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Up here in the Northern Hemisphere, spring has finally sprung. Flowers are blooming and new business is booming, as witnessed by the unstoppable flow of great new ideas coming in through our Springspotters network. This week's selection features an sms-controlled jukebox from Israel, discos for babies in the United States, free photocopies for Japanese students, a British retailer/curator focusing on limited edition luxury, and more. Our next edition is due on 11 April 2007. In the meantime, check out our daily postings on www.springwise.com, send us your tips, and please don't forget to tell your friends and colleagues about us. Much appreciated! |
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An innovative Japanese company is offering university students free photocopies. This free love is made possible by printing ads on the back of the copy paper, which is slightly thicker than normal to prevent ads from shining through. For JPY 400,000, advertisers can have their message printed on 10,000 sheets of paper. Tadacopy machines have been placed at a few dozen campuses, and are a big hit with students. The company was founded by students at the universities of Keio, Chuo and Hosei, who installed the first free copy machine in April of last year. Nice one for student entrepreneurs to set up in other countries! You'll make some extra money, your fellow students will thank you, and local advertisers will be able to reach a targeted audience in a novel way. Like any good free love concept, it’s a win-win-win situation. (Related: Free mobile calls for teenagers.) Website: www.tadacopy.com Spotted by: Peter den Ridder Comment on this article » |
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Launched yesterday, online retailer 20ltd sells no more than 20 items at a time, each of which are highly exclusive and only available in small numbers. Goods currently on offer range from GBP 2,900 white buffalo horn sunglasses (edition of 10), to a GBP 9,000 hammock covered in cashmere and black fox fur (thankfully for black foxes, only 5 of those were made). All items are exclusive to 20ltd, and not sold anywhere else. As soon as a product is sold out, it's replaced by a new object of desire. The British retailer is backed by private investment, and will operate solely online. Calling itself an "etailer of authentic, ingenious, beautiful and unexpected things," 20ltd hopes to reach a global audience, including rapidly growing luxury markets like Russia, China and the Middle East. The website is currently available in English, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Japanese. The underlying trend and opportunities for other entrepreneurs? As regular luxury goods become available to ever more consumers across the world, luxury manufacturers and retailers are turning to 'planned scarcity' to attract status-hungry buyers who desperately crave the exclusivity that money used to be able to buy. 20ltd combines planned scarcity with niche curation: the polar opposite of Amazon.com, which offers everything for everybody, 20ltd narrows it down to a limited selection of limited edition goods for a limited group of very affluent consumers. Website: www.20ltd.com |
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Catering to the hospitality industry, Australian BottleCycler helps recycle disposable glass bottles. Their bottle crushing machine can be placed inside the bar area. Bottles are fed into the BottleCycler through an opening in the top of the device, which then quietly slices the glass into recyclable pieces. The glass falls into a regular 60L wheelie bin, which is picked up and emptied by BottleCycler, and brought to regional glass recycling plants for processing into material for new bottles. BottleCycler's main selling point is that it reduces volume taken in by empty bottles by 80%. However, it also removes danger of staff injuries related with carrying, sorting and disposing of glass bottles, and reduces complaints about noise and broken bottles from residents living near clubs, bars and restaurants. One to partner with and distribute to hospitality companies across the world? Website: www.bottlecycler.com |
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Everyone loves New York, except for when they have to take a cab to or from the airport and it ends up costing almost as much as airfare. Which is why smart New Yorkers are starting to plan their airport commutes via Hitchsters.com. Founded by New York attorney Terry Crawford and wife Gloria, Hitchsters.com is a combination of a social networking and a ride matching site. Hitchsters' software connects travelers scheduled on the same flight and living in the same area of the city so they can save money by sharing a taxi. Customers can also specify their preference for a male or female co-rider and make a new social connection. Would-be co-riders enter their first name, cell phone number, cellular carrier and email address into the Hitchsters’ system. Hitchsters makes the match and facilitates a cell phone number and email exchange so co-riders can coordinate their trip to the airport. No information other than cell phone number and email is ever revealed to the co-rider, and Hitchster maintains a database of cell phone numbers as a security precaution. The company has a few rules: customers must be over the age of eighteen and the first person to get dropped off pays 60% of the fare and tolls to make sure the second rider doesn’t get stiffed for the tip. Hitchsters suggests rock paper scissors to minimize arguments over who gets out first. Customers who stand up other riders risk being banned from the system. Currently, Hitchsters is in beta in New York, and scheduled to launch soon in Brooklyn and Boston. The service is free, but the Crawfords hope to generate revenue by attracting advertisers to the site. Website: www.hitchsters.com Spotted by: Nawel Khelil |
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When Heather Murphy had her first child she looked forward to visiting the zoo, the children’s museum and other family friendly places. But she was concerned that the junk food, gift shops and merchandising were overly commercial for children. And while the kids-only activities were fun for her son Max, she would have also enjoyed a more “adult-relevant” experience. So Murphy created Baby Disco as a way for kids and big people to have fun together. She rented a local club for a Saturday afternoon, decorated it with balloons and equipped it with a bubble machine, diaper changing station, egg shakers, healthy treats, and a professional DJ to spin disco tunes. Two hundred people attended the first Baby Disco event. Just over two years later, Baby Loves Disco has spread from Philadelphia to eighteen U.S. cities, and will soon head over to Europe to open in London, Manchester and Amsterdam. Parents can enjoy a glass of wine while their little ones nosh on crackers and string cheese. Local businesses provide parents with on site pampering including massages and facials. Baby Loves Disco hires local parents to organize the dance parties, gives them a share of the profits and helps them with their first event. Toys, giveaways, insurance, cleaning and food run between USD 2,000 to USD 4,000 per event, says co-founder Andy Hurwitz. Organizers keep expenses low by contracting with nightclubs, which are normally empty during the day, and offering them a percentage of ticket sales. Given BLD’s expansive growth over the past few years, mom- and dadpreneurs might want to set up something similar in their own city, getting local business owners to offer samples of their services or wares at the events. And why not offer baby discos as an alternative to kids’ birthday parties? Legions of parents will no doubt thank you. Website: www.babylovesdisco.com Spotted by: Sarah Rottenberg |
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Thanks to a bountiful stream of spottings from our Springspotters network, as well as entrepreneurs pitching their own businesses, we get our hands on more great new ideas than we know what to do with ;-) Naturally, we don't want to deny our readers these nuggets of inspiration. So, from now on, we'll briefly cover an extra five ideas each Friday. Enjoy! Remember the fireplace and fish tank videos, that you popped in the VCR to simulate a roaring fire or happy guppies on your TV? ChillArt is the thoroughly updated and upgraded version. The British company has created a range of escapist films with laidback soundtracks, covering four themes: earth, wind, fire and water. Not quite as New Age as that sounds, the TV art DVDs are used in cool bars and hotels around the world, and are sold to consumers through their website. Limited sample versions are available for iPods, cell phones and PSPs. Great opportunity if you're a budding musician or video artist: create and sell your own moving wall art to grace millions of flat screen TVs. Or, pick your niche and specialize in iPod and iPhone videos, for consumers who want to unwind on the move. Website: www.chillart.tv Contact: info@chillart.tv Spotted by: Macky G.
Website: www.firstgift.nl Contact: www.firstgift.nl/shop/contact.php
Website: www.foonz.com Contact: www.foonz.com/contactUs.php
Website: http://members.aon.at/design196567 Contact: design196567@aon.at Spotted by: Magdalena Höller
Website: www.peoplepaparazzi.com Contact: urgent@splashnews.com |
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Patrons at select pubs and restaurants in Israel, France and Australia no longer need to worry about change for the jukebox or bugging a dj to play their favourite tunes—they can queue up their music choices via text message from their cellphones. SMS jukebox technology, such as c|station by Australian Rippamedia and SMS DJ by Israeli YCD Multimedia, puts song selection literally at customers' fingertips. Customers simply select from a menu of available tunes—which may be promoted on menus, coasters or other collateral throughout an establishment—and send in their requests via SMS for a small fee. The service plays their requests over the in-house speakers and can even complement the music with videos, or promotions to download ringtones. Once a customer has sent a request, he or she can also access the full library of available songs. YCD launched their version in cooperation with network operator Orange in Israel and France, splitting revenues from the premium text message service between the mobile operator, the owner of the location, and YCD. The concept is fun and interactive for customers, which can mean longer stays and return business for bar owners, who can also avoid the hassle of guessing (sometimes wrongly) what music their patrons might like to hear. They also can take advantage of SMS messaging to promote their own events to customers who have used the service. The music industry should take note as well: how about sponsoring the jukeboxes at a bar, letting customers pick from a range of new tracks at no cost? Considering how glued so many of us already are to our cellphones and Blackberries, and how committed both network operators and music labels are to finding new sources of revenue and promotion, we wouldn’t be surprised to see SMS jukeboxes popping up everywhere. Time to contact Rippamedia or YCD if you own a bar or a mobile network? Website: www.rippamedia.com.au/news/sms-jukebox.htm Contact: info@rippamedia.com.au Spotted by: David Steel Related: Drinks by text message and Text it loud & local |
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Back in 2004, MetroNaps launched sleep pods for bleary-eyed New Yorkers in dire need of a nap. New Yorkers who need to relax and recharge can now also duck into Yelo—a new sleep salon offering 20- to 40-minute power naps and reflexology treatments. Research has shown that napping can boost productivity and performance, and Yelo offers more than just a light snooze. Patented private sleep chambers called YeloCabs feature purified air, 500-count linens, cashmere blankets and Yelo's own YeloChairs, which are specially designed to elevate the legs above the heart for optimum relaxation. Customers can select relaxing music or soundscapes to fit their moods, and can personalize lighting and color in their chambers. Aromatherapy is also available. Priced at USD 12-14, YeloNaps are an affordable indulgence. Customers who want the full Yelo experience can also choose from a menu of reflexology treatments: 30-, 60- or 90-minute sessions with certified therapists start at USD 65. While currently serving a single location in Manhattan, Yelo is already creating quite a buzz and has plans to expand. Since there doesn’t seem to be a shortage of stressed out overachievers, exhausted parents of young children, and other fatigued folks, catering to their relaxation needs is a concept that could catch on in most major cities. Website: www.yelonyc.com Spotted by: Theresa Duffy |
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No worries. We've got you covered. All of last week's articles are listed below. And don't forget—you can access everything we've published in our idea database, which is conveniently organized by industry. Enjoy!
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