- •Jack Mettlesome
- •IV Reading practice. Text 7. What Comes next or Will Brick-and-Mortar Stores Trump Online Stores?
- •V Speaking practice:
- •I Vocabulary revision:
- •IV. Writing practice. Choose a product you would like to sell. Think of the advertising for your product. What type would you rather use? Why? You can use the words:
- •III. Famous Russian person
- •IV. Russia
- •V. St.Petersburg
- •I Proposed topics:
- •II Exercise 1. Define the type of an essay (narrative essay, descriptive essay, expository essay, argumentative essay):
- •Introducing a point
IV Reading practice. Text 7. What Comes next or Will Brick-and-Mortar Stores Trump Online Stores?
(Based on http://www.cnbc.com/id/49164026 and http://blog.bazaarvoice.com/2013/06/12/how-online-only-retailers-can-sell-in-the-physical-world/)
The opinion of some of the businessmen is that even as more retail purchases are made online, it is the brick-and-mortar stores that will win out in the end. Why you would ask? Let’s see.
Of course, online-only retailers don’t have to pay rent or store overhead, they do not need to hire store staff. With the nowadays technological progress, some companies in Toronto decided to open mobile stores inside bus stops. There are displays on the walls with basic essentials like shampoo, detergent, and tissue ['tɪʃu:]. Commuters can scan a QR code (a quick response code) to order the item and have it shipped straight to a person’s home, with free delivery.
The main thing about brick-and-mortar stores is that there is the ability to see, to touch, to smell - in short - to use all your senses while buying the product is too important to overlook. The physicality is significant.
What happens in reality then?
Some retail stores are becoming mini-distribution centers for the Internet. It is believed that this tendency will grow even more as retailers put in place “buy online, pick up in store”. The good thing about it is that brick-and-mortar companies will probably need to hire more workers to provide these new services. Some companies are planning to boost its hiring by 10 percent, and some of those new hired workers will be supporting the company's online business.
Ordering on the Internet also helps to avoid shipping charges which customers really appreciate. For example, a grandparent who lives somewhere in California can order a gift online for a grandchild who lives in New York. That gift may be picked up at a store near where the child lives.
To sum it up it should be said that, experts believe that every brand must be both offline and online, meaning Omni channel. In this case the company would be able to get the biggest profit.
Answer the questions about the text:
What are the benefits of the on-line stores?
Give the example of new technologies in selling.
What are the benefits of the brick-and-mortar stores?
What process happens in the real life with the products being ordered on-line?
What is better - on-line or brick-and-mortar?
V Speaking practice:
Imagine that you are about to start a company of your own. Speak about what you are going to sell, how you will attract customers; think of the design of your web-site, etc.
Lesson # 2. Advertising
I Vocabulary revision:
Exercise 1. Fill in the gaps: refund, discount, delivery, return, dispatch, purchase, exchange, stock, storage, warehouse, sale, bargain.
A _______ is a large building where goods are stored, and where they may be catalogued, shipped, or received, depending upon the type.
Do you have extra-large sizes ________? Of course, we have all sizes and colors.
Hungry for food ________? Order food Online! Browse (пролистывать, просматривать) local restaurants delivery menus, coupons and reviews.
I went to the shop and looked at this lovely vase it was only $20, I thought that was a _______.
So you would like to buy more than 25 items? What can I say... If you are interested in ________ more than 25 items, you can contact our director of procurement [prə'kjuəmənt] (менеджер по закупкам).
If you find a better price anywhere on the web, we’ll _______ you the difference.
__________ing goods: your legal rights:
Some shops will take back gifts without question, without asking to see a receipt or other proof of purchase.
Shops will take back goods of unsatisfactory quality.
If you bought it online, and you're still within the cooling off period you should be able to return it for a full refund.
I am pretty sure that I’d like to read books on my iPad, I want to ________ my paper books for electronic versions.
Extra furniture is sometimes put in __________.
Explore our wide selection of furniture, home decor and area rug outlet items. From traditional to contemporary, we have what you're looking for and at liquidation prices. Be sure to check back often as our selection is always changing. We offer great __________! You never know what you might find!
We regret to inform you that this order will not be ready for _________ tomorrow. Call us later, please.
Thanksgiving _________: save 30-50% on select shoes & boots.
Exercise 2. Translate from Russian into English:
1. Правда ли, что беспроцентные кредиты – это всего лишь удачный (lucky) маркетинговый ход? 2. Благодаря (thanks to) более широкому выбору методов оплаты, наша компания предлагает новые возможности купить билет, забронированный через Интернет. 3. Реалии (actual facts) нашего рынка таковы, что мы не можем предоставить нашему клиенту период обдумывания. 4. И вот Вы приобрели желаемый товар. В скором времени техника (technical equipment, gadget) сломалась (broke down). Гарантийный срок товара еще не вышел (is still up) и Вы идете в тот магазин, где был приобретен товар. 5. Гарантия возврата денег – 60 дней. Мы очень хотим, чтобы Вы остались на 100 % довольны нашей продукцией. Если вдруг наша косметика Вам не понравится, Вы всегда можете вернуть нам набор (the set), и мы возместим его полную стоимость. 6. Это такая удачная покупка, я сэкономила $20! 7. Когда, наконец, они нам доставят пиццу?! 8. Как будете оплачивать покупку? (Какой метод оплаты вы выберете?) 9. Одежда в этом зале распродается. 10. Коллекция хранится в запасниках уже десятки лет.
II Questions for discussion. Advertising ['ədvətaɪzɪŋ]
What do you think, how does the commercial (= advertisement = ad) influence people? How?
What is the most popular source of information (источник информации) about products nowadays? (Do you think that the Internet and cable/satellite TV have become more important than national TV for advertising products?) Where do you get the information yourself?
Is there any truth in advertising?
What is a secret of a good ad? Do you buy products because of advertising? What makes a commercial memorable?
Do you sometimes enjoy (= like) watching commercials? Is there any ad you like? Why do you like it? If there isn’t, think of one advertising that you remember.
What is the most advertised product in your country?
III Reading practice. Before reading explain the meaning of the words: advertising media, commercial, boom, market, marketing, product placement, revenue, server
Text 8. Advertising. Types and trends
(based on https://www.boundless.com/)
Firstly the main advertising media were newspapers, magazines, signs on streetcars, and outdoor posters. The TV commercial gained its popularity a little later. Even now with the Internet and all it is generally considered the most effective mass-market advertising format. How do we know? TV networks charge sky-high prices for commercial airtime. For example, in the US the annual Super Bowl football game in is known to be the most prominent advertising event on television. The average cost of a thirty-second TV spot during this game is $3.5 million!
There is also radio advertising. The idea is almost the same as in the TV commercials: airtime is purchased from a radio station for airing the commercials.
In 1990s the appearance of the Internet led to the “dot-com” boom. Some search engines like Google started a change in online advertising by emphasizing contextually relevant, unobtrusive ads intended to help, rather than inundate, users. In online advertising the Internet and World Wide Web are used for the delivering marketing messages to potential buyers. You must have seen or received some or all of those: banner ads, e-mail marketing (+ e-mail spam), contextual ads (they appear on search engine results), social network advertising, and others.
The next type is so called guerrilla advertising, or, officially, covert advertising. This is a very new trend and an effective one too. Usually it is a presentation of a product or service in some original and entertaining way. Great examples of those you may see on http://thinkguerrilla.wordpress.com.
Niche Marketing or concentrated marketing is another modern trend. The targeted ads are used here. What are they? A product - and of course an ad for it - are developed for a very well defined and specific consumer population. It is effective for smaller companies with limited recourses.
Among other types are mobile billboards, digital lighted screens, in-store and street advertising, celebrity branding, sales promotions.
So whatever you choose, good luck.