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It wasn't long ago that we saw the launch of Growth Bridge's subscription service for razor blades, and recently we came across a like-minded approach to men's skin care. Aiming to simplify the purchase process as much as possible, Canadian Bread & Butter offers skincare by yearly subscription with everything most men's skin needs in two seasonal kits. Bread & Butter's 6-piece Winter Kit offers two tubes of both facial cleanser and moisturizer along with one tube of lip balm and one tube of body moisturizer. The 5-piece Summer Kit, on the other hand, includes two tubes of face cleanser, two tubes of SPF 15 facial moisturizer and one tube of shaving gel. All products included meet airline carry-on regulations. Kits can be ordered individually or by yearly subscription for a 12-month supply, with delivery in June and December. Pricing is CDN 49.99 to ship one kit or CDN 84.99 to ship both within Canada; equivalent orders to the U.S. cost CDN 64.99 and CDN 106.99, respectively. All products are Canadian-made and come with a free 60-day return guarantee. Within Toronto, Bread & Butter even accepts the empty tubes back as part of its cradle-to-cradle recycling program. Whether it's razors, skincare products or household necessities, opportunity awaits those who can relieve consumers of the burden of making routine purchases. Bread & Butter, however, delivers only within the U.S. and Canada—one to bring to shopping-averse men in *your* neck of the woods...? (Related: Clothes shopping for men, no store visits required.) Website: www.breadandbutterskincare.com Spotted by: Stephanie Pirishis |
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Much the way Spot Runner and Spotzer aim to make local television advertising easy and affordable, so PlaceLocal strives to deliver a similar result on the web. The PlaceLocal platform, from Connecticut-based advertising technology company PaperG, allows online publishers to automate local ad creation, sales and management. Aspiring advertisers need only type in their business name, and PlaceLocal will automatically search the web for relevant information—including logos, photos, reviews, awards and other information—and then use it to create a customised online advert. Advertisers aren't required to have their own website in order to create an advert—in fact, if they don't have one, PlaceLocal will create one for them. Once generated, the ad is fully editable by the user. The ads can then be booked to appear on partner websites in the same geographic location. In addition to the obvious benefits for advertisers, PlaceLocal can also be used by publishing sales reps to increase new advertising opportunities, PaperG says. Publishers can bill their clients directly or use PaperG's credit card billing system, and a PlaceLocal account provides real-time stats for any ad. (Related: Local TV advertising made easy — Marketplace for custom advertising images.) Website: www.paperg.com/publishers/placelocal.php Spotted by: Cecilia Biemann |
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As the popularity of bikes for transporting people and products grows, innovative pedal-powered designs continue to pop up. Our latest spotting? Vrachtfiets, a new concept by two students at the Delft University of Technology. Primarily created to help people move house without renting a van, the Vrachtfiets is a two-person vehicle. As explained by the bike's designers, moving furniture usually isn't a solo effort, so why not have two people work the pedals, too? The bike also includes an electrical assist, which will be solar-powered in upcoming versions. Having worked on Vrachtfiets for two years, Onno Sminia and Louis Pierre Geerinckx recently presented their final design to their first customer, the city of Delft. Quiet, emission-free and capable of hauling substantial loads, cargo bikes like Vrachtfiets will no doubt become increasingly popular for short-haul urban transport. One to get in on now? (Related: Waitrose using bicycles & carts for greener grocery deliveries — French cargo bikes embark on international expansion.) Website: www.vrachtfiets.nl Spotted by: Martijn Turkenburg |
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One of the keys to e-commerce success is to ensure that customers know exactly what they're ordering. That has been an elusive goal for florists, thanks to fluctuations in flowers' appearance and availability; the result is that customers must typically take it on faith that they'll get something similar to what they saw online. In an effort to bring new transparency to the process, New Zealand florist Roses Are Red emails their customers a digital photo of the very bouquet they ordered, so the purchaser can see exactly what was delivered. The Auckland-based company delivers flowers, plants and gifts throughout New Zealand, with a full 99 percent of deliveries dispatched directly from its offices. If a customer isn't satisfied with what they see in the photograph, Roses Are Red offers a full replacement guarantee. Roses Are Red has been offering this digital photo service since they went online back in 2001, but few other florists have followed their lead. Nevertheless it's a safe bet that others will be compelled to do so soon, since consumers are increasingly demanding unprecedented transparency in everything from ski slopes to real estate agents. Could you be the first to enjoy transparency triumph in your area? Website: www.rosesarered.co.nz |
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Back in 2007 we covered Jott, a voice-to-text dictation service available from any cell phone. Since then, Jott has expanded their service offerings to include Jott Voicemail, which allows users to receive their voicemail as email and text messages; Jott for Salesforce, which allows business managers to call and update their salesforce from the road; and a voice-to-text conversion iPhone app. However, Jott isn’t alone in this field. UK-based transcription company dictate2us last month launched their d2u Transcriber app, a fully integrated digital transcription system for iPhones and iPod touch. The d2u app allows its users to dictate notes directly into their device and upload the audio to d2u's team of typists, who then transcribe it. Transcriptions are returned by email as Microsoft Word documents, normally within the hour for files less than five minutes long. The app is free to download from Apple iTunes stores. Users are charged GBP 1.50 per recorded minute for the transcription from audio to text. These apps are shining examples of the opportunities that the iPhone provides as a mobile computing device, and also of the possibilities for adding revenue-driving services to mobile applications. As consumers live increasingly mobile lifestyles, what on-the-go productivity services will we see next? Website: www.dictate2us.com/app/ |
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Back in 2008 we wrote about Arne Hendriks's plan to create a crowdsourced restaurant in Amsterdam. As of December, the resulting eatery—called by its founders "the world's first open source restaurant"—has now opened. At the Instructables Restaurant, which launched as a pop-up event at the historic Theatrum Anatomicum of the Waag in Amsterdam, patrons receive not only creatively-cooked food but also instructions for preparing everything they see, eat and use—including the furniture. For example, someone seeking the recipe for the Tom Kha Gai soup they just enjoyed can either claim it at the restaurant or download it online; and anyone interested in making their own versions of the restaurant's recycled 50-gallon barrel chairs can do likewise. Everything in the restaurant derives from Instructables, a web-based documentation platform where people share their expertise with others, whether it's cooking, pottery or woodworking. Even the instructions for creating the restaurant itself are now available on Instructables.com. Is this a model to emulate for MIY (make-it-yourself) fans in your part of the world? (Related: Crowdsourced restaurant taps local community — Restaurant lets patrons make their own pancakes — Open source eco-car, designed by wiki.) Website: www.instructablesrestaurant.com |
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There are few things we love more at Springwise than to see formerly drab and utilitarian products reborn with a splash of style. We've already seen that happen with fire protection kits, for example; now, another case in point is California-based *emera, which has targeted the practical (but often ungainly) camera bag. *emera's 'Modern' and 'Quilted' tote lines are designed to be elegant but functional equipment bags for fashion-conscious urban photographers. Strongly built and water resistant, the bags are structured and padded to protect delicate photographic gear. Inside are modular dividers that can be arranged to suit the size and shape of cameras, lenses and accessories. The bags also feature internal compartments for small items such as memory cards, and have exterior pockets at each end. Prices are USD 149 for the canvas-exterior design (which comes in a choice of colours), and USD 169 for the quilted design. *emera is now accepting wholesale orders, so retail camera shops around the world may want to start getting in line. Or are there other utilitarian goods that you could transform with a little flair for fashion? (Related: Puzzle books given a design makeover — Toilet seat covers, upgraded — Chic vomit bags for morning-sick moms.) Website: www.emerabags.com Spotted by: Amy Leung
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Companies are catching on to the fact that bloggers can provide an effective way to create buzz about their brands. We've seen several efforts that explicitly recognise that fact, such as TasteCasting for restaurants and YokmoK's free travel giveaways. Bringing the notion into the world of new consumer products is Swagapalooza, an invitation-only event that gives influential bloggers free samples of new products. Created by Bay Area startup Launch Hear, Swagapalooza aims to give entrepreneurs a way to get their producs in front of the most-followed bloggers and tweeters from across the United States. The first event was held in New York in September last year. At it, brands including Surprise Industries, Idea Paint and Switch2Health—which, coincidentally, we just covered—had the chance to make presentations to the select audience of 100 bloggers, 20 Twitterers and 5 Redditors. In exchange for their participation, the audience members were entitled to free samples of any of the products being presented. A detailed review of the event is available on AdAge. Swagapalooza's next event will occur in March in San Francisco, and Launch Hear is currently seeking both bloggers and companies with new products to show off. One to try out in your next promotional campaign? Or how about launching something similar elsewhere? (Related: Blogger helps connect consumers and brands — Food blogger turned intermediary & purveyor.) Website: www.swagapalooza.com Spotted by: Jody Turner |
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There are ever more connections being forged between the online and offline worlds, as we've been noting regularly for years. We've already seen T-shirts printed with scannable QR codes, and now a Pennsylvania startup is adding flexibility to the concept by putting the codes on patches that can be affixed practically anywhere. Pennsylvania-based Tikaro Interactive now offers a series of 2-by-4-inch, Velcro-backed patches with a “mysterious commando” design on top and a QR code on the bottom. The code on each p8tch, as they're called, is actually a URL that can be scanned with a smartphone. Initially it directs scanners to the domain “p8t.ch,” but patch owners can set the redirect target of the URL to whatever page they wish, much like with TinyURL or other URL shortening services. Bloggers, for instance, can redirect the code to their blog; videographers can send it to their latest YouTube video. Users can change the target URL as often as they like. Each patch costs USD 19.95, including one waterproof, machine-washable patch along with two rectangles of Velcro “loop” fabric for attachment to a jacket, backpack, laptop sleeve or other visible spot. Also included in the price are a pass phrase for redirecting the patch's target URL and two .png files of the associated QR code. Just as consumers have long used real-world products and brands to tell the world who they are, so too have online destinations come to play a similar role. The opportunity? Create a digital lifestyle lubricant that lets users flaunt their online affiliations in the offline world, and you may receive some nice lifestyle lubrication in return! ;-) (Related: Google window decals link online & off for retailers — Bumper stickers recruit Twitter followers in traffic — Electronic business card forges online connections.) Website: www.p8t.ch Spotted by: Jeremy Pope |
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We've seen numerous web services aimed at small businesses, including an automated phone system, an online exchange and—most recently—a trove of marketing ideas. It wasn't until earlier this week, however, that we came across one targeting farms. That's just what Pittsburgh-based Small Farm Central does, though, with a service that helps farmers create websites for their farms. Small Farm Central's core service provides farms with a website, email addresses, a domain name, photo upload capability, page creation, template customisation and more through an easy-to-use control panel. Additional features include phone support, mailing list handling, a blog service and image editing help. An optional e-commerce extension provides a shopping cart and order processing functionality right inside the farm's site, while Small Farm Central's Member Assembler component is a member management platform for community-supported farms. Pricing for core service plans begins at USD 18 per month, while e-commerce options begin at USD 9 each month. Some 250 farms across the United States and Canada now use Small Farm Central to tell their stories, sell their produce and build community among their customers, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently reported. A model to bring to other parts of the world? (Related: Remote farming: tailor-made, no-fuss vegetable gardens.) Website: www.smallfarmcentral.com Spotted by: Jim Stewart |
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A recording project from the Netherlands has introduced a novel way to record music showcasing collaborations between new artists from different parts of the world. Every two months, In A Cabin With invites one or more Dutch musicians to travel to an inspiring location somewhere in the world—a farmhouse in Sweden, a wooden house in northern Thailand or a church in Ottawa, for example—to write, produce and record an album in collaboration with some of the area's own musicians. The recorded material is mixed and mastered in an Amsterdam studio, and an upcoming artist and/or graphic designer is invited to design the album artwork. Several of the artists involved in the sessions have subsequently been offered their own record deals. The CDs are distributed by V2 music and can also be ordered through the In A Cabin With website. Best of all, the concept comes with a generous side of free love: all the In A Cabin With albums are also available as free downloads. One to emulate outside the Netherlands, harnessing the talent of upcoming musicians or other artists? (Related: Free accommodation for visiting creatives.) Website: www.inacabinwith.com Spotted by: Marc Frencken |
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There are job sites galore serving workers and employers around the world, but Spanish Jobsket offers an interesting twist. Specifically, in addition to hosting candidates' CVs and connecting them with open positions, it also estimates their worth on the local market. With sites targeting both Spain and Ireland, Jobsket allows candidates to upload their CVs without having to alter the format to fit into predefined templates; rather, the site preserves the original appearance as it converts them into Flash. Working from a database of salaries in various jobs and locations, Jobsket then uses a proprietary algorithm to estimate the value of a given CV in a particular role and market given the candidate's background and training. Candidates can decide how public they want their CV to be, including hiding their personal data and worth if they wish; they can also embed it in a website or blog and share it through sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Companies with jobs to fill, meanwhile, can post their openings on Jobsket; potential candidates can then request email alerts about relevant opportunities, and manage their applications through the site. Jobsket is free for employees; companies wishing to post jobs are charged a fee starting at EUR 15.95 per month. Jobsket aims to reach an 85 percent accuracy rate in estimating the worth of 90 percent of CVs—whether it achieves that yet isn't entirely clear, as TechCrunch Europe reports. Nevertheless, it's an interesting concept, and one that will doubtless be refined over time. One to partner with or to emulate in a job market near you...? (Related: Jobs site focuses on finding & reviewing 'great bosses' — Job site for working parents — Job site for high earners — New job for online video: recruitment.) Website: www.jobsket.es Spotted by: Tais Reis |
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