Earlier this year we wrote about Sears' MyGofer experiment blending online shopping with curbside pickup, and recently one of our spotters alerted us to a like-minded effort that's already well underway across the ocean. At French hypermarket chain E.Leclerc, customers can order online and have their purchases loaded into their car two hours later at no extra charge.

Leclerc's initiative began in late 2007, when it opened its first Express Drive in Roques sur Garonne near Toulouse. With a selection of nearly 3,000 available products, customers then could place their orders online—or via touch terminals in the local Leclerc store or parking lot—and then go to a curbside pickup area to have it loaded into their trunk. Today, many more products are available through the service—including groceries, fresh produce and frozen goods—for curbside loading at more than 20 Leclerc stores. The prices of all products ordered via Express Drive are the same as those in-store; customers simply arrive at their local store two hours after they place and pay for their order online, and it will be loaded into their trunk free of charge. A standard shopping list can even be saved online to speed ordering on subsequent visits.

After years of separation of online and off, it's a sign of maturation that retail is beginning to blur those lines, blending the best of both worlds. The same is happening in consumers' own lives too, of course, so they increasingly expect it everywhere. Any company hoping to win their business had better deliver! ;-)

Website: www.expressdrive.fr
Contact: www.e-leclerc.com/c2k/portail/conso/plus_services/service_conso/plus_services_contact.asp

Spotted by: Florent Lesauvage

Cutting both costs and carbon emissions, British supermarket Waitrose shipped its new range of ‘Virtue’ wines from Chile in 24,000 liter flexitanks and bottled them in the UK. One tank equals 32,000 bottles—or 16 tons of glass—that no longer need to be shipped. In addition, the bottles used are lightweight and made of 60% recycled material.

Besides reducing carbon emissions, this shipping and distribution method lowers end-to-end production costs by up to 40%. Waitrose claims to be sharing these cost reductions with customers, charging GBP 3.99 per bottle. Currently on offer are a Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon and a Sauvignon/Chardonnay, both from Chile. They’ll be joined by two Californian wines later this season, and Waitrose is looking to further expand the method to other countries it imports wine from.

A green innovation that saves money for both retailers and consumers? Producers and retailers: it’s time to get virtuous ;-)

Website: www.waitrose.com
Contact: www.waitrose.com/footer/contactus.aspx

Spotted by: Maria Dahl Jorgensen

Laundry detergent, toilet paper and toothpaste are not items consumers typically buy online, as the grocery stores, Wal-Marts and big box outlets of the world can attest. A new e-commerce site aims to change all that, however, by providing free shipping, streamlined reordering and a platform that allows consumers and manufacturers to connect.

Just launched into beta this week, Alice offers more than 6,000 unique products from hundreds of different manufacturers. Its prices are 20 percent to 30 percent lower than those at other online stores, it says, and shipping is always free. US consumers begin by creating a free account and then selecting a list of all their favourite products, ordering only the items they need right then. Each shipment is bundled together in a single "Alice" box and delivered directly to the consumer’s door. Meanwhile, Alice organizes all the products on the member's list, finds coupons and deals for them, and reminds them to reorder when they are likely to be running low.

Although Wisconsin-based Alice works much like any other online retailer from the consumer's perspective, behind the scenes it is more like a marketplace, allowing manufacturers to sell directly to US consumers. Alice makes no retail margin, and instead allows each manufacturer to control product assortment and pricing in its own direct sale to the end consumer. Because no retail middleman is involved, significant cost savings can be passed on to shoppers, the company says. In addition, Alice's model allows brands to form a direct relationship with consumers, enabling personalized coupons, sampling and loyalty programs.

Alice is actively signing up manufacturers during its beta phase, with plans for a full consumer launch in the fall. Those in consumer packaged goods: better get on board now! For all others: One to help bring to consumers in the rest of the shop-weary world?

Website: www.alice.com
Contact: support@alice.com

Product life stories can be used to demonstrate sustainability—as in the case of Made-By, which we just recently covered—but they also simply make new products more interesting. Such authenticity-boosting status stories are at the heart of the Daily Grommet, a curated marketplace that highlights one such tale every day.

Currently in beta, Massachusetts-based Daily Grommet releases a profile of one new product each day at noon Eastern US time. Products chosen for inclusion on the site range from household products to kids' items to simple indulgences; most are from small, independent producers and are selected for their combination of craft, utility, invention and style. Many products are submitted by visitors to the site; others are discovered through team members' own research. On Tuesday of this week, for example, the product profiled was "Arghand hand-crafted soap pebbles from Afghanistan," complete with video, social and environmental context, and specific product details. Subscribers to the Daily Grommet can comment online about a particular day's profile as well as buying products online; widgets are also available for publishers, with revenue opportunities through shared sales or click-throughs.

Combining thoughtful curation, status stories and a pinch of planned scarcity, the Daily Grommet is attempting to go a step beyond Etsy and other online marketplaces with its up-close focus on product origins. Artists, craftsmen and manufacturers around the globe are no doubt lining up for consideration even as we speak; for all others, one to emulate with a niche or regional approach...? (Related: Upscale vending machine sells curated luxury goods — Top 3 choices for shoppers — Ranking Ranqueen — A deal a day.)

Website: www.dailygrommet.com
Contact: folks@dailygrommet.com

Clothes shopping may be a source of joy for many women, but the same is rarely true for men; in fact, many men would rather do just about anything else. With that in mind, the Trunk Club now offers men the services of a personal shopper from the convenience of their own office or home.

Based in Oregon, the Trunk Club assigns each of its clients a personal clothing expert to recommend, find and deliver clothing and accessories that complement their own personal style. Men begin by filling out an application for a free membership on the site. They then have a 15-minute or so introductory, webcam-enabled session from home or office with their personal shopper, who then sends out an initial shipment of name-brand clothes. Customers pay just retail price for the clothes they decide to keep—no minimum purchase is required—and the Trunk Club covers shipping both ways. After that clients can connect with their shopper as often as they want in person or via the company's Skype-based webcam platform—no visits to retail stores are ever required. The Trunk Club's personal shoppers work on commission, according to TechCrunch; the company's revenue derives from retail markups on clothes bought from partner manufacturers at wholesale prices, with no minimum inventory required.

The Trunk Club officially launched just two weeks ago, and it's currently looking for entrepreneurs who can work virtually on its behalf with members around the world. One to get in on early...?

Website: www.trunkclub.com
Contact: info@trunkclub.com

Spotted by: Chris Rollason

We recently covered a program at Oakland Mall that offers startups low-cost and short-term leasing to help them to set up shop. This summer, KiosKiosk will bring a similar idea to the streets of London by offering a small kiosk space to startups selling ceramics, art, fashion and other creative products. At no cost to its temporary tenants.

Creative organisations, businesses or individuals ready to trade simply send in their details and explain why they're a good candidate to fill the space. KiosKiosk's founders note that, although the number of people enrolling in design courses in the UK increases each year, it's difficult for creative businesses to find affordable retail space in locations with enough foot traffic to attract potential buyers. The initiative is backed by the London Sustainable Development Commission, working to promote creative independent shops instead of more dime-a-dozen souvenir stalls. The first KiosKiosk—an eyecatching design by Geraldine and Wayne Hemingway—will be set up outside London’s City Hall all summer, with plans to roll out the concept in other parts of the city and country at a later stage.

As well as encouraging startups and up-and-coming designers, the kiosk is a low-cost way for London to showcase the abundance of local creativity to visitors from around the world.

Website: www.kioskiosk.co.uk
Contact: www.kioskiosk.co.uk/html/contact-us.html

Spotted by: intelligentnaivety.com via Raymond Kollau

P.S. On a side note: back in 2004, our sister-site trendwatching.com coined the phrase pop-up retail, and one of the examples used was Delta's pop-up store in New York. Five and a half years later, Southwest Airlines is opening a pop-up lounge in Bryant Park, as reported by nytimes.com. Southwest is starting service at LaGuardia, and the "Southwest Porch" will be serving sandwiches themed to the cities they'll be flying to. Some trends just never grow old ;-)

Summertime, cell phones and free love seem to go together, if last year's rash of music festival phone chargers was anything to go by. This year, US Cellular is kicking off what could be a brand-new trend by giving consumers free, fully charged cell phone batteries in exchange for their drained old ones.

Launched late last month, US Cellular's Battery Swap program lets customers go to any company store and change out a dead or dying battery for a fully charged one at no charge. The provider is the first to offer such a service for free, it says. "Our Battery Swap program is a convenience for people who depend on their wireless devices as their lifelines, such as business people, parents, not to mention heavy users who drain their battery daily," Jay Ellison, the company's executive vice president and COO, explains. "We're offering this service to help our customers stay connected whenever they need it."

In a competitive industry like wireless—and during tough economic times—a little free love can go a long way toward making customers happy. Other providers: the Generation G* train just pulled into the station—better hop on board! ;-)

Website: www.uscellular.com/uscellular/SilverStream/Pages/x_page.html?p=batteryswap
Contact: www.uscellular.com/contactus

Spotted by: Judy McRae

* The G stands for generosity—more on that in our sister-site trendwatching.com's briefing about how businesses are following a societal shift from taking to giving.

Hot on the heels of vending machines selling after-party shoes, comes an interactive kiosk that speeds up the process of buying custom footbeds. The eSoles Foot Imaging Kiosk System is a self-service kiosk that takes a complex 3D scan of the customer's foot, helping create an eFit footbed within minutes. Customers can also use the scan to order a bespoke ePro footbed, which is shipped within days.

The process is easy enough for customers to carry out without sales assistance, using a touchscreen to lead them through standing, walking and jogging on a pressure mat in order to take a measurement. The mat maps out the customer's pressure points using 160 sensors, displaying the resulting personalised 3D image on the kiosk's screen. The kiosk then prints a ticket, providing the retailer with information to construct a USD 75 template-based footpad that's customized to the user's requirements. Alternately, customers can wait a little longer for a fully customised footbeds from the eSoles plant for USD 249. Their data can be stored permanently in the eSoles database, letting them order additional footbeds without repeated analysis.

After launching at The Cycle Loft in Boston, the eSoles Kiosk will be available to other footwear retailers this summer. By combining interactive customisation with self-service, eSoles offer an engaging, practical and scalable add-on for stores looking to offer their customers the benefits of custom insoles.

The innovation doesn’t stop there: eSoles has also developed insoles that relay pressure information to a nearby cellphone. An application on the phone can tell the wearer how much pressure he or she is applying in 11 different zones. The system has been trialled by the US Olympic BMX team, helping them figure out how to apply maximum power to bicycle pedals, and it can also help analyze a golf swing or skiing posture. The insoles will be available in a limited trial version in July, and the sensors will initially be priced around USD 300.

Website: www.esoles.com
Contact: www.esoles.com/contact

Spotted by: Judy McRae and Roberta Steinberg

Combining try-before-you-buy with the luxury rental concept established by companies like Bag Borrow Steal and écurie25 is Guitar Affair, a service that rents out high-end and boutique guitars by the day or week.

Guitar Affair refers to its rentals as ‘affairs’ to reflect the emotional experience that customers have with instruments. Customers pay a one-off USD 50 fee to join and then select and reserve a guitar to be shipped anywhere within the United States. After they’ve had their affair for the agreed time span, they return the guitar in its shipping container with an included UPS label. For those fond enough to commit to a lasting relationship, guitars can be purchased with some (or all) of the affair fee refunded.

All of the guitars are memorable, with a cutaway XOX Handle carbon fibre guitar available for USD 75 a day or USD 300 a week, and a Sandoval Dot V costing USD 125 per day or 400 per week. In addition to guitars, customers can also rent a variety of headphones, amps, cables, straps, instructional items, backing tracks and road cases. The concept is perfect for a studio getaway, travelling musicians with fickle tastes or players who simply wish to experiment. And because the guitars are shipped back to the company, they're always maintained and set-up to professional standards—which can cost a pretty penny on its own.

Our sister-site trendwatching.com published a briefing about transumers back in 2006, focusing on consumers who are more interested in experiences than in ownership. It’s an enduring trend, and one that has extra power in today’s economy. Time to experiment with transient offerings of your own?

Website: www.guitaraffair.com
Contact: www.guitaraffair.com/contactus.php

Spotted by: Raymond Kollau

For socially conscious entrepreneurs, implementing a "buy one, donate one" matching program is an easily communicated way of being generous. TOMS Shoes gives away a pair of shoes for each pair sold, for example, and LJ Urban's Good matches domestic home sales with funds to build homes in Burkina Faso. Recently, one of our spotters alerted us to a similar initiative by Picture it on Canvas.

In operation since 2007, Picture it on Canvas aims to turn favourite photos into keepsakes by printing them on canvas, endowing them with an artistic texture like that of a hand-painted piece along with UV protection. At the end of April, the California-based company announced its intent for the rest of this year to donate the equivalent of one 8-by-10 gallery-wrap canvas print to a charitable cause for every canvas print purchased via its online store. Specifically, for each canvas print purchase Picture it on Canvas now sends a gift certificate for USD 35—the value of such a print—to the nonprofit of its choice.

Bob McKeon, president of Picture it on Canvas, explains: “We’ve completely changed our business model. We are embracing the conscious capitalism business model in use by TOMS Shoes and other companies. I know this may sound trite to some, but in a small way we want our company to help make a change in people’s lives.”

So far, Picture it on Canvas has donated to Operation Love, the San Diego County Adoption agency, Friends & Family Community Connection and local fund-raisers for needy projects. Need more convincing? Check out our sister site's Generation G briefing. Corporate generosity won't be an option for much longer; soon, it will be hygiene. Start brainstorming now!

Website: www.pictureitoncanvas.com
Contact: custserv@pictureitoncanvas.com

Spotted by: Gary Miner