In this section you are going to learn how one dark store chain owner managed to achieve success within a relatively short period of time. If you want to learn about an idea for a successful business, work with the interview below and find out!
W tej sekcji dowiesz się, jak pewien właściciel sieci „ciemnych sklepów” zdołał osiągnąć sukces w stosunkowo krótkim czasie. Jeśli chcesz poznać kulisy pomysłu na dobrze prosperujący biznes, pracuj z poniższym wywiadem!
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Zdjęcie przedstawia kobietę i mężczyznę stojących obok siebie w magazynie sklepowym. Oboje trzymają w dłoniach dokumenty.
Business is doing fine!
Interesy idą dobrze!
Źródło: dostępny w internecie: www.freepik.com [dostęp 13.01.2022], domena publiczna.
Exercise1
Drag and drop elements to form pieces of advice from an experienced businessperson.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Nagranie dźwiękowe
TRANSCRIPTazurewhite
Interviewer: Today we are talking about the dark stores concept, the phenomenon which has taken the world by storm in the last years. We have John Smith in our studio, the owner of a chain of dark stores.
John Smith: Good morning, thank you for having me here.
I: You’ve been in the business for only three years, but we can already say that you’ve been very successful.
JS: Well, that’s true, our services are in high demand and we are constantly developing and improving them. But I think it’s also because there was a niche in the market of e‑commerce and I noticed it and filled it.
I: Tell our listeners what the idea of dark stores is.
JS: Dark stores are micro fulfilment centres that provide high‑speed delivery. Our dark stores are just around the block from where people live, so it’s very convenient as it enables us to make a quick delivery within minutes from placing an online order. Our mission is to make our products accessible all over the world within a maximum of three hours.
I: Wow, that is a super‑fast delivery! How are you able to do that so quickly?
JS: For the past three years we’ve been spending our time and energy on building a network of over 300 dark stores in the biggest cities of our country and thanks to this network we are able to deliver products very quickly. What we do is control customer experience. Our employees do fulfilment within our dark stores and then we’ve partnered with third‑party companies like Uber to make the delivery, so they deal with it.
I: You seem to me like a reverse department store: we used to go and buy products there, except that we had to drive there first. You, instead, are driving to the customer, right?
JS: Yes, you are absolutely right. What we do is we bring the store to you and the store is almost invisible. We have over a thousand products available, everything from personal care, through health and wellness to fitness, all available at the touch of a button.
I: Why do you think there is demand for services such as yours?
JS: Well, there’s been a shift in the overall economy and in retail: consumers don’t want to go to the store any more, you know, they want to have delivery brought to them. You are seeing that very much with groceries. It’s commonplace now to buy your groceries online and have them delivered to your house rather than go to a brick‑and‑mortar store. There’s also been a massive growth in the demand for e‑commerce and curbside delivery. So I think that because of such changes, new needs have appeared and I just recognised and met them with my services.
I: John, thank you very much for visiting us.
JS: Thank you. It’s been a pleasure.
Autorka: Agnieszka Sękiewicz‑Magoń
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Exercise2
Based on the recording, choose all the correct answers.
John Smith says he has achieved success because
a) he has worked hard.
b) he spotted a business opportunity.
c) he provides services that people want to buy.
d) he has made many improvements.
The location of his dark stores is
a) very close to a residential area.
b) away from the big shops.
c) close to a block of flats.
d) good for quick deliveries.
He says quick delivery is made possible because of
a) three partners that he has.
b) a system of connected stores.
c) the great work of his employees
d) cooperation with outside companies.
From what he says about the delivery of products, we can understand that
a) it is his company’s priority.
b) it is done by companies which also serve parties.
c) it is not done by his employees.
d) it is outsourced to other companies.
He talks about grocery delivery
a) to show why people buy more groceries online now.
b) to exemplify the change in the retail industry.
c) to compare online shopping with traditional shopping.
d) to show that people want more home deliveries.
Based on the recording, choose all the correct answers.
John Smith says he has achieved success because
a) he has worked hard.
b) he spotted a business opportunity.
c) he provides services that people want to buy.
d) he has made many improvements.
The location of his dark stores is
a) very close to a residential area.
b) away from the big shops.
c) close to a block of flats.
d) good for quick deliveries.
He says quick delivery is made possible because of
a) three partners that he has.
b) a system of connected stores.
c) the great work of his employees
d) cooperation with outside companies.
From what he says about the delivery of products, we can understand that
a) it is his company’s priority.
b) it is done by companies which also serve parties.
c) it is not done by his employees.
d) it is outsourced to other companies.
He talks about grocery delivery
a) to show why people buy more groceries online now.
b) to exemplify the change in the retail industry.
c) to compare online shopping with traditional shopping.
d) to show that people want more home deliveries.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Exercise3
Drag and drop the words/expressions which appeared in the interview to fill in the sentences. There is one word that you do not need. 1. Over the years, they have built an impressive 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party business contacts.
2. We can negotiate without the involvement of 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party partners.
3. We provide goods which are not 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party in your area within only one day.
4. Online shopping has become so 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party that we cannot imagine what the world would look like without it.
5. Retailers are no longer active just in the 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party business.
6. People who are open to new ideas and are not afraid to take risks are 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party in retail business.
7. We do our best to optimise 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party for our clients, that is why our deliveries are always quick and on time.
Drag and drop the words/expressions which appeared in the interview to fill in the sentences. There is one word that you do not need. 1. Over the years, they have built an impressive 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party business contacts.
2. We can negotiate without the involvement of 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party partners.
3. We provide goods which are not 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party in your area within only one day.
4. Online shopping has become so 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party that we cannot imagine what the world would look like without it.
5. Retailers are no longer active just in the 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party business.
6. People who are open to new ideas and are not afraid to take risks are 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party in retail business.
7. We do our best to optimise 1. reverse, 2. brick-and-mortar, 3. network of, 4. commonplace, 5. in high demand, 6. available, 7. customer experience, 8. third-party for our clients, that is why our deliveries are always quick and on time.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Exercise4
Type in the English equivalents of the Polish words and phrases in brackets to fill in the text. It’s not that easy to find a 1. Tu uzupełnij (niszę na rynku), but once you do, your product or service may 2. Tu uzupełnij (zawojować świat). This is exactly what happened with the 3. Tu uzupełnij (zjawiskiem) of dark stores: they filled it and are thriving. Dark stores make the products you order online 4. Tu uzupełnij (dostępnymi) to you within 30 minutes, sometimes even less. This 5. Tu uzupełnij (superszybka dostawa) is something which differentiates dark stores from online stores and 6. Tu uzupełnij (stacjonarnych). In online stores you have to wait several days before you get your order, while stationary stores require your physical presence to do any shopping. Dark stores have the 7. Tu uzupełnij (odwrotny) type of action: they bring the shopping to you, either by direct home delivery, or by 8. Tu uzupełnij (dostawę do samochodu klienta). Either way, such 9. Tu uzupełnij (mikrorealizacja) is very convenient for a customer.
Type in the English equivalents of the Polish words and phrases in brackets to fill in the text. It’s not that easy to find a 1. Tu uzupełnij (niszę na rynku), but once you do, your product or service may 2. Tu uzupełnij (zawojować świat). This is exactly what happened with the 3. Tu uzupełnij (zjawiskiem) of dark stores: they filled it and are thriving. Dark stores make the products you order online 4. Tu uzupełnij (dostępnymi) to you within 30 minutes, sometimes even less. This 5. Tu uzupełnij (superszybka dostawa) is something which differentiates dark stores from online stores and 6. Tu uzupełnij (stacjonarnych). In online stores you have to wait several days before you get your order, while stationary stores require your physical presence to do any shopping. Dark stores have the 7. Tu uzupełnij (odwrotny) type of action: they bring the shopping to you, either by direct home delivery, or by 8. Tu uzupełnij (dostawę do samochodu klienta). Either way, such 9. Tu uzupełnij (mikrorealizacja) is very convenient for a customer.
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Exercise5
Answer the questions with 1–2 sentences.
Which advantages listed in the text in the previous section are also mentioned by this businessman? (Find at least 3)
Would you prefer to use the services of a dark store rather than a regular online shop? Why?/Why not?
What other question(s) would you ask the owner of a dark store chain?
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1. Which advantages listed in the text in the previous section are also mentioned by this businessman? (Find at least 3)
2. Would you prefer to use the services of a dark store rather than a regular online shop? Why?/Why not?
3. What other question(s) would you ask the owner of a dark store chain? (Uzupełnij).
Źródło: GroMar Sp. z o.o., licencja: CC BY-SA 3.0.
The owner of the dark store says that… He also mentions how convenient… are. There is also the advantage of… mentioned again
I think that I would (not), because… What is the most striking… is… Additionally, you can…
I would ask him… or if it was… I think it might be… for me.
The owner of the dark store says that their delivery is very quick. He also mentions how convenient the types of delivery offered by his business are. There is also the advantage of the store being just round the corner mentioned again, and that they have a lot of products available.
I think that I would, because it just sounds more convenient. What is the most striking difference is the time of delivery: when it comes to online shops, it's usually one or several days, whereas dark stores deliver a product within hours! Additionally, you can choose the preferred type of delivery, which is not always possible with online stores.
I would ask him where he got this idea for his business from or if it was difficult to set up his company. I think it might be an inspiration for me.
