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Matching outfits for twins aren't new, but Spanish children’s clothing brand TOT-a-LOT adds a splash of innovation and individuality with clothes for twin babies and toddlers that are matching, yet different. Designed to respect twin attachment and at the same time cultivate individuality, TOT-a-LOT’s matching sets include two garments with individual designs that complement each other in aspects such as patterns, prints, colours or concepts. The full impact of each design becomes apparent when viewed alongside the outfit worn by the other twin. Many of the designs incorporate playful, stimulating elements such as fish embroideries that open their mouth, lions that roar and donkeys with swinging tails. Launched in December, TOT-a-LOT caters for newborn to four year-olds with a range that includes onesies, pyjamas, dungarees, t-shirts, bibs, sleeping bags and bundled newborn sets. Prices start at EUR 19 for a pair of bibs. One to partner with or build on with individualistic twin-targeted designs of your own...? (Related: Buy a onesie, donate one to a baby in need — Baby clothes rental service.) Website: www.tot-a-lot.com Spotted by: Leticia Pérez Prieto |
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Few things please us more here at Springwise than seeing a good idea spread, and recently we had occasion to observe just that. Similar in many ways to RelayRides, which we covered earlier this year, DriveMyCar is bringing the P2P car-sharing concept to Australia. DriveMyCar is an online rental marketplace that facilitates private car rentals for a weekend, a week, a month or even a year. Car owners begin by listing their car online—the fee is AUD 25 per car per year, and each listing can include up to 5 photos as well as specifying the minimum acceptable driving history for prospective renters. Those seeking to rent a car, meanwhile, can join for free and immediately begin browsing through the hundreds of options available throughout Australia. When a prospective renter books a car, the owner receives a booking notification via email and SMS; he or she can then view the driver's profile—which includes a record of their driving history—and accept or reject it. If the request is approved, DriveMyCar automatically generates a lease-out agreement. Renters pay an AUD 20 booking fee when their request is accepted, while owners are responsible for a 15 percent commission on the total rental value, which varies with the make, model and year of the car; that commission and the cost of DriveMyCar's motor fleet insurance are both included in the advertised rental price. Renters pay owners directly for use of the car, but DriveMyCar is available to intervene in cases of accidents or nonpayment. Owners can also rate drivers following the rental period; the better a driver's track record, the lower the insurance rates he or she gets charged next time. Sellsumers have already begun looking to their other possessions as sources of income, so it makes perfect sense to see their cars included. Who will be first to establish peer-to-peer car-sharing in *your* neck of the woods? (Related: Site helps neighbours share tools & equipment — Parking operator launches car-sharing service — More ways for consumers to rent out unused space.) Website: www.drivemycarrentals.com.au Spotted by: Jeremy Colless |
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The health benefits of probiotics have been recognized for years, but typically consumers seeking to enjoy them rely on packaged nutraceuticals on offer at their local supermarket or health food store. Progurt is a do-it-yourself yoghurt kit that aims to provide an alternative to those store-bought products. The brainchild of Australian Microbioflora, Progurt offers a simple way to get natural probiotic supplements through a yoghurt that can be made at home. The company sells a branded DIY yoghurt maker along with accessories including refrigeration tubs, electrolyte complexes, prebiotic syrups and probiotic sachets. With over 1 trillion CFU capability, each Progurt probiotic sachet contains a formulation of multiple strains of probiotic bacteria of human origin to enhance and strengthen the immune system. No artificial flavours, colours or preservatives are added. A starter pack including one incubator, one tub, prebiotic syrup and a pack of 15 probiotic sachets is priced at AUD 440. Currently, Progurt is available online and through select Australian retailers; one to partner with and bring to do-it-yourselfers in your neck of the nutraceutical woods...? Website: www.progurt.com |
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Where Trendstop's Trendtracker delivers fashion forecasts to anyone with a mobile phone, UK-based Stylesignal just announced a like-minded app for its subscribers that's delivered on the brand-new iPad. Stylesignal provides its customers with constantly updated fashion forecasts, trend information, news coverage and inspiration, all for prices starting at USD 99 per week. Now that Apple's iPad is out, however, the company has ported its full package of coverage to that platform. The iPad's high-quality display has the same colour acuity and wide viewing angle of ultra-high end photographic displays, the company notes, making it perfect for viewing swatches, photographs and designs used commercially in the fashion industry. Accordingly, instead of just looking at a picture, Stylesignal subscribers can now “pinch to zoom, touch to see a colour palette based on industry referenced colours, or move from street style photos to catwalk pictures at the flick of a finger,” it says. The continuously updated iPad app also serves as a trend book that never goes out of date, the company says. This month and next, Stylesignal is giving new subscribers a free iPad; existing ones can download the iPad app from Apple's App Store for free. Will the iPad prove to enable the always-up-to-date business tools we've all been waiting for? Only time will tell, but it seems to us the publishing possibilities are compelling. One to watch and experiment with! Website: www.stylesignal.com/ipad/ |
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There's nothing like guaranteed demand to remove risk from launching a new product. Much the way Kickstarter—which we covered last year—helps creatives of all types crowdfund their projects and creations ahead of time, so Dutch designer Daniel Schipper is applying the concept to his newest lamp design. Schipper's 100x100 lamp features a pendant shade made from white or transparent recyclable plastic; other colours are available on demand. Photos of the design are available on Schipper's site, but production won't begin until 100 orders have been received. Then, 100 numbered lamps will be produced and sold for EUR 100 each—hence the 100x100 name. Thirty-six orders had been received so far at the time of this writing, though no payment is required up front; rather, Schipper says he'll contact those interested when the 100-order mark has been reached. By using planned scarcity and the promise of a good status story, such a strategy stands a good chance of piquing consumers' interest. For the designer, meanwhile, securing demand ahead of time is a smart way to finance production. A model to emulate! (Related: 'Stock market' for art to crowdfund 10 public projects.) Website: www.danielschipper.nl/projects/100x100/ Spotted by: Maarten van Asperen |
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Those for whom the transparency bell has already tolled know that openness can reveal new routes to market triumph. Aiming to put that premise into practice for public speakers, SpeakerRate is a site that enables ratings and feedback for those on the professorial side of the podium. SpeakerRate is a community site for event organizers, attendees and speakers that's intended to help event organizers find the best speakers available for the events they're organizing. Event attendees can provide constructive feedback for the speakers they've heard—including both delivery and content—as well as track the talks they've attended and research upcoming talks. Event speakers, meanwhile, can get constructive feedback directly from attendees and find out how they can improve their content and delivery for next time. They can also establish a SpeakerRating, which will help them earn future speaking opportunities. Organizers, in turn, can research and choose the best options for their next event. Developed by Pointless Corp., a sandbox at Virginia-based Viget Labs, the SpeakerRate API is also available for noncommercial use by outside developers. Technically oriented talks currently dominate the rankings at SpeakerRate, but there's no reason the model couldn't be applied to talks of any other kind as well. One to partner with or emulate on a niche or localized basis? Website: www.speakerrate.com Spotted by: Lyuba Stevasarova |
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The ability to recognize everyday objects is something most people take for granted; for the world's more than 300 million visually impaired, however, it can be a struggle. LookTel is a mobile app designed to help those people “see.” Developed by California-based Ipplex in partnership with LinkMe Mobile, LookTel combines real-time object recognition technology with optical character recognition capabilities. Visually impaired users simply point their app-enabled phone's camera at whatever it is they want to identify, and it will pronounce the object's name quickly in clear, easy-to-understand speech. Money, packaged goods, CDs and medication bottles are all likely candidates, Ipplex notes, but the technology can be taught to recognize a wide variety of other objects as well by attaching one of the app's preprinted image tags to them and recording an audible description. LookTel can also help recognize signs and landmarks for personal navigation. Using photos, video, push-to-talk audio and GPS tracking data sent from the phone, friends and family can help identify objects or signs, use mapping for further information, and even provide turn-by-turn directions. A video demonstrates the technology in action. Developed under sponsorship from the National Institutes of Health, LookTel also incorporates a text reader for access to print media. The technology runs on Windows Mobile smartphones, with recognition software running on a corresponding PC. LookTel was recently awarded first place at the 2010 CTIA E-Tech Awards for Mobile Applications in the Healthcare category. The technology is due to launch into beta this spring; pricing has not yet been announced. There are myriad technologies out there to help the visually impaired but, as Engadget points out, few have yet made it to the smartphone arena—which, it seems to us, is where much of the real potential lies to increase independence. Mobile app entrepreneurs: time to shine some light of your own on the visually impaired's world...? (Related: Blind guides take sighted on sensorial walking tours of Lisbon.) Website: www.looktel.com Spotted by: Creativity Online via Judy McRae
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Back in 2006 we covered German Feuerwear, which creates bags and belts from used fire hose. Feuerwear is still going strong, but we couldn't resist mentioning a similar venture we recently came across in the UK that expands the notion and adds a charitable twist. Much like Feuerwear, Elvis & Kresse crafts high-fashion bags, belts and other accessories from used fire hose collected across the UK. The company also goes beyond fire hose, however, and reclaims various types of other industrial waste materials as well, including coffee sacks, sail cloth, air traffic control flight strips, optician's boxes, parachute silk and office furniture textiles. Fabrics including the parachute silk, for example, are used to line Elvis & Kresse's wallets and bags; many of the other materials are used in its packaging. The company has reclaimed some 45 tons of waste materials so far, it says. Elvis & Kresse donates 50 percent of the profits from its fire-hose line to the Fire Fighters Charity. It's also supporting two separate coffee grower initiatives in Nicaragua and Guatemala. Elvis & Kresse items are available both online and from select retailers in England, Wales, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Australia; pricing begins at GBP 18.50 for a fire hose-based key ring. What's better than an eco-minded approach that gives consumers status stories galore plus the good karma of keeping waste out of landfills? One that also makes corporate generosity part of its daily operations. Eco-iconic, meet Generation G; live long and prosper! ;-) (Related: Recycled plastic bottles into graduation gowns — From 1950s pommel horses to 2008 gym bags — Virgin Atlantic's seat covers, reborn as bags — Garbage into gold, now via discarded wrappers — District turns its own banners into bags.) Website: www.elvisandkresse.com Spotted by: Neil Infield |
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As the tryvertising train makes its way around the globe, we've seen sample stores pop up in diverse regions of the planet. Tokyo, Shanghai, San Diego and Barcelona are all among the locales we've already covered, and now a new entrant is adding São Paulo to that list. Due to launch next month, Clube Amostra Grátis—“Free Sample Club,” loosely translated—will offer consumers an assortment of new products to take home and try before they become available on the shelves. Consumers must first register online and pay a yearly fee of BRL 50. That, in turn, entitles them to visit the store and take home up to five different products each month. Members fill out online surveys about the products they choose, and can also participate in additional activities, including in-store tests, that earn them extra points good towards additional benefits. Anyone still doubt the power-packed combination of free love for consumers with trial-based feedback for manufacturers? We didn't think so. Onward, tryvertising train! ;-) Website: www.clubeamostragratis.com.br |
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It's a rare product today that doesn't come with a barcode. Much the way 94wines lets buyers personalize its QR-enabled bottles with their own digital content, so Stickybits lets anyone scan any product barcode and append their own music, text, photos or video content. Where 94wines provides a QR code with each bottle it sells—enabling buyers to link the content they wish to the bottles they purchase—Stickybits lets consumers add digital content to any barcode out there. Users need only download the free Stickybits app—it's available for both Android and iPhone—scan a barcode, and attach content. When the geo-tagged barcode is scanned again by someone else, they'll see whatever was attached to it along with who else has scanned it along the way. Users can even be notified when a barcode is scanned, gets new attachments or changes location. Also available from Stickybits, meanwhile, are barcode stickers that can be attached to anything—similar, in many ways, to what Tikitag did with RFID—as well as downloadable, printable barcodes that can be glued, ironed, printed, tattooed or otherwise stuck onto anything in the real world. Stickers are priced starting at USD 9.95 for a pack of 20. Thanks to a partnership with Zazzle, Stickybits also offers birthday cards, business cards, mugs and shirts with unique, content-enabled barcodes printed on them. Stickybits distributed 12,000 packs of its stickers last month at SXSWi, according to media reports, so there are almost certainly consumer products with content-enriched barcodes circulating in the wild by now. The digital graffiti possibilities are undeniable, but so are the marketing opportunities. In some ways, it's like the early days of the web all over again—who will be first to charge brands for the right to post the first content on their own brands' barcodes, as TechCrunch points out...? And which brands will be first to start enhancing their barcodes with compelling content? (Related: More decorative, designer barcodes — Google window decals link online & off for retailers.) Website: www.stickybits.com Spotted by: Jim Stewart |
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Over the past few years, we've seen nearly every major clothing brand—from the Gap to Louis Vuitton—set up one or more pop-up stores, drawing attention to their product lines and to their regular retail outlets. In contrast, a Munich-based brand isn't attempting to supplement its fixed-store bread and butter; Clemens en August's only offline sales are through temporary outlets, twice a year. Avoiding the pop-up moniker, the brand describes itself as being 'on tour'. Each season Clemens en August travels to an assortment of fashion-minded cities to sell its current collections in contemporary art galleries for only three days at a time. By cutting out the retail margin, the strategy lets the brand offer its clothes at substantially lower prices than they otherwise could. Through planned scarcity, meanwhile, the strategy creates a new sense of exclusivity based on limited availability, not price. Together, those benefits have clearly helped the brand survive during these tough economic times, allowing it to win a cult following and to see a sales increase of 30 percent in 2009, according to a report in Time. While it also sells through its online store, Clemens en August maintains a sense of scarcity: the third floor of its webshop is reserved for customers who've visited the most recent tour. Don't look now, but the pop-up retail model just gained even more staying power. One to try out with your own high-end goods...? (Related: Nationwide network of pop-up marketing spaces — Luxury etailer focuses on planned scarcity.) Website: www.clemens-en-august.com |
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You know a concept is gaining traction when companies start springing up to enable it. Not long ago we saw the launch of B1G1 to enable the “buy one, give one” donation programs that have become so popular, for example; now, from the world of restaurants, there's Blue Shoe Mobile Solutions, a company that focuses exclusively on developing branded iPhone apps much like the one we just covered at Wagamama. Blue Shoe provides owners of restaurants large and small with custom, branded iPhone applications. Restaurant patrons can use those apps to place orders right from their phones, of course, much as with Wagamama's technology. In addition, however, restaurateurs can use the apps to track their most popular dishes, see which locations are doing the most business and store customers' favourite orders, for example. They can also instantly post discounts, promotions and news of special events. Blue Shoe charges a one-time build fee of USD 500 per app; monthly fees are USD 50. Eddie Peloke, CEO of the Virginia-based company, explains: “No longer are large companies with vast available capital the only ones to experience the benefits of this technology. Blue Shoe is leveling the playing field and putting that technology in the hands of the local markets.” Indeed, that newly leveled playing field is a sure sign that the technology has moved past the cutting edge and begun entering the mainstream. Local restaurateurs around the globe: who will be first in *your* market to hire a technological brand butler to keep customers loyal...? (Related: An iPhone app for every band.) Website: www.blueshoemobile.com |
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