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06 : 11 : 20

The Netherlands – Centred on community and accessible healing, Bump Galaxy is a virtual mental health space by Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Bianca Carague.

Created in response to 2020 ‘amplifying feelings of stress, anxiety, depression and loneliness’, Carague has designed the conceptual virtual space to offer decentralised care for people, no matter where they are based in the world. Those logging on to the low-fi, Minecraft-inspired platform can navigate through multiple virtual locations, such as a forest where they can experience sound baths, sand dunes for dream reflection, and an underwater temple for hypnotherapy.

Trained practitioners are also present in Bump Galaxy, including healthcare professionals in fields such as hypnotherapy and relationship counselling, who can provide their services to users. With a focus on collaboration, Carague hopes to ‘de-institutionalise healthcare’ by combining traditional and unconventional wellbeing methods.

Virtual Sanctuaries like Bump Galaxy will help to empower care-giving and democratise approaches to wellbeing, something we explore further in the microtrend Decentralised Care.

Mexico – Rosaluna mezcal is aiming to tick several consumer boxes with a focus on simple ingredients and an inclusive ethos.

Taking the spirit back to basics, it's putting ingredients and dietary considerations front and centre. Rosaluna is made from espadín agave, which the brand grows, farms, ferments and distils in Oaxaca. By being vertically integrated, the resulting mezcal is all-natural, free from additives and colouring, as well as being gluten-free, non-GMO and vegan. In addition, the company claims to be carbon-neutral in its operations.

In a bid to be a ‘gateway mezcal’, Rosaluna is positioning itself as an accessible yet high-quality brand for everyone. ‘We want to have a sense of humility because that’s really the essence of mezcal from our perspective,’ explains co-founder Terry Lee.

Explore how changing consumer tastes are shaping tequila and mezcal in our Global Spirits Market.

This year, online holiday sales in the US are expected to shatter all previous records, according to Adobe.

Online shopping predictions for the coming holiday season suggest that US e-commerce sales will total £144bn ($189bn, €159.7bn) in 2020, surpassing £1.5bn ($2bn, €1.6bn) every day between 1 and 21 November and rising to £2.3bn ($3bn, €2.5bn) a day between 22 November and 3 December. Overall, this is an increase of 33% year on year, which is equal to two years’ growth in one season.

‘As retailers adapt to consumers’ new behaviours in this pandemic, we expect earlier discounts, more shipping and pick-up options and uncertainty around in-store purchases to drive this year’s online holiday sales to record highs,’ says John Copeland, head of marketing and customer insights at Adobe.

As online shopping and click-and-collect culture continue to transform bricks-and-mortar retail, brands are embracing an era of Flagship Fulfilment.