经济学人214:俄罗斯服装行业的电子商务

 　　Business

　　商业报道
　　Selling clothes online in Russia
　　俄罗斯服装行业的电子商务
　　Fabric 1 of society
　　服装世界
　　Two Germans have a mission: to clothe the Russian middle classes
　　两个德国人的使命:令俄罗斯中产阶层人士穿上他们卖的衣服
　　ONLINE as well as offline, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
　　无论在线上或是线下，模仿是最真诚的恭维方式。
　　Vente-Privee, a firm founded on the strange notion that French women might like fashionable clothes at deep discounts,
　　法国服装折扣店Vente-Privee，一间以法国女人可能喜欢深度打折的潮流服饰，这一奇特的理念而起家的公司，
　　has been paid this compliment more than most.
　　已经被众多公司模仿。
　　Companies cut from similar cloth have appeared in one country after another.
　　许多公司会把已经出现在多个国家的同类衣服下架。
　　In 2008 two German men, Damian Doberstein and Oskar Hartmann, spotted 2 that Russian women were missing out.
　　2008年，两个德国人Damian-Doberstein和Oskar Hartmann，发现俄罗斯女性被这些服装网购公司所忽略了。
　　No one was telling Russian women, ‘You could look good for 70% less', Mr Hartmann says.
　　哈特曼说，没有人告诉过俄罗斯女人，少花70%的钱也能穿得光鲜亮丽。
　　They expect that their company, KupiVIP, will have sales of around $200m this year.
　　他们预计他们的公司，KupiVIP，今年的营业额能够达到约2亿美元。
　　Mr Hartmann says it breaks even.
　　哈特曼认为甚至会超过。
　　Given the fast growth of Russia's internet population and of a middle class eager for nice clothes but mostly a long way from nice shops,
　　随着俄罗斯快速增加的网民数量以及中层人士对来自非名店的优质衣服需求的增加，
　　the two men think they could turn over $1 billion within five years.
　　这两个人认为营业额能够在五年内达到十亿。
　　The pair want to fill more than just the smarter end of the female wardrobe.
　　他们不单单只想抢占高档的女性服装市场。
　　Besides their original business, which is still the biggest part of the group, they have an online full-price shop,
　　除了他们最早的商务，现在仍是公司最大的商业版块，他们还有一个线上原价店，
　　ShopTime, aimed at both sexes and all shapes and sizes.
　　线上原价店ShopTime，主要出售男女服饰以及各种款色和码数的服装。
　　They also run online shops on behalf of well-known brands, of which they expect to be servicing 23 by the end of the year.
　　他们也运营线上名牌的特许旗舰店，他们期望能在今年年底代理23个名牌服饰。
　　When he was in an e-commerce business in Germany, Mr Hartmann says, he outsourced everything.
　　哈特曼说，当他在德国做电子商务的时候，他把一切都给外包了。
　　In Russia, we have to do everything ourselves, from the call centre to the photographing of models.
　　但在俄罗斯，我们不得不自己做一切事情，包括从电话服务中心到模特的拍摄工作。
　　To make sure that fashion-conscious Russians get the clothes they ordered, KupiVIP owns a fleet of 100 vans and leases a lot of others.
　　为了确保关注时尚的俄罗斯人能得到他们订购的衣服，KupiVIP拥有一支100辆货车的车队以及租借了许多其他公司的货车。
　　It uses the post office to send clothes by air to the farthest-flung corners of the vast, icy, sparsely 3 populated country.
　　公司用邮局把衣服空运到最远角落的，巨大,寒冷且人烟稀少的国家。
　　Online retailers 4 in Russia have to put up with other local traits.
　　在俄罗斯做线上零售需要依据其他当地的特点进行调整。
　　Most customers prefer to pay in cash on delivery, and about a quarter of goods are rejected at the door.
　　许多顾客偏爱货到付款，而大约四分之一的货物会被退回来。
　　That, says Mr Hartmann, who is as talkative as Mr Doberstein is taciturn, is just something companies have to deal with.
　　平时像Doberstein一样健谈的哈特曼谈及此时也沉默了，他说道，这只是公司必须处理的事情之一。
　　Never complain about the customer, says Mr Hartmann.
　　永远不要抱怨你的客户，哈特曼说。
　　Once a quarter, he makes sure he meets some of them, by making deliveries himself.
　　三个月一次，他总会通过自己的直接配送货物，去见其中一部分客户。
　　1.imitation n.模仿；效法
　　Young children learn how to speak by imitation.
　　儿童通过模仿学说话。
　　2.flattery n.谄媚；阿谀；巴结
　　I find his flattery odious 5.
　　我觉得他的谀词十分讨厌。
　　3.notion n.观念；概念；想法
　　State control is a very un-American notion.
　　实行国家控制是根本违背美国观念的。
　　4.population n.人口
　　What is the population of this country?
　　这个国家的人口是多少？
　　5.original a.原始的；最初的；有独创性的
　　I prefer your original plan to these.
　　我认为你最初的计划比这些都要好。