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While candy bars with personalized labels are a dime a dozen, a German startup offers a tastier kind of customization, letting customers design their own chocolate. The online ordering process at Chocri is similar to the customized muesli and coffee concepts we've covered—both of which also happen to be German.* After selecting either white, milk or dark chocolate, customers pick the ingredients they'd like to add: fruit, nuts, spices or bits of candy. Options range from the familiar (almonds, hazelnuts and raisins) to the adventurous (cumin, gummi bears and gold dust), and up to five ingredients can be selected. When they're done mixing and matching, customers pick a name for their very own 'meine schokolade', which is printed on the label. They're also given a unique product code for easy reordering. Prices range from EUR 2.50–6.50 for a 125 gram bar, depending on which ingredients are added. Chocri uses fair trade, organic chocolate only. Confectioners (and anyone else in B2C, for that matter) looking for extra business should consider adding a made-to-order element to their products. Once consumers get used to having it their way, there's no turning back ;-) There's an unmistakable opportunity here for a smart web company, too: build a plug-and-play web solution for all those small businesses who need an affordable way to add customization to their existing offerings. (Related: Bespoke chocolate portfolios by Sir Hans Sloane.) * Chocri even offers muesli by mymuesli as one of its 80+ ingredients. Website: www.chocri.de Spotted by: Susanna Haynie
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While unique, locally produced goods distinguish many nations in world markets, notable exceptions include North Korea, whose self-imposed isolation keeps it conspicuously absent from the global economy. Motivated by that very isolation, a group of young Swedes has launched an endeavour to forge connections with the nation through a startup company that will be the first to produce jeans in North Korea and export them to the rest of the world. Coming from backgrounds in advertising and PR, the Swedish trio are now operating as Noko Jeans, which they say is "our attempt to approach and get closer to North Korea." After several meetings with North Korean government officials, the Swedes were invited to visit the nation this summer, and ended up securing a manufacturer: North Korea’s largest mining company. The first samples arrived in Stockholm in October, and the jeans are due to become available next year, Noko's founders say. In an increasingly globalized world, consumers see considerable value in products that are (still) made here, as our sister site trendwatching.com would say. Will North Korean jeans really be added to the list? That remains to be seen. One to watch! Website: www.nokojeans.com
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Guidebooks and recommendations are all very well, but there’s very little point in discovering a new activity, restaurant or shop if you’re not in the right headspace to enjoy it. Enter I Feel London (or Toronto, or New York as is appropriate), a site that lets users search for things to do based on their mood. Currently in beta, the I Feel sites bring a new spin to Google Maps. There’s a map for each one of nine moods, covering such feelings as naughty, hungover, girly, sophisticated and broke. Andy Whitlock, I Feel’s London-based founder, has kick-started each map by populating it with a handful of activities, with future contributions to be made by anyone who requests an invite. We’re hoping each map won’t be bombarded with contributions, though: we like the limited, curated choice currently on offer. Whitlock is tapping into the zeitgeist: map-based concepts are popping up everywhere. Why? As explained in trendwatching.com’s latest briefing (which covers mapmania and five other trends for 2009): “Geography is about everything that is (literally) close to consumers, and it's a universally familiar method of organizing, finding and tracking relevant information on objects, events and people. And now that superior geographical information is accessible on-the-go—from in-car navigation to iPhones—the sky is the limit.” Websites: www.ifeellondon.com Spotted by: Janice Freeman
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We've written numerous stories about pop-up spaces and sustainable innovations, but a new exhibition in Melbourne combines the two with a temporary cafe that's designed to demonstrate creative ways to put sustainability into practice. Constructed about a month ago in Melbourne's Federation Square, Greenhouse by Joost is built entirely from recycled and recyclable materials. Straw bales, for example, are set into a fully recyclable steel framework that was uncoiled and cut on site, thereby forming the structure's exterior walls. Floors are made of deconstructed shipping crates, tables are fabricated from redundant fire hydrants, chairs are put together from restructured street signs and shade-cloths woven from tiles discarded by the Melbourne Cricket Club. An interior wall, meanwhile, comprises a small forest of wild strawberry plants growing in old plastic palettes, while a rooftop garden supplies several of the edibles served up by the Greenhouse's vintage-clad waiters and waitresses in tiny "taste-tubes" reclaimed from scientific trash. Behind the effort is celebrated flower artist and waste wizard Joost, who hopes "that this cost effective, self-sustaining, pop-up structure might serve as more than a momentary mirage in the city of Melbourne. Ideally it will educate, generate debate, and serve as a model for a cheaper, more spirit-lifting form of public housing in our suburbs," the site explains. The Greenhouse is slated to disappear at the end of January—without a trace, of course—but it's scheduled to reappear at the Milan Furniture Fair next year. Seeing is believing, as the old adage goes, and for all the designers and builders that participated on the project, it's a sort of tryvertising as well, giving consumers a firsthand taste of what can be done. One for sustainability pros to emulate in other cities around the world? (Related: Test-sleeping for homebuyers.) Website: www.greenhousebyjoost.com
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After we featured Fiat’s ecoDrive, one of our spotters alerted us to Honda’s Ecological Drive Assist System. Called Eco Assist for short, the system gives feedback on driving techniques, aiming to help consumers save fuel. Eco Assist also helps improve fuel optimization and battery charging. Recognizing drivers’ love of a good challenge, Honda moves the goalposts by rating them on the eco-friendliness of their driving style. At the end of each journey, the instrument panel displays how well they did. One of the system’s smarter features is that it gives feedback by changing colour in real time, avoiding distracting statistics and numbers. Fuel-saving, smooth acceleration and braking are rewarded with a green glow, and aggressive starts and stops are reprimanded in blue. A positive alternative to the dearth of dry save-the-planet communications, the system’s ambient communication makes its message easier to absorb: helpful for those multi-taskers who spend their journeys making phone calls, revising their routes and flipping through MP3s. Honda hopes the constant form of feedback will turn drivers’ good intentions into subconscious habits. The system will be included in Honda’s American Insight hybrid as of spring 2009. Given that the easiest way to save the planet is to change our behaviour, how could your business put customers in touch with their actions? (Related: Visualizing energy use.) Website: www.hondanews.com/categories/1097/releases/4878 Spotted by: Treehugger via Casey Palmer
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All the world may be available online, but there's still something undeniably attractive about the tangibility and portability of print. That's where Tabbloid comes in, with a new service that converts RSS feeds into a printer-ready PDF document. Users of the Hewlett-Packard service begin by entering the URLs for their favourite RSS feeds, their email address and the schedule on which they'd like to receive their magazine—hourly, daily or weekly. Tabbloid will then compile the feeds and email the resulting personalized magazine to them in printer-ready PDF format. Just launched about two weeks ago, Tabbloid's service is free, and no account registration is required. Who says paper is dead? Combine printability with a dash of personalization, and you just may have a winner—especially among travellers and those who simply like to feel what they're reading. One to watch—and try out! (Related: Personalized in-flight magazines — Personalized music mag.) Website: www.tabbloid.com
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Those who have watched with interest the rise of dedicated tryvertising spaces in Asia—including Sampleplaza in Shanghai, which we just recently covered, as well as Club C and Sample Lab in Japan—now have an opportunity to jump into the arena themselves. Sample Lab, which has only been open for a little more than a year, is now seeking franchisees to expand its concept around the globe. Based in Australia and with plans to begin its expansion next year, Sample Lab International is currently in discussions with potential franchisees in more than a dozen countries, and it actively seeks partners in more than 30 others as well. The company offers strong business, marketing, operational and training support; ideal partners are owners of well-established medium-sized to large enterprises with established networks of contacts, infrastructure and resources, it says. Interested parties are invited to fill out Sample Lab's online Expression of Interest Form. Still not sure? Check out our sister site trendwatching.com's briefing on trysumers, and you'll see why tryvertising is the new advertising. Oh, and also see our stories on tryvertising for tykes, in a tube, by mail and through social gatherings. This one isn't going away anytime soon! ;-) Website: www.samplelab-international.com
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There are already a few brands of eco-friendly eyewear out there, ranging from those that simply refurbish old glasses to those with sustainable components or manufacturing processes. Singapore's Nanyang Optical retail chain, however, has recently begun an eco-conversion of its brand through which it will sell only eyewear brands that are significantly green. Three collections of green eyewear are now available in Nanyang stores, including award-winning LinkSkin, Flexis and Urband. LinkSkin glasses, for example, are manufactured to be RoHS-compliant using recycled materials with no lead, mercury, cadmium or soldering. Flexis rimless glasses, meanwhile, are constructed from recycled steel and polymer, also without the use of soldering, and Urband avoids soldering as well. As part of the eco-conversion of its chain of stores, Nanyang has also implemented a full-circle system that accepts old spectacles, contact lens case and solution bottles for recycling. A new look, including bamboo flooring, is part of the chain's rebirth as well. It's one thing for a retailer to offer select green products, but to embrace eco brands to the exclusion of all others and even redesign your whole brand around the concept? That takes eco-iconic to a whole new level—one that will surely cause competitors to turn green as well (from envy, if nothing else). One to bring to eco-minded (and far-sighted) consumers near you....? Website: www.nanyang.com.sg Spotted by: Keetsa via RK
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Bringing motion to 2D pictures and a new lease of life to a retro technology—lenticular printing—Snapily’s new online business turns customers’ own pictures into animated images. The service lets customers upload their own images, choosing which effect to apply: 3D, morph or flip. The ‘moving’ image is then printed on a product of the customer’s choice: greeting card, business card, invitation or notebook. A little further down the line, the company will let users turn a 2-second video clip into a card that plays as it rotates. The US-based service, which is the brainchild of Israeli HumanEyes Technologies, is the only one we’re aware of that offers lenticular printing on-demand, in small runs and at low cost. Prices are comparable to conventional stationary products, with a single greeting card costing USD 3.99 and notebooks sold for USD 15.99. One to bring to other parts of the photo-printing, novelty-seeking, gift-giving world? (Related: Video to flipbook.) Website: www.snapily.com Spotted by: Andrew Borislow
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If ever there was a time of year made for free love, it's the holiday season. Apparently the same thought recently occurred to Manila cafe chain Delifrance, because this year it has launched a citywide Secret Santa campaign through which Filipinos can send each other special holiday treats—for free. Two delectable Delifrance treats have been available for the giving this season: Almond Star Cookies, which were available from Nov. 10 through 23, and now Chocolate Chip Almond Biscotti, which will run through Dec. 7. To send treats, Filipinos need only enter friends' names and email addresses. Each friend is then sent an email with a special coupon that's redeemable at participating Delifrance cafes throughout metro Manila. There is no limit on the number of friends each user can treat in this way. Free love is always a fairly sure way to win consumer goodwill, but when you give it away without limits during the holidays—and in tough economic times? Hard to imagine that could be outdone by anyone other than Kris Kringle himself! How could your brand create some free holiday cheer...? Website: www.mysecretsanta08.com
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Customization isn't just for grown-ups: Build-A-Bear Workshops and Ridemakerz show that that kids are keen on this trend, too. Capitalizing on this, Muppets and FAO Schwartz have teamed up to build the Muppet Whatnot Workshop. For those not familiar with Muppet vocabulary, a Whatnot is a generic extra used in Muppet productions. And the workshop gives customers the chance to design their very own classic hand-rod puppet to their own specification, taking their pick of body style and colour, eyes, nose, hair and outfit. As of late October 2008, customers can drop in at FAO Schwartz’s New York store and design their Muppet of choice using a design kit. Staff assistance is on offer, along with video tutorials delivered by famous muppet characters, displayed on screens around the workshop. Customers watch their Whatnot being constructed, which takes about 20 minutes, before taking it home along with the design kit as a souvenir. Designing and ordering can also be done through FAO’s website. Pricing is USD 110 from the FAO store or USD 90 if designed and ordered online. For USD 130 there’s also the option of the Whatnot gift service, a mail order system that ships a design kit to the recipient and covers manufacturing costs. Gift customers currently have to collect their design from the New York store, although from February 2009 they can submit orders online. The Muppet Whatnot Workshop is a great example of one way that manufacturers can revive interest in age-old products and brands. The engaging user experience that comes from involvement in design still has huge potential for a range of businesses and industries. Website: www.fao.com/custsvc/custsvc.jsp?sectionId=599&WT.mc_id=k157661 Spotted by: Miriam Brafman
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As college students now have their own PA and concierge service, along with expectant parents and the rest of us, it’s no surprise to see another niche being targeted: mothers. Launched by UK based Consider It Done, Mummy PA offers an extra pair of hands for desperate moms, as well as the occasional dad. Offering help with tasks such as buying Christmas presents, ordering flowers or organizing travel plans, Mummy PA works remotely to stay out of clients’ hair and give them as much free time as possible. Working mothers are on the team, equipping staff with insight into clients’ needs and challenges. Two pricing plans are on offer: the ‘Lifeline Subscription’, providing eight hours of service per month for GBP 295 and extra hours available for GBP 35 each. The second is the ‘Now and Again’ package, offering eight hours of service for GBP 325, which can be used as and when the customer needs it. Both plans incur a one off joining fee of GBP 125. With more and more parents unwilling or unable to give up their careers to look after their children, Mummy PA has tapped into an exciting niche. It’s currently only available in the UK, so where will the concept spring up next? And which family-focussed brands might turn it into a brand butlers initiative? Website: www.consider-it-done.co.uk/mummyPA.html Spotted by: Tamara Shand
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Lucky Voice on Soho’s Poland Street in London is already well-known for its private karaoke party rooms, which have proved so popular that the venue has expanded to include three additional locations. Now the chain has expanded even further—right into consumers' living rooms—with a branded karaoke party-planning website and equipment. Lucky Voice Home, which just launched into beta earlier this month, offers more than 6,300 songs that can be streamed into consumers' living rooms for club-quality karaoke fun. Users can create their own, personal playlists by searching Lucky Voice's catalogue or by browsing the lists of their friends. They can also organize private karaoke parties using the site, with features for jointly planning the playlist, sending out invitations and even sharing photos afterwards. For those in need of karaoke equipment, Lucky Voice also offers a Party Box including mic mixer with echo effect and space for two mics, a fluorescent pink microphone and the cables needed to connect it all up via a computer headphone jack and amplified speakers. For a limited time, access to the Lucky Voice Home catalogue is free, but ultimately there will be a monthly charge for access to the complete list; more than 1,000 songs, however, will always be free, the company says. The Party Box, priced at GBP 35, includes a month's subscription to the full Lucky Voice catalogue. If there's anything better than an evening of karaoke in a private bar, it just may be an evening of karaoke with comparable quality—and even the same brand—in one's own home. What insperiences can your brand deliver....? Website: home.luckyvoice.co.uk Spotted by: Marko Balabanovic
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For many urban dwellers, deciding what to have for dinner means deciding which restaurant to visit—a task that's not easy when you live in a place like New York City, with countless eateries to choose from. Eatbite/NYC is a new site that lets users browse through photos of individual dishes at local restaurants to let their craving of the moment dictate where they eat. Eatbite currently features a collection of more than 200 photos of mouth-watering dishes that are served up at restaurants throughout New York City. Users can browse those photos sequentially for inspiration, or they can search by location, price range, landmark (near Columbia University, for example) or food type (Chinese, sushi or pizza, etc.). When they click on a photo of a dish that attracts their attention, the site tells them where to get it along with the price range to expect. Photos are tagged by key descriptors, and users can add comments to photos of any dish. They can also upload photos of their own and link them with restaurants from Eatbite's list. In offering an alternative way to search information that is already widely available, ad-supported Eatbite is in many ways much like Dishola, which we covered earlier this year, but with less of a focus on reviews and more of a focus on photo-based inspiration. It also shares something in common with SeeYourHotel, which offers a slightly different twist on hotel search by focusing narrowly on location. Either way, Eatbite gives people a new way to search and restaurants another way to be discovered. Similar opportunities? On a general level, invite the crowds to contribute content of some kind, focus on a specific search criterion, and keep your costs low by using services like Amazon’s S3 for flexible hosting and Google's AdSense for easy ad income. Now that's a recipe worth sharing! ;-) Website: www.eatbite.com
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Unreliable electricity and spotty internet access are a fact of life in many parts of the developing world—and part of the reason the digital divide still persists today. A new, solar-powered innovation from Florida-based GNUveau Networks, however, is bringing computers and the internet to places that have no connectivity, no phone service and no electricity. Functioning as a sort of "ISP in a box," SolarNetOne is a terminal network system that uses photovoltaic solar electrical systems and a variety of open source technologies to make internet access a reality in the remotest areas. Included in the system are a small-footprint server and five terminals (expandable to as many as 48) that come loaded with web browsing, email, office, multimedia, software development and web development capabilities, with more than 15,000 other applications—including VoIP—to choose from as well. SolarNetOne's terminals operate as thin clients—meaning that the majority of the workload is handled by the server—and the system’s Ethernet hub provides both network connection and electrical power to the terminals and their LCD monitors over a single wire. A power subsystem including an array of photovoltaic solar panels, an advanced charge controller and ample battery storage, meanwhile, provides for all of the electrical needs associated with 24/7 server operation and 8 hours per day of terminal access. Wifi coverage spans a 2-mile radius, with no fuel costs, no polluting emissions and a long lifespan of up to 20 years with proper maintenance. The entire system, in fact, operates on about the same amount of power as a 100-watt light bulb, GNUveau says. The technology has already been installed at Katsina State University in Nigeria, and a video explanation is available here. Helping to bridge the digital divide is undeniably a worthy effort, particularly when it's done in an ecologically responsible way. The SolarNetOne project is open to collaborators; one to sponsor, assist with, or otherwise get involved in? (Related: Open source software for low bandwidth consumers — Solar-powered cellphone kiosks for Ugandan women.) Website: www.solarnetone.org — www.gnuveau.net Spotted by: Kevin Rombe
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