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Pagerie’s premium petcare lures dog-loving luxurians

The Sahara by Pagerie, US

US – The petcare brand Pagerie describes itself as the first ‘luxury fashion house for pets’, offering minimally designed accessories that shun cutesy aesthetics.

Recognising petcare as a traditionally untapped sector of the luxury space, Pagerie is positioning its items in a similar vein to high-quality equestrian equipment. Its first collection, The Sahara, includes a leather dog collar, leash and harness, which are all treated in the same tannery as Hermès Birkin Bags. Retaining a luxurious style, each hand-made piece is created in a sandy-coloured, full grain French leather and marine-grade stainless steel.

‘Other pet accessories tend to be too sporty, masculine or cover the pet's entire body,’ explains founder Mandy Madden Kelley. ‘What I was looking for was something more sensual. I wanted to create designs that highlight the gracefulness and elegance that pets have.’

As we identified in our High-end Pets Market, Millennials in particular are willing to pay a premium for petcare – providing opportunity for brands to offer more luxurious pet products.

Rebranding restorative healthcare as a luxury hotel visit

Domstate Zorghotel designed by Van Ejik & Van Der Lubbe, The Netherlands

Domstate Zorghotel designed by Van Ejik & Van der Lubbe, The Netherlands

Netherlands – Studio Van Ejik & Van der Lubbe have overhauled the Domstate Zorghotel rehabilitation centre by using interior design cues inspired by four-star boutique hotels.

Using a vibrant colour theme that differs on every floor of the building, the hotel feel begins with a grand piano in the lobby and extends to each of the bedrooms. The minimalist rooms contain a mirror, shelf and headboard all hung off a continuous rail that doubles as an exercise bar for rehabilitation exercises. The aim is to keep occupants motivated by providing training facilities both inside and outdoors, with every element of their surroundings helping with the recovery process.

‘Unlike similar healing environments, this care hotel is designed from the user's perspective,’ says the studio. ‘From small interior accessories to large spatial gestures, everything is focused on the process of healing.’

In a similar vein, our macrotrend Certified Wellness explores how Healthy Towns are augmenting inhabitants’ wellbeing.

WhatsApp’s disappearing messages boost user privacy

Global – Tapping into consumers’ growing demands for privacy, the messaging platform is launching disappearing messages as an optional service on chat conversations.

With the update, WhatsApp messages can be selected to automatically delete after seven days. All users are able to enable the option in individual chats, while group administrators can enable the ephemeral service in group chats.

Taking inspiration from social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram Stories, the new feature also aims to help conversations feel lighter and more private. Both photos and videos will also disappear, but users are still able to screenshot or copy messages before they’re deleted.

‘Our goal is to make conversations on WhatsApp feel as close to in-person as possible, which means they shouldn’t stick around for ever,’ explains the company.

With the intention of creating messaging that reflects in-person interactions, this update is representative of the ways in which moral codes are being updated for the digital era.

Stat: Online touchpoints underwhelm UK consumers

IAM Weekend

Research by Cognifide, a marketing consultancy owned by Wunderman Thompson, highlights the key areas brands need to focus on to improve consumers’ online journey.

As a result of Covid-19, nearly half (46%) of Britons are unforgiving when it comes to ineffective online experiences. In addition, almost two thirds (62%) of consumers expect more convenience from brands, and 23% say that brands are failing to live up to their expectations.

The study aims to signify shared frustrations as well as identify the areas that digital brands need to focus on with regard to CX (consumer experience). ‘Decision-makers are struggling to focus their priorities and get the fundamentals right, such as website performance,’ explains Leigh Gammons, CEO of Cognifide.

For more on how the pandemic is forcing many retailers to digitise, especially local stores, read our big ideas piece, The Digital Evolution of Neighbourhood Stores.