节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-10-24
难易度:High
关键字:swipe, optional, personalize, inventory, database, brick-and-mortar
So far in our lesson today, New Ways to Shop for Clothes, we learned a little
bit more about Hointer, this software company that also sells designer jeans.
And we also learned about Bonobos when we began learning about this store that
gives you a more personalized shopping experience.
Of course it's an online store, but they have some brick-and-mortar stores as
well that have some Guideshops.
They are called Guideshops.
And of course we have more to learn about this in the next part of our lesson
for today.
(Music).
New Ways to Shop for Clothes.
Because these shops have limited inventories, shoppers aren't able to take home
the outfits they select.
But guides help shoppers make online purchases before they leave, after which
the items will be delivered to customers in one or two days.
Following the purchase, the Bonobos customer service database keeps a record of
each shopper's size, making future online purchases easier.
While Hointer focuses on convenience, Bonobos Guideshops focus on customer
service.
But both efforts have one thing in common: giving clothing retailers a new look
for the 21st century.
(Music).
These do give shops a very new look for this new time period.
But before we conclude, we want to go back to the beginning of this section and
learn a little bit more about Bonobos and how this store is set up because it is
not quite the same as Hointer.
Now we read:
Because these shops have limited inventories, shoppers aren't able to take home
the outfits they select.
So you have your one-on-one appointment with a guide at a Guideshop, but you
can't actually take home your purchase with you that day.
That's right, because they have limited inventories.
Let's look at that word from our Word Bank.
An inventory is what you or a company has right there with them.
OK. So what do you own?
What do you have with you?
That is your inventory of things.
That's right.
So usually we talk about stores having an inventory.
It means that it is in stock, it is available for sale right now.
Now many shops will have things that are out on the shelves as well as things
that are stored in a back room.
Those things are all part of the store's inventory.
But if something is sold out - there isn't any left in the inventory, they will
have to order more.
And sometimes your job might be to make an inventory.
That means you're making a list of the things that the store has or doesn't
have.
You're making an inventory.
So there's a limited inventory here.
But guides help shoppers make online purchases before they leave, after which
the items will be delivered to customers in one or two days.
Well, that's pretty good.
So there are salespeople there; they're called guides.
And they help you make your online purchase.
That's right.
And you only have to wait one or two days.
So while you can't take it home with you right away, you don't have to wait very
long before it will be waiting for you at your house.
And so, following the purchase, the Bonobos customer service database keeps a
record of each shopper's size, making future online purchases easier.
OK, so that's good.
They keep a record of something.
So following the purchase or after the purchase, they do this.
That's right.
And it's stored in a database, which is a word from our Word Bank.
Now a database is just all of this information that is stored in one place.
The Internet is filled with databases.
Maybe you like to use an online database like a cloud.
Oh, yes, a cloud that can store all of your information.
Of course, Steve and Ken are always in the Information Cloud.
They are a database in and among themselves.
Well, what kinds of databases do you use?
Here we're talking about the database at Bonobos.
They keep a record of each shopper's size.
That way, the next time you go, it will be easier to shop there.
I like this part of shopping at Bonobos: the fact that they can remember what my
size is, I don't have to spend that time looking for my size later.
That's right.
And that means that you don't need to go back to the store again.
You only need to make an appointment once, then you know exactly which size you
should order if you want to get som