Saturday, November 16, 2013

New Ways to Shop for Clothes

Some retailers are creating new in-store experiences
購衣革命 - 有些零售商正在打造全新的店內 購物體驗.

More and more shoppers are buying things online these days, allowing them to avoid aggressive salespeople and long lines at checkout counters. In spite of online convenience, however, there are some items - like clothes - that customers prefer to examine before buying. In light of this, two companies are finding ways to modernize stores and bridge the gap between online and in-store retail.

A software company that also happens to sell designer jeans, Hointer has created a fast and painless shopping experience for its customers. The company is led by Dr. Nadia Shouraboura, a former tech executive at Amazon.

Shoppers walk into a Hointer store and select one of the many pairs of jeans hanging down from bars. Then they point their smartphones at the tag and activate the Hointer app, after which they select the size and press "try on. " The app then directs them to a specific dressing room. 

German-made robots retrieve the desired jeans and deliver them through a chute to the dressing room in about 30 seconds. Immediately after unwanted pairs of jeans are dropped through another chute, the "outbox", they disappear from the list in the app.

Grammar Gym:
"In light of this, two companies are finding ways to modernize stores..."
' in light of ' - considering; because of.
In light of the investigation, witnesses have been asked not to say anything to the media.
In light of the recent discoveries in the laboratory, scientists are positive they can find a cure for the rare disease.

Vocabulary Tips:
modernize - doing something in a way that up to date. (v) 使现代化。(adj) -现代化,现代的。
*The bank did a great job modernizing its customer service system.
*The company needs to modernize if it wants to stay competitive.
bridge - make a connection between two gaps, make it connection from one point to another point.
gap - big difference, big space.
to bridge the gap - there is a space need to made a bridge.(桥梁)-把缺口,裂口连接起来。消除隔阂或分歧。
*The policy was designed to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. 政策。。弥补贫富差距。
*The book talks about ways to bridge the generation gap.代沟
retailer - whole sale.
in light of - because of ..
in spite of - even though something is true but still would not prevent people to do that.
... happen to... - something happen is not expected.
chute (n) 'sut'- passage way 紧急滑道, laundry chute. 斜槽,滑道。斗坡道。
painless - without pain, not difficult.
activate - start, begin, make it start, begin to use it.启动(个人密码),开卡,开户。 "act" -行动。

Language Tips:
long lines at checkout counters -
line - 线,此指‘队伍’。
queue -‘队伍’ (英式英语)
jump the queue (英国) = cut in line (美国).
Please Wait Here for the Next Available Agent.


Note taking of Studioclassroom

No comments: