News 18.03.2020

Need to Know

Covid-19 recession fears run high among Millennials, Adidas’ phygital insole elevates the beautiful game, and Dazed’s beauty counter of the future.

Adidas’ smart insole shapes virtual skills

adidas GMR

Global – Adidas, Jacquard by Google and EA Sports have introduced an innovative insole that enables football players to affect their virtual gaming performance through real-world play.

The Adidas GMR concept amalgamates Google’s advanced machine learning algorithms with a smart shoe insole that detects physical movement. As footballers move, their on-pitch technique – including kicks, shot power, distance and speed – is recognised and documented by EA Sports’ FIFA Mobile gaming platform.

FIFA Mobile allows players to complete challenges and milestones through their performance, encouraging them to unlock in-game rewards and rank in global leader boards. In this way, Adidas GMR encourages users to play more football in real life in order to boost their fitness while enhancing their digital gaming experience. ‘Adidas GMR lives at the intersection of gaming and the material world because that’s where the audience is,’ says Moritz Kloetzner, director of business development at Adidas Football.

With physical sports increasingly blurring with digital or gamified experiences, both brands and sporting bodies are providing football innovations for fans, from wearables to virtual experiences.

Dazed Beauty curates a beauty counter for Generation Instagram

Dazed Beauty Space, Selfridges Dazed Beauty Space, Selfridges
Dazed Beauty Space, Selfridges Dazed Beauty Space, Selfridges

UK – Dazed Beauty has teamed up with retailer Selfridges on an interactive beauty buying experience.

The pop-up store aims to lure Dazed Beauty’s digital community offline through a series of events, talks and shoppable content, challenging the conventions of traditional beauty counters. In this way, it hopes to meet the changing needs of Generation Z consumers, combining phygital retail with Dazed’s own hyper-futuristic aesthetic, allowing shoppers to try on looks using AR and AI filters.

Recognising the popularity of face filters among its target demographic, Dazed Beauty is questioning how beauty counters can most effectively cater for online audiences. As Bunny Kinney, editor-in-chief at Dazed Beauty, says: ‘This is the beauty counter of the future: where the digital and physical collide, and beauty is not simply what we wear on our faces, but what we project on our screens.’

While Instagram has long played a role in the beauty conversation, brands are going a step further to transform their physical spaces to reflect their online presence. For more, explore our Instagram Beauty Market.

Panera pours unlimited caffeine on subscription

US – Bakery chain Panera is launching a hot drinks subscription delivering unlimited refills to customers.

Offered at £7.55 ($8.99, €8.27) per month, the MyPanera+Coffee service allows customers to enjoy all-day takeaway drinks, including iced coffees and teas, as well as larger pours. The deal was created with the aim of increasing customer loyalty, and will also allow customers to use their own re-usable cups.

Using QR codes during ordering, Panera’s subscription service is the first of its kind in the fast food industry. It represents a new model for coffee chains to boost visits and increase spending. Sara Burnett, vice-president of wellness and food policy at Panera, explains: ‘It’s about providing true value to the guest that really matters to them, especially things that are part of your daily ritual, like coffee.’

With loyalty an ongoing challenge for brands, more are using mobile platforms and data to elevate the customer experience, something we explore further in the Loyalty Market.

Panera, US Panera, US

Stat: Covid-19 sparks recession fears among Millennials

According to research by Global Web Index, younger consumers in the US and UK are particularly anxious about the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

While more than 90% of respondents said they are worried in general about the virus, strength of concern varies greatly by age. Millennials, in particular, are reported to have made the most drastic changes to their spending habits amid fears of a looming recession.

In fact, 19% of Millennials says a recession is 'extremely likely' as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, compared to just 7% of Generation Z. Meanwhile, high income earners in the US and UK are twice as likely as lower earners to think a recession is extremely likely.

As concern about the coronavirus spreads, look out for our multi-sector round-up exploring the immediate impacts and future consideration for brands and organisations during these uncertain times.

Previous News Articles
Flexibility defines Today Design’s Melbourne office

News

Flexibility defines Today Design’s Melbourne office

In the heart of Collingwood, Melbourne, digital agency Today Design has transformed a 900-square-metre area within a 12-storey block into a hub of ...
Design : Sustainability : Workplace
Youth movement Flor champions nature and biodiversity

News

Youth movement Flor champions nature and biodiversity

Bringing today’s hyper-connected youth closer to nature is no small feat. Youth organisation Flor has made the challenge of getting young people in...
Youth : Design : Society
Aesop blends tradition and modernity with music-inspired gift kits

News

Aesop blends tradition and modernity with music-inspired gift kits

Australian cosmetics brand Aesop is ringing in the holiday season with a unique blend of tradition and modernity.
Packaging : Design : Beauty
Stat: US teens are more price-conscious when choosing a university

News

Stat: US teens are more price-conscious when choosing a university

Scared by big student debt and high prices, US students are becoming more price-sensitive when it comes to higher education.
Education : Finance : Youth
Bacardi and The Future Laboratory unveil 2024 Cocktail Trends Report

News

Bacardi and The Future Laboratory unveil 2024 Cocktail Trends Report

Bacardi, in collaboration with The Future Laboratory, unveiled its fifth annual Cocktail Trends Report in December 2023. The research draws on insi...
Drink : Alcohol : Spirits
Balmain introduces hyper-realistic virtual try-ons powered by Bods

News

Balmain introduces hyper-realistic virtual try-ons powered by Bods

From the runway to the avatar realm, luxury house Balmain has called on fashion-fit technology company Bods to create a next-level virtual try-on t...
Fashion : Luxury : Technology
Shanghai’s Jade Buddha Temple and Boitown collaborate on ‘blessed scent’

News

Shanghai’s Jade Buddha Temple and Boitown collaborate on ‘blessed scent’

Visitors to the Jade Buddha Temple (Yufo Temple) in Shanghai, China, can now take home a bottle of ‘blessed scent’, designed to bring good fortune ...
Scent : Spirituality : Youth
Stat: Study finds that businesses are lagging behind in carbon strategy

News

Stat: Study finds that businesses are lagging behind in carbon strategy

New research indicates that almost half of businesses have not yet formulated a plan to cut their carbon emissions.
Sustainability : Design : Finance
Uno single-cup bra line champions post-mastectomy confidence

News

Uno single-cup bra line champions post-mastectomy confidence

Breast cancer survivor Katy Marks of Citizens Design Bureau has introduced Uno, a bespoke one-cup bra line for post-mastectomy women.
Fashion : Inclusivity : Womenhood
Vape brand Ripple branches out into incense aromatherapy

News

Vape brand Ripple branches out into incense aromatherapy

Ripple, best known for its botanical and better-for-you vapes, is expanding with the launch of sleek, drop-shaped incense cones.
Scent : Wellness : Youth
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN

What do we use cookies for?

We use cookies to enable the use of our platform’s paid features and to analyse our traffic. No personal data, including your IP address, is stored and we do not sell data to third parties.

Learn more