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In the midst of an explosion of information and choice, are consumers missing out on surprise? The team behind Hipstery, a web store for mystery t-shirts, thinks they are. Which is why there are no t-shirt designs to choose from on Hipestry's site. Instead, customers select a size, pay EUR 17 (plus shipping) and answer a series of questions about themselves. The Hipstery's 'style scientists' run the responses to this quiz through their 'innovative style algorithm'—both concepts which the site's irreverent tone would lead us to interpret loosely—to select the right t-shirt from their exclusive range of designs, many of which are out-of-print shirts from small suppliers. Website: www.hipstery.com Spotted by: Andreas Milles |
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Back in 2006 we wrote about cadeaucode.nl, a Dutch site that lets mobile users send each other gifts by text message. Now from across the ocean comes KangoGift, a new site that enables similar capabilities. Launched into beta last week, KangoGift has partnered with a variety of gift retailers starting in its home base of Harvard Square, Mass. Now anyone in the world can visit KangoGift.com to purchase a gift for a friend or loved one in that neck of the woods, providing that person's mobile number in the process. As soon as they place their order, a text voucher for that gift is delivered instantaneously to the recipient, who can then redeem it as soon as they choose. Real-world goods currently on offer through KangoGift include gourmet sweets, foods and flowers, but a selection of free, virtual gifts are available as well. KangoGift hopes to expand throughout the US in the near future. Retailers of gifts and treats: start lining up now! ;-) And for more on real-time commerce, real-time marketing and real-time everything else, check out trendwatching.com's latest briefing on NOWISM. Website: www.kangogift.com |
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One of the ironies of the networked world is that we often end up communicating more frequently with those across the planet than we do with the people living right next door. Stackd is a site that aims to change all that by helping to connect those who work in the same vicinity. Now in beta, Stackd was created by New York-based Supermetric to enable its own neighbouring office workers to get in touch, whether "for business or beers," as the site puts it. Currently focused on Manhattan and Brooklyn, the site is free to use for both individuals and businesses, which are encouraged to list their offices on the site. After signing up with Stackd, users can browse by address through the listings of other businesses in their area, hook up and expand their social network locally. The site explains: "We would like to think that it's the people around you that should be part of your social network: people you meet in the elevator rather than on Facebook, people you follow to the 14th floor instead of on Twitter. Online social networks are great for what they are. We built STACKD to tap the potential of the place you stick around most: the office." We've covered other examples of nethoods, as our sister site calls them—LifeAt is one—but we hadn't yet seen one focusing on office buildings. Either way, the potential benefits—both for users and for local advertisers—are compelling. One to partner with or emulate in an office district near you...? Website: www.stackd.biz |
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If Facebook users can conjure up real-world flowers, candy and drinks from within the social network, then why not give them a way to capture their favourite Facebook images in a real-world photo album? Better yet, why not make it free with a little advertising support? That, indeed, is just what HotPrints does, thanks to a set of new apps for both Facebook and Bebo. HotPrints' new HotBook app gives Facebook and Bebo users a way to bring their social network photos to life. Users simply indicate which images they'd like to include in their 16-page, soft-cover HotBook; there are currently nine themes to choose from in designing the compilation, which can be shipped anywhere in the world. Perhaps best of all, UK-based HotPrints has teamed up with select partners to sponsor one free book per month per customer, including even shipping and handling. Advertisements are included, but not on the same pages as the photos; rather, they're removable full-page inserts. In addition, for every 10 friends who install the HotPrints application, HotPrints credits the user for another free book. Those who would rather skip the ads, meanwhile, can pay USD 2.99—GBP 1.99—for an ad-free version. With more than 300 million active users and 2 billion photos uploaded each month on Facebook alone, it would be difficult to find a better place to give out free photo love. Add to that the examples we've already seen of free photocopies, printing, notepaper, phone calls and notebooks, and the message is clear: there will never be too much free love! Website: www.hotprints.com 
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No word yet as to when the finished product will be available and in which formats. However, it will definitely be available on the web, attracting, at the very least, hits from those who participated in its creation. Claiming to be the biggest fan recreation in the universe, Star Wars Uncut is one of the most amusing attempts at crowdsourcing we've seen so far, with its organizer stating more uncut films are in the works. Will the DIY remake genre be able to sustain itself? For the time being, it's definitely a novel way of getting fans involved, and one to experiment with if you're in the entertainment business. Website: www.starwarsuncut.com Spotted by: swissmiss |
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Empowering citizens to improve their communities, SeeClickFix functions as a hub for residents to report and track non-emergency issues, with the aim of having them resolved by local government and neighbourhood groups. The Connecticut-based venture was inspired in part by UK enterprise FixMyStreet, which we covered in 2007, when it was known as Neighbourhood Fix-It. SeeClickFix expands the model on several fronts. The free problem reporting service benefits from enhanced mobile accessibility in the form of an iPhone app, Twitter and a US toll-free number, helping people to report concerns while on the go. SeeClickFix will match reported problems with potential 'fixers'—users or groups who have signed up to receive updates—according to their location or keyword relevancy. Interested local media and bloggers are also encouraged to syndicate these feeds (which are available in a variety of formats), and to stimulate community engagement by adding Google Maps-based widgets to their own websites. And adding an extra level of interactivity, users can show their support for causes by voting, commenting and sharing. Website: www.seeclickfix.com |
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It wasn't all that long ago that most technology came in just two colours: black and grey. Palette options for laptops have been around for a while now, however, and a new partnership between Dell and nail-polish maker OPI promises to send the list of choices into overdrive. Just in time for the holidays, Dell Mini, Inspiron and Studio laptops will soon be available in colours including “I’m Not Really a Waitress,” “Strawberry Margarita” and “Kyoto Pearl.” Twenty-six new colours will be added exclusively to the current Dell Design Studio palette and pattern options beginning next month in the US, and they will include not just 20 classic OPI colours but also six holiday-themed shades such as “Dear Santa,” “Merry Midnight” and “Smitten with Mittens.” Seasonal shades will vary, and availability in other countries will follow the palette's US introduction. Select OPI colours will also be available at many retailers. Colour choices are Dell's most popular option for its consumer laptops, it says, proving once again that a splash of style can go a long way towards setting contenders apart. Could a bold new palette—and a smart brand partnership—create fresh excitement about *your* product line...? Website: www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/design_studio/en/us/design_studio |
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On most levels, news and the internet are a match made in heaven. Instant publishing, access to a global audience, hyperlinks, multimedia, etc. Nonetheless, many publishers are struggling to create a profitable business based on advertising alone, and are considering moving at least part of their content from free to fee. Aiming to make it simpler for publishers to charge for their content, newly-launched bitcents offers an easy to integrate micropayment system. Instead of each publisher having its own subscription and payment method, readers will be able pay once to access paid content—archived articles, in-depth stories and other types of (premium) material—from all publishers working with bitcents. The company adds an interesting twist: it's inviting developers to create subscriber networks. Each network will recruit its own readers, who will have access to content from all of bitcents' publishers. The idea is that subscriber networks will create their own tools and/or methods of content curation to differentiate themselves from other networks and to attract their own audiences. In return, they'll receive a cut of the revenues created by sending readers to publishers' paid content. (A sample subscriber network can be found here: tppnce.) Of course, for bitcents to work, it will need to attract enough publishers who produce content that readers are willing to pay for. Meanwhile, other ventures—like the soon-to-be-launched Journalism Online—are also working to create a new economic model for the news industry. Keep a close eye on this space—change is in the air, and business opportunities won't be far behind. Website: www.bitcents.com Spotted by: Anne Hansen |
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Social media can instantly connect large numbers of people who share interests and activities. Much like sporting events. The New York Mets are pioneering a way to unite these two forms of public interaction, by bringing social media into the stadium. Beginning this season, a Citi Field big screen will play host to an SMS marketing system that presents a whole new way for sponsors to interact with fans, and fans with each other. Website: www.txtstation.com Spotted by: Mobile Marketer via Judy McRae |
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For many consumers, investing can feel like throwing money into a black box and hoping to see some return on the other side. Aiming to bring increased transparency, personalization and control to the process, Covestor Investment Management has created a new type of account that lets investors follow the trades of the experts with their own managed funds. The new Multi Managed Account (MMA) from CVIM gives clients "access to expert active management like a hedge fund within the security of a managed account," as the company explains it. Essentially, CVIM has recruited a number of proven individual investors with differing styles to manage investment models for others who would like to replicate them. Consumers begin by depositing a minimum of USD 10,000 with New York-based Covestor Ltd., CVIM's parent company and a registered investment advisor. They then complete a questionnaire to assess their tolerance for risk, resulting in a risk score that's used to determine the models they'll be able to choose from—specifically, those with risk scores equal to or lower than their own. From that set, clients select the particular models/investors they would like to follow and with what proportion of their funds. There's no limit to the number of models a client can subscribe to, as long as they put at least USD 5,000 toward each. Once they've made those allocations, the models they've chosen are auto-traded for them, in real time, in their own managed accounts at either TD Ameritrade Holding or Interactive Brokers Group. Clients can manage their accounts at any time using the CV.IM console, which shows their positions, transactions and performance in the models they're subscribed to. Annual fees range between 0.50 percent and 1.5 percent of subscribed funds. The investors managing the models, meanwhile, are compensated for their data based on the number of subscribers they have attracted. There's no doubt that mimicking like-minded twinsumers can benefit anyone—whether in choosing a product or in investing funds, where understanding who's managing those funds also adds a degree of much-needed transparency. In addition, however, CVIM's MMAs are similar to separately managed accounts, an offering that brokerage firms have traditionally offered only to wealthy clients, according to a Wall Street Journal blog. In other words, the mass class trend strikes again! ;-) Website: www.cv.im Spotted by: Fred Wilson |
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Reimagined with inspiration from Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, the boring old TV remote control can now be replaced with a far more entertaining object. Like the Wii remote, the Kymera Magic Wand contains an accelerometer, allowing its holder to use gestures instead of pushing buttons. By putting the wand in learning mode and 'commanding' it with a regular remote control, the Kymera can be programmed to learn up to 13 gestures: rotate clockwise to turn up the volume, for example, or flick right to switch to the next channel. Since the Kymera uses the widely accepted magical powers of infrared technology, it can be programmed to control not just televisions, but also DVRs, stereo sets, laptops (presenting a slide presentation will suddenly become a lot more fun) and other IR-friendly equipment. The Wand Company—which is based in the UK—created a website that will enchant its audience as much as the product does, presenting it on aged paper pages and with illustrations and wording to match the wand's magical qualities. Currently only available online, the Kymera sells for GBP 49.95 and is shipped worldwide. (Packaged, we should add, in a 'faux dragonhide box line with Chinese silk brocade'.) The obvious business opportunity here is to try to get hold of distribution rights, although The Wand Company has already received a great deal of trade interest and states that it will only be selling from its own website for the foreseeable future. The big picture opportunity isn't as easy to execute, but is equally obvious: take an everyday object and turn in into something extraordinary and delightful, and customers will line up at your door. Website: www.thewandcompany.com |
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Vacation rentals require a certain degree of trust, which is why it makes sense for house-swapping services like Creative Caravan to target their offerings at consumers who work in the same industry. Aiming to capitalize instead on the trust shared among Facebook friends, Shared Porch is a Facebook app that lets users list and rent vacation homes through the popular social network. Using Second Porch, Facebook members can list vacation properties for rent or trade and control whether their ad is visible to everyone on the network, or just their friends. Listing a home is free, and those looking for a place can search by map, location, amenities, price or relationship. Not only are they able to see the "face behind the place," as Second Porch puts it, but they can also view detailed descriptions and photos along with comments from past guests. In addition, they can "follow" properties they like and see the recommendations of friends anywhere in the world. Currently there are some 600 listings on the site. Though using Second Porch is currently free, the company plans to introduce a paid service for USD 99 per year that gives owners additional ways to promote their listings, according to a report in TechCrunch. What other kinds of transactions could be improved through a little directed "friendsourcing"...? Website: apps.facebook.com/secondporch — www.secondporch.com |
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It's no secret that skin care products become less effective and even unhygienic with age, yet few companies emphasize the freshness of their merchandise. Los Angeles-based Odacité, however, places manufacturing dates at the forefront of its business, producing freshly-made organic skin care products and leaving out preservatives. Stating that ‘freshness is the key to effectiveness’, Odacité marks each product with a 'Freshiency Date', showing the month of manufacture and the month after which the product will start to degrade. Going against the common practice of letting tubes and jars sit on store shelves, Odacité products are only sold online and made in small batches so they can be shipped to customers immediately. Customers are advised to keep their products in the fridge to help preserve them. To really hit home the brand's point of difference, it even sells a branded mini-fridge. The company claims that there are serious health benefits to its methods, since it can make moisturizers, cleansers, eye creams, etc with as few chemicals as possible. Prices start at USD 45 for a jojoba exfoliant and Odacité ships to France, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada and the US. Odacité isn't the first skin care company to place an increased emphasis on freshness; it resembles a high-end version of Lush, which also manufactures in small batches but sells its products at its own stores around the world. Skin care and cosmetics are a multi-billion dollar industry, so there's plenty of room for targeting carefully defined—and carefully marketed—niches. (Related: Expiration date stickers for cosmetics — Niche-niche skin care — Lush brings back discontinued products on demand.) Website: www.odacite.com Spotted by: Romain Gallard |
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There's little enough gratitude to go around during the best of times, let alone when everyone's being put upon by tough economic conditions. Following in the footsteps of hotel group Sage Hospitality, whose "Give a Day, Get a Night" program to reward volunteers we covered this summer, none other than Disney is gearing up to launch its own equivalent. Much like Sage's effort, the Give a Day, Get a Disney Day program aims to celebrate and inspire volunteerism. Specifically, Disney is working with HandsOn Network to highlight a variety of volunteer opportunities with participating organizations across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. Starting Jan. 1, those who contribute their time need only have it verified by HandsOn; then, in exchange, they'll get a voucher from Disney good for one day admission to a Walt Disney World or Disneyland theme park. Says Disney, "We want to inspire one million people to volunteer a day of service." Since spending on travel and leisure activities is down, along with spending on pretty much everything else, it's a smart move by Disney (and, for those of you outside the US, one that's being heavily promoted through prime-time TV commercials). As laid out in our sister-site's briefing on Generation G, share some love now, and you could win hearts forever. And of course there are immediate bottom-line benefits, too: the entrance tickets may be free, but those volunteering visitors will still be buying food, drinks and merchandise at Disney's parks. Website: disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/WhatWillYouCelebrate/index?name=Give-A-Day-Get-A-Disney-Day |
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As the number of people who are twittering continues to rise, more and more businesses are adding to their existing methods of communicating with (potential) customers. An innovative example was recently introduced by London's eco-taxi service greentomatocars. The company, which we covered when they launched back in 2006, claims to be the first private hire service in the UK to take bookings via Twitter. Users simply send a direct message to @greentomatocars with the booking details, receive a tweet back with a unique booking reference, and wait for a Prius to pull up. Besides using Twitter for bookings, greentomatocars also hopes to encourage debate about environmental issues. Although Twitter hasn't released hard data on how many active users it has, the service seems to be having a profound effect on business-to-customer communication, enabling companies to engage in an immediate, ongoing and intimate conversation with customers and potential customers, creating a better mutual understanding and forging brand loyalty. (For more, see our sister-site trendwatching's briefing on foreverism.) Website: www.greentomatocars.com |
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It's been more than a year since we featured the toy rental service from Texas-based Babyplays, so we were pleased to see that a similar concept has now been launched in Europe. French Dim Dom offers a very similar service, with toy rental options aimed at kids up to 5. Dim Dom offers toys for rent on either a short-term or a subscription basis. Grandparents expecting kids for a holiday visit, for example, are among the intended customers of the short-term plans, as are families hoping to arrange an assortment of toys for the duration of a family vacation. Prices on Dim Dom's short-term packages begin at EUR 49.95 for a selection of five toys for up to a month; all shipping costs are included, and return shipping labels are provided. The company's subscription services, meanwhile, follow a Netflix-like model that begins at EUR 19.95 per month for four toys at once. Toys can be kept as long as 12 months, but they can also be sent back and exchanged for free when children get tired of them. All of Dim Dom's toys are purchased new from official suppliers, the company says, and are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected between uses. When they reach the end of their useful lives, they are donated to charities and families in need. Dim Dom currently delivers only within France, but it's already working on solutions for ownership-shy transumers in neighbouring countries. Website: www.dimdom.fr |
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Of 140 million cell phones sold in the US in 2007, only 10% were recycled, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. That leaves a mounting pile of e-waste to deal with. Offering a solution is EcoATM, an automated reuse-and-recycle machine that makes it easy and financially rewarding for consumers to offload their abandoned electronics. The process is simple: a customer feeds the machine an old mobile phone and it analyses the device and assigns it a value. If the phone has a resale value, the customer receives store credit, or can donate the amount to charity. If there's no resale value, customers can choose to have the handset recycled. The first EcoATM was installed in Omaha, Nebraska, and has already proved successful, with 23 phones collected on the first day. It's likely to hold appeal for retailers and manufacturers too, as the system is designed to facilitate compliance with new federal 'takeback' laws. Althought it currently only takes mobile phones, EcoATM will soon be able to accept a range of consumer electronics including MP3 players, digital cameras and even computers and printers. Similar to the reverse vending machines we covered a few years ago—which make for easy recycling of beverage containers—the EcoATM's combination of convenience and a reward will no doubt appeal to consumers who might otherwise neglect to find a destination for unused gadgets. The incentive for EcoATM is clear: an estimated 12 billion dollars is currently sitting in drawers across America in the form of old phones. (Related: Retail approach to recycling — Incentive-based recycling — Startup buys broken iPods and abandoned GameCubes.) Website: www.ecoatm.com Spotted by: CNET via Judy McRae |
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We wrote about Omlet's do-it-yourself chicken-farming kits back in 2005, and since then interest in urban farming has only gotten stronger. A number of updates on the topic have graced our virtual pages since then, and now Omlet has added do-it-yourself beekeeping to its line of offerings. We've covered urban beekeeping atop a hotel and a department store, but Omlet's Beehaus kit brings the practice back down to earth for individual consumers. The Beehaus comes as a complete hive ready for colonization, with all the parts necessary including honey jars and a comprehensive beekeeping guide. Priced at GBP 465, the Beehaus is available in a choice of colours, and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. An optional starter kit, meanwhile, includes the accessories a first-time beekeeper will need, such as a bee suit, veil, smoker and hive tools. An average, colonized Beehaus will produce 50 jars of honey per year, UK-based Omlet says, with the potential for up to 100kg if things go well. Will consumers tire of producing their own, hand-cultivated food? Survey says no, particularly during these rough economic times. One to bring to sweet-toothed consumers in your part of the global hive...? Website: www.omlet.co.uk |
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Last week, we wrote about SFapps, a San Francisco initiative that invites developers to turn municipal data into useful tools for the city's residents. Not one to be bested, Mayor Bloomberg just launched a similar concept in New York: NYC BigApps, "a software application competition to make New York City more transparent, accessible and accountable, and an easier place to live, work and play." On offer for developers? USD 20,000 in cash prizes, plus dinner with Bloomberg. And, no doubt, some valuable media attention. Developers can use public sets of raw data produced by city agencies, available from the newly-launched NYC Data Mine. Judges for the competition, which is taking submissions until 8 December 2009, include Fred Wilson, Esther Dyson and Jason Calcanis. No word yet on if and how the city will adopt and promote winning apps. Other cities around the world—what are you waiting for? Data isn't just for internal use; time to corral it, keep it up to date, and entice developers to create useful applications for your citizens. Website: www.nycbigapps.com |
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Amidst thousands of online clothing retailers, Market Publique has found its niche. Based in Brooklyn, it aims to attract premium sellers and buyers of vintage fashion. Goods are sold both through auction sales (eBay-style) and fixed prices. Potential sellers fill out a brief application form before joining. Besides selecting those that offer great vintage clothing, Market Publique also ensures they possess necessary skills such as correctly taking measurements. Once a seller is accepted, there's a USD 0.25 charge per listed item, plus a 5% commission fee for each sale. Buyers and sellers receive monthly itemised bills from Market Publique, making it easier to keep track of purchases and sales. Sellers also benefit from the site’s active blog and promotion through advertising in print and on the web. Currently, only women's clothes and accessories are on offer, but men's items and housewares will follow soon. By focusing on one niche and creating an appealing storefront for carefully selected vendors, Market Publique takes the standard online marketplace model and makes it more attractive and reliable for both buyers and sellers. (Related: Online marketplace focuses on mid-century design.) Website: www.marketpublique.com Spotted by: Bonnie Sandy |
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