Added 23 November, 2013
We've seen interactive billboards before, like the ones that feature QR codes that invite passers-by to scan them for more information. Or the ones that recognize when people are walking or driving by and then flash a message to them. But this one if different. British Airways has placed an animated digital billboard in London's Piccadilly Circus...
Added 22 November, 2013
US-based outdoor clothing retailer Patagonia has been branching out the last few years to put their name on all manner of outdoor adventure equipment. Acknowledging that craft beer is a burgeoning trend, particularly with the upscale weekend camping set, the brand has partnered with New Belgium Brewing to put the Patagonia name on a new organic...
Added 22 November, 2013
A humongous H&M flagship opened in Times Square this week as a paean to high-tech retailing. The store exemplifies the way in which bricks-and-mortar shops are fighting back against the Internet by offering immersive shopping experiences that just can't be replicated online. This being Times Square, shoppers are greeted by a pair of enormous...
Added 20 November, 2013
Starbucks is so ubiquitous, the joke goes, that they just opened another Starbucks inside a Starbucks. In many cities around the world, you can't walk a few minutes in any direction without seeing one of these coffee shops. Now the brand is going even further by putting a shop inside a rail car. In cooperation with the Swiss train operator SBB,...
Added 10 November, 2013
Farm-to-table, a moniker that's short for fresh food, locally sourced and unadulterated from the time it is picked to the time it reaches the kitchen, has been part of the dining lexicon for a while now. The trend has become so pervasive, in fact, that it is showing up in other parts of our lives. Take spas, for example. Put in the spa context,...
Added 7 November, 2013
There's been lots of talk about 3D printing over the last couple of years. Much of this chatter has been from technology doubters who complain that real applications haven't been happening. At least fast enough for them. Now, McDonalds one of the largest retail businesses in the world, is considering putting a printer in every restaurant so they...
Added 5 November, 2013
Like something out of the movie Minority Report, the large British retail chain Tesco is installing screens near the cash registers of their gas stations that scan customers faces to discover who they are, then serve advertisements tailored to them. Called the OptimEyes screen, the system will be installed in all 450 of the brands stations. While...
Added 4 November, 2013
Japan, of course, has the most active vending machine culture in the world, automatically dispensing everything from snacks and sake to fresh eggs, fried chicken, and Smart cars. New Yorkers, on the other hand, are not as automat savvy and for them the installation of machines vending something other than soda is a game-changing innovation. L'...
Added 1 November, 2013
Food and beverage companies often jump on fads quickly in hope of making a quick buck before the fickle market changes its mind. Another strategy is to put lots of products into the marketplace with the knowledge that most of them will fail, but a few will become hits. Fair Quinoa Vodka apparently looked at the market and decided to through the...
Added 31 October, 2013
Regular readers are aware of the emergence of cat cafes in Japan, England and elsewhere, where patrons are surrounded by dozens of felines. Now, in Tokyo and beyond, several cafes have opened that are chock full of owls. Known locally as "fukurou cafes," there are at least a half-dozen in Japan. Some allow patrons to hold the birds, while others...