Okuzeka
Sales & Retail vocabulary · Pitches & Demos

Case study

Meaning in sales & retail, with examples

/ˈkeɪs ˌstʌdi/nounCommon term

In sales & retail, case study means: A short report that describes how a real customer used a product or service and what results they achieved, used to convince similar buyers.

In Turkish: başarı hikayesi, müşteri vaka çalışması, vaka çalışması

How it is used

Used in B2B sales as proof. Sellers send, share or present case studies from the same industry, ideally with numbers such as “cut delivery errors by 40%”. Short quotes from happy customers are called testimonials. A customer usually has to agree before their name is used.

Example sentences

  1. I'll send you a case study from another dairy producer who had the same problem.

  2. The case study shows how the hotel chain cut energy costs by 18 percent in one year.

Common collocations

  • customer case study
  • send a case study
  • industry case study
  • case studies and testimonials
  • value propositionA short, clear statement of what a customer gains from a product and why it is better for them than the other options.
  • sales pitchA planned talk or presentation in which a seller explains why a product is right for a customer and tries to persuade them to buy.
  • benefitThe real advantage a customer gets from a product, such as saving time or money, as opposed to a feature, which is simply what the product has or does.
  • referralA new lead that comes from an existing customer or contact who recommends you, or the act of recommending someone in this way.
  • proposalA document sent to a potential customer that explains the suggested solution, what is included, the price and the main terms, written to win their business.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Pitches & Demos

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: