Need to Know
29 : 06 : 20

Copenhagen – Ikea and Space10 have launched an augmented reality (AR) project allowing consumers to experiment with the potential of their home.

Featuring a series of playful concepts, Everyday Experiments combines spatial intelligence technology with creative design, partnering with various agencies to reimagine home spaces. While home-based AR activations are typically created for practical purposes, the project focuses on imagination and joy.

The technology concepts transform furniture into living creatures, allow viewers to ‘see’ soundwaves, and rearrange room layouts with virtual layers, among others. ‘As we enter a new digital era, we are also exploring new ways to create a better everyday life at home, while protecting people’s privacy,’ explains Fredrik Axén, digital manager at Ikea.

Ikea’s experiments also allow brands to experiment with their digital presence outside of store environments. For more on the impact of AR in the retail sector, explore the rise of phygital design.

Denmark – Organic Basics has launched a low-energy version of its e-commerce site.

Offering eco-conscious customers a sustainable online shopping experience, the platform runs on green energy from Denmark’s windmills when available. Featuring ten key principles for lowering data wastage, the website compresses user data and minimises data transfer, while featuring limited images and no videos.

‘We’re only showing people images if they want to see them,’ explains Jesper Fogh, head of technology at Organic Basics. ‘If you’re in the market for a new sports bra, for instance, you might go straight to that section without even glancing at the leggings and tanks. On a typical website, those images would still load, but if you aren’t engaging with them, the data is sort of going to waste.’

With data-heavy websites increasingly under scrutiny, new initiatives are emerging to support an energy efficient future for web design.

Major Asian economies are expected to cope with an inter-Covid recession better than their Western counterparts, according to new research by Euromonitor International.

The research examines how Asian countries have managed outbreaks of Covid-19, and suffered fewer losses in consumer income. It predicts that, in 2022, Asia will become the largest consumer market globally, with growth driven mainly by China, India and Indonesia. By 2040, the region will account for 40% of global consumer expenditure, while many Western countries are likely to suffer long-term impacts from Covid-19.

Global economies are set to experience different levels of impact from Covid-19. As we explore in our State of Luxury vertical, Asian countries like India and South China are set for significant growth in the coming years.