How American retailers have adapted to the Amazon effect
美国零售商如何适应亚马逊效应？
In 2017-19 all the talk was of a "retail apocalypse". The fear was that a steady rise in e-commerce and Amazon's relentless expansion into new products would drive traditional retailers towards extinction.
2017-19年，人们都在谈论“零售业的末日”。人们担心的是，电子商务的稳步增长和亚马逊持续不断向新产品进军的扩张态势，将使传统零售商走向灭亡。
加入会员可查看
Things have turned out rather differently. The pandemic has certainly sped up the shift towards e-commerce sales. Nonetheless, the health of the non-Amazon retail industry looks better than it once did. At $2.5trn, for example, the market value of American listed retailers is 88% higher than at the start of 2018, while their total net debt burden has been easing since the end of 2019.
事情的走向截然不同。疫情无疑加速了向电子商务销售转变的趋势，但亚马逊之外的零售业运行状况却似乎比过去要更好。例如，美国上市零售商目前的市值为 2.5 万亿美元，比 2018 年初高出 88%，而其净负债总额自 2019 年底以来一直在减少。
加入会员可查看
Behind these numbers there are three types of fightback. First, the biggest retailers have embraced the digital world. This week Walmart predicted that its global e-commerce revenues would reach $75bn for the full year (about 13% of the firm's total sales). It has made a big push in hybrid types of shopping that involve online activity but harness its stores, such as "click-and-collect".
这些数字背后有三种类型的反击。首先，那些最大的零售商已经向数字世界敞开了怀抱。本周，沃尔玛预测其全年全球电子商务收入将达到 750 亿美元（约占公司总销售额的 13%）。该公司大力推广混合型购物方式，这种购物方式既涉及在线活动，又发挥了门店的作用，比如“线上下单，线下取货”。
加入会员可查看
The second fightback is from digital-only alternatives to Amazon. Many digital firms are operating in lucrative niches, from Instacart in grocery delivery to Etsy in interactive shopping for artisanal goods.
第二种反击来自亚马逊的纯电商竞品。从生鲜配送服务商 Instacart，到手工商品互动式购物平台 Etsy，许多电商公司都立足于利润丰厚的利基市场。
加入会员可查看
Finally, some brands are taking control of distribution. Nike stopped selling directly on Amazon in 2019 and instead reaches consumers through its own apps and platforms. Its digital sales rose by two-thirds in the year to May, to 20% of the total.
最后一点是，一些品牌正在控制分销。2019 年起，耐克不再在亚马逊上直接销售，而是通过自己的应用程序和平台接触消费者。截至 5 月，该公司的线上销售额在一年中增长了三分之二，达到总销售额的 20%。
加入会员可查看
The wave of experimentation will probably continue. For America's indefatigable consumers, and for its workers, the good news is that competition has led to a more innovative industry, rather than the end of the world.
新的探索可能成为大势所趋。对于热衷于花钱的美国消费者和从业人员来说，好消息是竞争带来的是一个更具创新性的行业，而不是世界末日。
加入会员可查看
主编：Jojo、Jenny
品控：Jojo、Maisie
审核：Maisie
Photo Credit：
Marco Bertorello / AFP
重点词汇
retailer
/ˈriː.teɪ.lɚ/
n. 零售商；零售店
相关词汇：retail（v. 零售，售卖）
例句：Their products are retailed all over China.
词根词缀：-er（表示“做……的人”）
apocalypse
/əˈpɑː.kə.lɪps/
n. 大灾变，大动乱；世界末日
搭配短语：a stock market apocalypse（股灾）
relentless
/rɪˈlent.ləs/
adj. 不间断的，持续强烈的
相关词汇：continuous（adj. 持续不断的）
英文释义：not stopping or getting less strong
搭配短语：the relentless heat
turn out
……地发展；结果……
相关短语：it turns out that...（原来……；结果证明……）
例句：The story turned out happily.（这个故事结局圆满。）
例句：Everything turned out well.（一切顺利。）
nonetheless
/ˌnʌn.ðəˈles/
adv. 尽管如此
同义词：nevertheless
英文释义：despite this fact
例句：The paintings are complex, but have plenty of appeal nonetheless.（这些画非常复杂难懂，但还是颇有吸引力。）
list
/lɪst/
v. 使（公司）上市；把……列入名单
词性拓展：list（n. 清单，名单）
例句：They were listed as missing.（他们被列为失踪者。）
fightback
/ˈfaɪt.bæk/
n. 回击，反击
例句：The team staged a fightback in the second half.（这支队伍在下半场发起了反攻。）
embrace
/ɪmˈbreɪs/
v. 欣然接受，乐意采纳；拥抱
例句：She is always eager to embrace the latest technology.
revenue
/ˈrev.ə.nuː/
n.（公司的）收益；（政府的）税收
词义辨析：income, revenue
income 一般指个人通过工作或者投资获得的收入；revenue 则不会用于个人，而是表示公司、机构的收益或者政府的税收。
例句：People on a high income should pay more tax.（高收入的人应该多交税。）
例句：Government revenues fell dramatically.（政府的税收大幅下降。）
hybrid
/ˈhaɪ.brɪd/
adj. 混合而成的；杂交成的
词性拓展：hybrid（n.（动物或植物的）杂交种）
搭配短语：hybrid rice（杂交水稻）
harness
/ˈhɑːr.nəs/
v. 控制；利用……的动力
词性拓展：harness（n.（马的）挽具）
搭配短语：back in harness（（尤指休息或假期结束后）重新开始正常工作）
英文释义：back doing one's job
例句：They're not thrilled to be back in harness on Monday.（他们对于周一重新开始工作并不感到高兴。）
英文释义：to control something, usually in order to use its power
搭配短语：to harness the power of the wind to generate electricity（利用风能发电）
lucrative
/ˈluː.krə.t̬ɪv/
adj. 可赚大钱的，利润丰厚的
搭配短语：a lucrative investment
niche
/nɪtʃ/, /niːʃ/
n. 利基市场
词性拓展：niche（adj.（产品、营销等）针对特定小群体的）
搭配短语：a niche market（小众市场，利基市场）
artisanal
/ɑːrˈtɪ.zən.əl/
adj. 传统匠人手工制作的
相关词汇：artisan（n. 工匠，手艺人）
distribution
/ˌdɪs.trɪˈbjuː.ʃən/
n. 分销；分布；分配，分发
相关词汇：distribute（v. 分销；分布；分配，分发）
例句：The giant pandas are mainly distributed in Sichuan, Shaanxi and the southern part of Gansu Province.（大熊猫主要分布于四川、陕西以及甘肃南部。）
文化补充：在英文中，陕西翻译为 Shaanxi；Shanxi 对应的则是山西。
搭配短语：to distribute leaflets to passers-by（向路人发传单）
例句：Huawei devices are distributed worldwide.（华为的产品分销至世界各地。）
indefatigable
/ˌɪn.dɪˈfæt̬.ɪ.ɡə.bəl/
adj. 不知疲倦的，不屈不挠的
相关词汇：fatigue（n. 疲劳；v. 使疲劳）
例句：He's suffering from physical and mental fatigue.
例句：They were fatigued by their journey.
英文释义：always determined and energetic in trying to achieve something and never willing to admit defeat
例句：His indefatigable spirit helped him to cope with his illness.（他不屈不挠的精神帮助他对抗病魔。）
