商务英语 Level 6 Unit 1 Part 2 Dial

Part 2 Dialogue【Discussing E-Commerce】

Hello, this is Ted Baker.
Hi Ted.
This is Anna Chen from the Market Journal.
I sent you an email last week.
I'm writing an article on the current state of e-commerce in the US and wanted to ask you a few questions.
Hi Anna, yes, I remember.
Are you still available to talk?
Sure, I'd be happy to talk.
What would you like to ask?

Well, as digital sales are projected to grow 30% in the next five years,
e-commerce has become larger and more diverse.
Where there had once only been a few large companies, we're now seeing a new generation of startups emerging.
How do you think this will impact the market?

project: 预测

Well, I think it means that e-commerce will become a lot more competitive,
but also more innovative, which will be good for the market, and customers too.
So what are some interesting examples of innovation that you're seeing in these companies?
I'm very interested in how some companies are exploring new kinds of business models.

Traditionally, e-commerce companies have operated on a wholesale model,
where they act as stores, selling products to customers.
But this has had some problems, like inventory risk.
For example, if something doesn't sell well, a company will lose money.

So some of these startups are creating platforms that help brands sell directly to customers.
By that you mean they're just creating the channel, and letting brands manage inventories themselves.
It's like building an online platform on top of different companies' operating models.
That's right.

Another interesting development has been a business model that doesn't sell products, but rents them out.
One company, TodaysHandbag.com, offers a subscription service that allows customers to rent high-end handbags rather than buy them.
Instead of constantly buying new inventory, the company focuses on maintaining it.

So with these new models emerging, do you think the traditional e-commerce model will be disrupted?
Not yet.
Innovation doesn't always lead to disruption.
The traditional model is still reliable.
One of the main challenges for platform-based companies is that they don't have full control over products.
If an item unexpectedly goes out of stock, or has quality problems, there isn't much they can do.

disrupt: 中断

It's hard for them to guarantee consistency.
And online rental business is still too experimental to be profitable.
So if innovation doesn't equal disruption, what are your predictions for the industry going forward?
I think you can expect to see the market become more diverse, rather than consolidate around one model.
There are too many kinds of customers for one model or company to dominate the market.

experimental: 实验性质的
consolidate: 整合

But as more companies try out new models and practices, it will be interesting to see which ones get adopted.
Okay, that was very helpful!
Thanks so much for speaking with me today!
Of course! Let me know if you need to follow up on anything else.
Yes, I certainly will.

Question

1. What has been emerging in the market?
   > a new generation of startups
2. She is a journalist at a business magazine.
3. She wants to ask him some questions for an article she's writing.
4. How does he think more competition will impact the market?
   > it will be good for the market
5. Why can a wholesale model be risky for a company?
   > the company is responsible for its inventory
6. Some companies are beginning to explore new kinds of business models.
7. What does she compare this new business models to?
   > building on top of different operating models
8. He thinks the traditional e-commerce model is still reliable.