Daily nuggets of inspiration from the good folk
at Elmwood.
Want these delivered to your inbox?
Poke us back.
It’s always a nerve-wracking moment getting your new watch wet. Does waterproof really, really mean waterproof?
To prove to discerning customers that their diving watches do what they say on the pack, Festina is selling their timepieces in clear bags filled with distilled water. (Cool spot, Jamie C.)
Built to survive years of deep-sea diving, the Festina Profundo range proves its worth to discerning customers before they leave the shop. (And long before they accidentally keep it on when they get into the bath.)
Via. http://www.psfk.com/2013/05/diving-watch-water-packaging.html
+ Add comment – add yours
Everyone knows about the ridiculous mark-up on certain food and drink (popcorn, anyone?). But it’s much trickier to know what you’re paying for when it comes to fashion.
To try and change this, new Californian fashion retailer Everlane has made all its pricing completely transparent. So instead of just showing the price, infographics outline the cost of materials, construction and transport, as well as the mark-up and where it was made.
For example, Everlane’s Weekender bag sells for $95. But before parting with your cash, you’d see that the true cost is only $38. That might seem like a big difference, but their mark-up of 2.5 is apparently much less than that of other brands, which would sell a similar bag for around $300.
That’s not to say Everlane uses cheaper materials or lower quality processes. The brand uses the same materials as luxury brands – including cashmere from a top-end mill in Scotland. But by only selling online, they ‘eliminate bricks and mortar expenses’ and pass on savings to savvy shoppers.
+ Add comment – add yours
These days, it seems more and more brands are owned by a bigger daddy brand. Kiehl’s is owned by L’Oreal. Pringles is owned by Kellogg’s. Converse is owned by Nike. And… the list goes on.
That’s all well and good, but what if you want to avoid one of the big giants? The ‘Buycott’ app lets you do just that, by cross-checking your purchases against parent companies with a barcode scanner. (Nice one, Harl.)
It also lets you trace any company all the way back up its family tree (L’Oreal is part owned by Nestle, don’t you know). As well as checking any product against a pre-saved list of your beliefs, you can start your own cause which get’s added to the app once its gained enough support.
AuthenticityRetailTransparency
+ Add comment – add yours
Pinterest is changing. Soon you’ll be able to use specific pins for food, retail products and movies. Then you’ll be able to click through and actually buy what you’ve been drooling over, rather than just dreaming about it.
However, the new format will only work when you pin things from their approved partner sites, such as eBay, Etsy or Urban Outfitters. But it’s a big list of big-hitters, and their enthusiasm to get onboard suggests Pinterest could soon attract big brand marketing budgets, just like fellow cyber-giants, Facebook and Twitter.
Via. http://gigaom.com/2013/05/19/pinterest-takes-a-first-step-toward-working-with-big-brands/
EntertainmentFashionFoodMarketingRetailSocial mediaTechnology
+ Add comment – add yours
Starbucks continues to embrace the trend for individual retail spaces that reflect their environment, rather than homogenously branded venues that are the same in any city. Ever since their chief creative officer, Arthur Rubinfeld, was tasked to reimagine Starbucks stores, new and interesting outlets have been popping up all over the world.
These distinctive stores are most prevalent in Seattle, where Rubinfeld has championed repurposing with walls constructed of bike tyres and school chalkboards. But in future he plans to take up-cycling to the next level, as the company rolls out structures made from old shipping containers. It’s part of a greater push into drive-throughs, which CEO Howard Schultz is focusing on as a key growth opportunity. In fact, around 60% of all new U.S. Starbucks opening in the next five years will be drive-throughs.
Via. http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/06/news/companies/starbucks-container-stores.pr.fortune/index.html
CoffeeFood & drinkMobileRetailSustainability
