68.The Crisis of Retail

e-commerce: 电子商务
猩球崛起：Rise of the planet of the plant of the apes
when it comes to：当谈起…的时候
account for：为….负责；是...的原因
ritual: 仪式 习俗['rɪtʃʊəl]
iconic: 图标的 形象的aɪ'kɒnɪk]
multiply: 增加['mʌltɪplaɪ]
dramatic: 急剧的[drə'mætɪk]
catalogue 分类['kæt(ə)lɒg]
tangible 有形的 实在的['tæn(d)ʒɪb(ə)l]
macroeconomic: 宏观经济['mækrəʊ,iːkə'nɒmɪk]
fuel: 刺激[fjʊəl]
empowered: 授权的[ɪm'paʊə]
stagnate: 停滞[stæg'neɪt;]
propensity: 倾向 习性[prə'pensɪtɪ]
densification 密度化[,densifi'keiʃən]
proportion 比例[prə'pɔːʃ(ə)n]
throw-away culture 快餐文化
keep up with the Joneses ['dʒəunziz]美语赶时髦 攀比
empire n. 帝国['empaɪə]
immense 巨大的[ɪ'mens]

文章分析

这篇文章讲了零售业的危机，即，为什么现在零售业不行了。可能我们只觉得是因为电商，但是还有很多重要的因素在起作用:

• Obviously e-commerce are said to have ‘disrupted’ retail and changed consumer expectations.电商改变了人们的购物习惯
• Internet has brought about new business models that transform ownership into services: rather than owning a car, you can rent a chauffeured car as a service。商业模式从所有权变成使用权，比如买车不如租车。
• Macroeconomic trends are also to blame：Higher income inequalities are not a good thing for retail because the super rich have a lower propensity to consume.宏观经济现状就是贫富差距大，意味着巨富和穷人更多，而这两者的购买力是很弱的。
• Shopping doesn’t generate status anymore。购物不再是地位的象征，不再需要攀比。
• Shopping has just become boring: the standardized mass-consumption experience of retail stands in sharp contrast with the personalized experience users have online.购物变得无聊了，商店没办法咯和网购一样个人定制一般。
• Consumers suffer from choice fatigue。顾客选择疲劳，一些商店花样太多。