L’Oréal Paris Launches Makeup Vending Machines in NYC Subway Doing your makeup on the subway is a time-honored, daily ritual for many women, and L'Oréal Paris will soon make the process a little bit easier for New York City commuters. From Monday through the end of December, those passing through the 42nd Street/Bryant Park subway station will come across L'Oréal's "Intelligent Color Experience," an interactive vending machine system featuring a full-length mirror and a high-tech vending machine full of beauty products. Step in front of the mirror, and digital animations featuring potential makeup combinations will pop up next to your image and offer products -- which you can buy on the spot -- that either "Match" or "Clash" with whatever you're wearing. This morning Coco Rocha, a model well known for her love of technology, was present at the Bryant Park subway station for the ribbon-cutting ceremony and to introduce a group of beauty editors to the concept.
Arla Foods to pay its 2018 profit to Europe's drought-hit farmers | Business The dairy company Arla Foods is planning to pay its entire 2018 profit to farmers who are struggling financially due to the drought that has affected Europe over the summer. The firm – a co-operative owned by more than 11,200 farmers in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands – said it expected the windfall to be worth up to £278m. The Arla chairman, Jan Toft Nørgaard, said: “As a farmer-owned dairy company, we care deeply about the livelihood of our farmers and we recognise that this summer’s drought in Europe has been extraordinary. “We are proposing that extraordinary measures be taken in this situation and the board is satisfied with the positive development of the company’s balance sheet, which makes this proposal possible.” The Denmark-based co-operative, which can trace its roots back to one formed in Sweden in 1881, owns brands such as Lurpak and Anchor and has UK sites in Devon, Leeds and Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
The Next Wave in Shopper Marketing: Micro-Location in the Retail Space iBeacon is a specific implementation of the BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Standard. It is a wireless sensor, installed in any physical space that uses Bluetooth Low Energy to transmit data to a compatible mobile device. See how retailers can use this technology to offer highly relevant, in-store offers. It's my wife's favorite time of the year: Shopping Season. For weeks, we've been showered with marketing messages from traditional and digital retailers who are preparing to be overrun by excited shoppers looking for the best deals to spend their hard-earned money on. But where and how do they find those deals on site, in real time? In my previous article, Geo-Location, Geo-Fencing & Creep Factor: The Future of Location Data and Mobile Advertising, I highlighted some of the amazing progress we have made with location targeting and the ability to drive people from the digital space into the retail space. Holiday Season 2013 Rife with Missed Opportunities So what was I expecting?
L'Oréal Paris Heads Underground in NYC with Intelligent Vending Machine retail watch Posted by Sheila Shayon on October 31, 2013 11:22 AM L'Oréal Paris has found an unlikely partner in the pursuit of beauty—the Metropolitan Transit Authority. The pair have teamed up to host L'Oréal Paris' Intelligent Color Experience vending machines inside a New York City subway station that allows any straphanger to stock up on beauty items on-the-go. Running in the 42nd Street-Bryant Park station between Nov. 4th and Dec. 30th, the intelligent vending machines actually scan a user's outfit to detect colors and style, in turn suggesting beauty products that "match or clash." As more brands explore interactive shopping experiences through experiential marketing, L’Oréal’s latest offers a “real-life experience through technology,” Marc Speichert, CMO L’Oréal Americas, told the New York Times. The machine, which takes over an abandoned newsstand, can be stocked with up to 700 items priced at $5.99 to $9.99.
3.7.6 Amazon - Virtual aide Alexa shouts above rivals Image copyright Getty Images Virtual assistants are everywhere at CES this year - but one speaks louder than the rest. Amazon's Alexa has popped up in a bewildering list of devices including fridges, cars and robots. Manufacturers are clearly interested in making their appliances voice-operable, and many see Alexa as a great way to do this. But having Alexa also allows the appliances to gain capabilities, such as streaming music and turning smart lights on and off. How did Alexa come out on top and how will it benefit Amazon? The firm was quick to notice the potential of voice control following the rise of smartphone apps that could interact with appliances, answers tech analyst Dinesh Kithany at IHS Technology. "Alexa's rivals haven't been promoted quite as well," he told the BBC, though he noted companies adopting the assistant must think of genuinely useful ways to integrate it into their products. Image copyright Amazon Image copyright AFP Image copyright Nvidia Image copyright Microsoft
Consolidation in the Global OTC Market | Clarkston Consulting According to industry analysts, the global over-the-counter (OTC) market is predicted to reach $106 billion by 2017. In this growing industry, the five primary product categories are: cold, allergy, sinus and flu; analgesics; gastrointestinal treatments; dermatology; and nutritionals. Similar to many other industries, the OTC market has witnessed significant consolidation in the form of acquisitions or joint ventures in recent years as companies aim to broaden their product portfolios, enter new markets, improve efficiency and reduce costs. Others, however, elect to divest their OTC businesses to focus on their core competencies. In 2011, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, the Israeli generics giant, partnered with Procter & Gamble (P&G) to form a unique joint venture “PGT Healthcare,” which combines each company’s OTC brands and leading capabilities. More recently, in late 2014, Bayer acquired Merck’s OTC division for $14.2 billion.
LMS Vending Services, Office Coffee, Vending Machines - Philadelphia 3.7.6 (1) UK is the ‘most internet-based major economy’ The internet contributes to 8.3% of the UK economy, a bigger share than for any of the other G20 major countries, a new study suggests. The "internet economy" was worth £121bn in 2010, more than £2,000 per person, researchers at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) said. That made it bigger than the healthcare, construction or education sectors. The UK also carries out far more retail online than any other major economy. Some 13.5% of all purchases were done over the internet in 2010, according to BCG, and this is projected to rise to 23% by 2016. Chocolate v sex The researchers said that the overall UK web economy is particularly fast-growing. They predict it will continue to expand at a rate of 11% per year for the next four years, reaching a total value of £221bn by 2016. That compares with projected growth rates of 5.4% in the US and 6.9% in China. This may be particularly good news for small and medium-sized businesses that focus on the sector.
Seven Tips for Selling Point of Sale Displays As with selling most things, successfully selling point-of-sale (POS) display systems is largely a matter of understanding the needs of the customer. Every retail, restaurant, warehouse, or POS application is different, so no matter where you are making your sales pitch, understanding the customer's unique data capture applications will have a direct bearing on the kind of POS display system they need. First, to clarify, when we talk about point-of-sale displays, we are referring to the interface for the POS system itself rather than in-store displays. In today's market, the display for the POS system is more likely to be a handheld device such as an iPad or tablet that interfaces with the transaction system using a secure wireless connection. In fact, research from IHL Group; says the market for mobile POS systems in North America surpassed $2 billion in 2013 and more than 28 percent of retailers have adopted some form of mobile POS.
Touch-up Before Takeoff: Beauty Vending Machines Are in Your Airport Swimsuits, purses, even shoes. It seems you can get a lot more than just tampons and a Snickers bar in vending machines nowadays. The latest dispensing craze just so happens to be beauty products, which is not such a bad idea—especially for that person who took a nap on the plane and smeared makeup all over her face right before her boss picked her up from the airport. No? Just me? While the beauty vending trend is nothing new (Elizabeth Arden launched a vending machine stocked with its top-selling products in 1997), it’s now blowing up, with some surprising innovations. Following Sephora’s example, Benefit got in on the action over the summer at airports in New York, Austin, and Los Angeles, with machines to open at more than 20 hubs by the end of this year alone. Beauty vending is making its mark overseas, too. In one of the stranger examples we found, you can now also buy time (a dollar per minute) to straighten your hair at these wall kiosks by the Beautiful Vending Company.
3.7.6 - Technological Change in the Automotive Sector: Software Rules - Not Hardware A fascinating short video here from the FT Business and Automotive team which considers how modern cars have become highly sophisticated pieces of technology - and how further technological change may transform the modern motor. The increasing complexity and technological sophistication of cars is posing some interesting strategic challenges for car makers who face competition from more than just the automotive manufacturers. The modern car is no longer mechanical; it is electronic. Up to a quarter of the cost of building a vehicle is related to software not hardware. Andy Sharman from the FT points out that today's premium cars already contain: A mile of cables100 million lines of codeUp to 70 computer control unitsThe computing power of around 20 advanced PCs So where next for car manufacturers? Sharman points out a key threat to the leading existing car makers.
amazon 3.7.6 Under pressure: campaigns that persuaded companies to change the world | Guardian Sustainable Business Hard-hitting activist campaigns against big corporations have become part of the sustainability landscape. Some change the world. Some change little. Telling the difference between one and the other isn’t easy. Consider this example of a victory that is less than it seemed at the time: when the Breast Cancer Fund accused Revlon of using chemicals linked to cancer in its cosmetics, the company called the charges “false and defamatory”, demanded a retraction and threatened to sue. Instead, last month, Revlon for the first time published an ingredients policy. So what happened? “This was happening,” says Alexandra Gerber, vice president and assistant general counsel. Transparency matters – without it, buyers of shampoo and nail polish can’t make informed choices or avoid potential allergens. Then there are game-changing battles, like the decade-long campaign waged by green groups against Indonesia-based Asia Pulp & Paper. So far, the signs are encouraging. Nike Kimberly Clark Lego
Amazon Kindle Fire Vending Machines