ESL Podcast 224 - Holiday Promotions

to come up with (something) - to think of something, usually a new idea or a solution to a problem

How did you come up with that idea? I've never heard anything like it before.

holiday promotion - activities to increase sales during the holiday season, usually in November and December

The store's holiday promotions are incredible! They sell everything at 30% off of its regular price.

inroad - progress; advancement

Japanese car companies rapidly made inroads into the U.S. automobile industry.

gift-buying market - the economic market of people (group of buyers) who buy presents

Was there an increase in the gift-buying market during February for Valentine's Day?

retail sales - sales of small number of products to individual buyers (not to other businesses)

Because it was extremely hot last August, retail sales of air conditioners increased significantly that summer.

sales cycle - the same time of year when there are very high or low sales

Most types of products have predictable sales cycles. For example, sales of school supplies and children's clothing are highest right before the school year begins.

innovative - new and creative; original

Everyone admires her innovative ideas for making this a better team this year.

brick-and-mortar store - a business that serves customers in a real store, not through a website

My mother likes to see and touch what she's buying, so she prefers shopping at brick-and-mortar stores.

computer savvy - knowledgeable about computers

Today, children are often more computer savvy than their parents are.

more likely than ever - more likely now than anytime before; more probable than before

Harold's boss yelled at him yesterday in front of all of the other employees, and now it's more likely than ever that he'll quit his job.

to capitalize on - to take advantage of, to profit from

The team capitalized on its early lead and won the game by more than 20 points.

to slash prices - to greatly reduce prices, usually during a sale

When one company slashes prices, many competing companies feel pressured to do the same because they fear losing their customers.

inventory - a complete list of what is in a place, such as the products a store has available for sale

We are closing our store for two days to do an inventory of what we have in the store.

stock - the number of products that a store has available for sale

I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have that product in stock, but I think our downtown store does.

gimmick - an unusual or clever trick to encourage people to buy something

His sales gimmicks were so annoying that most people left the store without buying anything.

to jump-start - to start quickly

He jump-started his career in business by getting a graduate degree when he was very young.

to count on (someone) - to rely on someone; to depend on someone

I can't attend the meeting so I'm counting on you to tell me what was discussed.