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We hope you'll enjoy this week's offerings: a car dealership for women, a new bank that offers integrated banking and bookkeeping, a web publication for modern grandparents, ultra-premium cupcake mix, and more. Our next edition is due on 17 October 2007. As always, you can find our daily postings on www.springwise.com, we welcome your tips, and hope you'll tell your friends and colleagues about us. Much appreciated! |
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Although research finds that women are responsible for the bulk of purchasing decisions—one arena that continues to overlook this important target market is auto dealerships. Until now, that is. Enter Clutch—a new offshoot of Canada's autoONE company, which recently opened in Vancouver. Customers know from the moment they walk through the dealership doors that they're not in for the stereotypical car-buying experience. “With its Italian-tiled floor, Paul Kane sofa, modern lighting, and La Marzocco espresso machine, Clutch has more the look and feel of a high end fashion boutique than a car dealership.” Of course, it's the service that really makes the grade, with approachable sales staff who can respectfully—without the usual high-pressure sales tactics—walk buyers through the inventory of Aston Martins, BMWs, Jaguars, Land Rovers, Mercedes-Benzs, Minis and Porches—or hang back, available if questions should arise, for customers who prefer to browse solo. And forget the usual 10-minute test drive—Clutch customers can take a vehicle for a full day to try it out and see if it fits their lifestyle and needs. It all makes for rather classy car-shopping, and considering how much this market spends on Manolo Blahniks and other designer fare, turning the auto dealership model on its head to appeal to female shoppers could reap some nice rewards. It won't be surprising if car dealers in other regions take steps to court them as well. Now might be a good time to consider what other ventures that traditionally have catered to male customers might be due for a makeover! More more on that topic in our sister site trendwatching.com's female fever briefing. Website: www.autoone.ca/clutch
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Bizner, which started in February as an online bank for entrepreneurs, just announced a new service. Bizner is the first bank in Europe to offer complete integration of banking and accounting, which it calls BizBalance. The aim of this financial hybrid is to save customers the time and hassle of booking transactions twice. Bizner developed BizBalance with Reeleezee, which creates of online accounting applications. By integrating Reeleezee's bookkeeping software with Bizner's online banking, entrepreneurs (or their accountants) no longer need to book outgoing invoices and incoming payments separately. Invoices are created in Reeleezee, and are automatically marked as paid as soon as money's in the bank. Same goes for incoming invoices and outgoing payments: users book an invoice to be paid, and a bank transfer is simultaneously set up and parked in a payment queue. While various forms of integration between banks and accounting systems already exist, most either require significant IT investments or, on a smaller scale, involve manual importing and exporting of data. By offering a integrated, online solution, Bizner claims customers will have a far better real-time insight into their finances. To access BizBalance, entrepreneurs need to sign up with both Bizner and Reeleezee. Bizner charges modest banking fees, and Reeleezee has a monthly fee of EUR 24.95–49.90, depending on a customer's transaction volume. Bizner is an independent unit of Dutch Rabobank Group. BizBalance isn't the fledgling bank's only innovation: it works without branch offices or account managers, and enables customers to do most of their banking business without human intervention. Opening new accounts, acquiring bank guarantees or taking out loans: entrepreneurs use Bizner's self-service approach to get what they need from their bank, whenever they need it. One to look into if you sell financial products to SMBs in other countries! Website: www.bizner.nl
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Parents who strive to keep their tots hydrated, but don't always have a baby bottle on hand, will no doubt find the BabySport Water Bottle Nipple Adaptor a must-have. Just as the name suggests, the device screws onto most commercial water bottles to transform them into baby bottles in a matter of seconds. Moreover, it's small enough for parents and caregivers to tuck into a pocket. And since the product retails at just USD 1.95 to 2.49, customers are bound to buy several to keep handy in their purses, glove boxes, travel cases and any place else they might reach for when baby is thirsty. Designed by a dad who was inspired by the frustration of having a cold bottle of water, but no way to feed it to his infant on a sweltering day, the Water Bottle Nipple Adaptor is one of those inventions one might have expected had been around for a long while. It just goes to show that even the most obvious ideas aren't always taken! BabySport Water Bottle Nipple Adaptors are available for purchase online at Amazon.com. But customers also can pick them up at their neighborhood 7-11 or Circle K convenience stores, and at Jewel-Osco locations. BabySport is also in talks with the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to see about including them with disaster relief supplies, since bottled water is always a staple in emergency situations. Securing distribution channels to sell them outside of the US is an obvious next step. Website: www.babysportonline.com Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen
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Airlines proved that passengers are willing to book online and get their boarding passes from airport kiosks if it meant saving money. Now Hertz Rent A Car has applied the concept to its Simply Wheelz budget-priced subsidiary, which debuted in September. Weekend rental rates start at just USD 15 dollars a day and weekly rates start under USD 100. To get those savings, customers must book online and check in via an electronic kiosk at the airport. Customers can choose online from 8 car models. When they arrive at Simply Wheelz' airport location, they let a self-service rental machine scan the bar code on their printed web reservation. The machine also scans the renter's driver's license, and lets the customer select from a few options such as adding drivers, renting a portable GPS system or booster seats for children, after which it assigns a vehicle and prints the rental agreement. Renters can then go directly to their cars. One-way rentals aren’t allowed, minimum rental periods apply and customers don’t receive frequent flyer miles. Hertz launched Simply Wheelz in Orlando, Florida, where cost-conscious family travellers en route to Disney World can already choose from a multitude of budget car-rental companies. As the Orlando Sentinel reported, Hertz, which announced plans to cut more than 1,000 jobs early this year, may be targeting leisure travellers as a way to boost margins. But that shouldn’t take anything away from Simply Wheelz’s automated, no-frills approach. The trend, which began decades ago when consumers showed they were willing to pump their own gas, bus their own tables and check out their own groceries has firmly taken hold—all the more so as companies find new ways to integrate the web into the sales process, cutting costs and offering a segment of customers the convenience and lower prices they desire. Even if you’re not in the car-rental business, you can still capitalize on this trend by devising ways to streamline interactions with customers, whether it’s self check-in technology at the gym or movie tickets booked via text message. Or go with the inevitable counter-trend, offering high service and high touch for fewer sales and higher margins ;-) (Related: Mobile car rental, wherever it’s needed.)
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Take a high-margin product like cosmetics, and cut prices by at least half. Now add online accessibility with customization, community and values. Throw in a pinch of demystifying expert advice, and you've got e.l.f., short for "eyes, lips, face." Launched by New York-based JA Cosmetics roughly three years ago, e.l.f. appears to be turning the cosmetics industry on its ear. All cosmetics cost just USD 1, and customers can create personalized profiles that generate product recommendations and customized looks. A "beauty secrets" section is filled with tips and expert advice, and a blog section fosters community and discussion. The site also supports the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), promising not to use animal testing on any products or ingredients. e.l.f. currently ships only to US and Canadian addresses, but versions of the site have recently launched for both the UK and Australia. The company's products are also available in US stores, including Target and a variety of drugstores and convenience chains. In an industry prone to high prices, unforgiving return policies, a reputation for ethically questionable testing practices, and a marketing machine that has relentlessly emphasized prestige and brand exclusivity, e.l.f. is like a breath of fresh air. It also makes you wonder when the rest of the industry will wake up and realize that their customers have entered the 21st century—this isn't your father's consumer base! Online community, customization, values and, most of all, the clearcut bargain pricing: everything for a dollar. Time to copy this recession-proof recipe to other countries? Which segment of products can you sell for a euro, 10 yuan or 2 reais, in a thoroughly modern way? Website: www.eyeslipsface.com
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Parenting websites have been around for years, but not until recently have grandparents had full-fledgeds destination of their own. Now there's Grandparents.com, a dedicated site that uses the power of online community to help today's grandparents make the most of their relationships with their grandchildren. Launched in early September, Grandparents.com is targeting the more than 78 million grandparents in the United States with innovative ways to expand on the grandparent-grandchild relationship. Included on the site are city-by-city lists of grandchild-friendly activities, travel ideas, age-appropriate gift suggestions, product ratings, blogs, message boards, expert advice, and media galleries for sharing photos and videos. Social networking is in full force, with the ability for members to invite others to the site, and there are also technology tips such as how to podcast a long-distance bedtime story. CEO Jerry Shereshewsky explains: "Today's grandparents are more tech-savvy and affluent than their predecessors, but they ultimately want the same thing as every group of grandparents before them—to share their experience, knowledge and values with the next generation. Grandparents.com gives them the tools to pass along their legacy in a way that is meaningful and easily relatable to their grandchildren." Membership is free on the ad-supported site for everyone from "grand-rookies" to more experienced grandparents with older grandkids. Visitors hail not just from the U.S. but from countries as far off as Israel, Australia, India, Turkey and France. Grandparents.com, owned by private investment firms Laser Partners and TWS Partners, is yet another testament to the power of social networking. When a concept is tailored to virtually every segment of society in a unique way, you can be fairly sure it's here to stay. And focusing on boomers is a sure way to attract advertisers. Other countries and languages, anyone? Website: www.grandparents.com Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen
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Move over, Betty Crocker! Martha Stewart types who want to wow their friends and family with delectable baked goodies fresh from their own ovens can now whip up a batch of Sprinkles Cupcakes—the trendy Beverly Hills cupcakes made famous by such celebs as the cast of Desperate Housewives and Oprah Winfrey—from a prepared mix. Available in red velvet, dark chocolate, vanilla and lemon, Sprinkles Cupcake Mixes are made from the highest quality ingredients, including Callebaut cocoa and Nielsen-Massey vanilla. Kits come complete with Sprinkles’ signature ‘Modern Dots’ decorations and a recipe for frosting. Packaged canisters retail at USD 14 and can be purchased via sprinklescupcakes.com or from Williams-Sonoma. Each yields about a dozen cupcakes. While new Sprinkles Cupcakes locations are slated to open in several major cities across the country, the mix product provides customers across the US with a chance to literally get a taste of what the hype is all about. More than that, the concept is another shining example of one of our favourite mantras: everything can be upgraded! If customers are willing to spend top dollar for haute cupcake batter, enterprising food & beverage manufacturers should be asking what else can be upgraded with similar sophistication. Website: www.sprinklescupcakes.com Spotted by: Susanna Haynie
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One of the great levellers is the helpless feeling most of us have after an unpleasant encounter with an insurance company. Angry ranting frequently follows, and that’s just where Zuzzid comes in: By allowing users to share their insurance experiences, good and bad, it provides a way for them to hold insurance companies a little more accountable. Registered users on the site can not just rant but also rave, as well as ask questions and learn from the collective experiences of others. A comparison feature totals all the bad and good comments about each particular company, presenting a quick ranking of where they all fall. A price engine, meanwhile, uses collective data to predict what a particular user will have to pay for a particular type of insurance. The site is aimed at consumers just in the UK, and it’s actually run by UK-based insurer Norwich Union—which is also among the many companies rated. That slightly covert affiliation helps explain why the site doesn’t feel like a genuine grassroots one would—there is no “About Us” section to speak of, for instance—and suggests at least the potential for less-than-pure intentions. But it’s a great model for opinion-sharing sites in any number of like areas. For the companies being discussed, such sites could also make customer surveys obsolete with their wealth of information about the real word of mouth. Web-savvy entrepreneurs: which other industries can you unleash transparency tyranny on? Website: www.zuzzid.co.uk Spotted by: Susanna Haynie
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