Added 13 August, 2013
Ray’s & Stark Bar, in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, is known for their stunts, like Staff Meal Mondays, when patrons are invited to eat the same slop the servers and kitchen staff get. But their extensive water menu is the apex of a trend in parched LA that takes bottled water very seriously. Vichy Catalan, for example, "rises from a...
Added 9 August, 2013
The UPS Store, a chain offering services to small businesses, has just become one of the first nationwide retailers to test 3D printing services in-store. The UPS Store is testing the Stratasys uPrint SE Plus printer, which according to Stratasys is most well-known for its ability to print detailed objects more accurately than home 3D printers....
Added 8 August, 2013
A new campaign for McDonald's by TBWA Paris highlights the chain's 'iconic' products without a shred of branding. To be sure, the photos need no introduction, according to the agency, which goes on to explain the campaign's concept thus: "Long speeches aren't necessary: everyone knows what they taste like and stand for. A logo would be redundant,...
Added 8 August, 2013
The IKEA catalog debuting this week as an app for iPhone and Android includes an augmented reality feature that lets shoppers envision how furniture will look, without actually having to have the furniture itself. The app, which was downloaded by 8.5 million users worldwide last year, allows access to extended catalog content – including 3-D...
Added 7 August, 2013
There's a new hotel brand coming to the Caribbean and you can bet the shops inside will be top-notch. LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has bought a five-star hotel on the island of St. Barths and is planning to open others in Egypt, Oman, and the Maldives as well as in Paris and Milan. The latter will be right next to Prada’s store. To get to the...
Added 7 August, 2013
Tesco, one of the world's largest retailers, is revamping how it uses space in its largest stores, building a community room into its new Tesco Extra in Watford, England. As shopping goes online, brick-and-mortar retailers are looking to attract customers in ways that Internet businesses can't compete. Turning shopping into an even more...
Added 6 August, 2013
We're all familiar with traditional reward programs that bestow points for being loyal to a particular shop or airline. That trend, which has been around for a while now, is getting a boost from mobile technology to bring buyers and sellers together. More and more, retailers are moving away from loyalty cards and towards loyalty phone apps. The...
Added 1 August, 2013
Internet fads regularly go viral, but now they are jumping off the computer screen into real-life brands. Grumpy Cat is a viral meme who's famous for such 'sayings' as "I had fun once; it was awful," is officially getting her own brand of coffee drink, Grumpy Cat Grumppucino. The beverage will be available online August 7 and in stores sometime in...
Added 28 July, 2013
The future is now. Uniqul, a Finnish-built first face recognition payment system enables customers to pay without having a wallet, card or mobile phone. At the store's register, simply smile and click "OK." In the background, algorithms process your biometrical data to find your account and make the transaction, which takes less than 5 seconds. To...
Added 19 July, 2013
Ads on airplanes – on tray tables and luggage bin doors – have been around for a while. Now, the low cost European airline Ryanair has announced its intention to sell ad space on the outside of their fleet of 300 airplanes. Companies can have their brand featured on four different locations on the Ryanair aircraft, including on the inner and outer...