Need to Know
18 : 04 : 23

UK, Ireland – Ikea UK and Ireland has joined forces with London-based agency Mother for a new visual campaign rooted in the ‘the wonderful everyday’ and promoting savvy, humble and thrifty items saving energy, money and water or reducing food waste.

A collection of 11 short films will be circulated across the UK and Ireland, with some of them taking inspiration from Gen Z’s favourite short-form video formats, including outfit checks turned into ‘savvy checks’ and unboxing vlogs showcasing savvy products. Sarah Green, country marketing manager for Ikea UK and Ireland, said the campaign ‘is rooted in the insight that we can get as much joy when being savvy, as we do from being extravagant’.

Amid a cost of living crisis, brands have to adapt their storytelling to appear in touch with reality. In Retail-flation Responses, we analysed how retailers innovate to support consumers’ tightening purse strings due to inflation.

US – SoHo’s newest sex shop, Contact Sports, is far from the typical neon-signed, latex-adorned storefront and closer to the luxury concept store aesthetic. The 700-square-feet space is designed to resemble a 1970s locker room with panelled cubby holes that display vibrators, body wax candles and other sex accessories.

Founded by Justin and Chelsea Kerzner, Contact Sports was created to emphasise that sex is fun while mitigating the uncomfortable, guilt-ridden feelings usually associated with visiting an adult shop. The store carries a range of hoodies and socks with the brand’s own logo, a rose insignia. The rest of the products are sourced from other brands, including direct-to-consumer vibrator brands Maude and Dame.

Contact Sports opens at a time when several brands are shaking up their narratives around sex – embracing sexual wellness instead of approaching the subject shyly. Brands including Sephora, Ulta Beauty and Target all carry items such as vibrators and lubricants. As discussed in our Retail Therapy microtrend report, creating a destigmatised space that encourages consumers to feel safe from judgement can boost sales in the sexual wellness market.

US – Since the public launch of ChatGPT in March 2023, new use cases are emerging faster than you can say ‘generative AI’. Analytics firm Apptopia studied the skyrocketing AI app market in a new report, revealing that the number of downloads for AI-powered apps reached nearly 20m in March, a 1,506% year-on-year increase.

In the first quarter of 2023, 158 AI Chatbot apps, classified using keywords such as ‘AI Chat’ or ‘AI Chatbot’, were added to app stores. As the number of apps and users soars, the AI assistant app market is quickly becoming lucrative for developers – in-app purchase revenue is the fastest growing metric, recording an impressive 4,184% year-on-year growth.

Essentially, Apptopia attributes this peak to developers converting the AI chatbot technology to mobile platforms and monetising it, creating a profusion of niche apps dedicated to specific needs and prompts. The lightning fast evolution of AI platforms may pose a risk that the bubble will burst, but the diversity of use cases suggests consumers are ready to embrace AI as they turn to solutions that make it easier to get what they want from it.