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Last month, we reported on Milk Made: a Manhattan members club for artisanal ice cream. Operating on the same principle—food produced in small batches and delivered locally to pre-paying customers—is Dulcinea. The young baked-goods company, also based in New York, delivers 'a wholesome indulgence' every Wednesday. Customers subscribe per month, paying USD 28 per week. Past deliveries include six jumbo rhubarb muffins, a blueberry lemon pound cake, and a half dozen strawberry scones. Dulcinea uses produce from local farms, choosing organic and sustainably produced ingredients as much as possible. Like the roaming restaurants we've covered, the subscription/members model used by Dulcinea and Milk Made is a great way for fledgling entrepreneurs to get a foothold in the food business, creating a steady income and a client base for other parts of their business (Dulcinea, for example, also does catering). Entrepreneurial foodies in other cities—what are you waiting for?! ;-) Website: www.dulcineabaking.com Spotted by: Danielli Alejos |
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Real-time price search has arrived, and with it some unexpected bonus features for consumers. German site Apnoti claims to have the first search engine to index prices for the German, American and French markets in real time. Currently in beta launch, the engine crawls over 65 million items in more than 10,000 affiliated stores for each and every search request, presenting users with a comparison of products' price trends over the past four weeks and current prices, accurate (in theory) to the past few seconds. Apnoti differentiates itself from other price comparison services which usually rely on daily updates by their operators, claiming that these services cannot cope with the price fluctuations that often occur throughout the day. Website: www.preispanne.de Spotted by: Susanna Haynie |
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UK consumers spend some GBP 315 million on sex products each year, according to retailer LoveHoney, but not all towns spend equally. Thanks to LoveHoney's new UK Sex Map, it's now plain for all to see which areas invest the most in their erotic lives. In creating its Google Maps-based tool, LoveHoney began by taking an anonymous sample of more than 500,000 orders placed at its online store. It then aggregated that data into regions that match population statistics from the UK Census and added in data representing sales from other retailers and manufacturers. The result is the UK Sex Map, which shows annual per-capita spending on sex products for towns with populations of 10,000 people or more. The map is updated monthly, and all data are anonymised and aggregated, so no personally identifiable information can be seen. Instead, heat-map colours reveal a town's spending habits at a glance, with green representing areas that spend about the same as the national average, dark blue indicating those that spend a lot less, and red and white flagging hot points. Also visible, meanwhile, are the particular types of items the various towns are spending on—vibrators or condoms, for example—with links for quick purchase on LoveHoney's site. Users can scroll through the map for browsing purposes, or they can search by town name or postal code; included on the map, not surprisingly, are also sex-related establishments in each town. LoveHoney invites proprietors of such places to list their businesses for inclusion on the map, while users themselves can make their own recommendations. Customer involvement appears to be an ongoing strategy at LoveHoney—it's also in the midst of a contest to design a new sex toy—but its sex map promises to directly increase sales as well, both its own and those of listed businesses. It's all thanks to today's sophisticated and cheap (if not free) online mapping tools and databases, which make it easier than ever to display information in map format. Time to see what Google Maps could do for *your* bottom line! ;-) (Related: Nightlife mapping tool uses GPS to reveal hotspots — Crowds create heat maps of hot gigs at music fest.) Website: www.lovehoney.co.uk/sexmap |
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While consumer pressure is managing to push some businesses towards social responsibility, competition will favour those companies that can leverage good deeds to increase their bottom line. That means reliable, unbiased good news has to reach consumers, and eventually influence their purchase decisions. Denver-based Tuggl aims to facilitate just that, by bringing consumers and nonprofits together to rate and review businesses so that companies who display a commitment to both the community and their customers get the recognition they deserve. The site further aids nonprofits by enabling them to track how much their positive reviews benefit their benefactors, making it easier for charities to present their side of the bargain to other potential corporate donors. It's this kind of concrete return-on-investment data that Tuggl hopes will prove to companies that "doing good can be good for business". Currently, the site is focusing on the Denver/Boulder area—where 130 local charities have already recognized over 1,300 local businesses—although listing is open to businesses and nonprofits in other places. (Related: Crowd clout meets eco persuasion — The Goodness 500.) Website: www.tuggl.com Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann 
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Prompted by a satisfied customer who claimed he'd be even happier if he didn't have to hold on to a piece of paper for five years to retain the warranty on his new espresso machine, Henrik Peter Reisby Nielsen saw a gap in the market: digital storage for all of the guarantees and warranties that consumers accumulate alongside their purchases. Reisby Nielsen, a fourth-generation Danish retailer of cookware and home furnishings, launched the Garanti Hotel to help solve the common annoyance of product paperwork that piles up but can't be found when it's actually needed. Consumers who sign up with Garanti Hotel can upload their warranties and access them online whenever and wherever they're needed—at home or when bringing in a product for repair. While retailers don't have to participate in the scheme for consumers to save documents, Garanti Hotel is encouraging them to sign up in order to streamline the endeavour, ideally enabling stores to send documents straight to a consumer's Garanti Hotel account. The company doesn't sell warranties or get involved with the fine print; its sole purpose is to provide a consolidated storage space for buyer protection documents. The firm's ultimate goal is to have a wide range of retailers offer Garanti Hotel as a valuable service to their customers, both in Denmark and internationally. Considering most stores have their own priorities when it comes to providing guarantees, it won't be easy to persuade them to add another step to their sales process. However, considering the potential gains for consumers, this notion is one to look into if you're in retail. Website: www.garantihotel.com Spotted by: Claus Schioldann von Eyben |
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It's been less than a year since the launch of Stack, the curated subscription service that samples a variety of independent magazines each month. We covered the UK-based service last December, just after it launched, so were pleased to learn recently that it's already expanding to North America. Just to recap, the original Stack service offers readers a choice of receiving six, eight or 12 issues delivered each year. Subscribers never know exactly which magazines they'll get in any given month because Stack selects what it sees as the best issue from among a roster of multiple indie magazines, including UK-based Bad Idea and Electric Sheep, and Netherlands-based Foam. Now, with the launch of Stack America this week, the service is available in a version tailored to American consumers as well. The magazines sent out by Stack America will be different from those chosen for the original Stack service, focusing primarily—but not exclusively—on magazines made in the US, Canada and South America. The first delivery will go out in early January, Pricing for delivery of six magazines per year is USD 71.99 for the US, USD 119.99 for Canada, USD 139.99 for Mexico and USD 159.99 for the rest of the world. Andrew Losowsky, CEO of New England-based Stack America, explains: "There’s a huge wealth of independent magazines made in America, and there are lots of readers who want to get hold of them. But there are problems of marketing and distribution—small magazines find it hard to promote themselves effectively, and with many Americans living out of reach of a good magazine store, it can often be impossible for people to discover and pick up new titles." Like Meatpaper, which will be the first magazine that Stack America sends out. Similar in many ways to the curated offerings we recently covered from Hipstery and ShoeDazzle, ad-supported Stack may just have hit upon a model that will make independent magazines sustainable. The company's expansion to the US, meanwhile, "paves the way to more franchises in the future," founder Steve Watson says. One to bring to independent readers in *your* neck of the woods...? Website: www.stackmagazines.com |
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A new store in Tokyo encourages sellers and buyers of secondhand objects to share 'personal culture' along with the goods that are changing hands. Pass the Baton, which opened in the Marunouchi district last month, lists previous owners as 'exhibitors', complete with their photo and a short bio. Their personal page on Pass the Baton's website shows the items they're selling, have sold and will sell in the future. Kazuko Okuma, for example, is selling a number of items from her travels abroad, including a golf trophy that she won in South America, and sold a bag bought for a dance in Monaco. The store's web manager, Kelly Kikuchi, explains the reasoning behind Pass the Baton: "My generation facilitated both the evolution of simple resale into 'vintage', and the rise and plateau of internet auctions. Back then, it was about economy, discovery, curiosity. Now, it is about expanding, exploring the meaning and relevance of second-hand." Pass the Baton is an attractive concept on various levels: the strong story element not only adds value for potential buyers, but might also make it easier for sellers to part with their possessions, knowing that an object's story is carried along with it. And while the items they're selling probably aren't those they value most, displaying a person's collection of things underscores the role of consumers as curators and gives buyers a peek into their life, as well as the opportunity to see whether their tastes align. It's a retail concept that should appeal to authenticity-seeking consumers everywhere—time to bring it to other parts of the world? Website: www.pass-the-baton.com Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann |
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There's nothing like a little surprise and mystery to spark fresh interest in a company or product, and we've recently seen a spate of companies that are putting that idea to work. Hipstery and ShoeDazzle are two examples from the world of fashion, and recently we came across one in publishing: Fourth Estate, a UK imprint of HarperCollins that recently challenged its readers to guess which authors wrote the anonymous stories in a new collection. HarperCollins is no stranger to involving the crowds, as we've already seen via Authonomy, its recent crowdsourcing effort. Now there's Anonthology, a collection of nine short stories written by a variety of Fourth Estate authors and published earlier this year as part of Fourth Estate's 25th anniversary celebration. The trick is that while the authors' names are on the cover of the collection, they're not associated with the stories themselves; rather, it's up to readers to guess which one wrote which story. Joyce Carol Oates, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Patrick Gale are among the authors represented in the collection, which is available both in print and online. (Of particular interest to regular Springwise readers is that the online version is powered by Issuu, which we covered last year.) UK-based readers of the free publication could take their best shot at matching the people with the prose, as long as they did so before midday today. The winner—drawn randomly from all correct entries received—will win a complete set of five Fourth Estate 25th Anniversary special edition books. The company's website explains: "The Anonthology is an experimental project to assess the importance placed on name and reputation over quality of writing. Amongst the writers contained within we have Orange and Genius Prize winners, Booker and Pulitzer Prize nominees. We have one author who’s sold over half a million copies, another who’s written over fifty books. But can you tell which is which? And how does it change the reading experience, not knowing if the author is young or old, male or female?" Of course, it's also a compelling way to engage consumers and increase both awareness and involvement in the company and its products. One to spend a quick brainstorm session on: how can your company add a splash of mystery or surprise to its own story or offerings...? (Related: Author's next thriller will be cowritten by the crowds.) Website: www.anonthology.com Spotted by: Katherine Noyes |
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As attractive as those tight-fitting workout clothes might be, there's not much room to carry a notebook and pencil. With this in mind, Gym Technik created a digital tool that allows fitness buffs to track workouts and analyse their progress using something they're likely to have with them anyway: their phone. Users can set up a Gym Technik account online at home, and then use their smartphone to access routines and data while at the gym, where they can also input data on weights, sets and reps, and track their performance with progress charts and graphs. Collected data can be submitted to Gym Technik's personal trainers for advice about achieving fitness goals, and users can access an extensive library of trainer-approved workouts. Gym Technik guarantees that its basic edition will remain free, but is working on a premium (paid) service. While similar apps are available for the iPhone, there's still room for entrepreneurs to create mobile offerings beyond the App Store, helping consumers track and improve progress towards fitness or other goals, from weight loss and healthy eating to academic development and finance. Website: www.gymtechnik.com Spotted by: Sharad Mohan |
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The global recession has hit the Irish economy harder than most. But help is at hand, albeit from an unlikely source: ChinesePod, the online learning platform, is offering free and unlimited Chinese lessons to the people of Ireland until May 2010. The company, co-founded by Irishman Ken Carroll, believes that providing this linguo-cultural inroad to the world's most potent economy could be effective towards Ireland's long-term economic recovery. ChinesePods's timing is spot on: this year marks the 30th anniversary of Sino-Irish diplomatic relations, and beginning May 1st next year, the Irish pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo will open its doors. To receive their free ChinesePod voucher, Irish residents need to send an SMS to the company from a +353 mobile phone number before 31 October 2009. They'll then get access to daily lessons, podcasts, iPhone and Android apps, online discussion boards and Skype-based teaching from Mandarin experts. ChinesePod is hoping to further stimulate the buzz by inviting Irish users to take videos of anyone and everyone Irish saying "Ni hao!" (hello), or photos of the phrase posted in unlikely locations around Ireland, and upload them to the company's Facebook page. Website: www.chinesepod.com/ireland Spotted by: Pam Lao |
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Sports apparel is a huge industry dominated by a few giant brands. So it's refreshing to see a small company from Arlington, Virginia gathering support across the United States. Which is probably due to Atayne’s unique angle: its athletic clothing is made from trash. Atayne uses recycled polyester (from post-consumer plastic bottles) and recycled cotton. For odor control, fabrics are treated with naturally-derived chitosan. The concept for Atayne's product line was born when founder Jeremy Litchfield discovered that his traditional red running shirt contained petroleum, dioxins and other potentially harmful chemicals that might be absorbed by his body when he perspired. Which sparked the idea for a performance apparel company that would put people and the planet first, instead of solely focusing on convenience and aesthetics. Not only does Atayne’s approach mean less waste in landfills and less energy used manufacturing materials, it's also likely to attract enthused and loyal customers who'd rather sport one of Atayne's eco-proud slogans than a mega-brand's logo. (Related: Recycled plastic bottles into graduation gowns.) Website: www.atayne.com Spotted by: Maria Deyell |
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Toronto's Beach Solar Laundromat shows how a fresh, sustainable approach can revitalize a small business. As part of a heating system overhaul in 2002/3, the laundromat's 70-year-old building was retrofitted with eight solar thermal panels that now heat its water. The refurbished system has reduced natural gas consumption by 30%. Electricity consumption per washload has fallen by the same amount, and the remaining electricity now comes from hydro and wind power. While the concept of a solar-powered laundromat may not be unique, it's still far from common. And all of the above should send a clear message to small businesses everywhere: clean up your energy and the cash will follow. Website: www.bslvideo.com Spotted by: June Avila |
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Users of Los Angeles-based ShoeDazzle begin by taking a fashion survey, the results of which are used to guide the company's personalized shoe selections. Each month, ShoeDazzle's personal stylists then send the user an email with five new shoe choices, handpicked to suit her personality and fashion preferences. The user simply logs into the site to select the pair she wants, and it gets shipped out for free. Monthly membership costs USD 39, which covers the shoes and shipping. Members can skip a month's selections, in which case they won't be charged; they can also return or exchange shoes they don't like. ShoeDazzle currently ships only within the United States and Canada, but it's a safe bet that fashion-minded consumers in other parts of the world would also appreciate some monthly shopping guidance, for shoes, clothes or accessories. (Related: Clothes swapping meets Netflix — T-shirt subscription based on news stories.) Website: www.shoedazzle.com |
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Penzu is an online diary and personal journal that is focused on privacy. The core component of Penzu's interface is what it calls "the pad," resembling a sheet of blank journal paper. Users begin by signing up—basic use is free. After that they can begin writing immediately on the pad, and Penzu saves their work automatically. Entries can be searched, sorted, filtered, renamed or discarded at any time, and photos can be uploaded from the user's computer or from Flickr. Most distinguishing of all, however, is that all entries made on the site are private by default, with an additional password-protection option for those who desire it. When users do decide to share their work, they can do so via email or a public link that opens it up to comments. The basic service is free, and there's also a premium version (Penzu Pro) that's priced at USD 19 per year. For that price, users get additional features including military-grade security and importing from LiveJournal. While most blogging tools—from WordPress to Tumblr—let users keep their entries private, Penzu could well appeal to audiences that view privacy is a top concern. Diarists in 170 countries currently use Penzu, the company says, but the service is available only in English. One to partner with on a localized version for your part of the world...? Website: www.penzu.com |
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When we recently reported on Verizon's sponsorship of the New York Mets' interactive big screen, we noticed that the telecom giant is also bringing social media to the small screen, with a Twitter widget for its FiOS fiber optic TV service. The widget, freely available to all FiOS subscribers, is displayed on one half of the TV screen, allowing viewers to continue watching their favourite show while following a related feed or discussing it with their followers on Twitter. Website: www.verizon.com/fios Spotted by: Duncan Rickelton |
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There's no doubt solar energy is a compelling alternative to fossil fuels, but implementing it has traditionally meant installing the standard, costly and ungainly solar panel. SRS Energy's dual-purpose roof tiles offer one way to get around that requirement; now another comes in the form of thin, flexible solar sheets that can be integrated with architectural building materials. Iowa-based PowerFilm makes low-cost foldable and rollable solar panels in which the solar technology is monolithically integrated in a polyimide substrate that's flexible and durable, yet as thin as 0.025mm. With an absorber layer made of amorphous silicon, PowerFilm solar panels use as little as 1 percent of the amount of silicon used in traditional solar panels; they're also cadmium-free. Since 2005 the company has been using its technology to manufacture solar field shelter tarps for military applications, and now it's developed the ability to combine it with standard building materials as well. Standing seam metal roofing, single-ply elastomeric membrane roofing and architectural fabric can all be combined with PowerFilm's flexible paneling for a variety of low-cost, building-integrated solar applications. In such uses, the electricity generated by the solar panels is stored in local batteries and converted to 110 AC for general wall outlet use or—in some cases—used directly for low-voltage lighting systems. The buildings can be either off-grid or grid-connected. PowerFilm recently completed a 10-kilowatt demonstration and evaluation project on metal roofing, and is now in the final stages of developing the technology. PowerFilm also makes a variety of portable solar chargers—one of which won second place in the Mobile CE Fashion & Lifestyle Products competition at CTIA Wireless 2009—and it manufactures for OEM and custom orders as well. The lightweight and durable nature of its thin paneling, meanwhile, seems eminently suitable for use in the developing world. One to get in on early for the application of your choice...? Website: www.powerfilmsolar.com Spotted by: Katherine Noyes |
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The 'product life story labels' we've covered in the past—from spinach to sheep—were mainly about sustainability and unearthing the softer sides of authenticity. With BarcodePlus, on the other hand, traceability is being put to work to protect consumers and profit margins. One to keep an eye on if you operate in markets flooded with knockoffs! Website: www.barcodeplus.com.hk Spotted by: Judy McRae |
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The world of iPhone apps is increasingly crowded. And while there are several that help users to find convenient meeting points, MeetMe is the first one to integrate both Google Maps and Yelp reviews. In order to find an appropriate meeting location, users input Point A and Point B, and the type of venue they'd like to meet at. For instance, users can pinpoint the best sushi restaurant halfway between Boston and Philadelphia, or a romantic hotel between York and Manchester. The USD 1.99 app then provides a list of suitable locations complete with Yelp recommendations. Once a location is selected, MeetMe emails both parties a map complete with driving directions. If users prefer to meet closer to one point or the other, the distances can be adjusted. MeetMe points out that the app can also help plan road trip stopping points. MeetMe works worldwide and, according to reviews, has fewer accuracy problems than most mapping apps. It's also ad-free, so users can be sure the recommendations they're receiving aren't promos in disguise. In theory, the app could help cut down on miles traveled because both parties will be encouraged to drive the shortest possible distance, instead of relying on meeting points that are familiar to both, but might not be most efficient. Mobile applications like MeetMe aren't just convenient tools for consumers—if widely adopted, smart navigation can reduce miles travelled and hours spent on the road. It can also help prevent congestion by feeding commuters real-time and predictive road data about potential traffic jams. As our everyday tools become ever more sophisticated at navigating cities, opportunities abound for entrepreneurs than can help us unlock location-based data in useful and intuitive ways. Website: www.aboutmeetme.com Spotted by: Adam Finkle |
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This Smarter Cities post is supported by IBM. Read more about building a smarter planet on IBM's
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Starting today, Canadian credit union Servus is handing out CDN 200,000 in ten-dollar bills, giving 20,000 people the opportunity to create a Feel Good Ripple by giving that money to someone else. Servus is asking customers "How will you use ten dollars to make someone's day?" Suggestions include 'buy flowers for the grocery store cashier', 'buy the coffee for the person behind you in line at the drive-thru' and 'give $10 to a homeless shelter to pay for lunch or dinner supplies'. By pledging CDN 200,00 to the effort, the company hopes to start a ' kindness movement' that will positively affect at least 20,000 people. Servus is distributing the bills through its branches throughout Alberta, and asking participants to write up stories of their kindness—monetary or otherwise—on feelgoodripple.ca. By sharing their experience online or at a branch, participants have a chance to win one of ten CDN 500 donations to a charity of their choice. While the contest will end on December 1st, Servus hopes the Feel Good Ripple will continue long afterwards. This type of sponsored charity—actively seeking customers' collaboration—is meant to underline the cooperative mindset of credit unions (as opposed to, say, banks). It's a prime example of a company applying the principles of Generation G, as our sister-site trendwatching.com calls the societal and business shift to a more generous mindset. (Related: Grocer lets customers direct its community giving — Customers deliver donated TOMS shoes.) Website: www.feelgoodripple.ca — www.servuscu.ca |
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Voltage optimization technology has been around for years, providing a way to cut energy costs and carbon emissions by reducing a building's incoming voltage and maintaining it at a stable level. Whereas traditionally the technology's costs have been prohibitive for all but large organizations, recently a British company created a low-cost device that puts it within reach of everyday consumers. VPhase's namesake device, which was developed in conjunction with Liverpool University, gets fitted by an electrician next to a home's fuse box and operates on socket outlets and lighting circuits. From there, it optimizes the incoming voltage to a constant 220V in the UK, giving homeowners energy savings throughout the house without requiring any changes to their behaviour. The amount of energy saved will vary depending on the incoming voltage and type of appliances in the house, the company says, but typical savings include a 17 percent reduction in the electricity consumption of fridges and freezers, and 15 percent savings on lighting and central heating pumps. VPhase CEO Lee Juby explains: “Many electrical appliances will work more efficiently and use less electricity at a much lower voltage. If every household in the UK used voltage optimization, a typical home could save carbon emissions of 270kg every year—the equivalent of taking 2.3 million cars off the road." Currently available only within the UK, VPhase is priced at GBP 299 including VAT and delivery. Its maker is working with Scottish & Southern Energy and Ofgem to determine the product's lifetime CO2 savings. It's also working with British Gas to market the product through British Gas’s existing supply channels. One to partner with and localize for other parts of the world? (Related: Home energy monitoring, delivered by Google — Visualising energy use — Energy meters get tweeting — Smart thermostat is always online.) Website: www.vphase.com |
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