transaction. |
| Department store | A large shop or store that carries a wide variety of product lines. |
| Direct investment | Entering a foreign market by setting up assembly or manufacturing facilities in that country. |
| Discount | A reduction in price. |
| E-commerce | Buying and selling on the Internet. |
| E-marketing | Promoting products and services over the Internet. |
| Extranet | Network that connects a company with its suppliers and distributors. |
| Follow-up | Maintain contact after the sale to ensure customer satisfaction. |
| Franchise | Association between a manufacturer or wholesaler (franchiser) and an independent business person (franchisee) who buys the right to own and operate a unit in the franchise system. |
| Guarantee | A promise that the product will be repaired or replaced if faulty. |
| Intranet | A network that connects people to each other within a company. |
| Joint venture | A way of entering a foreign market by joining with a foreign company to manufacture or market a product or service. |
| Market leader | The company with the largest market share in an industry. |
| Mark up | Percentage of the price added to the cost to reach a selling price. |
| Opinion leader | Person with a reference, who, because of competence, knowledge, or other characteristics, exerts influence on others. |
| Packaging | Designing and producing the container or wrapper for a product. |
| Product line | A group of products that are closely related. |
| Prespect | A potential customer. |
| Representative | A person who represents and sells for a company. |
| Retail | To sell in small quantities, as in a shop, directly to customers. |
| Shopping centre | Group or complex of shops with a common area for cars to park. |
| Telephone marketing | Using the telephone to sell directly to customers. |
| Trade fair | An exhibition at which companies in a specific industry can show or demonstrate their products. |
| Viral marketing | The Internet version of word-of-mouth marketing: email messages that customers pass on to friends. |
| Wholesale | To sell goods in large quantities at low prices to those buying for resale (e.g. a shop) or for business use. |