Read the article about eBay’s latest idea. Phrases about shopping and London are printed in bold throughout the text and then explained below to help you.
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eBay is an online auction house which sells products via the internet, or so most people thought. The company behind eBay have just opened up a shop in the heart of London’s West End and hope to cash in on Christmas shoppers. Yet, several passers-by seem rather confused by this new venture like Simon Dawson who asks “I thought it was only online, so what’s it doing here?”.
Cleverly titled “the eBay boutique” and situated only a stone’s throw away from bustling Oxford Street, the shop represents a small-scale experiment to test the water for a possible full-scale marketing invasion in the new year. So far, the idea seems to be paying off and is attracting attention all across London. What is most striking when customers visit is the complete lack of tills. Instead, a range of bestselling products can be seen on display which include a hotchpotch of high- and low-end brands and products like popular perfumes and a range of digital cameras. The sole purpose of this bare-bones approach is for customers to get the chance to see what otherwise would just be a tiny image on a screen. When they find something they want, all they need to do is take a snapsot of a QR code and enter their payment details and their order is processed straightaway. The outlet even caters to men and women with a separate “girlie boudoir” and “bloke’s paradise“.
Responses to this initiative have been divided with critics finding it rather ironic to have a shop for internet goods while local shoppers have even called it “brilliant and groundbreaking”. According to local resident Dorothy LeTourneur, there are no endless queues or cumbersome shopping bags. And with next day delivery available on some items, eBay looks set to revolutionise the shopping experience again.
It’s still not sure whether this trend will catch on but as the bulk of sales still come via bricks and mortar stores, eBay may be able to tap into both markets and provide a unique shopping experience all in time for Christmas.
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Phrases about Shopping and London
- Auction house
- A place where you bid for goods
- the company behind eBay
- The owners of eBay
- in the heart of London’s West End
- Based in the centre of the West End
- to cash in on Christmas shoppers
- To take advantage of people buying Christmas presents
- passers-by
- People who walk past
- a stone’s throw away
- Very close by
- bustling Oxford Street
- Extremely crowded Oxford Street
- to test the water
- To do an experiment to see if it works
- full-scale marketing invasion
- An intensive marketing campaign
- to be paying off
- It works and is giving benefits/showing good results
- What is most striking
- What gets your attention
- a hotchpotch of high- and low-end brands
- A mix of expensive and cheap brands
- bare-bones approach
- A very basic method
- take a snapshot
- Take a photograph
- QR code
- A Quick Response code. A small black and white square barcode
- The outlet even caters to men and women
- The shop provides services/good for both sexes
- girlie boudoir
- A room just for women with feminine products
- bloke’s paradise
- A room just for men with masculine products
- Responses to this initiative have been divided
- There are 2 different opinions about it
- groundbreaking
- New and innovative
- endless queues
- Long lines of people waiting at the tills
- cumbersome shopping bags
- Bags that are Large and difficult to carry
- eBay looks set to revolutionise the shopping experience
- It seems that eBay will change how we buy things
- this trend will catch on
- The fashion will become popular
- the bulk of sales
- The majority of products sold
- bricks and mortar stores
- Physical shops and not internet sites
- to tap into both markets
- To take advantage of the 2 markets
