Need to Know
02 : 07 : 18

Saudi Arabia – With the nation reversing its decades old law against women driving, Audi released a new spot to welcome ladies to the wheel.

The advert, created by thjnk Hamburg GmbH, shows a Saudi couple getting ready to the leave the house, with the woman putting on her hijab while her partner performs traditional acts of chivalry such as opening each door for her on the way out. But when they reach their Audi car, the roles are reversed as the woman opens the passenger door for her companion and takes the driver’s seat herself.

It is a simple yet effective statement by the car brand who will now have a whole new set of consumers to appeal to. With more than 120,000 women applying for a license on the first day of the lifted ban, car makers will have to now consider ways to invite them into their folds, especially at a time of rapid modernisation for one of the world’s most conservative countries.

London – The government of Japan has taken over an art deco building in Kensington as the latest site of its soft diplomacy initiative, Japan House.

Following the opening of spaces in both Sao Paolo and Los Angeles in the last year, Japan House London serves a similar purpose: to educate both London’s locals and tourists alike about Japanese culture. The three-storey building offers a gallery space, a library, retail floor and restaurant that feature some of the nation’s best artists, writers, designers and ingredients respectively.

The entire endeavour, which is part of the government’s ramp up to Tokyo 2020, aims to the question of what it means to be Japanese nowadays. Acting as entry point to Japanese life for those who may never get there, it is also an extension of a phenomenon we called Culinary Diplomacy, spotted initially in 2016 when restaurants began to actively use food to foster cultural understanding.

UK – Design agency Layer has collaborated with Catapult Sports to create a fitness tracking wearable dedicated to amateur football players.

The PLAYR system is made up of three components: a smart pod, a high-performance vest and an app. With more metrics than a FitBit, the advanced tracking system provides greater insight into how the body can train more efficiently. Athletes can monitor their training or game play which is recorded on GPS heat maps, displaying sprint, distance and speed data.

‘PLAYR is a system that promises to revolutionise how people play the game. For the first time, amateurs and aspiring players will be able to train like the pros and ultimately bring a higher level of performance onto the pitch’, says Benoit Simeray, Consumer CEO of Catapult.

As consumers use digital devices to help them transform into their best selves, a new wave of wearables and apps are embedding technology that was once only accessible to professionals.

The rise in returns is becoming an expensive problem for retailers, particularly within the fashion sector, where 37% of businesses reported that refunds have climbed since 2016 in the UK. As we enter an age of on-demand culture, consumers are increasingly favouring online shopping. And yet, 40% of shoppers said they return clothing bought online because the items don’t fit as expected.

To minimise the number of returns, a new wave of digital tools are helping to refine sizing options. MySize is a smartphone technology that enables consumers to measure themselves using their iPhone and, once a size has been determined, match that consumer with products in their size online. For more, see our Digital Fit microtrend.