Need to Know
20 : 05 : 19

Shanghai – The restaurant serves high-end kaiseki cuisine in an eye-catching, high-concept setting.

Located in a renovated business centre in Shanghai, the interior design for Omakase takes its cues from dew-covered sakura petals, reflected throughout the space with an abundance of pink, decorated glass panels and partitions, and a floor made of backlit glass panels. The space was designed by local practice Shanghai Hip-Pop.

On the ground floor, the restaurant has an open-plan layout with a sushi bar and a private dining space. A staircase leads to the second floor where guests are seated in private rooms, all divided by glass panels emblazoned with cherry blossom motifs. By using its unique interiors to create an immersive dining atmosphere, Omakase reflects the evolving demand for memorable customer experiences. For more, read our Experience 2020 report.

New York – A fashion piece that only exists virtually was auctioned at the recent Ethereal Summit, the Ethereum blockchain industry’s premier event.

The sale marks the first-ever auction of digital-only fashion and suggests a growing global market for collectible digital items, also known as crypto-collectibles. Selling for £7,450 ($9,500, €8,500), the couture piece, which was designed by Amsterdam-based digital fashion house The Fabricant, will never become a physical garment. It was auctioned by Dapper Labs, the team behind CryptoKitties, and was digitally worn by artist Johanna Jaskowska, creator of the popular Instagram filter Beauty3000.

As a blockchain digital asset, the virtual garment doubles as both clothing and a form of cryptocurrency, signalling how blockchain and virtual fashion are set to transform clothes ownership. In our Immaterial Fashion macrotrend, we consider how digitisation offers a new route for consumers seeking new ways to engage with clothing brands.

Global – Gucci is opening six customer service centres at which consumers can speak to staff by phone, email or live chat.

Giving shoppers 24/7 access to the brand, Gucci’s new hubs will open in six major cities, including Shanghai and in its operational city of Florence. According to Gucci president and CEO Marco Bizzarri, the call centres aim to give customers ‘a direct connection to the Gucci community that is a seamless, always accessible, personalised experience’.

Gucci has branded the new client service centres with the name Gucci 9, designing each to a similar level as its boutiques. In a bid to drive sales, consumers can contact a call centre to discuss anything related to the brand, which hopes to provide consumers with the same level of service as offered in stores. As the luxury sector grapples with rapidly changing consumer habits, the human touch continues to be a defining aspect of service.

Many CPG brands in the US are planning to spend more on packaging in the near future, a new survey finds. According to LEK Consulting’s 2019 Brand Owner Packaging Study, 75% of brand owners surveyed say they expect to increase spending on packaging over the coming year.

‘CPG brand owners recognise consumers want more convenience, and companies are looking to packaging to help provide it,’ says Thilo Henkes, managing director at LEK Consulting. ‘This will entail some major changes to packaging, and CPGs are responding and investing.’ Of particular note, 57% say they are developing packaging that is easier to open and 51% say they are working on more single-serve packaging. Likewise, we explore the rise of Single-serve Leisure in our Uncoupled Living macrotrend.