inroad
noun [ C ]
uk/ˈɪnrəʊd/ ussomething that has a noticeable and positive effect on something you are trying to achieve:
The deal marks the first major inroad into the country's domestic market.
make inroads in/into sth
to start to have a noticeable and positive effect on something:
The grant for a new job-creation scheme should make inroads into the community's unemployment problem.
U.S. consumer-goods companies are finally making inroads in this fast-growing market of 45 million people.