trendwatching.

com, independent and opinionated, is one of the worldʼs leading consumer

trends firm, relying on a global network of hundreds of spotters. Our trends, examples and
insights are delivered to 160,000 business professionals in more than 180 countries.
More information at www.trendwatching.com

July - August 2010 | Each year, around this time, we take a look at the most promising ‘on trend’ innova-
tions, as spotted by our sister company Springwise. No surprise, that with the entire world now battling
it out in the consumer arena, the amount of talent, of creativity, of innovations, is staggering. Welcome to
INNOVATION INSANITY ; -)

We all agree that innovation is the only way to survive in an ever more global, competitive business
arena. We’re talking basically anything that will get consumers spending, and preferably the kind of
spending that involves sustainable goods, services and experiences.

And since everyone from Seth Godin to the Harvard Business Review is providing you with excellent,
inspiring insights and theory on innovation as a mindset, a process, a way of life, we'd like to contribute
to the conversation with examples of actual B2C innovations. Tons of 'em. As we see it:

INNOVATION INSANITY | There will never be a shortage of smart new ventures, brands, goods and serv-
ices that deliver on consumers’ wants and needs. In fact, with the entire world now engaged in creative
destruction, INNOVATION INSANITY is upon us. So yes, the dozens of innovations we’ve rounded up for
this briefing, courtesy of our sister-site Springwise, are just the tip of the iceberg. Invent, improve, copy…
or perish.

The link between INNOVATION INSANITY and consumer trends? As focused as we are on emerging con-
sumer trends, we never tire of pointing out that trends are only good for one thing: inspiring you to inno-
vate, to come up with new goods, services and experiences for (or even better, with) your customers.

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

 Our  recent  STATUSPHERE  Trend Briefing gave you a taste of
some of the ways in which consumers are  now getting their
status fix.    Here  are a few more innovative examples, related to
Innovation: not just labs, not always earnest, not necessarily expensive
skills and status:

Three more thoughts on innovation:

• Innovation is not necessarily about people in white coats

puttering about in R&D labs. In our current experience
economy, marketing innovation is equally important, and
often trumps technical innovation.
• Furthermore, as consumers’ wants are sometimes frivo-
lous, new products and services can be, too. Really,
innovation doesn’t have to be so earnest all the time.
• Thirdly, doing or starting something new doesn't have to
cost the world. Many of the innovations featured in this
briefing thrive on nimbleness and creativity, not huge
budgets.

Hotels | Dubbed “Night School,” the Seattle Sorrento Hotel's

offers a collaboration with chef Michael Hebb and “an array of
intellectuals, artists, writers, filmmakers, mixologists, chefs and
the leading cultural institutions in the Northwest”. The Night
School's Midnight Symposium series, for example, invites guests
to gather and discuss a particular reading, while the Drinking Les-
sons series in the hotel's Hunt Club bar offers two-hour lessons in
the preparation and history of three distinct cocktails. More »

Springwise New Business Ideas is trendwatching.com’s sister

site. Do not miss out!

OK, enough preaching, let’s get to practicing: check out these

67+ innovations, arranged by trends (STATUS STORIES,
CROWD-EXPRESS, and more) and B2C industries.
All sourced from trendwatching.com’s sister site Springwise,
which finds and publishes the best innovations from around the
world, with the help of 8,000+ Springspotters. Seriously, if you
don't yet subscribe to their weekly newsletter, you're missing
out! Here goes:

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

 We  covered  GENERATION G  last year, and with even more
brands and consumers adopting a generous mindset, the innova-
tions keep on coming:

Bars and Restaurants | Spanish restaurant chain Fresc Co of-

fers free English language lessons to its patrons. Fresc Co oper-
ates 40 restaurants in 11 Spanish cities, focusing on fresh ingre-
dients and Mediterranean dishes. Last February, two of its Barce-
lona locations began offering two-hour sessions targeting profes-
sional workers with a focus primarily on everyday language and
work situations. More »

Bikes | Calfee Design is helping entrepreneurs in the developing

world make locally sourced bamboo bicycles for domestic and
international sale. Through the Bamboosero initiative, Calfee set
up two bike-building groups in Ghana who build frames using
locally sourced bamboo before shipping them to the US. The
Ghanaian entrepreneurs earn about USD 150 for every frame they
build. More »

Food & Beverage | British brewer Tom Wood's recently launched

a mobile bottling operation for DIY brewers in the form of a well-
equipped truck that can drive to virtually any UK location. Serv-
ices include everything from pre-production bottle washing
through a range of bottle capping options, labelling and finally
shrink-wrapping. More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)


Financial Services | Launched in February 2010, Choose
Change ATM has developed a brand of ATMs that lets users do-
nate USD 1 of each USD 2 transaction fee to a non-profit organi-
zation of their choice. Users select from a display of eight non-
profits, supporting causes such as disaster aid, poverty relief and
human rights. The ATMs are installed at no cost to retailers and
Choose Change handles all of the maintenance and refills. More »
Not for profit & social cause | GiveMeTap lets consumers in the
UK refill their water bottles for free at participating cafés. Begin-
ning in Manchester, GiveMeTap has signed up numerous restau-
rants and cafés willing to supply free access to clean tap water;
said providers can be located via PC or smartphone using Give-
MeTap's mapping service. In order to partake, consumers need to
be carrying one of GiveMeTap's branded aluminium bottles,
which are priced at GBP 7. GiveMeTap uses 70 percent of the
profits from those sales to fund independent water projects in
regions where they're most needed. More »
You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)
Domestic Care | Cleaning-products maker Method toured the
streets of New York in May 2010 with its “Wash Smart, Give
Smart” truck to encourage people to donate clothing. Through a
partnership with Goodwill, San Francisco-based Method
equipped a glass-walled truck with a mobile laundry room that
was used to wash and dry clothes before delivering them to New
York Goodwill locations to be resold. Passers-by were encour-
aged to spontaneously donate an item of clothing off their bodies,
and as part of Method's “laundry smarts” campaign, there was
also a photo station, samples, games and prizes. More »
Fashion | Philadelphia-based Warby Parker offers its own, in-
house designs through the mail for USD 95 including delivery.
Rather than maintain a physical store, Warby Parker gives con-
sumers two ways to try its frames on: with its virtual try-on feature
using an uploaded photo, or via its free, 7-day home trial of up to
five styles at a time. For each pair of glasses it sells, Warby
Parker donates to nonprofit Restoring Vision, which then donates
a pair of glasses to someone in need. More »

Food & Beverage | Online wine vendor CellarThief donates 100
days' worth of clean water for every bottle of wine it sells.
Launched in early 2010, CellarThief sells only three heavily-
discounted wines on its site at any given time, hand-picked from
world-class wineries by industry veterans. The company has
partnered with Charity: Water to provide clean water to those
who need it. In addition to the donation made each time a bottle
of wine is sold, further donations are made each time a wine sells
out. More »
Fashion | FIGS is a California-based tie maker that donates a
school uniform to a needy African child for each purchase on its
site, allowing those in poverty-stricken areas to attend school
where a uniform is necessary. The company sells a wide variety of
neckwear—in varieties including Italian silk woven, pure British
woolen and fine wool tartan—at prices ranging from USD 105 to
USD 140 each. Custom ties are also available. More »

Not for profit & social cause | Aiming to transform the slums of
Rio de Janeiro through large, community-driven murals, the Fav-
ela Painting project also incorporates training and employment
for local residents. In each of its projects, Favela has focused on
recruiting local residents to do much of the painting, including
training and paying them. More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

While globalism is a given, the vast majority of consumers con-
tinue to live and work in their local area. So, whether it’s produc-
ing goods locally, celebrating an urban area, or providing
location-specific services, the potential of these innovations con-
tinues to grow:
It’s  a long time since we covered  CURATED  CONSUMP-
TION,  but as consumers are still spoiled for choice (if not over-
whelmed), and there is still a growing demand for trusted curators
across every B2C sector:

Food & Beverage | Taking a local approach to candy bars, Nestlé

Fashion | Panty by Post is a Canadian venture that offers
recently launched 19 new Kit Kat flavours in Japan that reflect
women's underwear by monthly subscription. The company has
food specialties of specific districts. Each flavor is sold exclu-
an exclusive agreement with Montreal’s Blush Lingerie for its
sively in the region for which it was created. The Japanese Kit Kat
signature and bridal lines. Customers can order panties individu-
varieties include yubari melon and baked corn from Hokkaido
ally, or they can sign up for subscriptions lasting two, three, six or
island; strawberry cheesecake from Yokohama; cherries from
12 months. A different panty is then sent every month, with prices
Yamagata Prefecture; and sweet potato, blueberry and soybean
ranging from CDN 16 for a single pair to CDN 240 for a year's
from the Kanto region. More »
worth of premium deliveries. More »

Publishing | IndieReader offers a marketplace for independent,

self-published books. The books sold on the site are curated by
IndieReader to ensure that the cream of the indie “crop" is well-
represented. Self-published authors begin by sending their books
Food & Beverage | Oregon-based SoupCycle offers organic
for vetting, if accepted they then pay an annual fee of USD 149
soup, made from locally grown produce and delivered each week
for their first book, which goes up for sale on IndieReader. When
to subscribers. Consumers who live or work in the company's
a consumer makes a purchase, IndieReader notifies the author by
delivery area order their soup a week in advance. SoupCycle then
email and the author ships the book out. IndieReader pays
buys the necessary produce from local farmers and cooks the
authors 75 percent of the sales of their books at the end of each
week’s soup, which is delivered by bicycle over the following
month, plus the shipping fees paid by buyers.
days. More »
More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

Consumers  will always feel the need for  DAILY  LUBRICANTS:
products that make their lives simpler and easier. Of course,
brands will forever be happy to oblige:

Retail | With three stores in Northern Spain, butcher Izarzugaza

has installed a vending machine outside its Mundaka shop that
sells a variety of meats, sausages, sandwiches and other goods
around the clock. Products sold within the machine vary with the
season, so summer offerings might include pasta salads while the
emphasis is more on meatballs and sausages in the wintertime.
More »
Travel & Transport | ANWB, the Dutch motorists association, has
launched a mobile store that will tour France this summer. The
ANWB's store on wheels will stop at campgrounds across
France, selling tourists items they forgot to pack, from tooth-
brushes and sunblock to its own maps and travel guides. It will
be joined by motor care teams who'll check tire pressure, give
traffic updates and clean car windows and mirrors. When drivers
have finally reached their destination, the ANWB's 'Helping
Hands' will pitch tents, fill jerry cans and even dry dishes. More »

Fashion | Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the

sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends. Users of Orga-
Sizer can then enter all their sizes and preferences for a variety of
different types of clothing, deciding what information they'd like
to share with others, and exactly whom they'd like to share it
with. Users can also create wish lists and request reminders
about important gift-giving dates. Ultimately, the idea is that
shoppers hoping to purchase a gift can then check the site from
wherever they happen to be to see what the recipient wants, and
in what sizes or variations. More »

Retail | Fragrance retailer Sephora installed a series of machines

at various Paris Métro stations dedicated to selling Calvin Klein's
CK One scent in a special, portable size. In February 2010, visi-
tors to the Métro's La Défense, Charles de Gaulle-Étoile, Mont-
parnasse and Miromesnil stations could buy a special 15ml size
of CK One at an on-site "CK One Pocket Store" by Sephora.
More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

Bikes | German startup MyBikeNumber, launched in December
2009, is a free online service that lets consumers register their
bicycle and components, or search for them worldwide. Users
register their bike on the MyBikeNumber site using the frame
number, and add photos to the profile page to help visually iden-
tify their bike. Registered bikes are allocated a unique QR code,
which can be printed as a sticker and affixed to the frame. More »

Insurance | AccidentSketch is a free online tool that allows us-

Public Transport | Tube Refund helps consumers get compen-
sated for the 40 or so delays that occur each week on the London
Underground. Each time a train is delayed by more than 15 min-
utes, riders are entitled to a full refund of a single-journey fare.
Priced at GBP 0.59, the Tube Refund app can be used to register
where and when a delay occurred and how long it lasted. Tube
Refund then submits that information to the London Underground
website, which generates a refund voucher for the user. More »
ers to graphically document car accidents using a drag and drop
template system. Road 'pieces' are added to a grid to create an
accurate depiction of the road, before vehicles are placed on the
road map. Final details are then added, such as bicycles, pedes-
trians, traffic signs, lights, arrows and braking marks. The finished
sketch can be printed out or downloaded as a PDF file. More »

Personal Care | New York-based 3floz offers a range of luxury

skin and hair care products for men and women, all in travel-
friendly sizes of 3 fluid ounces (100 ml) or less. 3floz is also mar-
keting itself as a sample site, catering to consumers who want to
try out high-end beauty products without committing to pricey
full-sized versions. International shipping is available, including
delivery direct to hotels, as well as a same-day courier delivery
service within Manhattan. More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

 as stamps for papers and letters, but also as lifelong mementos
suitable for birthday presents, baby gifts and more. Parents or
other gift-givers begin by making an ink print of baby's hands and
feet, then emailing those prints to Otete & Anyo, which engraves
them in real size. More »
From customized and personalized goods to obsessing over
one's personal online presence, BRAND ME will continue to be a
source for innovation for years to come:

Social Media | Famebook and TweetNotebook both of embellish

custom notebooks with select online content: With BookofFame,
Food & Beverage | Progurt is a do-it-yourself yoghurt kit that
Facebook users can create a unique notebook featuring a post
aims to provide an alternative to store-bought packaged nu-
from their Facebook feed at the bottom of each page. By con-
traceuticals. The DIY yoghurt maker comes with accessories in-
necting to Facebook from the BookofFame site, users allow
cluding refrigeration tubs, electrolyte complexes, prebiotic syrups
Famebook to access their status updates, which are then used to
and probiotic sachets. Each Progurt probiotic sachet contains a
create a notebook with one timestamped update on the bottom
formulation of multiple strains of probiotic bacteria of human ori-
of each page. Users can choose their own cover post and design.
gin to enhance and strengthen the immune system. A starter
TweetNotebook, meanwhile, features the user's Twitter posts
pack including one incubator, one tub, prebiotic syrup and a pack
instead. Customers enter their Twitter name on the site, and it
of 15 probiotic sachets is priced at AUD 440. More »
automatically populates each page in a blank 320-page notebook
with one randomly selected tweet along with its timestamp and
URL. More »

Food & Beverage | Canadian RedMoon Custom Pet Food lets

Kids | Japan’s Otete & Anyo offers original stamps of babies'
its customers design the food they buy for their cats and dogs.
hand- and footprints. The engraved prints can be used not only
RedMoon offers fully customizable dry pet food based on a vari-

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

ety of meats, produce and supplements. Dog owners begin by
choosing a base formula and indicating the activity level of their
dog. They then select the size of kibble they'd like and then a
variety of supplements are available to be added. Cat owners
have similar options, starting with a base food made from salmon.
Consumers  crave (relevant, timely) information, and it’s never
More »
been easier to satisfy this INFOLUST (with a heavy dose of NO-
WISM thrown in, too):

Fashion | Shortomatic is a California-based company that in-

Travel & Transport | DailyRoads Voyager is a free application for
vites consumers to upload their own art to create customized
Android-powered mobile phones that enables continuous video
swim shorts. Customers indicate their waist size then upload,
recording from moving vehicles. DailyRoads Voyager is intended
position and size the art, choose their colors and add text for use
to serve as what's essentially a video black box for cars, record-
on the waistband. Shortomatic's Artist's Program curates de-
ing everything but allowing users to keep only what they're really
signs, which are produced in limited editions of 200, with creators
interested in. Whether it's an encounter with unusual wildlife in
receiving USD 5 for every pair sold. More »
the road or the sequence of events leading to an accident, the
application works in the background to timestamp, geotag and
save all videos on the SD card. More »

Funerals | RosettaStone is a palm-sized stone tablet with an

embedded microchip and up to six engraved symbols that can be
selected to represent key milestones or affiliations in the de-
ceased's life. The RosettaStone can be preinstalled in a new
gravestone or added to an existing one to create a technologi-
You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)
cally enhanced memorial that will allow future site visitors to read
the deceased's story from a mobile device. More »
Bars & Restaurants | With two restaurants in New York and Lon-
don, Australia-based Otarian bills itself as “the first ever low-
carbon restaurant chain, using a cradle-to-grave analysis in the
carbon footprinting of every menu item.” Almost everything in
Otarian's restaurants—from the floor to the tables and chairs—is
made from recycled materials. Its “Eco2tarian Labelling” shows
the difference in greenhouse gas emissions between its veggie
meals and similar dishes containing meat, fish or egg. More »
Navigation | Guatemala-based mapmaking company Where To
Go Maps is working towards creating a globalised mapping sys-
tem that would see their free artistic city maps available to travel-
lers for all major tourist destinations worldwide. The maps present
tourists with the best hotels, restaurants, bars, shops, attractions
You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)
and sightseeing highlights that each city has to offer, as well as
illustrating the specific locations of local businesses who adver-
tise on the maps. More »
Social Media | Stickybits lets anyone scan any product barcode
and append their own music, text, photos or video content. Users
first download the free Stickybits app, then 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. Also available from
Stickybits, meanwhile, are downloadable, printable barcodes that
can be glued, ironed, printed, tattooed or otherwise stuck onto
anything in the real world. Thanks to a partnership with Zazzle,
Stickybits also offers birthday cards, business cards, mugs and
shirts with unique, content-enabled barcodes printed on them.
More »
The ‘crowds’ continue to join  forces with increasing potency to
create, influence, fund, predict and decide. A few examples of
what is now a crowded field:

Government | Launched in April 2010, the BuitenBeter app al-

lows citizens of Eindhoven to report local issues by iPhone. After
spotting something that needs to be fixed, residents can use the
app to take a picture, select an appropriate category and send
their complaint directly through to the city council. A combination
of GPS and maps lets users pinpoint the exact location of the
problem, providing city workers with all the information they need
to identify and resolve the problem. More »

Automotive | Volkswagen’s App My Ride contest invited design-

ers, programmers, developers and interested users to help de-
velop applications for future in-car infotainment systems. Partici-
pants could submit as many apps and ideas as they wanted by
the contest's June 30 deadline. In August, the most innovative
application will be chosen by the App My Ride community and a
jury consisting of Volkswagen managers and external experts.
More »

Not for profit & social cause | Kopernik is a grassroots platform

designed to help bring breakthrough technologies to developing
nations. Kopernik begins the process by showcasing products
from inventors and technology providers. Next, vetted organiza-
tions in developing countries submit short proposals explaining
how they'd use those products. Finally, 'the crowds' browse pro-
posals and donate funds to those they'd most like to see realized.
Once enough money has been raised, Kopernik transfers the
funds to the technology provider, who then ships directly to the
receiving organization. Updates are posted on Kopernik's website
so that contributors can track the effect of their donations. More
Furniture | Dutch designer Daniel Schipper's 100x100 lamp fea-
»
tures a pendant shade made from white or transparent recyclable
plastic; other colors are available on demand. Photos of the de-
sign 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. More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

Publishing | Dutch website TenPages has teamed up with three
book publishers on a crowdsourced effort to choose material to
be published. Aspiring writers can post the first 10 pages or more
of their book, which are viewable to the site's prospective share-
holders. They can then buy up to 200 shares in any book for EUR
5 each, and the books that sell 2,000 shares over four months get
put into production at one of TenPages' partner publishers.
Authors get paid EUR 1,000 from the initial funds raised, and are
given eight months to write the finished book with the help of a
professional editor. More »
Solar Energy | San Francisco-based One Block Off the Grid, or
1BOG, facilitates the group purchase of residential solar installa-
tions. 1BOG launches campaigns in various cities, each lasting a
few months, during which they negotiate group discounts with
carefully selected solar installers and offer local consumers ac-
cess to the discounted rates via the 1BOG website. Homeowners
can enter their address online to view detailed information on
costs, leasing options, local rebates and how long the panels will
take to pay for themselves. More »
You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)
Furniture | London-based Made.com aims to bring original de-
sign to the masses by removing middlemen from the process and
connecting consumers with furniture makers directly, cutting
prices by 50 to 80 percent. Consumers begin by browsing
through the items online, with consumer votes determining which
items from the site's “Labs” section are put up for sale; when that
happens, a timer indicates when orders should be placed. All
furniture is made to order in about four weeks and then shipped
back to the UK. More »
E-commerce | SyncFu is a free widget that any ecommerce
website can install to let deal-seeking consumers team up for
volume discounts. Online retailers begin by adding SyncFu to
their site and then setting the quantity-price ratio for their relevant
products. To join a group buying offer, customers need only click
on the “Join Group Buy” or similar button on the seller's website.
At the end of the deadline for participation, all participants pay
the most recently listed price. Since the deal is done directly in
the seller's web shop, there are no intermediaries and the sellers
keep all the profits. More »
 Last year, our Trend Briefing on ECO-BOUNTY featured plenty of
eco-cool innovations; it won't come as a surprise that this trend
continues to give:

Fashion | Based in New York, GoTryItOn lets users upload digital

snapshots of themselves in various outfits in order to source ad-
vice from fellow users. They can decide whether to share the look
with the site's whole community or keep it private and share only
with friends. Either way, those allowed to see the outfit can then
vote for or against it and leave comments for the person in the
outfit. More »

Automotive | Ford has developed technology that helps “coach”

drivers on the road to optimize their miles per gallon. MyFord
Touch enables drivers to monitor and track their vehicle's real-
time fuel economy performance and mile-per-gallon averages for
the past five, 10 and 30 minutes. MyFord Touch's map-based
navigation system, meanwhile, offers an EcoRoute option that
quickly calculates the most fuel efficient route a driver can take to
get from point A to point B. The feature will be available globally
on the 2012 Ford Focus. More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)


Mobile & Telecoms | Orange Power Wellies use the heat in
festival-goers' feet to charge their mobile phones. Created by
Orange in collaboration with GotWind, Orange Power Wellies tar-
get Glastonbury Festival attendees with a power-generating sole
that converts heat from the wearer's feet into an electrical current
that can be used to charge a mobile phone. More »
Solar Energy | Smart Energy Glass is an innovation from Dutch
Peer+ that turns windows into solar energy collectors with a cus-
tomizable appearance. The windows are available in several col-
ors and can switch between three modes: dark, bright and pri-
vacy, which scatters the light passing through. The glass also
serves to collect solar energy, which can then be used directly or
fed back to the grid. More »
You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)
Shipping | The Life Box offers a replacement for the traditional
cardboard box that is impregnated with seeds. Within the corru-
gations of the box are hundreds of tree seeds and thousands of
spores of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi. The box can be planted
after use and in about two months, tree seedlings will emerge,
nurtured by the mycorrhizal fungi. In about two years, the young
trees can be planted in the ground where they'll ultimately reside.
Those who planted them, meanwhile, can visit the Life Box site
and enter their GPS coordinates, making it possible to see the
emerging trees and track carbon credits or offsets for generations
to come. More »
Furniture | Finnish Powerkiss has developed an approach that
imbues everyday furniture with wireless charging capabilities.
Powerkiss's technology consists of two parts: a charging trans-
mitter that gets integrated into furniture, and a charging receiver
that gets plugged into the electronic device. To charge a phone,
users simply attach the small receiver stick to their phone and
place it on the surface of the enabled object. More »
We covered  TRYVERTISING  ages ago, yet with ram-
pant  TRANSPARENCY further affecting  purchasing decisions,
the value of getting products into consumers’  hands and letting
them try them out in a relevant setting, at a relevant moment, is
more acute than ever:
Marketing & Advertising | Clube Amostra Grátis offers con-
sumers in São Paulo an assortment of new products to take
home and try before they become available on the shelves. Con-
sumers register online and pay a yearly fee of BRL 50, which enti-
tles 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. More »
You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)
More on status and innovation: STATUS STORIES  are now well
established as a means for consumers to find their status fix,
so  the need for true innovation is greater than ever. Some re-
cent spottings:
 
Fashion | Describing itself as being 'on tour', Munich-based Cle-
mens en August's only offline sales are through temporary outlets,
twice a year. Each season, Clemens en August travels to an as-
sortment of fashion-minded cities to sell its current collections in
contemporary art galleries for only three days at a 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. More »
Home & Garden | Meine Ernte —German for My Harvest—rents
out vegetable gardens for a season, and takes care of soil prepa-
ration and planting. Once the plants start growing, members
come in and spend 1-2 hours a week caring for their plants and
harvesting their crops. In advance, Meine Ernte sows and plants
over 20 varieties of vegetables, while a section of each plot is left
open for gardeners to add varieties of their own choosing and a
professional is available onsite once a week to answer any ques-
tions the amateur gardeners may have. More »

Bags | Nature Bags aim to benefit the ancient Khmu culture on

Laos's steep mountainsides by using wild-growing JungleVine,
also known as tropical kudzu, to produce reusable and sustain-
able organic bags that are compact, lightweight, minimalistic and
highly durable. Eight variations on the Nature Bag are available,
varying in both style and size—prices begin at USD 15 for a small
bag in the Pahk style. Iowa-based Hawkflight has purchased
some 10,000 Nature Bags from Khmu families, and is running the
operation with the help of a 22 year-old Laotian student. More »

Travel & Transport | California-based Executive Tours offers a

series of what it calls Crack of Noon Tours, designed “for those
who don't consider themselves 'morning people'.” Rather, in its
guided excursions to Italy and France, the company ensures that
it never schedules any activities before noon. Executive Tours
explains: “We firmly believe that travel is enjoyed much more
when one is rested and relaxed — not herded and rushed. With
Crack of Noon Tours, you will never hear the phrase, 'bags out by
six AM'.” More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

It’s easier than ever for consumers to earn rather than spend, and
SELLSUMERS are being aided by a host of innovative new con-
cepts:

E-commerce | Israel-based Fiverr lets anyone sell a service of

virtually any type for USD 5. Categories on the site include “Fun &
Bizarre” and “Silly Stuff” along with classics such as “Graphics”
and “Social Marketing.” For each task sold, the seller receives $4;
Fiverr keeps the rest. Both buyers and sellers remain anonymous,
while a feedback system enables participant ratings. More »

Food & Beverage | British high-end chocolate maker and retailer

Hotel Chocolat, which currently operates over 40 stores in the
UK, the Middle East and the US, is inviting customers to buy
bonds that will pay chocolate returns. Two values of Chocolate
Bond will be issued: both with the return paid in monthly Tasting
Boxes. Holders of a GBP 2,000 Chocolate Bond will receive six
free tasting boxes a year worth GBP 107.70 per year, and those
holding a GBP 4,000 bond will receive thirteen boxes, worth GBP
233.35 per year. After an initial term of three years, and on every
anniversary thereafter, bond holders can redeem their bond for a
full return of their investment. More »

E-commerce | Field Agent is a free iPhone app that gives users

the chance to search for jobs in their geographical area, complete
them and get paid. Most listed jobs are in everyday locations
where agents live; examples include collecting retail pricing and
display information, event images, photos of items for sale and
consumer surveys that can be completed anywhere an iPhone
can be used. Payments can range from USD 3 to USD 8, de-
pending on the job’s degree of difficulty. More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

It’s  easier than ever for consumers to reveal their purchasing in-
tentions (in exchange for bids and offers from eager suitors). Here
are some fresh examples:
E-commerce | Preorder.It is a website based out of Saint Pe-
tersburg that allows customers to preorder the latest devices in
advance, before official sale starts. Consumers can browse
through company press releases or search products by brand or
category to locate whatever soon-to-be released device they
want, and register their interest with the merchant. Merchants
then peruse the unbinding preorders left by customers and send
them offers. Preorder.It sends a notification email the moment a
device of interest is available for purchase, giving site users early
access to online bargains. More »
Travel & Transport | OfferMeaTrip (still in development) aims to
provide a service in which consumers dictate what they want
from a trip and agents bid for their business. Users of London-
based OfferMeaTrip will begin by telling the service what kind of
trip they'd like to take and how much they want to spend. The
company's network of approved travel agents will then choose to
make offers on a corresponding trip, which are presented in per-
sonalized online holiday brochures. The consumer in question
then chooses the offer that's most appealing to them. More »
You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)
As the online world plays an ever-larger role in consumers’ lives,
we are seeing  more and more 'online' and digital manifestations
in the offline world. We featured plenty of examples in our OFF =
ON briefing, and they keep coming:
Social Media | UK-based Yourshack offers leasing and house-
share services with a focus on community socialization. Your-
shack aims to help people in its community find the right prop-
erty, give them the option to share, and offer the chance to join a
vibrant social scene in and around Manchester. The company’s
social efforts include a free social membership program for cli-
ents, city discounts, a regular events guide and a rapidly growing
Facebook group. More »
Financial Services | Kwedit offers a payment service in the
United States that enables consumers over the age of 13 to make
cash payments for their online purchases at participating offline
retail stores. Kwedit issues users with a “Kwedit Score” which
measures how reliably they pay when using Kwedit. The company
takes a small percentage of each transaction, as do participating
retailers, which include 7-Eleven. More »
 Serving well-established demographics, ethnograpics and other
'graphics' (and their well-documented desires) in novel ways is an
endless source of innovation. In fact, if your next trend brainstorm
fails to produce a few smart new products for kids, lads gays,
and so on, then you might as well stop reading now: you will
sadly never be a trend innovator ;-) It just doesn’t come easier
than this. A few spottings:

Fashion | French WTFjeans are designed specifically with gadget

fans in mind. iPods, iPhones, USB sticks and more can all be
accommodated in the jeans, which feature “Twitter bloo” stitching
and microfiber lining for extra gadget protection. Along with the
mobile-device compartments, there's a special USB stick pocket
on the front of the pants, which are sold in men's sizes. WTF
plans to make only 1,000 pairs and it's conducting all its promo-
tion through online social media. More »

Publishing | The Story Book inColor lets kids enjoy a variety of

illustrated audio stories without the risks or distractions of an
internet connection. With a book-like form factor including fold-
back cover, Story Book inColor comes preloaded with 20 built-in
stories including both illustrations and narration. More stories for
Story Book inColor are also available on AIPTEK's site, including
English, Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese contents as
well as motion formats. More »

You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)

Toys | Lucky Duck Toy Box provides a wide assortment of toys
for rental aimed at kids aged newborn through five years old.
Parents or grandparents simply choose a subscription plan and
pick out which toys they'd like to start with. Lucky Duck then de-
livers those, and a month later customers login once more to
choose their next set. More »
Domestic Care | Dutch electronics giant Philips has created a
clothes iron for men. The company felt that men wanted a more
robust, heavy-duty tool to tackle hampers of laundry, something
with a larger grip and a more masculine look. The result is the
GC4490, which offers 'more power, more steam, more perform-
ance' and is sold in a solid case, retailing for EUR 79,99. More »
You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)
Food & Beverage | New York’s Butch Bakery offers cupcakes
for men, aiming to be the place where "butch meets butter-
cream". Butch Bakery's cupcakes are specially crafted confec-
tions designed specifically for a man's palate. Varieties include a
Rum & Coke version, the ‘Beer Run’, and the ‘Jackhammer’,
while designs include woodland camo, wood grain, houndstooth,
plaid, checkerboard and marble. More »
Fashion | Manpacks offers Men's undergarments, including
socks, T-shirts and underwear, available for delivery every three
months. Consumers can choose one of four subscription pack-
ages. The JustSocks package, for instance, provides three pairs
of socks every three months for USD 7 per shipment, while the
MachoPack includes three shirts, three pairs of underwear and
three pairs of socks every three months for USD 33 per shipment.
More »
Shipping | Indian Mirakle Couriers is a service provider that
hires only deaf workers, offering a pickup and delivery service in
Mumbai. The company puts a heavy emphasis on the training of
employees—right down to the finer points of professional groom-
ing. Its client list includes Johnson Controls, Bain Capital and the
Indian Hotels Company, among many others. More »
Publishing | Online publication Equally Wed gives gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transgender couples inspiration, ideas and trends
for planning their engagements, weddings and honeymoons. Fea-
tures include articles and photo galleries spotlighting real wed-
dings of GLBT couples, engagement ideas, a Q&A section, and a
section on honeymoon destinations. A community forum lets
readers interact, while a vetted marketplace features gay-friendly
wedding vendors throughout the US. More »
You are reading a PDF version of “MASS MINGLING” (www.trendwatching.com/trends/massmingling)
Schumpeter's creative destruction truly is upon us!
To beat you over the head with it one more time: besides making
sure you're forever fine-tuning your basics, you also  have to con-
tinuously innovate, by anticipating emerging consumer trends.
This briefing has tried to provide you with examples of brands
already practicing what the gurus are preaching.
The both scary and celebratory part? Wherever you live, whatever
it is you do, you have absolutely no excuse to be unaware of in-
novations originating in Australia, in the Netherlands, in the US, in
Argentina, in Turkey, in Singapore, in South Africa ... It’s all out
there, reported 24/7 by numerous sources dedicated to trends
and new business ideas.
So, get into gear and good luck! And once you've joined the 'in-
sanity', be sure to let us or Springwise know about your innova-
tive new products and services :-)