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We've seen numerous efforts to reduce the energy used and urban congestion created by the small-package delivery industry, including both neighbourhood pickup spots and a ride-sharing program for packages. Combining a little bit of both ideas, bring.BUDDY is a program that will soon be tested out by DHL to recruit city dwellers to deliver packages along urban routes they'd be taking anyway. Created last year for DHL by a team of students at the HPI School of Design Thinking at Germany's University of Potsdam, bring.BUDDY taps all the consumers moving through a city each day, whether via bike, public transport or on foot. Interested participants indicate their travel route for the day using a downloadable smartphone app; a text message then lets them know of any packages needing delivery along the way. When there is such a package, the participant picks it up from the local kiosk where it's waiting and delivers it as they go about their daily business. In exchange for their help, the program rewards them with points that can be redeemed for free train tickets, merchandise coupons or CO2 credits. A .pdf brochure and a video on YouTube both explain bring.BUDDY in more detail. As part of an effort to reduce its own carbon emissions, DHL will reportedly begin a pilot test based on bring.BUDDY and its network of DHL Packstation kiosks later this year. As with any service like this, of course, trust issues will have to be overcome. Nevertheless, the project's potential to make dedicated delivery vehicles superfluous, at least in urban areas, is nothing if not compelling, with benefits including less congestion, lower delivery costs and reduced emissions. One to watch, try out or get involved in...? Website: www.d-school-blog.hpi-web.de Spotted by: Doug Caldwell |
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Back in 2008 we featured both sides of what may be considered the green home improvement “coin”: DIY retailers specializing in green renovation products, and service providers like London's Green Homes Concierge. Now combining both approaches under a single roof is French Kbane, a Villeneuve d’Ascq retailer that offers education, consulting and green construction services in addition to a broad product line. A subsidiary of Groupe Adeo, Kbane offers products and services focused on six major areas: gardening, energy efficiency, healthy home interiors, air quality and water, insulation and eco-construction, and solar and new energies. Beyond simply stocking the associated products, however, its flagship store serves as a living “laboratory” providing education and demonstration. Every DIY product on display includes a label indicating how far the product travelled to get to the store, among other features. Expert advisors, meanwhile, offer home energy audits and other services tapping the store's team of building professionals certified in green-minded skills. Kbane also runs an online store for home improvement product purchases. A video on YouTube highlights the store in further detail. As green home improvement becomes increasingly mainstream, an approach integrating both products and services could be the key to standing out among a growing sea of competitors. Kbane's first store opened its doors last year, but the company aims to expand in the coming years. One to partner with in a venture near you...? (Related: Manhattan retailer focuses on green home improvement — Green Irene: green home makeovers for $99 — Eco assessment for homes & businesses.) Website: www.kbane.com |
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So numerous have been the feeder businesses inspired by Swedish furniture giant IKEA that we can scarcely keep track anymore of all the ones we've covered. Now joining the list of those focused on customizing the popular furniture, however, is Mykea, a Dutch company that lets consumers embellish items with their own photos. Bemz, Parts of Sweden and Grippiks may all offer ways to add a personal touch to IKEA furniture, but Mykea takes it a step even further. Besides offering adhesive coverings in a wide variety of designs, the company also lets customers upload a favourite photo to have it converted into a furniture sticker. Pricing to create stickers for a 3-drawer Malm dresser, for instance, is EUR 25. For those with a more graphical bent, meanwhile, Mykea also offers a downloadable Designers Kit that lets them create their own cover designs for sale through Mykea's online shop; for every sticker sold, the creating artist receives 10 percent. The lesson to be learned? Virtually limitless opportunities await those who find a way to help customers of the world's largest businesses. Still no end in sight to the hacks possible with IKEA! (Related: IKEA kitchens, designed and installed locally — Online marketplace for secondhand IKEA furniture — Niche delivery biz brings IKEA to Nashville.) Website: www.thisismykea.com Spotted by: Katherine Noyes |
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Anyone who's ever launched a website knows how much trouble it can be to create a simple “coming soon” page. Templates can be expensive, and it hardly seems worthwhile setting up a server for just a single page. Enter Capturely, a new online service that lets domain registrants create a custom “coming soon” page in about a minute. Users of California-based Capturely begin by entering a headline and body copy for their page, along with which analytics service they plan to use. They can then either pick a template for the site's appearance, or they can style their page in real time with CSS. Either way, once the page goes live, it can be used not just for publicity but also to collect the email addresses of potential customers and supporters. Soon, Capturely will also make it possible to export that email list to providers like MailChimp. Using Capturely is free for up to 20 collected email addresses; after that, it's USD 0.25 per email. Have you registered a domain, but not yet launched your website? If so, Capturely could help you out. Otherwise, it's yet another nice illustration of one of the key principles of Marketing 101: Find an unmet need — however niche — address it well, and customers will follow! ;-) (Related: Crowdsourced marketing ideas, 10 for $99 — An instant storefront for any website or blog — Custom presentation designs in 48 hours for $99.) Website: www.capturely.com |
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Given the USD 47.7 billion US consumers alone are expected to spend on their pets this year, it's not entirely surprising to see the likes of the Sniff Dog Hotel and the many other pet-focused innovations we've seen emerge in recent months. Along the lines of Fido Factor, in fact, one more we recently spotted gives consumers a new way to discover the dog-friendly restaurants in their neighborhood. California-based Dining with Dogs is a free site that lets dog owners find restaurants in their area that allow dogs in their outdoor seating areas. Currently focusing on New York, Chicago, California, Arizona and Florida, the ad-supported site lets users submit and review restaurants as well as interact with other dog lovers online. Reviews can also be posted directly to Facebook and other popular social networks. Guides to pet-friendly hotels have been around for some time, but this new focus on restaurants adds a new point of differentiation for restaurateurs worldwide. Eateries around the globe: time to develop a dog-friendly policy, if you don't already have one. Everyone else: how else can you help guide pet lovers to local establishments that will treat them — and their pets — right...? (Related: Peer-to-peer petsitting service — Social networking for dogs — RFID collar tag helps dog owners meet new friends.) Website: www.diningwithdogs.com Spotted by: May Lam |
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Governments have been relatively quick to launch apps for interacting with consumers — targeting civic complaints, for example — but such apps outnumber by far those aimed at businesses. That's why we were interested to see Scotland's new app for alerting domestic businesses to public sector contract opportunities. The new procurement app was launched just last month by Public Contract Scotland (PCS), the Scottish government’s flagship purchasing portal, as a way to notify businesses when new contract opportunities arise in the public sector. That's a market that's worth GBP 9 billion annually, PCS says, and now businesses large and small can use the app on their iPhones or iPads to access contract notices as they are posted; versions for other mobile phones are coming soon. Not only does the app allow users to access information more quickly and easily than by browsing on the mobile web, but it also provides the ability to search notices by category, commodity and date. The PCS app is now available for free download on iTunes. After years of opacity and labyrinthine processes, it's heartening to see governments opening up and simplifying through the use of mobile technologies. Other governments around the world: how can you improve efficiency, relations and communication with the local businesses you rely on? (Related: Mobile app service delivers location-based disaster alerts — Fellowship recruits tech talent to transform city governments — Geo-targeted messaging with a public services twist.) Website: www.publiccontractsscotland.co.uk Spotted by: Ken Green
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Over the past few years, publishers have started offering consumers various ways to create and buy customized tomes, from quality photo books to personalized children's books. Adding a twist to that model is Brazilian 24x7, best known for its book vending machines in the subways of Rio and Sao Paulo. 24x7 took an existing book and lets readers create a personalized copy. Aprendi com meu pai, or Learned from my Father, features lessons that 54 famous people learned from their fathers. Now, people can order a copy that features a lesson they learned from their own dad. Their story is added to the existing chapters, and their name is printed on the cover, as a co-author of the book. Needless to say, the concept is ideally positioned for birthday and Father's Day gifts, and creates ample opportunity for related editions — Lessons from my Mother, Lessons from my Teacher, etc. If you're in publishing (or want to be), this one's for you ;-) Website: www.aprendicommeupai.com.br Spotted by: Denise Kuperman |
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Back in June, we covered Pay with a Tweet. Developed by German-American Innovative Thunder, Pay with a Tweet bills itself as "the first social payment system where people pay with the value of their social network." In other words, rather than paying with currency, purchasers of any kind of content tell their friends on Twitter about it instead. |
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Kerosene lamps are a fact of life in all too much of the developing world, despite their toxic and polluting nature. We've already seen a few different efforts to change this -- both through microloans for green energy and through an energy-storing soccer ball — but recently we came across another: a solar-powered light bulb. Just launched this week by Denver- and Hong Kong-based Nokero (which stands for “no kerosene”), the Nokero N200 lasts six or more hours on one day's charge and is affordable to the billions of people worldwide who live without reliable access to electricity. The N200 is a new, improved version of Nokero's N100, which launched in June, and offers 60 percent greater brightness, the company says. Featuring one solar cell and four LEDs along with a brandable frosted globe, the bulb uses the solar energy it collects to power one AA-sized, 1.2 V, 1000mAh, replaceable and recyclable Ni-MH battery, which is used to provide light at night. The Nokero automatically turns off in bright light to save energy; it also features a multi-switch that can be set to high, low or off. Like the N100, the N200 is rainproof and durable so it can withstand outdoor use in tough conditions, ranging from -20⁰C to 55⁰C. With a pivot feature for maximal solar charging, the bulb can be hung or laid on its side. A video on YouTube demonstrates the bulb in use. Priced starting at USD 15 per bulb, the Nokero N200 is already being used in Pakistan and Kenya, and it will soon arrive in Iraq, where it will help people in the war-torn country avoid the high cost of running diesel generators for light at night. More than one million people die each year in fuel-based lighting fires, and an additional 1.6 million are estimated to die from indoor air pollution, says Nokero, which also offers a “buy one, give one” program with discounted prices. A functionall solution to spread around the world! Website: www.nokero.com Spotted by: Robert Quinn |
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Much the way Charlie's Burgers uses a heaping helping of mystery to embellish the allure of its roaming, “anti-restaurant” gourmet meals, so the Italian town of Ferrara kept most of the details under wraps until the last minute for its recent, pop-up dinner in the city streets. Participants in Ferrara's September Street Dinner began by purchasing for EUR 60 per person a package for two that included separate tickets for aperitifs, a table and two chairs, and two dinner menu choices; also included were two Street Dinner sweatshirts, instructions and a map of the city. Guests also provided their mobile phone number up front. Then, on the designated evening, an SMS arrived revealing first the location where aperitifs were to be served. Next, an hour before dinner, a second text message told participants where to pick up their table, chairs and chosen meals. Finally, after that a third text message revealed at last the location of the dinner. An option including overnight stay in a 3- or 4-star hotel was also offered beginning at EUR 115 per person. All participants were entered in a drawing for a free trip to Mauritius as well. Operated by travel agency Link Tours with sponsorship from a variety of other local organizations, the Street Dinner is planned to occur again at some as-yet-unspecified date in 2011. Part treasure hunt and part pop-up restaurant, it's hard to imagine a better way to promote a city and its local highlights while giving consumers an experience they'll remember. With the overnight option, that can even be extended to consumers from afar. One to emulate, particularly in artistic or historic locations around the world! (Related: In Paris, a community brunch festival pops up monthly.) Website: www.streetdinner.info Spotted by: Giulia Cuccolini |
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In what has become a vast sea of online yoga offerings, it takes something special to make a particular site stand out. For YogaVibes, that something is the inclusion of real fellow students, as we noted last year. For YogaTailor, on the other hand, it's a feature that customizes the site's online yoga classes to fit the viewer's expertise and available time. Aiming to make its online yoga classes more widely accessible than most, YogaTailor begins by asking the student how much time they have available that day as well as their level of experience and whether they are pregnant or have back pain. Once that information has been gathered, the site creates a custom online yoga video that can be streamed immediately. Programs are different on different days so as to prevent boredom; they even adapt over time as the student progresses. Either way, they can be followed at the viewer's pace and don't take more time than he or she has. After a free trial, YogaTailor costs USD 7.99 per month. Customization is almost always a good thing, as legions of product and service providers have already realized. Where that trend is less often seen, however, is with respect to the consumer's available time. YogaTailor is smart to appreciate that consumers don't always have unlimited time for its offerings--other service providers would do well to emulate its example. Website: www.yogatailor.com Spotted by: Ramesh |
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Cargo bikes have already proved to be a viable option for business deliveries around the year in France and Geneva, and soon they'll become commonplace in Dublin as well while the city undergoes some major construction. Specifically, while a new public transport project is under way in the city, local businesses will be encouraged to use cargo bikes rather than trucks or vans to make their deliveries. Road closures and other traffic glitches are expected to occur during the building of the new Metro North public transport line, so Dublin is taking proactive action. Over the next few months, the Dublin City Council will be introducing a fleet of cargo bicycles in the hopes of helping businesses navigate around the roadworks. Capable of carrying loads of up to 180kg at a time, the bikes will offer a green solution while still allowing deliveries to be made. Currently, the City Council and the Dublin City Business Association are asking businesses to register their interest in using the bikes, which should hit the streets during the next 18 months, according to a report yesterday in The Journal. In the longer term, there is also a plan to keep cargo bikes available for use in pedestrian areas, The Journal reported. Dublin did just celebrate the one-year anniversary of the establishment of its city bike sharing scheme, so bicycles are already a common sight on the city streets. What particularly impresses us, however, is the city's foresight in seizing the Metro North project as an opportunity to introduce cargo bikes to businesses that might not otherwise consider them. Other cities around the globe: follow Dublin's example, and carpe diem when you can for some eco-minded changes of your own! (Related: Pedaled by two, a cargo bike for hauling furniture.) Website: www.dublincity.ie Spotted by: The Journal |
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