Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
long-tail
noun
/ˈlɔːŋ teɪl/
Definition
The term “long-tail” refers to a statistical phenomenon where a large number of occurrences or items exist far down the frequency distribution. In business and marketing, it describes the strategy of targeting a larger number of niche markets, instead of just focusing on a few popular items.
Examples
- Online bookstores often capitalize on the long-tail strategy by offering many titles that traditional stores would not carry.
- In digital marketing, the long-tail keywords are crucial as they often have less competition and can be very targeted.
- The long-tail theory suggests that more specialized products can cumulatively equal or surpass the sales of more popular items.
Meaning
The long-tail concept emphasizes the potential for more revenue from many niche products, rather than a small number of bestsellers. It highlights how online retailers can offer a wide variety of products that cater to specific interests that might not be mainstream but collectively can contribute significantly to sales.
Synonyms
- niche market
- long-tail distribution
- distributed demand
