VOA慢速英語(yǔ):E-Commerce Challenges Traditional Stores

[00:00.00]From VOA Learning English, [00:02.69]this is the Economics Report in Special English. [00:07.53]Americans are buying more products and services [00:11.62]than ever before through the Internet. [00:16.41]And experts say the popularity of online sales [00:20.95]is likely to spread to other countries. [00:24.27]Online sales now represent as much as [00:28.33]one-tenth of all retail sales in the United States. [00:32.72]This has led traditional stores to seek new ways [00:37.53]to keep their customers loyal. [00:40.39]Lynne Shaner used the Internet [00:43.98]to buy everything she needed for her wedding [00:47.11]and holiday gifts for her husband and step-daughter. [00:51.58]Other than food, 90 percent of her purchases [00:56.12]were made on her home computer. [00:59.10]"I find that, by being able to go online [01:01.86]and choose the things that I need to choose, [01:05.54]and have them delivered to me right at my doorstep, [01:08.81]I eliminate all the driving, all the crowds, [01:13.77]all the noise of that, [01:15.18]and I usually get a better selection." [01:16.94]There are a lot of people like her. [01:19.37]Experts say American online shopping hit records [01:24.35]in both November and December. [01:26.79]Fifty-seven percent of Americans [01:30.36]have bought something electronically. [01:33.42]Store owners worry that this growing amount of online sales [01:38.78]will hurt their business. [01:41.05]Cornell University marketing professor Ed McLaughlin says [01:46.46]they should be worried. [01:48.47]He spoke to VOA by Skype. [01:51.93]"Anything that can move online, will. [01:55.39]And it's just a matter of time." [01:57.75]Professor McLaughlin says traditional stores [02:01.03]can keep their customers by selling goods like clothing, [02:05.06]which buyers may want to see and try on before purchasing. [02:10.45]He says the stores could also offer things [02:14.94]that are difficult to ship. [02:17.01]He also says some stores can please customers [02:21.85]by offering to set up or repair electronic products. [02:27.16]Bill Martin is the founder of ShopperTrak. [02:31.70]His business helps stores learn about their customers. [02:36.23]He told VOA by Skype that traditional stores [02:41.31]offer a social experience that some people enjoy. [02:46.18]"There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision, [02:50.35]you know, that takes place. [02:51.96]Oftentimes, you know, you need that last sense of [02:55.63]‘Boy, this is exactly what I want' [02:57.43]-- that feeling before you're ready to part with money, [03:00.31]and you can't always get that on-line. [03:02.21]It's a rather cold process." [03:04.22]Bill Martin says traditional stores can provide goods to buyers [03:08.69]more-quickly than online stores. [03:11.60]And some retailers are using websites [03:15.08]to persuade people to visit their stores. [03:18.60]While e-commerce worries some business owners, [03:23.15]the only worry for delivery services like FedEx and UPS [03:28.53]is keeping up with the number of packages. [03:32.41]UPS Manager Dana Kline says her company [03:36.84]is very busy at this time of year. [03:40.14]UPS is so busy that it has filled 55,000 temporary worker positions [03:47.82]during the holiday season.

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