Things turned upside down for many businesses earlier this year. We're looking at how two companies made changes to survive. So, OK, Richard, what happened? In March 2020, companies in the UK, they were told that they weren't allowed to offer over-the-counter services.今年年初，许多企业的经营状况被彻底颠覆。我们今天要看看两家公司是如何调整策略以求生存的。好的，Richard，当时发生了什么？2020年3月，英国政府宣布企业不得提供柜台服务。

So obviously that would affect many high-street shops. Yes, indeed, all high-street shops and including those who sell fish and chips. So the Chesterfield Group in the UK owns 40 fish and chip restaurants, serving about 50,000 people every week.显然，这一规定会影响许多街边商店。没错，所有街头商铺都受到了影响，其中包括炸鱼薯条店。英国的切斯特菲尔德集团拥有40家炸鱼薯条餐厅，每周为大约五万人提供餐饮服务。

However, of course, the coronavirus lockdown forced the restaurants to close for all walk-in customers. So therefore no customers at all then? They lost all their customers in one fail swoop. Right.然而，由于新冠封锁政策，这些餐厅不得不关闭所有堂食服务。那么，这是不是意味着他们一个顾客都没有了？没错，他们在一夜之间失去了所有顾客。

So what the CEO, James Lipscomb, did was he realised the company was running out of cash fast, so he had to do something really quickly. And within two weeks, he created a new way for the company to continue in business. OK, so what did he do? He started a click and collect system.公司的首席执行官詹姆斯·利普斯康意识到公司资金正在迅速枯竭，因此他必须立刻采取行动。两周之内，他为公司创造了一种全新的经营方式。好的，他做了什么？他启动了“线上点餐、到店取餐”的系统。

So they designed an app and they started taking food orders online, cashless payments only. Right. So customers go on the app and they turn up and they just tap their card at the store so there's no interaction with staff whatsoever.他们开发了一个应用程序，通过线上接收点餐，并只接受非现金支付。对的，顾客只需在应用上下单，然后到店刷卡取餐，全程无需与员工接触。

So click is on the app and collect is at the shop. Exactly. Right.“Click”代表线上点单，“Collect”就是到店取餐。没错，完全正确。

And actually they also introduced home delivery as well on a similar sort of basis. OK. So two new systems.实际上，他们还推出了类似模式的外送服务。好的，也就是说他们建立了两个新系统。

Did that work? Yes. He kept 70% of the staff and they worked throughout the lockdown and this very fast decision prevented the business from closing down.那这样做有效果吗？非常有效。他保留了70%的员工，并让他们在封锁期间继续工作。这一快速决策挽救了公司的命运，使其避免倒闭。

Well, another company... another example of a company adapting to the new situation, Richard, is Boohoo. You won't have heard of them. I certainly haven't. Who are they? Well, they're a fashion brand but they already sell online.好吧，另一家公司——也就是另一家成功适应新形势的例子，Richard，是Boohoo。你可能没听过这个名字。确实没有。他们是谁？这是一家时尚品牌公司，但他们本来就是做线上销售的。

OK, so how were they affected then? Well, the problem with them was that they sold a lot of clothes to women who wanted to buy fancy dresses and shoes for the weekend. It's a quick turnover, right? So come Friday or Saturday, big night out, big sales. But of course no one was going out so no one was buying these dresses.那他们又受到了怎样的影响呢？问题在于，他们的客户主要是那些准备在周末外出、想买漂亮裙子和鞋子的女性。这类商品周转速度快——到了周五、周六夜晚，销量通常很高。但封锁期间没人外出，自然没人再买这些裙子了。

And no one was ordering anything online at all. OK, so what did they do then? Well, again, two things. First of all, the company had all this stock that no one was buying so they advertised and everything must go flash sale.而且那时几乎没人上网购物。那么他们怎么办？他们也采取了两步措施。首先，公司仓库里堆满了没人买的库存，于是他们推出了“清仓特卖”活动。

70% of all stock and 50% of 500 dresses. Wow. And then they replaced the range.所有库存商品七折出售，五百款连衣裙五折优惠。哇！然后他们更新了产品线。

They introduced a whole new range of clothes. Lounge wear. Ah, stairs home wear then. Clothes for the sofa. Exactly. Fancy pyjamas to wear all day and attractive leggings and tops.他们推出了全新的服装系列——家居服。啊，就是在家穿的衣服。对，沙发服,没错，是那种可以整天穿的漂亮睡衣，还有舒适又时尚的紧身裤和上衣。

Still attractive clothing but for watching TV instead. So their strategy was to clear out the old stock... Yep. ...and bring in a totally new line at speed. Yep.依然是好看的衣服，但这次是为了在家看电视时穿的。所以他们的策略是——先清掉旧库存……对……再快速推出全新的系列产品。没错。

So did that work? Absolutely. A few weeks later the company announced that it had not only survived the first few weeks of the crisis but increased its April sales against the previous year.那他们的策略奏效了吗？完全奏效。几周后，公司宣布他们不仅成功度过危机初期的几周，而且四月的销售额甚至超过了去年同期。

So two companies that adapted. One with how they sold their product and the other with new products. But they both relied on being online.这就是两家成功适应变化的公司——一家改变了销售方式，另一家则更新了产品类型。但它们有一个共同点：都依靠线上平台。

Yes, so that simply means e-commerce is definitely the way to go.没错，这充分说明了电子商务才是未来的发展方向。