The joy of shopping -- and how to recapture it online | Nimisha Jain

Transcriber: Leslie Gauthier Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Helen Chang

Growing up, one of my fondest memories

成長過程中，我最喜愛的記憶之一

was of going to a local market with my mom every month

是每個月和我母親 一起去當地的市場，

in the small town in India where we lived.

地點是在印度我們居住的小鎮裡。

We would spend the morning walking through an intricate maze

我們會花一個早上在 錯綜複雜的迷宮中穿梭，

of small stores and street vendors,

小商店和街頭小販構成的迷宮，

stopping at her favorite spots where everyone knew her,

在她最喜歡的地方停留，

那裡的人都認識她，

discovering what fruits were in season

去探索當季的水果是什麼，

and what kitchenware was in stock.

什麼廚房用具還有存貨。

She would spend hours examining things from all angles,

她會花數小時從各個角度檢查商品，

quizzing sellers on their quality and where they came from.

一直問賣家這些商品的品質和產地。

They would show her the latest tools and gadgets,

他們會給她看

最新的工具和小玩意兒，

picking the ones that they knew she would like.

挑出他們認為她會喜歡的。

And we always walked back happy and satisfied,

我們走回家時總是很開心、滿足，

our arms overflowing with dozens of shopping bags

我們的手臂上掛了數十個購物袋，

having bought so much more than what we originally intended.

買的遠比我們預期的多很多。

A decade later,

十年後，我成了大學生，

as a college student in the bustling city of Delhi,

在喧鬧的德里就學，

my friends and I would spend a similar few hours every month

每個月，我和朋友也會 像這樣花幾個小時時間

on "Fashion Street,"

去逛「時尚街」，

a euphemism for the row of small stores

這是個婉轉說法， 其實就是一排小商店，

with the latest clothes at great prices.

賣最新的服飾且價格誘人。

We would spend hours rummaging through piles of clothes,

我們會花好幾個小時 在衣服堆裡挖寶，

trying on dozens of trinkets,

試戴各種小飾物，

getting advice from each other on what looked good

聽取彼此意見，討論什麼好看、

and what was on trend.

什麼很流行。

We would then combine everything we had bought

接著我們會把所有 要買的東西集合起來，

to negotiate a big discount.

跟老闆殺價。

Each of us had different roles.

我們每個人的角色都不同。

One was great at putting the look together.

有一個人很擅長穿搭。

Another one was better at negotiating the discount.

另一個人更會殺價。

還有一個人專門管時間，

And a third was always the timekeeper

to make sure that we got back to school on time.

確保我們能準時回到學校。

Shopping is so much more than what you buy.

購物遠不只是你買到的東西。

It's a treasure hunt to discover something new,

購物像是尋寶，去發現新東西，

a personalized recommendation from someone you trust.

從你信任的人得到個人化的建議。

It's a negotiation to get that great deal

購物也是為了拿到好價格而談判，

and a time spent catching up with friends and family.

也是花時間和家人朋友相處。

It's social, it's interactive,

它是社交，它是互動，且充滿交談。

it's conversational.

Over the last two decades,

在過去二十年間，

I have been researching consumers in emerging markets around the world,

我研究的是全世界 新興市場的消費者，

digging beneath the surface to truly understand who they are,

深入到表面底下，

去真正了解他們是誰、

how they live

他們怎麼生活，

and what they want when they go shopping.

以及他們去購物時想要什麼。

Shopping, like everything else, has moved online.

和所有東西一樣， 購物搬到網路上去了。

Shopping online is great.

線上購物很棒。

It's convenient -- at the click of a button,

很方便——按一個按鈕， 就送到你家門口。

delivered to your doorstep.

It has everything.

它什麼都有。有很棒的價格。

It has great prices.

But it's also static and impersonal.

但它也是靜態的且沒有人情味。

You sit alone in front of a computer or a mobile phone

你獨自一人坐在電腦或手機前面，

瀏覽過數百個選擇，

scrolling through hundreds of choices identified by an algorithm,

且是演算法幫你挑選的，

delivered by a machine.

由機器送貨。

When you do have a query,

當你有疑問時，

you interact with another machine or a bot --

你要和另一個機器或機器人互動——

rarely an actual human being.

很少會是真人。

What puzzles me about this

讓我很困惑的是，

is when you speak to a successful salesperson,

當你和成功的銷售員對談時，

they will always tell you

他們一定會告訴你，

that the secret to closing a sale is the conversation.

成交的秘訣在於對談。

People want to buy from other people.

人會想要和人買東西。

So why do we forget this most crucial ingredient

所以，為什麼我們 在線上購物時卻會忘記

when we shop online?

這最重要的成份？

This impersonal, anonymous experience is leaving many of us less satisfied.

這種沒人情味且匿名的經歷，

讓許多人沒有那麼滿足。

Returns are at an all-time high,

退貨率創新高，

and we're left feeling --

而我們事後會覺得——

did I buy too much?

我買太多了嗎？

Did I buy too little?

我買太少了嗎？

Does it really look good on me?

我穿起來真的好看嗎？

Did I even need this?

我真的需要它嗎？

對於新興市場中新接觸

And for the one billion consumers who are new to the internet

網路的十億消費者而言，

in emerging markets,

shopping online can be overwhelming.

線上購物可能會讓人難以招架。

They are unsure whether they'll get what they can see,

他們不確定他們能得到 他們所看到的，

unsure whether they can trust the seller.

不確定他們能否信任賣家。

What if their money gets lost in cyberspace?

如果他們的錢在網路上 遺失了怎麼辦？

The question is:

問題是：

can we create authentic, real, human conversation at scale?

我們能否大規模創造出

真實的人類對談？

Can we create online marketplaces that are convenient and abundant

我們能否創造出方便、豐富，

且有人性的線上市場？

and human?

The good news is that the answer is yes.

好消息是，答案是「能」。

Companies in emerging markets around the world,

世界各地新興市場中的公司，

包括中國、印度，及東南亞，

in China, India and Southeast Asia,

are doing just this,

就正在做這件事，

using a model that I call conversational commerce.

我把他們使用的模型 稱為對話式商務。

It's hard to believe, isn't it?

很難相信，是吧？

But let me give you a few examples.

讓我舉幾個例子。

First: Meesho,

首先：印度公司 Meesho，

an Indian company where you can build a trusted and authentic relationship

在那裡，你可以和賣家 在線上建立可信賴

with a seller online.

且真實的關係。

The best part about shopping with my mom

我和母親一起購物時最棒的部分

was that the sellers knew who she was

是賣家都認識她，

and she knew that she could trust them.

她也知道她可以信任他們。

They would scroll through the hundreds of choices in the store

他們會翻遍店中數百個選擇，

and pick and make personalized recommendations just for her,

專門為她挑選，做個人化的建議，

他們知道她會喜歡什麼， 怎樣最適合她。

knowing what she would like and what would work for her.

It's hard to imagine such a thing happening online on that scale,

很難想像這種現象 能大規模出現在線上，

but that's exactly what Meesho is doing.

但那正是 Meesho 在做的事。

On Meesho, you can shop over and over and over again,

在 Meesho 上，你可以 一而再再而三地購物，

but instead of interacting with a stranger or a bot,

但互動的對象不是陌生人或機器人，

you interact with the same person:

你會和同一個人互動：

a representative of Meesho who is a real human being

Meesho 的代表，

且是個真人，

that you interact with via social media.

你會透過社群媒體和這個人互動。

Over time, she gets to know you better.

隨時間，她會更了解你。

She knows your likes,

她知道你喜歡什麼、

your dislikes,

不喜歡什麼、

what you buy and when you buy it.

你會買什麼，以及何時會買。

And you learn to trust her.

而你會漸漸信任她。

For example, she will message my sister right before Diwali

比如，

她會在排燈節之前發訊息給我姐姐，

with a new range of hand-loomed saris.

提供新系列的手做紗麗服。

She knows my sister loves saris --

她知道我姐姐很愛紗麗服——

I mean, she has two cupboards full of them --

她有兩個櫥櫃裝滿了紗麗服——

but she also knows that my sister always buys a sari right before Diwali

但她也知道我姐姐總會在排燈節前夕

去買紗麗服，

for the Indian festive season.

為印度的節慶季做準備。

And she also knows the kind of saris she would like.

而且，

她還知道我姐姐會喜歡哪種紗麗服。

So instead of sending her hundreds of choices,

所以她不用寄給她幾百種選擇，

she picks and chooses the colors and styles

她會先依據我姐姐的喜好

that she knows my sister would like.

選好顏色和款式。

And then she answers her relentless questions.

接著她也會回答她無止盡的問題。

How does the silk feel? How does the fabric fall?

這種絲的觸感如何？布料如何？

Will this color look nice on me?

我穿這個顏色好看嗎？

And so many more.

還有很多其他的問題。

It truly is a hybrid model,

這真的是個混合式的模型，

combining the convenience and scale of a large company

將大公司的方便性和規模整合

with the trusted personal relationship

可信任的個人關係，

that you would expect from the shop around the corner.

街角小店看得到的那種關係。

My next example is LazLive.

下一個例子是 LazLive。

On LazLive in Thailand,

在泰國的 LazLive 上，

you can watch real sellers describing products to you

你可以看到真實賣家

對你描述產品，

via a live video stream.

採用的是直播的方式。

Now, I love handbags.

我很喜歡手提包。

And when I am in a store,

我在店裡時，

我購買手提包之前都要 從各個角度好好檢視它。

I like to examine a handbag from all angles before I buy it.

I need to feel the texture on my skin,

我需要感受碰到皮膚的觸感，

試試看背在肩上好不好看，

hang it on my shoulder and see how it looks,

see how long the strap is,

看看背帶有多長，

open it up and look at the pockets inside

打開來看看裡面的內袋，以確保

to make sure that there is enough space for all the millions of things

有足夠的空間

可以裝我想放進去的一大堆東西。

I need to put into my handbag.

但當我嘗試在網路上購買手提袋時，

But when I try and buy a handbag online,

I just see a few pictures:

我只能看見幾張照片：

the basic shape and color and size.

基本的外型、顏色，和大小。

But that's not enough, is it?

但那並不足夠，對吧？

To solve this problem,

為了解決這個問題，

LazLive has developed a platform where actual sellers --

LazLive 開發了一個平台，

讓真實的賣家——

real people can share information about clothes,

是真人，

可以分享產品資訊，包括服飾、

handbags, gadgets,

手提袋、小玩意兒、化妝品——

cosmetics --

describing the products to you,

向你描述產品。

showing you what they are from the outside and the inside,

讓你看到產品的內、外是什麼樣子，

explaining what they like and what they don't like.

解釋他們喜歡、不喜歡哪些部分。

You can ask them questions and get instant responses

你可以問他們問題， 會馬上得到答覆，

so that you are much more comfortable with what you buy before you buy it.

讓你在下手購買產品之前， 能感覺更舒服自在。

Over time,

隨時間，你可以看更多 同一位賣家的影片，

you can watch more videos from the same seller

and they start to feel more like a friend than a faceless machine.

就會開始覺得他們更像是朋友，

而非沒有臉孔的機器。

And they help you understand what you're going to buy,

且他們能協助你了解你要買的東西，

stay abreast of the latest trends

跟上最新流行，

and often discover things that you didn't even know existed.

通常還能讓你發現 你本來根本沒聽過的東西。

And finally, my favorite example:

最後，也是我最喜歡的例子：

Pinduoduo,

拼多多。

one of the fastest-growing Chinese platforms,

中國成長最快速的平台之一，

where you can actually shop with your friends online.

你真的可以和朋友一起 在拼多多線上購物。

You remember the fun I had

還記得我和朋友 在時尚街購物的樂趣嗎，

shopping with my friends on Fashion Street,

rummaging through stores,

在商店裡挖寶， 尋找一雙完美的涼鞋，

finding that perfect sandal,

negotiating that great deal?

還跟老闆殺價？

Well, on Pinduoduo,

在拼多多上，

you can do just that.

你也可以做到這一點。

It's lonely to shop online,

線上購物很寂寞，

and I miss hanging out with my friends.

我也很想念和朋友混在一起。

But on Pinduoduo,

但，在拼多多上，

when I find a product,

當我找到一個產品，

I can either buy it myself at the regular price

我可以自己購買，價格就是一般價，

or I can share it with my friends via social media,

或在社群媒體上和朋友分享，

discuss it with them,

和他們討論，

取得他們的意見，

get their advice,

and if we all choose to buy it together,

如果我們都覺得要買，

we get a great deal.

可以拿到特價。

特價的時間很短，

These deals last only for a short time,

just like in the real world.

和現實世界一樣。

And there are lotteries and games and flash sales

還有抽獎、遊戲、限時搶購，

to keep all the excitement going.

保持興奮感。

It's a fascinating model,

這個模型很炫，

really helping you rediscover the joy and connection

讓你能重新找到

和家人朋友在昔日商店街一同購物的

of shopping with your friends and family in the bazaars of yore.

喜悅和連結。

What's important to note

很重要的是要注意到，

is that these are not stray experiments.

這些並不只是實驗而已。

In markets like China, India and Southeast Asia,

在中國、印度， 及東南亞這些市場中，

over 500 million consumers engage in conversational commerce,

有超過五億消費者

使用對話式商務，

and these models are growing much faster

這些模型的成長速度遠高於

than the traditional, more static e-commerce platforms.

傳統、更靜態的電子商務平台。

Conversational commerce emerged

對話式商務的出現

to solve the needs of first-time online shoppers,

是為了解決初次上網購物者的需求，

but my research shows

但我的研究顯示，

that it is equally compelling for more experienced shoppers,

它也同樣能吸引力到

更有經驗的購物者，

not just in emerging markets but around the world.

不只是在新興市場， 在全世界都是如此。

In fact, when we tested conversational commerce

事實上，

當我們針對美國的消費者 來測試對話式商務時，

with consumers in the US,

they found it more compelling for the same reasons as consumers in Asia.

發現這種商務比較能 吸引美國消費者的理由

和亞洲消費者一樣。

Consumers who engage in conversational commerce

使用對話式商務的消費者

spend 40 percent more

花費會多出 40%，

with higher satisfaction and lower returns.

且滿足感較高，退貨率較低。

I strongly believe that in the not-so-distant future,

我堅信，

在不久的將來，

conversational commerce will become the norm,

對話式商務會變成標準，

revolutionizing shopping around the world,

改革世界各地的購物方式，

and traditional e-commerce platforms like Amazon will need to adapt

而傳統電子商務平台，如亞馬遜，

就需要適應，

or risk becoming irrelevant.

否則就要面臨重要性降低的風險。

對品牌而言，

For brands,

this is a crucial next step

這是很關鍵的下一步，

and an unprecedented opportunity,

也是前所未有的機會，

moving on from mass marketing in the 20th century

脫離二十世紀的大眾行銷

and analytics-based hyperpersonalization in the last two decades,

以及過去二十年間以分析 為基礎的超級個人化行銷，

to building a truly authentic and deep personal connection

邁向建立真實且深刻的個人連結，

和消費者連結。

with their consumers.

And for us shoppers,

至於我們購物者，

it brings back the magic,

它能把魔法帶回來，

making online shopping finally feel human again.

讓線上購物終於也能有人性。

Thank you.

謝謝。