Innovation That Matters

The DVD rental business is as low-frills as it gets, but in a USD 50 billion digital home entertainment market, there’s always room for reinvention. Here are two new businesses that have put on their creative thinking caps, and have revolutionized when, where and how consumers can rent DVDs. First, there’s Australian redroomdvd, a semi-automated DVD rental store, where the entertainment begins with the movie selection process. Customers are invited to step into a room filled with touch screen stations, where they can browse titles, read reviews, even take a peak at the trailers before swiping their membership cards and picking up their selections from the machine’s dispenser. What’s more, redroomdvd is open 24/7 and doesn’t charge late fees. Their philosophy: “At redroomdvd, you decide how little you want to pay for the latest DVDs. The quicker you return your movie, the less you pay!” They’re saving tons of aisle space, not to mention staff wages. Currently the only company in Australia using a semi-automated DVD rental store, redroomdvd’s two store operation in Sydney is set to expand into Sydney Central and Melbourne by the year’s end. Over in the USA, San Francisco-based DVD Station has further redefined the DVD rental market. Not only do consumers get to browse thousands of titles on touch screen displays at their stores, they can also pick up a DVD at one of DVD Station’s kiosks – watch it on their flight, train, etcetera (provided they have their own laptop or portable dvd player) – and return it at another kiosk when they land. All for as little as USD 1 a day. With the ubiquitous presence of DVD Station – now placed in airports, college bookshops, even drive thru cafes – customers can pick up and drop off a DVD just about anywhere. And to throw in some e-commerce, customers have the added luxury of reserving their selections, as well as managing their returns online. (more…)
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There isn’t a single industry that’s immune to innovation. Taking this very literally is German Single Tapete (‘singles wallpaper’), which sells photographic wallpaper, featuring photos of whoever/whatever. Customers upload an image via the company’s website, which is then processed and produced as numbered rolls of removable and reusable wallpaper. The company also offers a choice of patterns and even photos of pre-selected ‘singles’ (see ‘Paul’ and ‘Priscilla’ above), creating a modern twist on the trompe l’oeil. A 3m x 2.33m wall will set customers back about EUR 275 (USD 322/GBP 186). GRAVANITY-style wallpaper is one thing, but how about GENERATION C wallpaper? London based Pepper-mint sells MagScapes, the world’s first magnetic wallpaper, which is exactly like regular wallpaper, except for the fact that magnets stick to it. How it works: a coating technology is applied to make the wallpaper behave like metal, so that magnets will adhere to its surface. The coating is patent protected and produced exclusively by a US-based global coating company. (more…)
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