Connecting with a changing shopper and the future of retail
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The future of retail is as much about physical spaces as mental spaces. At this Asian Retail conference at Bali I explored where physical meets virtual , where analog meets digital and where shoppers are intercepted by branded inspiration and information when they need them the most and not polluting or interrupting the consumers life or their life style
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Connecting with a changing shopper and the future of retail
- 1. CONNECTING WITH A CHANGING CONSUMER & THE FUTURE OF RETAIL @Jayant Murty Intel Corp. Asian Retail Conference Bali, Indonesia, Aug 21, 2012
- 2. In a few years you wont see a single sales associate without a mobile device – C wonder Digital associates will be helping consumers buy products that are online not in-store - Hanes Added value utilities on mobile platforms will be the only way to keep brands top of mind in the crucial interaction in-store- Addidas Personal shopping experiences that lets customers explore the story behind the merchandise lends itself to a huge selling opportunity – Pacific Sun Customers don’t care about barcodes. put the technology in the background and the experience in the foreground - Diageo Use technology at touch points to understand why customers did not select products after looking at them for a while - Levis Gesture based experiences will deliver bigger ticket sizes, greater loyalty and fewer returns - Razorfish
- 3. We are just scratching the surface on location based group deals and geo location discounts – Virgin Airlines In societies that buy more frugally, who are looking for best bang for their buck, word of mouth and social validation are key - Starbucks Retailers have to seek to build a community of advocates and not push content and deals to mass fans and followers – 500 Friends Retailer transparency will be the biggest driver of sales. Consumers like to believe they have all the information they need to buy - Amazon Only 10% of customers make a purchase on something they haven’t tried . 67% of customers who try end up buying – Retail reporter Interactive, augmented reality, on body applications will be the decisive way for brick and mortar companies to drive an advantage – Holition Brick and mortar need to turn the burden of real estate in to an advantage by creating a social experience – Top Shop
- 4. EVERYWHERE will be a store. EVERYTHING will be available to buy and EVERYONE will be involved in the sale. With the technology available to us, I can snap a picture on my camera phone of a friend’s shoes and get them shipped for arrival when I wake up next day
- 5. IMMEDIATE PRODUCT RESEARCH , SAMPLING AND BUYING
- 6. APP TRANSFORMS PHONE TO CREDIT CARD MACHINE
- 7. STORE FREE SHOPPING VIA TEXT MESSAGES
- 8. IN APP PURCHASE WITH AUGMENTED REALITY
- 9. MOBILE COUPONS TO REWARD SHOPPERS
- 10. Some people want to RESEARCH from their HOME and others want to do research in the RETAIL ENVIRONMENT. Brands need to be prepared to accommodate both if required Laura Cashill – Guest Insights Target
- 11. VISIT THE STORE BEFORE YOUR TRIP
- 12. APP FOR TURN BY TURN DIRECTIONS INSTORE
- 13. GROCERY APPLICATION MAKES SHOPPING MORE EFFICIENT
- 14. GIFT RECOMMENDATIONS GUIDED BY LOCATION
- 15. 8 9 WEB CAM SHOWS WHICH LOCATIONS ARE CROWDED
- 16. Retailers need to empower their staff by providing them with real time information and putting it at their finger tips. Tablets and similar devices have the power to make a retail visit highly personalized Piers Fawkes – PSFK
- 17. HOTEL FRONT DESK STAFF WITH IPADS
- 18. IPOD PROVIDES PERSONALIZED SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
- 19. INTERACTIVE NIGHT LIFE SPACE CONNECTS PATRONS WITH NIGHT CLUB STAFF
- 20. JAPANESE HOTEL LENDS PRE-LOADED IPHONE TO GUESTS
- 21. CAR DEALERS USE IPAD WITH 3D VIEWS ON SHOWROOM FLOOR
- 22. Digital technology allows shoppers to COLLABORATE with the retailer. Shoppers can show the retailer what they are looking for enter and in to DYNAMIC discussion about finding a product or service that fits their needs Piers Fawkes – PSFK
- 23. TRAVEL AGENDS BID FOR CONSUMER DREAM VACATIONS
- 24. PERSONALIZED SHOPPING WIHTOUT HAVING TO VISIT A STORE
- 25. HAIR SALON OFFERS SKYPE CONSULTATION
- 26. RESTAURANT CREATES CUSTOMER FOCUSED EXPERIENCE USING TECHNLOGY
- 27. WEB ENABLED HEALTH CARE PROVIDES FOR RICHER INDOCTOR VISITS
- 28. We have ‘way finding’ signs in our stores that are simple Subtle signs within our retail environment that serve to tell the story of our commitment to sustainability and act as a connection to the community. They reiterate values that we share with our consumers Tim Pfeiffer – Starbucks
- 29. RETAIL SPACE RE-IMAGINED AS A FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT HUB
- 30. BIKE SHOP ENCOURAGES A COMMUNITY OF BIKERS
- 31. SUPER MARKET DESIGN ENCOURAGES INTERACTIVITY AND DISCOVERY
- 32. LIBRARY REIMAGINES DISPLAY FOR BETTER BROWSING
- 33. Mixing your products with like minded brands is a nobrainer. Brands rub of one another and end up helping the customer to make a choice through recommendations Piers Fawkes– PSFK
- 34. HOTEL SELLS ART ALONG SIDE TRAVEL NECESSITIES
- 35. BIG BOX RETAILER TO OFFER LAUNDRY SERVICE
- 36. In my mind the ideal store would be designed like a stage set. It could be changed on a frequent basis Alex Calderwood – Ace Hotel
- 37. INTERIORS ON WHEELS. BENCHES TURN STORES TO STADIUMS
- 38. ROTATING POP UP NEXT TO FLAGSHIP STORE
- 39. As opposed to a general merchandise environment, a temporary retail store can provide a great canvas for a retailer to express a strong point-of-view about a specific product or service segment Laura Cashill – Target
- 40. BURGER TRUCKS FOR LUNCH AND DINNER
- 41. TRUCK OUTFITTED WITH HOME APPLIANCES TOURS COUNTRY
- 42. HAIR SALON COMES HOME
- 43. DOUBLE DECKER – ELEVATED DINING EXPERIENCE ON THE MOVE
- 44. LIQUOR BRAND OFFERS PRIVATE COCKTAIL PARTIES AT HOME
- 45. Shopping 2.0 online was about price comparison like Next Tag and best of breed customer experiences like iTunes and Zappos.Shopping 3.0 is about truly empowered consumers Sukhinder Cassidy – Polyware
- 46. STORE CAMERA CONNECTS TO FACEBOOK
- 47. WEBSITE SHOWS ONLY CLOTHING THAT YOUR FRIENDS LIKE
- 48. APP ALLOWS REAL TIME GROUPS TO FORM ANYWHERE
- 49. ONLINE SERVICE FOR SHARING PURCHASES
- 50. We are finding that people are tweeting and telling their friends about amazing deals all the time. These individuals are helping form communities in real time and taking part in group purchasing activities in an unprecedented fashion Rob Salaman – Groupon
- 51. ONLINE GROUP PAYMENT PLATFORM
- 52. COLLECTIVELY BUYING SOLAR POWER
- 53. GROUPS DECIDE WHICH FURNITURE TO PRODUCE
- 54. CONSUMER REWARD ETHICAL BUSINESSES
- 55. BUSINESSES LEVERAGE MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKS
- 56. Buy Anything. Anytime. Anywhere Strategies and thoughts for a new consumer Jayant Murty . Intel Corp
- 57. THE CHANGING FACE OF RETAIL
- 58. CURATED CONSUMERISM. INTEGRATING ONLINE AND IN STORE
- 60. Key takeaways 1. Online and offline should work in tandem 2. Multi-choice delivery should become standard 3. Consider add-ons that shape consumer experience 4. Be fluid and flexible. Pop Up, Mobile retail 5. Don’t ignore niches – could be very profitable
- 61. IN STORE TECHNOLOGY. CAPITALIZING ON CONVERGENT LIFESTYLE
- 64. Key takeaways 1. Technology is not to impress but to be of genuine use 2. Build trust through opt ins 3. Build rich customer profiles and build targeted content 4. Encourage creativity through customization 5. Every physical object can deliver its own story
- 65. DEMOCRATIC CONSUMERISM. RETHINK THE SUPPLY CHAIN
- 66. Key takeaways 1. Lines between producer, seller and consumer have blurred 2. Let consumers in to everything 3. Reward and acknowledge enthusiastic consumers 4. Embrace group purchase 5. Crowd source consumer opinion
- 67. SALON: SPACES FOR COMMUNITY AND RETAIL DEVELOPMENT
- 68. Key takeaways 1. Stores are living ,evolving. Not just for displaying products 2. Consumers should come to stores to learn & be inspired 3. The store differentiation is in the culture 4. Be generous with expertise , skills and space 5. Be an educator and advisor and not salesman. Know your stuff
- 69. RETAIL WITH A CAUSE. THE NEW SOCIAL CONSCIOUSNESS
- 70. Key takeaways 1. Doing well through doing good is a golden ticket 2. CSR policies should be living, evolving and participatory 3. Consumers want minimum inconvenience in Give & Take 4. Cradle to grave lifecycles need transparency 5. Use new technologies like geo tagging in CSR – make it easy
- 72. S-COMMERCE. WHERE SOCIAL MEDIA MEETS ONLINE RETAIL
- 73. M COMMERCE : THE BRIDGE BETWEEN AT HOME AND INSTORE
- 74. V COMMERCE : USING VIDEO CONTENT TO DRIVE SALES
- 75. Flexible store environments Make each visit feel like new Collaboration and cultural touchstones retain brand relevancy Either physically or through tech Shopping is best when social Brands must take part in conv.,else consumers will do so without them THE FUTURE OF RETAIL . SUMMARY Access to the mobile web Is freeing the consumer Connected technologies is changing customer service forever Introducing like-minded products shows brand is confident and cares Physical stores still the best way to communicate &deliver experiences Lower barriers and make a sale when/where customer is ready Give customer all the tools to make informed decisions
- 76. Thank You Twitter: @jayantmurty Find me on LinkedIn
Editor's Notes
- Commerce consulting and development firm Portaltech has unveiled StripeyLines, an iPhone application that enables shoppers to swipe the barcode on goods they are considering for a price comparison but also saves these goods and profiles as a wish list on the StripeyLineswebsite for later research and evaluation.For retailers and shoppers alike, says Portaltech, StripeyLines can be customised to provide a number of useful features. In the run-up to Christmas or during sales, it could be used to allow visitors to affiliated retail stores to touch and feel products while on the shop floor then use their iPhone to scan the barcode of their desired products and collect them later at a customer collection point, or scan them and add them to online wish lists. Alternatively, in-store, or later over a coffee, shoppers can review what theyve scanned to make an informed decision and perform further research before buying the items from their iPhone or desktop PC. StripeyLines search allows consumers to scan any standard product barcode to gain access to generic images and details either via an adapted version of the retailers catalogue, or through look-up search engines such as Amazon, eBay, iTunes and Google. The shopper can choose to carry out a number of different actions on a scanned item. For example, StripeyLines allows shoppers to search for the item on Tesco.com and add it to their online Tescos Grocery account shopping basket. Numerous other actions are in the pipeline for StripeyLines, including weight management. Having scanned a product the user plans to eat or drink, the app will update how much the nutritional value of that product contributes to their daily allowance and calculate the number of calories they have remaining.Retailer specific barcodes (the shorter 8 digit barcodes found on own-brand goods) are being added to the StripeyLines search as retailers make them available. The first retailer to provide this data is Iceland Foods, with data also being made available from Tesco through its TJAM initiative.For retailers that want to make the most of the mobile commerce revolution without developing their own iPhone application, Polartech says that StripeyLines will enable them to develop simple plug-ins that are beamed to shoppers iPhones and highlight certain lines and promotions when related items are scanned.iPhone users are early adopters, technology savvy and are eager to embrace new lifestyle options and services, says Portaltech CTO, Paul Tough. They access the Internet to look up specific information online more than any other Smartphone users, and there are a lot of them. As such, with the rapid consumer adoption of the iPhone, retailers have been encouraged to consider mobile-enabled commerce and the opportunities that it can offer.Tough adds that StripeyLines has been built from the ground up to be totally extensible and to provide third-party retailers and solution providers with an interface to plug-in additional functionality such as the offer of home delivery, the delivery of digital promotions and an extension of self-checkout all of which evoke brand value and establish retailer differentiation. As its a plug-in extension to their existing web technology, retailers dont have to learn about a new technology and they can update and disseminate information in a true multi-channel environment, enabling them to merge the online and in-store experience so it is seamless and convenient, he says. The StripeyLines application is available to download for free from the Apple App Store. StripeyLines is also compatible with the iPod touch, however users will need to type in the barcode number in the absence of the iPhones built-in camera.
- Based in New York City, Subports provides a simple way for people to buy and sell things via text message.We work exclusively with independent designers, vendors, artists, and non-profits to encourage sustainable commerce. When users sign up with Subports, their credit card info becomes tied to their mobile number — and then users never have to sign in again. Users can shop independently by text message in a more and more environments — and we regularly organize retail experiments in order to create engaging, unorthodox shopping experiences. What kinds of things are sold via Subports? Contemporary furniture, yoga classes, baked goods, event tickets, vintage apparel, killer sunglasses…. Vendors use our codes in a variety of formats and forums, including their brick-and-mortar shops, pop-ups, websites, newsletters, twitter feeds, facebook posts, print ads, and other traditional media. Word of mouth has never been a more immediate marketing tool. Because the point of sale is a simple text message, Subports provides incredible opportunities for sellers to reconfigure their businesses, and for consumers to shop independently.
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- Tired of trying to find the Cinnabon in your local mall by having to sniff it out? The Fast Mall application will make sure you get there without having to use your nose – just your iPhone.There’s no cellphone service required for this app to work, so even if your reception is spotty while strolling your favorite shops, this thing still gets you to the sale at Victoria’s Secret or to American Eagle Outfitters for some tight, preppy polos with no problem.It also gives you turn-by-turn directions to the nearest restrooms and elevators, so you can strategically plan out your bathroom breaks in between shopping and sipping Ice Blendeds (I’m sure this will tell you where the Coffee Bean counter is too).Probably the most useful feature to this app is the parking finder that brings you right back to where you parked – no more having to write P3/blue on your hand anymore. This thing also notifies you about sales and promotions going on in the mall you’re in.As someone without an iPhone, I’ll still be relying on the large color-coded mall directory and the actual people at the information kiosk to tell me where I’m going.For the more tech-advanced mall-goer, the Fast Mall app is a free download for the iPhone.
- We all know that impulse buys waste a lot of money, so wouldn’t it be nice if you could print out a concise shopping list to help you stay on task? Sit down with your weekly shopping list and fire up the Grocery IQ app. As you enter each item, it will tell you the current price at your local market, then search for any related discounts or coupons on it. If you’re not picky about the brand, you can check which brands are in stock and compare prices. Once you’ve chosen what you want to buy, the app will group your items by aisle so you’ll be in and out of the store in a snap. You can even email the list to yourself to print it out, along with any coupons it found for your items Y’all, if you haven’t had a chance to check out this app and you grocery shop….this will change your life. The app doesn’t have to be on your phone as you can access the program in your favorite web browser as well.Thins I love about Grocery IQ:It allows you to SCAN BARCODES of your favorite products that you buy and automatically updates all of the information on your list. Sometimes it doesn’t quite recognize the barcode, particularly for store brand items, but it has a search feature that allows you to select items as well.Those lists, you can separate them by Stores. So if you like to buy certain products at certain stores…you can create lists just for that.Now here comes the fun part – you can update the list with PRICES. After you shop that first time, go through and enter every item on your list. Log on online and edit all of the items with the quantity you normally buy and the cost. It does both cost per item and cost per pound. Then voila not only does your grocery list have a list of items but also the anticipated cost! Talk about pre-planning.Then because Grocery IQ is smart, I mean hello it’s called IQ for a reason, it maintains all of that data in a history. So next time you need to make a list you can just scroll through your history and check items off and BAM! Your grocery list is done, accurate, and you know exactly what you can expect to spend. Oh and you can create a “favorites” list too. I use that for the weird stuff we need every other day like milk. (At least that is how it seems to me…)Lastly, you can PRINT. You can print straight from your phone if you want. You can access your list or email it to someone else for them to print. You can make several copies of this list and hand it out to strangers if you are so inclined.I realize this app is simply replacing a pad and paper, but this has become a joy to my life. Now my grocery shopping and budget planning is accurate to a “T!” I know exactly what I need. My shopping / planning time has reduced down to only 30 min rather than the hour it used to take me. Oh and the #1 best part of all of this…ITS FREE!! That’s right people, I’d give it away but I don’t have too. BECAUSE ITS FREE!So go forth, download an APP. Save yourself from the Grocery Store.
- VIANEN, Netherlands – Scala, the leading provider of end-to-end connected signage software, today announces that its certified partners, Troades and House Of Media Experience BV have created a sophisticated multichannel, multisensory customer experience for Miele’s first Inspirience Centre in the Netherlands. Combining the latest audio, visual, aroma and interactive techniques, the center provides a fully immersive brand experience for Miele customers and its business partners.“Miele” literally means durability, reliability, security and peace of mind. Founded in 1899, Miele’s aim has been to manufacture the highest-quality domestic appliances and commercial equipment in the world.Miele usually demonstrates its products in Galleries, exclusive showrooms within retail stores which present a selected range of Miele products and provide an opportunity to inform and educate visitors by emphasizing the attributes and values of the brand in one branded space. As Miele’s products are used for a wide variety of household tasks such as washing, chilling, warming, baking, cooking and freezing, the customer selection process of identifying the appropriate product for the appropriate need is experiential.Miele’sInspirience Centre in Vianen is the first to integrate a range of media channels to create a multisensory environment for visitors.“We wanted the visitor to have a 360-degree experience. Digital signage is not only about sound and vision, but is enhanced by adding other human sense triggers. Their recollection of their experience and of Miele will be individual to them and as long as the experience was meaningful, helpful, timely and relevant. I’m convinced that this will build brand loyalty and that over time, that recollection and loyalty will be evidenced through referrals and purchases,” said Luc Heijnen, Concept Design, Multisensory Experience at Troades.Miele recognized some time ago that in a typical reseller’s store, their products were often not demonstrated to their fullest potential, and customers were not able to place the products into the appropriate domestic context. It also quickly became clear that traditional marketing channels would not deliver the brand experience Miele required with customers and dealers. The goal was to implement a two-way communication channel and create an experiential retail proposition.Miele chose House Of Media Experience BV and Troades, two leading cross-media and multisensory experience design agencies, to assist in the concept design, implementation and management of this center. Scala was chosen as the core operating platform to manage and control the digital network as well as sound, vision, light scenes and scent throughout the center.At over 3000 square meters (32,000 square feet), Miele’sInspirience Centre contains a complete range of custom furniture, lighting, brand-enhancing visuals, signposting, information channels, sounds and scents all collaborating in a centrally managed way to provide visitors with a seamless total sense experience. There are over 100 screens of different formats and aspects providing over 40 channels of customized Miele content at full HD quality. This runs either dynamically (i.e., triggered automatically based upon predefined rules) or is controlled by customer interaction.The customer experience is designed to be as personalized as possible. Customers are requested to register prior to or on arrival to provide Miele with basic visitor/shopper information including gender, demographics, lifestyle, historic Miele purchase information, etc.Visitors are provided with an Apple iPod Touch which contains the visitor’s name, preferences and profile. The iPod Touch can be used to retrieve information on the store (such as a floor plan), provide detailed information on Miele products and services, and enable customers to request advice and recommendations from the iPod Touch system. The response of the system is based on the user’s unique preferences and profile. Additional information can be printed out in-store or emailed to a customer’s email address direct from the iPod Touch.The store is equipped with indoor GPS technology which links to each iPod Touch each of which is equipped with its own GPS transmitter. This means Miele know which iPod Touch (and therefore which customer) is in which area of the store to the precision of 50 cm, the size of each square floor tile, each of which also has its own unique GPS address. This technology enables Miele to plot customer progress through the store and map shopping routes, hotspots and dwell times to help develop the digital experience. A “decision engine” also analyses the relationship between the visitor type and the area or product category they are in to refine the experience by adapting the media to suit their preferences. So advanced is this process that at any point in the store, the system can adjust local lighting, aroma/scent dispersal, audio type and levels, and the digital content that appears on screens close to the customer, within a matter of a few seconds.Like the smell of fresh linen? If you said yes to that question when you signed up and you walked through the laundry zone, the system will know and it will dispense that aroma. If you’re allergic or you don’t like the smell, the system will replace it with something relevant that you do like.Scala manages the coordination of these changes and physically applies the rules from the decision engine to the zone environment, from increasing or decreasing lighting brightness to the scheduling and dispersal of aromas, to the creation and scheduling of content for the more than 100 Apple and Philips screens installed throughout the store. These screens run multiple channels of content and provide interactive services across a range of screens including a 3 x 2 Z-shaped installation and a 3 x 3 installation of Orion borderless video walls.Oscar Elizaga, VP EMEA for Scala, commented that “the MieleInspirience Centre is so much more advanced in terms of its form and function than most existing implementations in retail that you could argue that one day, all retailers will embrace experiential digital marketing in some form in-store if it means we can make the experience more relevant and helpful for that customer. I am delighted Scala was chosen to play a part in this cutting-edge retail media project.”This approach provides a platform that gets close to offering visitors a unique experience. This relevancy, informed by the proprietary decision engine process enabled Scala to control not only screen content but building services and environmental variables to create a powerful immersive experience for the visitor and Miele’s resellers.To view a full case study on the MieleInspirience Centre, please visit this link.House Of Media Experience BVOur team of professionals work daily creating television programs, multi-platform content productions and digital signage projects (point of decision and event centres). Since 2007, we focus on cross-media concepts gathering all required disciplines under one roof (in-house). Also within the group is a print team (brochures, magazines, books, publications, etc.). We see digital signage projects as an integrated part of the overall marketing communication mix, not just putting up some screens and repeating TV ads. It’s a new medium that offers the opportunity to fine-tune content and create the right message for the right people at the right time and place. Next to Web 2.0, digital signage creates for the first time the opportunity for marketers to interact with their audience. Helping you to reach out where “the response is the communication.” More information available at http://www.houseofmediaexperience.nlAbout TroadesTroades is a consulting and marketing research company specialized in the digital arena. We look at the customer from a multisensory experience view. Helping you to provide timely and relevant information to your captive audience and “Creating the fittest cross-media experience through experience.” Troades is a Member of the Elevator Group. More information available at http://www.hybridesignage.comFor further information on Miele, visit www.miele.nl/ About ScalaDriving more than 300,000 screens worldwide, Scala is a leading global provider of digital signage and advertising management solutions. Scala is the world’s first connected signage company, offering the leading platform for content creation, management and distribution in digital signage networks and the first unified platform for advertising management of both traditional and digital signage networks. The company's digital signage customers include Rabobank, IKEA, Burger King, T-Mobile, Virgin MegaStore, Warner Brothers, The Life Channel, Rikstoto, Repsol, NorgesGruppen, Audi, ECE Flatmedia, Kaufhof (Metro Group) and thousands more. Advertising management customers include CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor and Magic Media, among others. Scala is headquartered near Philadelphia, USA, and has subsidiaries in Canada, The Netherlands, France, Norway, Germany and Japan, as well as more than 450 partners in more than 60 countries. More information is available at www.scala.com
- A better way for men to shopThe traditional shopping process, whether in stores or online, doesn’t work for men. Trunk Club is different. We start with an assortment of the best brands in men’s fashion, and then personally hand select a “trunk” of clothes for you based on your preferences. Keep what you love, send back the rest
- Way back when, it was the Warren Beatty flick Shampoo that prompted Rick Fogarty to enter into the beauty industry. He had visions of driving fancy cars, cutting the locks of gorgeous models, and living the life of a playboy — until, while still studying the craft, he met Judy, now his wife. Fast-forward through 20-plus years (he’s vague about the “plus”), shears in hand, in the suburbs west of Boston, to present-day Harvard Square, where the couple recently opened Plan B (99 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, 617.54.PLANB), their first salon in Cambridge.A boutique-salon concept, Plan B keeps a sharp focus on Fogarty’s passion: skillfully cut, no-frills hair. The small, clean-lined space boasts ust three stylists’ chairs — though, urrently, Fogarty is cutting and oloring solo — and minimalist white alls that, instead of feeling stark, mpart a sense of calm upon entering. Long a proponent of applying new technology in the salon, Fogarty prides himself on exceptional, personalized service with an innovative twist: complimentary 15-minute Skype video consultations that allow new clients to hear his thoughts on their potential new ’dos.When asked about opening a business in these tough economic times, Fogarty is quick to explain that great hair is a luxury that few are willing to give up. However, with current and prospective clients in mind, he’s offering what he calls “Plan B-enefits”: $10 off for referring a friend; student discounts; complimentary bang trims; and, if you pay for four of the same service in advance, 20 percent off the top.Still a newcomer in Cambridge (Plan B has been open for a couple of months now), Fogarty is gradually building up his business, relying on his talent as a stylist/colorist and word of mouth of his loyal clientele; but he’s not in any hurry. He seems a sharp contrast to the ego and drama so prevalent in his industry. He settled on his new location, far from the saturated market and inflated rents of Newbury Street, for a reason. In our view, he’s the one to turn to when you’re in need of a new look, a break from all the pretense, and some fresh perspective: in other words, the ideal “Plan B.
- Last night, the folks behind 4Food, the new donut-hole burger place that's opening next month on Madison and 40th, offered a friends and family sneak peek to the crew at techie website Gizmodo. And they gave Eater a little walk through beforehand to get some shots of the composter (works 24 hours a day), social media jumbotron, burger making machine, and all the rest. As readers of earlier coverage already know, 4Food is selling a two-pronged concept/gimmick here: 1) customizable burgers with holes in the middle and 2) overt social media pandering with a board that displays check-ins and tweets, a feature that allows customers to build their burgers online, and a leaderboard that displays the most popular burgers. Suffice it to say, there were iPads everywhere. So how is the place in the flesh? To order customers choose a bun, a patty, a filling, a 'slice', a cheese, condiments, and then side orders (rice, potatoes, etc.) and drinks. People who planned ahead by building their burgers online can save some time at the checkout by just ordering their pre-named burger. The people behind the counter are incredibly nice (and look at those uniforms!), but the heightened customization of every single order leads to an inevitable bottleneck at the pickup counter. And one hopes that someday they use those big screens to announce orders instead of yelling them into the crowded room.It's a narrow space but with three floors of dining including bleacher-like seating in front of the jumbotron social media board. There are constant reminders—on the walls, on the trash cans—of the composting, commitment to environmental, sustainable ethos, etc. Still, the burgers are ensconced in quite a bit of (recycled we imagine) packaging.There are some potential problems: 1) Will the concept trump the flavor/food quality? 2) Do New Yorkers really want that much choice and customization?, and 3) Do they want burgers with holes in the middle with things stuffed inside?We all know the story — fast food is awful for us, dreadful for the environment, and one of modernity’s most gruesome addictions. Yet in a culture of constantly shrinking time budgets and an ever-increasing marketability of convenience, it’s increasingly difficult to reconcile our moral and nutritional ideals with our fast-paced workaholism. But it doesn’t have to be an either/or situation, at least not if it’s up to 4food — an innovative restaurant concept aiming to de-junk fast food for the digital age.Founded by British serial entrepreneur and ex-music-exec Adam Kidron, former CEO of Urban Box Office, and rock musician Michael Shuman, 4food is equal parts good food and digital age fixtures. Not only are orders placed through iPad-based “Dynamic Menu Boards” or pre-ordered online, but they’re also fully customizable to your lifestyle and nutrition goals. The entire operation is designed with sustainability and ethical conduct at its core — from the local, organic, Monsanto-unaffiliated ingredients to the fairtrade worker compensation to the in-store recycling and composting programs.We bring fast food that’s fresh, delicious, and nutritious to all ages, lifestyles, incomes, and ethnicities. No fads, fillers, or anything artificial. We’re revolutionizing counter culture, in real-time.”The restaurant’s signature product is the W(hole)burger™ — a donut-shaped beef, lamb, pork, turkey, veggie, salmon or egg patty, paired with one of 25 ethnically and nutritionally diverse Veggiescoop centers, each with unique nutritional attributes. The “holes” from the patties are made into skewers for a perfect bunless, low-carb, shareable meal.4food’s manifesto is a fantastic epitome of what every eatery should aspire to do and be:De-junked fast food is made of quality, natural ingredients and customizable to your taste and nutrition goals.Our foods don’t contain any hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats or oils.No artificial sweeteners. No preservatives. No artificial flavor enhancers.None of our food is fried.If it’s soy, it’s not Monsanto* — wherever possible we purchase whole ingredients that have neither been genetically engineered nor modified.Our chefs use simple and straightforward cooking techniques to prepare and cook your food to order.Our cows, pigs, and sheep are humanely raised while grazing and eating vegetarian diets.Our poultry and fish are fed heritage foods with no artificial growth hormones or antibiotics.You know (because we tell you) where all of our ingredients come from.We provide personalized nutrition facts, advice, and menu recommendations every day in—store, at www.4food.com, and printed on every receipt.We charge reasonable prices, when the rights of farm workers to earn a living wage, the integrity of our food preparation, and the quality of our ingredients are taken into account.Your purchases provide real world job training to individuals transitioning back into the work force—to earn more than minimum wage.We compost in-store and recycle. We employ sunscreen systems, LED lighting, and purchase renewable energy credits from alternative energy generators. We’re committed to increasing our use of sustainable power as we grow.We incentivize you to market your custom W(hole)burgers™ online, so that we don’t have to. The money we save on marketing enables us to purchase better quality ingredients and keep our prices down.4food is part Apple store, part European coffeehouse, part Michael Pollan‘s wet dream. The first restaurant opens its doors at 40th & Madison in New York on September 7.
- n the heart of Hipsterville, New York (that’s Williamsburg, Brooklyn) you’d expect to find microbreweries like the Brooklyn Brewery and trendy children’s clothing stores like Smoochie Baby. Within walking distance of both, however, you can also find Hello Health, a cutting-edge medical practice that doesn’t accept insurance but does offer instant messaging, email, video conferencing, and secure electronic medical records to its members.Hello Health reflects the antiestablishment ethos that pervades Williamsburg. Dr. Sean Khozin, one of its founding doctors, explains that the practice was built on a conscious decision to drop out of the existing health-care payment system, which he believes drives up costs and strangles innovation. “A lot of the stuff that physicians do today has nothing to do with delivering quality care,” he says. “It’s just paperwork to satisfy the needs of third parties—mainly insurers—that are outside the doctor-patient relationship. There isn’t any other profession where ‘third parties’ dictate so much what you can and cannot do. Most practicing physicians spend over 30 percent of their administrative costs just dealing with insurance companies—and that’s outside of any other costs they may have, like medical malpractice insurance.”After graduating from medical school, Khozin quickly became discouraged by the depressing reality of day-to-day clinical practice. Primary-care physicians face low reimbursements from insurers and must navigate reams of red tape just to get paid. To compensate, they see dozens of patients every day, spending just a few minutes with each. Given the poor working conditions, many doctors opt for early retirement or more lucrative specialties, generating a national shortage of primary-care doctors. That shortage is bound to get worse, thanks to the millions of uninsured patients who will enter the system if, as seems likely, Congress passes legislation mandating that individuals buy health insurance. Doctors aren’t the only ones feeling frustrated. It’s not uncommon for patients to wait weeks for an appointment with their physician, sit for hours in the doctor’s lobby, and then stutter out a few symptoms before the doctor disappears again, a blur in a lab coat. Khozin turned to research and medical communications after completing his post-medical-school residency (he also has a degree in public health). He never lost his interest in helping patients or finding a better way to practice medicine. Eventually, he developed a partnership with Myca, a Canadian technology company, and launched Hello Health as a demonstration project. He aimed to create a new business model for medicine, “direct care,” that uses the Internet and social networking tools like email and instant messaging (IM) to connect doctors with patients while bypassing insurers and bureaucrats. Patients can search for doctors, find services and fees, and make appointments on the Hello Health website. Because they don’t accept insurance and use technology to streamline processes, Hello Health physicians have much lower overhead and can pass the savings on to patients. For instance, Khozin charges $35 a month for membership and $125 for office and video visits. Quick emails, texts, and IMs are free, as are some simple lab tests and up to two months’ worth of prescriptions for generic drugs. Other physicians using Hello Health can set their own patient-friendly fee schedules. Hello Health appeals to patients who are uninsured or underinsured and need access to basic, affordable health care, or who have Health Savings Accounts coupled with a high-deductible health plan that covers catastrophic costs. HSAs allow patients to pay for routine costs out-of-pocket, encouraging them to shop for the best health-care values. Khozin is a big fan of the HSA model. “I think everyone should have catastrophic insurance, but let the market take care of routine care, which can be very cheap.”The current system’s perverse incentives can lead to overutilization of expensive (and well-reimbursed) services that don’t lead to better outcomes and may even hurt some patients by exposing them to needless risks and side effects. “One of the main problems driving U.S. health care costs out of control is the fragmentation of care,” Khozin says. “Doctors are paid on a fee-for-service basis, not for diagnosing or managing illnesses to achieve better outcomes at lower cost.” Because Khozin and his colleagues get paid for their services in full at every session, they have no incentive to do anything more—or less—than what they think is in the best interest of their patients. President Obama and many health-care experts like to hold up the Mayo Clinic as an example of the high-quality, low-cost, integrated-care model that the rest of the country should follow. At the Mayo Clinic, doctors work in teams and are paid in annual salaries rather than fee-for-service. But most physicians actually work in small practices (often with just two or three doctors), and it’s just too impractical and expensive to expect all of them suddenly to join large integrated practices The Myca technology platform solves that problem by allowing primary-care physicians and specialists who don’t share the same offices to view patients’ health records in real time, discuss the patients’ history through email or IM, and ensure that care remains coordinated. “We’ve created true continuity of care,” Khozin notes, “and strengthened the doctor-patient relationship, which, at the end of the day, is what chronic care management is all about.” Technology also improves care management by putting doctors and patients in regular communication and enabling doctors to monitor their patients’ progress and make recommendations that can improve outcomes. Will the Hello Health model survive the health-care legislation winding its way through Congress? Khozin is cautiously optimistic: “We need to find different ways of delivering care, and the direct-care model we’re developing is one of the most viable ways to fix the primary-care system.” Regulators and policymakers have a lot to learn from what physicians like Khozin are doing. Rather than trying to dictate health-care arrangements from the top down, innovators like Hello Health are creating and bundling services that patients want and can afford. That’s about as hip as it gets, in Brooklyn or anywhere else.
- The ShopIn the heart of downtown Austin, Mellow Johnny’s Bike Shop lives in an historic warehouse building on Nueces Street.The PhilosophyMore than a retail box, Lance and his friends aim to make the shop a hub of cycling life, commuting, social activity, fitness, and a temple of two-wheeled living.To serve the bike community is our job, but to introduce people to a bike life is our mission.The StuffBikes for racers, commuters, fixies and fitnessService by pros to keep you tuned.Parts & Gear for speed, function, & style.Apparel for performance and fashion.Showers, lockers & storage for commuters!
- Leonard's World's Largest Dairy Store as an attraction to plan your whole vacation around. On a weekend jaunt taking in the Sing Sing Museum, Hartsdale Pet Cemetery and Holy Land USA, Stew's would be an okay snack stop if it weren't so crowded. The parking lot is jammed full of irritable and angry drivers jockeying SUVs for the few empty spaces. It's the kind of crowd usually reserved for warehouse club shopping before Christmas.Large letters on the side of the building proclaim this is indeed the "World's Largest Dairy Store."Inside, Stew's reminds us of specialty groceries and farm markets in other regions, sucking in the Soccer Moms with succulent produce displays. Is there more of a draw here than a reputation for really good pies? Yes. Stew's special entertainment is spread along the crowded grocery continuum. See milk packaged in the glass-enclosed dairy laboratory. Ahead is an animatronic band of cartoon milk cartons. Every few minutes they launch into cheery song. The "Farm Fresh Five" are strategically positioned above the refrigerated food displays. Shoppers, peeved we have stopped in the middle of the aisle to watch the show, gently nudge with their carts. We move on. Like any good tourist trap, Stew's is set up so you can only move in one direction, past every item, before you reach the exit. More animatronic scenes perform above the mad fray. Stalks of broccoli and carrots sing. A cow's head pokes out of a barn near the bread section; kids know that if you pull on her bell she'll Mooo and tell a cow joke.That's about it. On your way out past the cash registers, there's a wall covered with snapshots of people all over the world brandishing bags from Stew Leonard's. Since there are only three stores, you have to admire the unnamed promotional genius who started this silly tradition.Some loathe it, others love it. Either way, grocery shopping is something that everyone has to do... so why not make it fun? Stew Leonard's is more than just a grocery store. It's Disney World meets a grocery store. It's an amusement park with free samples and it's impossible to leave the store without a smile on your face. Founded in 1969 as a small dairy store with only seven employees, Stew Leonard's has grown to be the Ripley's Believe It Or Not... World's Largest Dairy Store. It's now home to nearly 2,000 team members in four locations with its headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut. When you step into the store prepare to be greeted by one or more of three things: a free sample, a costumed character (most likely a cow or chicken), or a a singing animatronic creature. Among the animatronic creatures are the Chiquita Banana, Dole Fresh Vegetables, and a banjo picking dog. As if that weren't enough to get you excited about grocery shopping, there is a year-round ice cream stand at the main entrance of the store and a petting/feeding zoo during warm weather to visit on your way out
- Design story of De nieuweBibliotheekAlmere by Concrete Architectural Associates:The challenge was to design all public spaces within the new public library in Almere. The building was designed by Meyer en van Schooten Architects. The overall design scope consisted of 5000m1 linear meters of bookshelves and accompanying facilities: counters, internet areas, a read café, study areas and a multimedia department. At the request of the client we contributed to the development of the shop-concept: a commercial approach, instead of a standard library positioning and structure, where books are presented to a ‘customer’ and where the library itself becomes a place to stay; more like a modern retail concept. © WimRuigrokA typical library and significant retail concepts case-studies were extensively analysed on structure, target groups and the experience-factor. The outcome of the research has led to the foundation of the design.Within the new library shop-concept the books are arranged according to different shops instead of numbers. Each section has a lifestyle-orientated space (youth, culture, health, travel, etc…) where books are frontally presented combined with openness.Because of this the run shopper can find his product directly, while the fun shopper can wander through the landscape of books, explore the different worlds and discover places to sit back and browse through the pages. Meandering bookcases organise the landscape and create an adventurous environment of different identities. The bookcases are built with 1 straight and 5 curve modules. The additional functions are integrated into the bookcases, such as seating, workplaces, info terminals, counters, couches and lighting. This creates the unity and peace in a full library. © WimRuigrokThe news café is situated in the corner of the building on the second floor, above the entrance. The news café is provided with hundreds of magazines and newspapers, including a circular bar with monitors presenting the latest news.The game and multimedia department is situated on the fourth floor above the news café, in a similar circular shape where monitors present the games live.These screens are visible from the adjacent city square and make the new library more dynamic.© Concrete Architectural Associates
- Attention Kmart shoppers: the beleaguered bargain retailer is out to prove it is far from washed up. The people who brought us the Blue Light Special are now introducing Kwash (pronounced "k" wash) a full-service laundromat attached to a Kmart store in Iowa City, a college town catering to a young, wired, multi-tasking generation. When you think about it, the idea is brilliant. Retailers have already added Starbucks, snack bars,McDonald'sand bank branches to their mix, by adding a laundromat we could actually live on the premises. I call aisle nine.Kmart's Iowa City test site is scheduled for a grand opening on June 5 and plans to give the people what they want -- convenience, service and lots of really big loaders. Boasting 31 washers and 30 dryers (do some people opt out of drying?), the new facility will also feature free WiFi, wash and fold service, a children's play area, laundry-specific merchandise sold within the facility, an attendant on duty and a full-service Kmart check out register. Throw in the towels, dash through the store, check out at the laundry counter. It's like that commercial where Kelly Ripa glides through a perfect house thanks to her appliances ... but I digress.Efficient types can surf www.mygofer.com while waiting for the spin cycle at Kwash to order items from inside the store. Purchases will be ready for pick up in an hour. "(It's) so you can shop while you wash," said Kim Freely, a Kmart spokesperson told the Iowa City Press-Citizen, "You can do all of your shopping right there and after an hour, you can pick it up." Asked whether the new facility is looking to compete through pricing or convenience, Chris Brathwaite, a spokesperson for Kmart, told WalletPop the answer is a little of both. Brathwaite said Kwash will have the largest loaders in the area, ranging in size from 18 pounds, to 30, 40, 60, and 80-pound washers, and prices will vary accordingly. For instance, the 30-pound washer will cost $2.97 a load, while the 60-pound washer will be $5.97. He said the rates are competitive, but no one will be able to match the convenience of shopping and getting the laundry done simultaneously. Time is money.Kwash will also offer the "Wash and Win" program, a type of frequent washer program that will yield benefits to regular customers. Coupons forAll and Snuggle products will be available at the grand opening.Laura Heller, WalletPop writer and former University of Iowa student in the college town says, "It's not such a ridiculous idea at a college [town], where laundromats serve beer and music." I think it's an idea that could catch on. Can Wal-Wash be far behind?
- There’s been lots happening over at BLT Restaurants over the past few weeks. First came the news that Chef Laurent Tourondel is splitting from his own BLT empire (he’s continuing as exec chef at 10 BLT restaurants in hotels, including BLT Market). More exciting is the news that BLT (the non-Tourondel half) is unveiling a burger truck this weekend it’s calling GO Burger. It will be making its debut this Saturday at the PAL Festival – on University Place from Waverly Pl to 14th St. They’ll be offering burgers, turkey burgers, kobe hot dogs, shakes, fries, cheese fries, and even a damn good sounding breakfast sandwich on english muffin (before 11am). For the full menu, click here. Also, don’t forget that tomorrow for tax day, all BLT restaurants across the city will be offering 50% off all beers, wines (glass & bottles) and cocktails all day long. Oh yeah, and the brick and mortar BLT Burger has a new happy hour — $3 drafts and $2 sliders at the bar Mon-Fri 4-7 pm. Follow the GO Burger Truck’s movements and whereabouts here on Twitter.
- New York, New York -- July 1, 2009 / (http://www.myprgenie.com) -- Haier America, a leading manufacturer of home appliances and electronics, hits the open road this summer with its exciting Haier Home Tour. Launching July 4th weekend at Taste of Chicago in Chicago IL, the 53-foot tractor-trailer will fold down into a fully accessible front porch with a three-room walk-through for visitors. Each room will be furnished with Haier products, including Haier air conditioners that will cool the entire mobile home. "We have truly outdone ourselves and have taken our company to the next level with this summer's tour, showcasing most of our product lines in the traveling Haier Home," said Michael Jemal, Haier America's President and CEO. "From a kitchen suite, to laundry, to flat-panel high-definition LED televisions, Haier really does offer everything for the home, so millions of consumers will have a chance to see the best of what we offer at fairs and festivals across the country." The living room will showcase a mounted R-Series 42" HDTV that will play footage of NBA action, as Haier is the official HDTV of the NBA. The kitchen will have a wide variety of Haier products, including the Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator, Haier's new tall tub dishwasher and a 40 bottle wine cellar. Finally, the laundry room will feature a working washing machine and dryer. As an added bonus for touring the vehicle, the Haier products will have forms available for mail-in rebates from $20.00-$100.00. The most exciting part of visiting the Haier Home is the chance to win a line of Haier products from inside the truck, including a refrigerator, a washing machine and dryer! Visitors attending the events can follow clues through the tour of the home and then text in to win or visit http://www.haieramerica.com/haierhome2009.* Haier Home Tour Schedule Dates Market Event 7/3-7/5 Chicago, IL Taste of Chicago 7/11-7/12 Buffalo, NY Taste of Buffalo 7/21-7/23 East Lansing, MI AG Expo 7/24-7/26 Harrington, DE Delaware State Fair 7/31-8/2 Columbus, OH Ohio State Fair 8/ 6-8/9 Bethlehem, PA Musikfest 8/14-8/16 Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fair 8/21-8/23 San Mateo, CA San Mateo County Fair 8/28-8/30 Sacramento, CA California State Fair 9/5-9/7 St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair 9/11-9/13 Stone Mountain, GA Yellow Daisy 9/18-9/20 Puyallup, WA Puyallup Fair Schedule subject to change Keep up to date on the tour through Twitter https://twitter.com/HaierAmerica or http://www.haieramerica.com/haierhome2009 About Haier America Haier America is the Sales and Marketing arm of the Americas for the multinational Haier Group, one of the world's leading appliance makers. Headquartered in the Haier Building at 1356 Broadway in New York City, Haier America is a leader for room air conditioner, compact refrigerator, and wine cellar sales, as well as a leading force in major appliances, compact appliances, portable electronics and HDTV sales. Haier is an Official Marketing Partner and the Official High Definition Television of the NBA. www.haieramerica.com Haier Home Tour Sweepstakes Rules NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to U.S. residents age 18 or older at time of entry. Void where prohibited. Sweepstakes ends 10/2/09. One prize: Haier appliances ($4,934.98 ARV). Odds of winning depend upon the number of entries received. To enter via text-messaging, text HAIER to short code 88704. You will receive one (1) text message in response to your entry. Text STOP to 88704 to opt-out. Text HELP to 88704 for information. Standard carrier charges apply. Send questions to 877-806-3596. Contact your carrier for plan details and pricing. For Official Rules including instructions on how to enter via mail, mail a SASE to Haier Home Tour Sweepstakes Rules, PO Box 25309, Rochester, NY 14625-0309 or visit http://www.haieramerica.com/en/events/haier-home/sweeps-rules.html. Sponsor: Haier America Trading, LLC, 1356 Broadway, New York, NY 10018.ork (PRWEB) July 1, 2009 Haier America, a leading manufacturer of home appliances and electronics, hits the open road this summer with its exciting Haier Home Tour. Launching July 4th weekend at Taste of Chicago in Chicago IL, the 53-foot tractor-trailer will fold down into a fully accessible front porch with a three-room walk-through for visitors. Each room will be furnished with Haier products, including Haier air conditioners that will cool the entire mobile home. "We have truly outdone ourselves and have taken our company to the next level with this summer's tour, showcasing most of our product lines in the traveling Haier Home," said Michael Jemal, Haier America's President and CEO. "From a kitchen suite, to laundry, to From a kitchen suite, to laundry, to flat-panel high-definition LCD televisions, Haier really does offer everything for the home, so millions of consumers will have a chance to see the best of what we offer at fairs and festivals across the country."The living room will showcase a mounted R-Series 42" HDTV that will play footage of NBA action, as Haier is the official HDTV of the NBA. The kitchen will have a wide variety of Haier products, including the Counter Depth French Door Refrigerator, Haier's new tall tub dishwasher and a 40 bottle wine cellar. Finally, the laundry room will feature a working washing machine and dryer. As an added bonus for touring the vehicle, the Haier products will have forms available for mail-in rebates from $20.00-$100.00.The most exciting part of visiting the Haier Home is the chance to win a line of Haier products from inside the truck, including a refrigerator, a washing machine and dryer! Visitors attending the events can follow clues through the tour of the home and then text in to win or visit http://www.haieramerica.com/haierhome2009.
- Yesterday it was fine. Today your hair has imploded: frizz, unkempt layers, bangs down to your nose. And wearing a bag over your head as you slink to the salon merely makes your situation more apparent.Then there’s Hair Room Service. They make house calls. They will climb three flights just to get down to business with a cut, color, makeup, or whatever other beautifying you need.Michael Dueñas and team are available for regular trims and special occasions, seven days from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., for reasonable rates (a cut with Dueñas is $125). Curly hair and color are specialties, as are unruly kids with unrulier hair.Dueñas has editorial cred (WWD, InStyle), and, yeah, he tends to celebs (eh, Mariah; yay, Quinn Fabray), but he’s light on gossip and heavy on attention and instruction. He taught us the right way to straighten hair (pulling through: bad; roll and hold: good). Since he was already in our bathroom, he weeded the accumulated product (toss anything with sulfur in it) and gave us enough confidence to leave the house again.
- Inside a Palo Alto, Calif., building that once housed PayPal headquarters, the upstarts -- Rich Aberman, 25, and Bill Clerico, 24 -- are growing a new online payments company. Their investors include PayPal cofounder Max Levchin. Their mission? Poaching part of PayPal's business.24015EmailPrintCommentAberman and Clerico are the founders of WePay, an online service that lets groups of people collect money for shared expenses, like renting a ski house or giving a class gift to a teacher. They launched the company in 2008 and, in the past two years, landed $9 million in seed capital from Silicon Valley A-listers including YouTube founder Steve Chen, former Intuit (INTU) CTO Eric Dunn, and Ron Conway, who backed Twitter, Facebook and Google.Angel investor Max Levchin believes that WePay's exclusive focus on group expenses will win a chunk of the lucrative online payments market -- the market that was born in 1998 when Levchin launched PayPal. EBay (EBAY, Fortune 500) acquired it four years later for $1.5 billion."These guys showed up and said, 'Hey, this is what PayPal doesn't do well.' And I said, 'Yeah, I know,'" Levchin says. "The rest was establishing that these guys could do it better."The idea for WePay came to Aberman two years ago, when he was struggling to raise funds for his brother's bachelor party. He had to collect $4,200 from 14 guys to cover the rent at a Florida beach house, bottle service at a club, and enough burgers, beer and chips to feed a small army. Rounding up the money was a hassle. It took several weeks of nagging people scattered across the country, collecting checks and cash piecemeal as they rolled in. There must be a better way to do this, he thought.In April, WePay -- now a 13-person company -- rolled out its online payment service. Now 500 new user groups join WePay each week, Aberman says. The website's weekly transaction totals more than tripled between July and August, when it hit $1 million. The company gets a commission from each payment: either a flat 50 cents or 3.5% of the total, depending on whether users are paying with their credit cards or bank accounts. Users gather those payments in shareable, purpose-specific accounts, rather than personal ones. The system lets group leaders keep track of who has paid, nag delinquent friends with e-mails, and withdraw collections.But WePay faces one giant, looming problem: PayPal could easily crash the party. With 85 million active accounts and more than $71 billion passing through its system annually, PayPal rules the online payment space. If the behemoth improved its existing system for multi-party transactions, WePay would be in serious trouble.PayPal already allows users to request money from groups of friends. Its online services, however, are designed primarily for e-commerce, which makes up the bulk of PayPal's transactions.PayPal has no current plans to beef up its group payment system, says company spokesman Anuj Nayar. And WePay investors say they aren't concerned about the behemoth changing its mind."As much as I love and respect PayPal, I'm not too worried, because they're not moving as fast as startups," says Dave McClure, a former PayPal employee and a founding partner at 500Startups, a venture fund that backs WePay.Aberman says good customer service is WePay's best defense. WePay's phone number is posted prominently on the company's website, and customers are encouraged to call in suggestions."I want people who are sitting literally next to the engineers, so there's direct communication between people building the product and the people talking to customers," he says. Such conversations have already led WePay to add features for accepting donations and selling tickets online.But in the volatile world of startup businesses, the possibility of getting crushed by a giant is never out of the picture. "In the back of our minds, we are pretty suspicious and nervous that anyone will move into our space," Aberman admits.Staking out that space wasn't easy. Clerico quit his investment banking job to work full-time on WePay; Aberman deferred a scholarship to law school at New York University.Their gumption impressed Paul Graham, a partner at Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley venture that gave WePay its first big break: $17,000 in seed money. "These guys had already jumped and they were down the cliff and they said, 'Will you please give us a parachute?'" Graham says. "It seemed like they had staying power."Now that WePay has launched, its fanbase is growing fast. Take Michael Polark, a Boston financial analyst who used the service in May to collect $2,200 from 40 friends who were renting a trolley to ride to a Boston College commencement party. When kinks in the system led several people to accidentally overpay, Polark needed to transfer money back to them. A call to WePay's customer service department quickly sorted out the problem. Plus, the company gave him $20 for the inconvenience."I've been recommending it to all my friends," Polark says.That's good news for Aberman, who hopes word-of-mouth enthusiasm from customers will help grow his company."We're trying to be the anti-PayPal," he says. "We don't want to bite the hand that fed us, but there is a big opportunity on the table to satisfy consumers' needs."
- We’ve all heard plenty over the last several weeks about the Occupy Wall Street protest movement that began in New York and spread across the country and beyond. Picket signs and sit-ins like this are examples of the “stick” method of free speech and activism.Then there are the lesser-known “carrot” actions, like those which were carried out by MBA students at Missouri State University this week. The students staged what is called a carrotmob—rewarding a business for doing the right thing (carrot vs. stick), by organizing a “mob” of consumers to show up in support that of that business with open wallets.Sometimes referred to as a "buycott" and usually organized through social media, carrotmobs have been around for a couple of years now, popping up here and there around the globe. But they seem to have picked up steam in recent months (steamed carrots anyone?). Carrotmobs were staged at some venues last month as part of the first annual National Food Day in the U.S.In this most recent case, the beneficiary of the carrotmob was Farmers Gastropub, a restaurant in Springfield, Mo., near the MSU campus. The eatery operates as sustainably as possible, using a great many locally-sourced foods. But it wanted to take its efforts even further. Bill Griffiths, co-owner of the Gastropub, found out about a huge greenhouse in the area that wasn’t being used, and wanted to put it to use, buying seeds to grow more local, fresh organic foods for the operation.The MBA students heard about Griffith’s idea and decided to reward his efforts with a carrotmob. A mob of more than 400 hungry consumers showed up at the restaurant over a period of just three hours, bringing in about $2,000 more than the usual take for a Wednesday night, earmarked for use in the name of sustainability.Thanks in large part to the students’ carrotmob, Griffiths and his son-in-law plan to have many new vegetables growing in the hydroponic greenhouse within a couple of months. (Perhaps including carrots?) They hope that many of last week’s young carrotmobbers will be back to sample the fruits (well, mostly vegetables) of their labor.For more insights and innovations check out CultureWaves®, the place to go for the latest observations in the World Thought Bank – events, ideas, trends and more. Add your own thoughts about anything in life – entertainment, design, technology, well-being and, yes, food trends. And, take a look at a few of our other Hot & Cool Food Trends.Posted:Nov. 21, 2011 by Cari MartensInsight DeveloperTagline: Life is too short to drink cheap tequila. TAGS:carrotmob, eating local, farmer's gastropub, green, locavore, missouri state university, occupy wall street, sustainabilityEcho 1 Itemsjasonpang@gimmepigsNews Detail: Carrotmob Rewards Restaurant’s Sustainability Monday, November 21, 2011, 4:33:38 PM– Replyvia TwitterAdvertisementFeatured Recipe:Egg and Cheese OléMost PopularShowsNewsRecipesFruit Crisp with American ...Top Ten Food Trends ...Top Ten Breakfast Trends ...LeblonadeCherry ManhattanTrending TopicsChocolateItalyFishWineMixologyTrendsSoupsEasterTailgatingCupcakes©2008-2011 Food Channel, LLC, All rights reserved. homeshopcontributorsabout uscontact usadvertiseprivacy policyterms of useconductwidgets »E
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTTalk about growth and expansionFlexibility and adaptionThriving onlineTry before you buyCulture and communityExperimentation and innovation
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTImpactConvenienceCollectionIntegrationEaseNiche
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTPost DigitalPersonalized proximity MarketingTouch and gesture
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTPlatform seekersFlash salesTransient ownershipGroup purchasing
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTHubs and workshopsHives and Hipsters
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTMovements and MarketingEnvironment and communityGive and TakeLocal ActionTOP TEN GLOBAL CONCERNSRecession & unemployment2 / Inflation & high prices3 / Enough money to live right and pay the bills4 / Crime and lawlessness5 / Environmental pollution6 / Educational quality7 / Cost of healthcare8 / Wrongdoing by corruption of electedgovernment officials9 / The future of the retirement or pension planprovided by our government10 / Global climate change / global warming
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTThe best innovations in retail are based on answering fundamentalcustomer needs. They provide experiences that combine the tactileinteraction of retail with the power of sales reps, often integratingcustomers’ mobile devices to deliver information where and whenit’s needed.How do I find thiings?Is this any good?What’s on saleAm I having a good timeHow does the store know who I am Can I get some helpHow do I get out quicklyHow did everything work out
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTConnecting consumersGroup purchasingChina;s shopping clubsClubbing togeherCommunities and sharingReal friendsTurning purchases in to conversationsTurning conversations in to purchases
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTApps and sitesLocation basedCoupons and vouchersMobile payment
- HERE IS WHAT I WILL TALK ABOUT AS I FLASH THESE LOGOS- THIS IS NOT THE LOOK OF THE SLIDES BUT THE CONTEXTInformation layerEngagement layerBuy buttons next to video3d views of productsReal time conversations around products while viewing videos