VIP Class Notes (Tibo)

My name is Ashley and now I live in Shanghai and I want to improve my spoken English because in my current work I don’t have so many opportunities to practice my spoken English.

I want to change my job next year and in my next job I may need to use English a lot.

Now I work in an agency for some cosmetic and skin care brands.
I want to work in some brand team.
I am now in the industry of e-commerce analysis and I want to do this work in brands but maybe the industry will not be limited to cosmetics. / I will not only consider the cosmetic industry / I am also willing to explore other industries 

I also look forward to some consisting other industries. -> I am looking forward to new opportunities in different industries 

Actually I think I like my current work, but I think in agency I don’t know the whole picture of the brand/ I have a very segmented vision of the brand.
I just focus on some problems the brands give to us.

I think because according to these problems I give some solutions or suggestions to brands but this implementation will be responsible by some teams in brand and other agencies.-> but other teams or agencies are responsible for the implementation

I think I can be involved more closely with the brand business.

In my current work I don’t need to do that in English, people I talk to directly are Chinese but if I join the brand team. My boss may be a foreigner so I may need to do some presentations and express problems in English.

I began to practice my spoken English about 3 months -> I began to practice my spoken English 3 months ago  / I began to practice my spoken English in August / I have been studying English for 3 months 

so it is better for me to explain something but I think it is not so fluently for me.-> I notice some progress but I am not yet fluent enough

Because in the past I focused more on writing and reading.

I usually make some problems -> I make mistakes

because I haven’t speak a lot -> because I haven’t spoken a lot

12/12 some clothing industries will focus on this more.-> Clothing brands are more focused on 12/12  / 12/12 is more popular among clothing brands

11/11 this year for the cosmetic and skincare industries in the overall market there wasn’t an obvious increase as in the past. -> This year the cosmetic and skincare industry did not benefit from much growth on 11/11

Because the brands I work for is a high end cosmetic brand and compared with mass market brands the high end market/ the high end segment performed a little better but for most categories in the cosmetic industries there is a downward trend.

For some brands they relied on the KOLs like LJQ
In the past he was a sales channel for some brands but nowadays he has become a marketing channel for some brands.

if brands can sell in his channel that will benefit them not only in their sales but also in their marketing especially for small local brands.

Since last year before 11/11 had his own TV show. -> He had his own TV show last year to show the behind the scenes on how brands prepare 11/11 with him

->He started a TV show last year which had a new season this year 

The show was about his team’s communication with some brands who would like to sell some products on his channel.

In this show I think a lot of consumers watched that show and it is a good opportunity for brands to get their name out there. -> the show has a large audience so it is a great opportunity for smaller brands to reach a lot of new customers

There are several reasons, firstly in China, especially for the Tmall platform it has touched the ceiling/ it has already peaked.
These days how to attract more customers in this industry is a big problem both for platforms and for brands.

Because of Covid a lot of consumers cut down on their impulsive spendings so on 11/11 they only bought what they really needed. / only what was necessary

The discount mechanisms on 11/11 are very complex. In the past consumers got a lot of samples and during this period they began to realize that they bought a lot of things they didn’t use/ they had a lot of things they haven’t even used once. So they may cut down on spendings.

It is because the economy is not very good and a lot of companies reduced their staff / laid off a large number of people / made staff cuts so it is not stable. / people are not confident in the future.

In addition because of the lockdowns people found that some products are not necessary.

Most brands have a big discount on 11/11 and for high end products the discount is larger so most consumers prefer to buy some high end products because it is more attractive.

For 11/11 I found that for most brands they had a lower price compared to the previous 11/11. / this year a lot of brands actually decreased their price compared to the previous 11/11

they could buy something at a lower price or get more in quantity.
Both situations happened during this 11/11

It may be better because now the government relaxed the policy related to Covid 19 so maybe brands may get opportunities next year.  / The government is relaxing the covid 19 policy so I am more optimistic about next year

Vocabulary

optimistic (adj) thinking things will get better / the situation will improve
I have an optimistic view on the future of the e-commerce industry

pessimistic (adj) thinking things will get worse / the situation will get worse
The report was very pessimistic on the housing market

to peak (v) to reach a top / to reach the maximum level
The industry peaked in 2017 and since then it started to decline

to bottom (v) to reach the lowest point / to reach the minimum level
He thinks tech stocks have bottomed

strategy (n) plan
The strategy of the brand is to focus the mass market

Grammar

usually use a/an to introduce a new thing / concept / place
then use the to mention it again (specific)

I went to a restaurant for dinner yesterday
The restaurant is in Jing an district

use last / next alone
I went to Beijing last week
I want to see my friend next time