1 . 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 Ending ways to modernize stores and bridge the gap between online and in-store retail.
Hointer, a software company that also sells designer jeans, has created a fast and painless shopping experience for its customers. 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 search for 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.
Purchases at Hointer are made with a swipe of a credit card. And a salesperson is optional. This allows Hointer to hire fewer people and focus on their goal: developing technology that supports a retail revolution.
Men's clothing retailer Bonobos has come up with a more personalized shopping experience. Although it is in fact an online retailer, Bonobos has decided to open a handful of stores called Guide shops. Shoppers make an appointment online before arriving at a Guideship, where they receive one-on-one attention from a fitting guide. Because these shops have limited stocks, shoppers aren't able to take home the clothes they select. But guides help shoppers make online purchases before they leave, after which the items will be delivered to customers in one or two days. Following the purchase, the Bonobos customer service database keeps a record of each shopper's size, making future online purchases easier.
While Hointer focuses on convenience, Bonobos Guide shops focus on customer service. But both efforts have one thing in common: giving clothing retailers a new look for the 21st century.
1. The two companies are finding ways to modernize their stores because ______.| A．online shopping is losing its popularity |
| B．in-store retail makes higher profits |
| C．people's demand for in-store shopping still exists |
| D．store sales keep declining without high technology |
| A．It's a software company as well as a jean producer. |
| B．Shoppers can turn to a salesperson when necessary in Hointer. |
| C．The Hointer app makes clothes shopping more time-consuming. |
| D．Shoppers are welcomed by German-made robots in Hointer. |
| A．he needs to make an appointment online in advance |
| B．he has to make online purchases in the store |
| C．he should help create the customer service database |
| D．he can receive one-on-one attention from a guide |
| A．High Technology in Stores | B．Advantages of In-store Shopping |
| C．Competition between Two Companies | D．New Experience of Shopping for Clothes |
