Need to Know
14 : 07 : 22

Qatar – With excitement building about the FIFA World Cup, citizen-funded journalism platform Blankspot is working to raise awareness of its lesser-known, more harrowing background. Its project, Cards of Qatar, flips the script on traditional football cards to profile the stories of the migrant workers in Qatar who never returned.

Together with a team of local journalists in India, Nepal and Bangladesh, Blankspot is collecting stories of migrant workers to capture on cards, with the goal of publishing one card each day until the tournament starts. The cards will also be followed by long-form articles and interviews with players, politicians and workers’ organisations. Through this project, Blankspot hopes to spark ethical change in countries that host similar large-scale events.

‘Cards of Qatar is a way to spread the stories to a large audience while putting more pressure on FIFA and other organisations that organise sporting events,’ says Patrik Arnesson, founder of football media platform Forza Football. By calling on football organisations to take greater responsibility, this project demonstrates how the sport can facilitate civic action.

Paris – The boundaries between fashion and technology continue to blur in unexpected ways as the luxury brand unveils a fully functioning speaker handbag. Arriving as a collaboration with high-end consumer electronics company Bang & Olufsen, the bag fuses high sound quality with the sculptural design of Balenciaga’s signature handbags.

Revealed for the first time at Balenciaga’s 51st couture show in Paris, the speaker bags played music to the audience as they were carried by models on the runway. The creation is designed to reflect the attention both brands play to craft, delivering a hybrid product that delivers on both aesthetics and function. ‘Couture is custom, exclusive, culture creating and the art of making by extremely skilled craftsmen,’ says Miklu Silvanto, Bang & Olufsen's chief design officer. ‘This bag is a testament to what happens when two very special companies with an unparalleled heritage of craftsmanship join forces.’

The launch is part of ongoing efforts by Balenciaga to foster interest in couture for a new generation of luxury shoppers. We recently explored how the brand’s latest store acts as a gateway to couture.

Drinking caffeine before shopping has a significant impact on how much customers spend, according to a new study by researchers at the University of South Florida (USF). The experiment found that customers who drank a complimentary cup of coffee as they entered stores spent up to 50% more and bought almost 30% more items than shoppers who had decaffeinated drinks or water.

It also affected the types of products purchased, with those who drank caffeine buying more non-essential items including scented candles and fragrances. ‘Caffeine, as a powerful stimulant, releases dopamine in the brain, which excites the mind and the body,’ says lead author Dipayan Biswas, the Frank Harvey Endowed professor of marketing at USF. ‘As a result, caffeine intake leads to shopping impulsivity in terms of higher number of items purchased and greater spending.’

Coffee bars are becoming increasingly common in retail environments, and this study shows that they can have a real impact on spending. But retailers should be wary of encouraging excessive impulse-buying or risk a customer backlash. Delve into our Retail section for more insights about in-store strategies.