第1559期:The continued appeal of online shopping

The first thing sold online was a CD. It sold in 1994 for $12.48. In 1995, Amazon launched its online bookshop, and later that year the online auction site that would become eBay sold its first item. Fast-forward to the modern day and online shopping is huge business. In contrast to the recent UK announcements that many high-profile retail chains and department stores need to close retail outlets to save money, online shopping is thriving. In fact, the UK Office for National Statistics reported that growth in online sales has continued "year-on-year" and stands at just under 20% in April 2018. But why?网上卖的第一件东西是一张CD。它于 1994 年以 12.48 美元的价格售出。1995 年，亚马逊推出了其在线书店，同年晚些时候，后来成为 eBay 的在线拍卖网站出售了它的第一件商品。快进到现代，网上购物是一项巨大的业务。与英国最近宣布许多知名零售连锁店和百货公司需要关闭零售店以节省资金的公告形成鲜明对比的是，网上购物正在蓬勃发展。事实上，英国国家统计局报告称，在线销售额的增长持续“同比”增长，2018 年 4 月略低于 20%。但为什么呢？Maybe it's the convenience. Online shopping allows you to find what you need from the comfort of your own home. Then there's the variety. The discerning shopper is able to select from a wide range of products from all over the world – whereas physical shops suffer from a more limited choice. Better yet, with more sophisticated search parameters available, consumers are now better able to specify exactly what they want, and in some cases, even modify products to create bespoke items.可能是方便吧。网上购物可以让您在舒适的家中找到您需要的东西。然后是品种。挑剔的购物者能够从来自世界各地的各种产品中进行选择——而实体店的选择则更为有限。更好的是，有了更复杂的搜索参数，消费者现在能够更好地准确指定他们想要的东西，在某些情况下，甚至可以修改产品以创建定制项目。Online companies are getting better at targeted advertising too. Our browsing history and prior purchases are run through algorithms, which generate advertisements that more closely link consumers to the products companies believe we would like to buy. And since these products are not physically on display in a shop, the company saves money on overheads like rent and electricity. This allows them offer their products at a more reasonable price.在线公司也在有针对性的广告方面做得更好。我们的浏览历史和之前的购买是通过算法运行的，这些算法生成的广告更紧密地将消费者与公司认为我们想购买的产品联系起来。由于这些产品并未在商店中实际展示，因此该公司可以节省租金和电费等间接费用。这使他们能够以更合理的价格提供产品。Then there's the reassurance. These days, the majority of online retailers offer a safe, convenient returns policy, often at no shipping cost to the buyer – just print out the returns label, affix it to the packaging the item was sent in and receive a full refund. Not only that, but hassle-free complaints procedures and policies mean that if your item is damaged, incorrect or even unwanted, the company can be easily notified and action taken. 然后是安心。如今，大多数在线零售商都提供安全、便捷的退货政策，通常无需向买家支付运费——只需打印退货标签，将其贴在商品寄出的包装上即可获得全额退款。不仅如此，无忧的投诉程序和政策意味着，如果您的物品损坏、不正确甚至不需要，公司可以很容易地得到通知并采取行动。Many people still enjoy the experience of buying in a real shop. The dialogue and customer service received from staff and special events that may be taking place in store can be big pulls. However, the "year-on-year" growth in the online retail sector, as observed by the UK Office for National Statistics, seems to imply that online retail is here to stay and will continue to be a major avenue to shopping for many customers.许多人仍然喜欢在实体店购物的体验。从员工那里获得的对话和客户服务以及店内可能发生的特殊活动可能会产生很大的吸引力。然而，根据英国国家统计局的观察，在线零售行业的“同比”增长似乎意味着在线零售将继续存在并将继续成为许多客户购物的主要途径.词汇表auction 拍卖会chain 连锁（店）department store 百货商店retail outlet 零售商店discerning shopper 眼光敏锐的客户a range of products 一系列产品limited choice 有限的选择consumer 消费者bespoke 定制的targeted advertising 定向广告prior purchase 早前购买的物品on display 展示reasonable price 合理的价格returns policy 退货规定shipping cost 运费full refund 全额退款hassle-free 毫无麻烦的complaints procedure 投诉程序customer service 客户服务

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