Consumer Trends | Business: An international media giant goes Hyperlocal, foodie cyber-hippie movement fueled by Twitter, text messaging and sms perks to inspire, iphone has a new app merchants should know about. Just a few of the new business notices found at Springwise, an intelligence firm is dedicated to reporting on new business ideas and opportunities from around the world.
Whether distributed through dedicated stores or affixed to city billboards, free samples tend to be popular with consumers. A new variation on the theme? A vending machine designed specifically to give the goods away.
Created by Belgian marketing and design agency Fosfor, the Boobox is a prototype for a stand-alone machine that distributes product samples. Consumers interested in getting one simply send a free SMS, in exchange for which they are given an activation code. That, in turn, gives them access to the sample. Unlike most vending machines, the Boobox is completely adjustable to samples with different sizes, weights and forms; it also includes an onboard refrigeration system for items such as dairy products and cooled beverages. The height of the machine's display and keyboard can even be adjusted for use alongside an accompanying poster advertisement, Fosfor says. The agency is currently refining the concept, with placement in Belgian train stations hopefully to follow later this year.
Much like Kraft's use of samples inside heated Chicago bus stops, Fosfor's machine offers a way to reach consumers with a dose of tryvertising as they go about their lives. There's also the potential to throw in a pinch of sympvertising, of course, if the product is something that helps them get through the daily grind. Either way, you can bet the samples will capture a whole lot more attention-and goodwill-than a traditional ad. Where free love is involved, it's all good! ;-)
Website: www.fosfor.be
Contact: hello@fosfor.be
Spotted by: Gitte Meeussen
Billions of people may inhabit this planet, but when it comes right down to it, most of us are still primarily interested in what's going on in our own backyards. That's part of the premise behind The Printed Blog, which we covered back in January, and it's also the driving notion behind The Local, a new initiative from The New York Times.
Launched on Monday, The Local is a group of community news and information websites devoted to residents of five particular areas of New York and New Jersey-specifically, Clinton Hill and Fort Greene in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange, N.J. The sites will feature posts by both NYT journalists and community members alike about day-to-day life in their neighbourhoods, with topics including schools, restaurants, businesses and real estate, economic life, crime, government services, transportation, volunteer opportunities, outdoor activities, parenting issues and more. Features will include calls for citizen engagement, such as posts that mobilize users to resolve a local problem; blogs, Q&As and creative works by community members; neighbourhood calendars; and virtual "refrigerator" art by community children. For the Brooklyn sites, The Times is partnering with the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, where students will collaborate in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene by both contributing and teaching residents about reporting and the use of interactive media.
Jim Schachter, the NYT's editor for digital initiatives, explains: ÒWe'll be reporting on the big concerns in these communities, from deer hunts to property taxes, crime to school budgets. And we'll be striving to empower residents to report on their own communities, as well as to contribute their creativity and ideas.Ó
Combining both professional and citizen journalism with a strong element of (still) made here appeal, The Local has the potential to engage Generation C(ontent) in new ways-possibly providing a model for struggling newspapers everywhere. One to watch!
Website: www.nytimes.com/marketing/thelocal
Contact: www.nytimes.com/membercenter/formh.html
Restaurants on wheels have already come a long way, as upscale pizza, ice-cream and dessert trucks have joined the ranks of the Good Humor man and the hot-dog stand. Now the taco truck-a longstanding institution on the streets of LA-is getting a whole new spin thanks to Twitter and the infusion of some Korean spice.
Launched last fall, Kogi Korean BBQ takes the taste of Korean barbecue and melds it with the portability of Mexican tacos and burritos for a whole new category of delectable food. Kogi's signature Korean short ribs taco, for example, combines marinated short rib trimmings with sesame-chili salsa roja, lettuce and cabbage tossed in Korean chili-soy vinaigrette, and cilantro-green onion-lime relish. Spicy chicken and pork tacos are also available, as is a version with tofu. That all sounds mouth-watering, of course, but at least as compelling is that the company sells its food primarily through two trucks that are always on the go to new locations in the Los Angeles area-to know where to find them, customers must follow Kogi on Twitter (and more than 7,000 already do). Prices are recession-friendly-USD 2 for each taco-which may account at least in part for the fact that it's not unusual to find hundreds of patrons lined up and socializing each evening while awaiting their turn at the Kogi truck, according to reports. For those who prefer predictability, meanwhile, Kogi also recently opened its first stay-in-place kitchen in the Alibi Room in Culver City.
Take two taco trucks with a unique recipe, add a dose of Twitter, and you get a phenomenon the LA Times refers to as nothing short of "a burgeoning cyber-hippie movement affectionately referred to as 'Kogi kulture'." Which compels us to repeat our favourite refrain: Everything can be upgraded! There are always new twists, new delivery formats, new ways to create, present, package and get the goods to consumers, and technology increases the possibilities tenfold. Times may be tough, but real innovation is tougher-one to partner with or emulate in tech-savvy, food-loving neighbourhoods near you...?
Website: www.kogibbq.com
Contact: mike@kogibbq.com
Spotted by: May Almero-Cruz
A Dutch car insurer for women recently launched a useful new service. As soon as weather warnings are issued that could make driving hazardous, Onna-onna sends its clients a text message advising them to be extra alert or even stay off the road. The company relies on weather reports from the National Meteorological Institute, and provides the text messages free of charge to clients who have signed up for them.
Aiming to reduce the number of accidents caused by heavy winds, icy roads and severe thunderstorms, the warning service is part of Onna-onna's wider efforts to promote road safety. Which isn't a purely philanthropic gesture, of course-lower accident rates are good for any insurer's bottom line. Onna-onna is planning to trial the service for a year before evaluating and potentially adding other SMS-based perks.
For companies trying to build their brand and forge meaningful relationships with their customers, text messages offer a relatively inexpensive way to keep in touch. And a powerful one, if used to share information that's both relevant and useful. What would your customers like to hear from your brand, in 160 characters or less?
Website: www.onna-onna.nl
Contact: www.onna-onna.nl/klantenservice/contact
As if phones didn't already do enough, one of the latest mobile apps transforms iPhones and iPod Touches into portable charge card terminals. ProcessAway plugs into Authorize.net's payment processing platform, allowing entrepreneurs to accept credit card payments anywhere they can access the internet.
After downloading the app and (separately) setting up a merchant account with Authorize.net, clients can use ProcessAway like a traditional charge card terminal: enter the amount, input the card number, expiry date and verification code, and process. There's even a tip option for service businesses. Customers receive an email receipt for each transaction, and merchants can view transactions and process refunds on the fly. Aware that consumers might be weary of having their credit card details punched into a phone, ProcessAway stresses that's a secure application: information is never stored in the phone and the program won't connect to anything other than the terminal.
If it can gain trust and acceptance, ProcessAway could be particularly useful for those who need to process and authorise payments on-the-go, like on-site consultants or handymen. It's also useful at venues that don't have fixed terminals: antique shows, market stalls and music merchandise stands.
ProcessAway is available from Apple's App Store for USD 19.99, and Authorize.net collects its usual transaction fees. ProcessAway isn't the only one playing this field: Innerfence released its slightly more basic Credit Card Terminal app late last year. Although both programs are currently only available in the US, they could be a valuable tool for minipreneurs in other parts of the world.
Website: www.processaway.net
Spotted by: Susanna Haynie
To view the full array of entrepreneurial ideas, visit Springwise.
Date Published
March 2009
Region
Netherlands
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