long tail

British  

noun

1. commerce the segment of a market representing the large number of products that sell in small quantities, considered by some to be of greater financial value than the few products that sell in very large quantities

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Etymology

Origin of long tail

C21: from the appearance of typical sales patterns on a graph

Example Sentences

When I say that Milonov's words were mysterious, I mean that they reflect the long, long tail of the historic divide among 20th-century Marxists between followers of Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky, which no doubt feels like inscrutable ancient history to nearly everyone in the West and seems utterly irrelevant to the geopolitical conditions of the 2020s.

From Salon

But the significant investment in helicopters, attack planes and cargo aircraft means a long tail of logistical support, maintenance needs and training has become more important as U.S. troops and contractors have departed.

From Washington Post

The small, slow moving, bottom dwelling sharks with striped bodies and an extra long tail have become endangered in recent years because of their popularity with fish collectors and exotic food diners.

From Reuters

The group’s latest blog post states that “the national decline in case incidence is likely to be slow with a long tail, attributed to smoldering transmission — most likely from decreased mask use in areas with poor vaccine uptake.”

From Washington Post

The group’s latest blog post states that “the national decline in case incidence is likely to be slow with a long tail, attributed to smoldering transmission – most likely from decreased mask use in areas with poor vaccine uptake.”

From Seattle Times