Today, ASOS is one of the largest online-only fashion marketplaces in the world, 

如今，ASOS是全球最大的線上時尚市場之一。


boasting 850 brands including Dr. Martens, Abercrombie and Fitch,  and Calvin Klein. 
 

擁有850個品牌，包括Dr. Martens、Abercrombie and Fitch和Calvin Klein。

Founded in the year 2000, shortly  
after the dotcom bubble burst,

成立於2000年，在網絡保麗龍破滅後不久
。


the platform was worth $8.6 billion atits peak, surpassing 
 retail stalwart Marks and Spencer in market capitalization. 

the platform was worth $8.6 billion atits peak, surpassing 
 retail stalwart Marks and Spencer in market capitalization.

Today, ASOS is available in 10   
languages across 200 markets.

今天，ASOS在200個市場上以10種
languages發售。


At the end of 2020, ASOS boasted  24.5 million active customers,

截至2020年底，ASOS擁有2450萬活躍客戶。

of which 7.6 million were located in the United Kingdom. 

其中760萬人在聯合王國。

Like many fashion start-ups, the company was 
unprofitable  for years, had its fair share of misfortunes,

像許多時尚創業公司一樣，該公司多年來一直處於無利可圖的狀態，有其相當一部分的不幸。

while a series of miscalculations saw  
the company exit China in 2016. 

而一系列的誤判讓
公司在2016年退出中國市場。

 
So, how did this fast-fashion start-up 
  transform into a dominant player in the industry? 

那麼，這家新成立的快時尚公司
是如何轉型成為行業霸主的呢？

ASOS had its beginnings as a  TV product placement company, 

ASOS最初是一家電視產品投放公司。

founded by Nick Robertson, the great-grandson of wealthy retailer Austin Reed, in June 2000, under the name 'As Seen on Screen.'

由富有的零售商Austin Reed的曾孫Nick Robertson於2000年6月創立，名稱為 "As Seen on Screen"。

The company later evolved its fashion business to an online fashion marketplace,

後來，該公司將其時裝業務發展為網上時裝市場。

selling designer outfit seen on celebrities at affordable prices.

以實惠的價格銷售在名人身上看到的設計師服裝。

After a $4.2 million investment from his older brother and friends,

經過哥哥和朋友們420萬元的投資。

the company debuted on the junior market of the London Stock Exchange in October 2001

公司於2001年10月在倫敦證券交易所的初級市場上首次亮相

at £0.20 per share and raised  slightly over $4 million.

每股0.20英鎊，募集資金略高於400萬美元。

Then, the e-commerce industry was struggling, and ASOS was unable to establish 

後來，電商行業舉步維艱，ASOS也無法建立起

a clear brand identity to break the dominance of traditional fashion retailers.

明確的品牌形象，打破傳統時裝零售商的主導地位。

For example, it was selling bags close to $600 to its market of twenty-somethings, making it unaffordable for many.   

例如，它對其市場上二十多歲的年輕人銷售的包包接近600美元，使許多人無法承受。

At the same time, the company was investing heavily in technology, logistics and increasing its product range.

同時，公司在技術、物流方面大力投入，增加產品種類。

It wouldn't be until 2004 that ASOS would post  its first profit, a little over $200,000.

直到2004年，ASOS才會出現第一次盈利，20多萬美元。

But this success appeared short-lived.

但這種成功顯得很短暫。

A year later, three massive explosions at an oil depot  near its warehouse in the U.K. damaged $9.4 million worth of stock,

一年後，其在英國倉庫附近的一個油庫發生三起大規模爆炸，損壞了價值940萬美元的股票。

just before the Christmas holidays, and along with it, ASOS's festive earnings.

就在聖誕假期前，隨之而來的是ASOS的節日收益。

The company was forced to cancel new orders, issue refunds and suspend trading of its stock.  

該公司被迫取消新訂單，發放退款，並暫停其股票交易。


But 2007 marked a turning point, not just for ASOS, but for the e-commerce industry as a whole.

但2007年標誌著一個轉捩點，不僅對ASOS，而且對整個電子商務行業都是如此。

Broadband was increasingly becoming accessible to households,

寬帶越來越多地進入家庭。

Apple just launched the first iPhone, while Facebook was trying to displace MySpace and Friendster as the dominant social media platform.

蘋果剛剛推出了第一款iPhone，而Facebook正試圖取代MySpace和Friendster成為主導的社交媒體平臺。

Investors began to pay attention to online-only businesses, and ASOS was no exception.   

投資者開始關注線上業務，ASOS也不例外。

Between 2007 and 2011, the company's share price shot up from $2.36 to $38.50.

2007年至2011年，公司股價從2.36元飆升至38.5元。

ASOS's popularity skyrocketed, as celebrities sported its outfits, increasing its visibility.

ASOS的人氣暴漲，明星們紛紛穿上它的衣服，提高了它的知名度。

In 2014, China dominated the e-commerce space with $458 billion in sales, surpassing

2014年，中國以4580億美元的銷售額在電商領域佔據主導地位，超過了

the United States to become the world's largest e-commerce market.

美國成為全球最大的電商市場。

As ASOS expanded at breakneck speed at home and abroad,  China was a priority market.

隨著ASOS在國內外以最快的速度擴張，中國是一個重點市場。

But the country's e-commerce regulations were complex,

但國家的電商法規很複雜。

and ASOS struggled to compete with the local juggernauts such as Alibaba and JD.com.

和ASOS難以與阿里巴巴和JD.com等本土巨頭競爭。

After splashing $13.5 million to launch its local service in 2013,  the company withdrew from China less than 3 years after it launched.

在2013年豪擲1350萬美元推出在地服務後，推出不到3年就退出了中國市場。

Back home, the competition was heating up in its backyard too. 

回到家裡，後院的競爭也在升溫。

Traditional retailers like Zara, under parent company Inditex, were expanding their online presence,

母公司Inditex旗下的Zara等傳統零售商正在擴大其在線業務。

while new competitors like Boohoo were  undercutting ASOS with cheaper wares.

而新的競爭者，如Boohoo，則以更便宜的商品削弱了ASOS。

In 2014, $633 million was wiped off its value, following a stark profit warning from the company. 

2014年，在公司發出嚴厲的盈利警告後，6.33億美元的價值被抹去。


Its exit from China in 2016 turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

它在2016年退出中國，原來是一種變相的祝福。

Free to focus on other markets, it began to separate itself from the pack,

自由地關注其他市場，它開始從群雄中分離出來。

by adopting inclusive and sustainable strategies that appealed to fashion-conscious twenty-somethings.

通過採用包容性和可持續發展的戰略，吸引了具有時尚意識的二十多歲的年輕人。

Besides highlighting models of varying ethnicities, and sizes, ASOS also launched a 'fashion with integrity'

除了突出不同民族、不同身材的模特，ASOS還推出了 "誠信時尚"。

program in 2010 to ensure ethical and sustainable business standards.

在2010年，為確保道德和可持續發展的商業標準，我們制定了一個計劃。

In 2015, the company was ahead of its peers when it published its stance against modern slavery in supply chains. 

2015年，該公司在公佈其反對供應鏈中的現代奴隸制的立場時，走在了同行的前面。

Two years later, the fashion retailer published  a list of all its factories to improve the transparency

兩年後，這家時尚零售商公佈了所有工廠的名單，以提高透明度。

of its supply chains, while its unannounced audits  of factories continued apace, even during the pandemic.

的供應鏈，而其對工廠的突擊審計則繼續快速進行，甚至在流行病期間也是如此。

And the company's aggressive strategy to appeal to its target audience and outshine its competitors didn't end there. 

而該公司吸引目標閱聽人、超越競爭對手的積極策略並沒有就此結束。

To fend off rivals such as Boohoo and Zalando, ASOS used social media influencers to advertise

為了抵禦Boohoo和Zalando等競爭對手，ASOS利用社交媒體的影響力進行宣傳。

its clothing to younger consumers and collaborated with celebrities including

其服裝面向年輕消費者，並與名人合作，包括

Little Mix's Leigh-Anne Pinnock and basketball player Ovie Soko. 

Little Mix的Leigh-Anne Pinnock和籃球運動員Ovie Soko。

Finally, in a bid to remain competitive, the company, provided a seamless,

最後，為了保持競爭力，公司，提供了一個無縫。

end-to-end process that enabled consumers to track every step of the delivery. 

端到端流程，使消費者能夠跟蹤交付的每一步。

On the back of its strong  financial performance in 2017, 

在2017年強勁的財務表現的基礎上。

the company's share price  hit a record high of $94. 

公司股價創下94美元的歷史新高。


In the fast-fashion world, speed matters.

在快時尚的世界裡，速度很重要。

Fashion retailers were  churning out new designs from 

時裝零售店不斷推出新的設計。

the drawing board to the sales  floor in as little as one week.  

在短短一週內，從繪圖板到銷售現場。


The pandemic accelerated the shift to e-commerce, meaning only the fastest firms would survive.

這場大流行加速了向電子商務的轉變，這意味著只有速度最快的公司才能生存。

With most people staying indoors  and holiday plans canceled, 

隨著大多數人呆在室內，假期計劃取消。

fashion retailers were  facing an existential crisis.

時尚零售商正面臨著生存危機。

Many analysts questioned  whether ASOS could be as nimble 

很多分析人士質疑ASOS能否如斯靈動。

as its rivals because of the sheer  number of brands under its belt.

作為其競爭對手，因為其旗下的品牌太多。

Zara, for example, kept  production local and close to its 

例如，Zara將生產保持在當地，並貼近自己的品牌。

headquarters in Spain and was used  to churning out new designs quickly. 

在西班牙的總部，習慣於快速地完成新的設計。

ASOS was hit severely in  the first quarter of 2020, 

2020年第一季度，ASOS受到嚴重衝擊。

with group sales plunging as much  as 25% towards the end of March.

隨著3月底集團銷售額暴跌高達25%。

But it recovered quickly, producing more luxurious loungewear products to cater to customers' needs,

但它很快就恢復了，生產出更多豪華的家居服產品，以滿足顧客的需求。

many of whom were now working from home as the demand shock moderated.

隨著需求衝擊的緩和，其中許多人現在在家工作。

By the end of June, however, its sales jumped by 10% and it posted over $1 billion in revenues.

然而，到6月底，其銷售額猛增10%，收入超過10億美元。

For many brick-and-mortar businesses, the story was much different.  

對於很多實體企業來說，情況就大不相同了。

In 2020,  Inditex, the biggest fashion group in the world, announced plans to 

2020年，全球最大的時尚集團Inditex宣佈計劃在

close between 1,000 and 1,200 stores, or 16% of its outlets worldwide.

關閉1000到1200家門店，佔其全球門店的16%。

The same year, L Brands, the  parent company of Victoria Secret, 

同年，維多利亞祕密的母公司L Brands。

closed 265 stores, the H&M group shut 170,   107 while Hong Kong-listed Esprit shuttered 

關閉了265家門店，H&M集團關閉了170家，107家，而在香港上市的Esprit關閉了

all of its 56 stores in  Asia outside mainland China.

其在中國大陸以外的亞洲56家門店的所有。

Moreover, the retail empire Arcadia, which owned brands like Topshop, Topman,

此外，零售帝國阿卡迪亞，擁有Topshop、Topman等品牌。

Miss Selfridge and HIIT, collapsed at the end of  November 2020.

Selfridge小姐和HIIT，在2020年11月底倒閉。

In February 2021, ASOS acquired Arcadia's  prized brands, leaving the physical stores out of the deal. 

2021年2月，ASOS收購了Arcadia的珍品品牌，實體店不在交易之列。

This highlights ASOS's focus on diversifying its brands

這凸顯了ASOS對品牌多元化的重視。

and the industry's shift away from in-store shopping.

以及行業從店內購物的轉變。

While 2020 was a successful year for ASOS, its fortunes could change in the blink of an eye if it isn't fast and agile enough.

雖然2020年對ASOS來說是成功的一年，但如果它的速度不夠快，不夠敏捷，它的命運可能會在眨眼間改變。

To remain competitive, it must be reactive to customers' changing tastes,

要想保持競爭力，就必須對顧客不斷變化的口味做出反應。

fix its scaling issues abroad, and continue to expand its offering. 

解決其在國外的縮放問題，並繼續擴大其產品。

Thank you so much for watching our video. What do you guys think of Asos?

非常感謝您觀看我們的視頻。 你們覺得Asos怎麼樣？

Comment below, and as usual don't forget to subscribe!

在下面評論，和往常一樣，別忘了訂閱!