LSN : News : Tech start-up enables in-store VR shopping

Flyby is using science to cure hangovers

Flyby Fuel, US

US – After initially launching with a selection of supplements designed to prevent hangovers, Flyby has launched Flyby Fuel, a hangover aid in the form of a liquid.

By adding a few drops to a glass of water, the concentrated formula can help to alleviate the physical symptoms of heavy alcohol consumption. By replacing the essential electrolytes lost when drinking, it helps to re-hydrate and re-energise.

Flyby was inspired by founder Eddie Huai’s own experience in Japan, where heavy nights of drinking were soothed by the ingestion of Japanese hangover cures – vitamin-rich, detoxifying compounds. After experiencing similar nights of drinking in the US, Huai found there was little to help cure his hangover. He worked with researchers and scientists to develop a formula that would boost liver enzymes so the body could process alcohol and acetaldehyde, a toxic by-product that builds up after drinking.

Explore how drinks brands are entering the hangover cure sector with our microtrend.

A roving installation driven by mind control

Mind Pilot by Loop.ph, The Design Museum for London Design Festival 2018

London – At this year’s London Design Festival, the Design Museum will host Mind Pilot, a robotic airship that can be controlled using the mind.

Visitors will be connected to a headset through a series of monitoring devices that detect heart rate and brain movements. The activity will control the robotics of the airship, allowing it to move around the space. The installation is the brainchild of Loop.pH, a London-based studio that is best known for its work exploring near and far future scenarios involving biology and technology.

Mind Pilot hints at a future of brain-computer interfaces, where thought control may serve as a powerful tool in physical situations. Our most recent listicle explores a near future in which mind control becomes a human’s main means of interacting with the digital world. Read the full listicle here.

Tech start-up enables in-store VR shopping

Tokyo – A new virtual reality (VR) system will allow consumers to make in-store purchases without stepping foot into a physical shop.

The service, due to launch in 2020 under the company name Team S, will transport consumers into a virtual world where the store and products are available to browse via a live-stream platform. After browsing the products on offer, customers will be able to make purchases through a real store employee, with their selection later delivered directly to their house or workplace.

With innovation driving the future of physical retail, brands are exploring how to use technology to complement the original sales-focused purpose of brick-and-mortar locations. This proposed VR service hints at the future of retail, where consumers will be able to virtually drop into a physical store to browse and buy goods with ease.

Storefront Salvation visuals by Max Guther for The Future Laboratory

Kaia Health launches an AI-powered fitness app

The Perfect Squat Challenge by Kaia Health

London – The digital healthcare platform, which focuses on reducing back pain, has developed an AI-powered app that uses motion tracking technology to help people get fit.

Launching with The Perfect Squat Challenge, a virtual personal trainer will guide users to the ideal position and pose for squat reps. Users are directed in front of their smart device, which uses the camera to identify 16 key points on their body. The device will analyse the current position of the user’s limbs and joints, guiding them into the desired pose through real-time audio feedback and video instructions.

At CES 2018, Peloton also considered how at-home fitness could be transformed with the introduction of a coaching treadmill. The equipment features a subscription platform and 32-inch screen that streams live workouts, supported by an instructor that’s able to follow a user's metrics in real-time to coach them in the moment.

Stat: Asia leads with senior-friendly packaging

While society is comfortably embracing a Flat-age mind set, marketers are finding it challenging to address older consumers without conforming to stereotypes. According to a recent report by Mintel, this is particularly evident within the health foods sector.

With some of the highest proportions of elderly citizens, Asian countries such as Japan and China are leading the way with senior-friendly food packaging. Brands are ensuring the ‘senior’ messaging is easily understood by clearly stating any preventative health and positive lifestyle aspects on food packaging, while simultaneously communicating a positive attitude towards ageing through branding and visual cues.

Thought-starter: Can a Millennial state of mind inspire UK luxury?

Brexit has left the UK luxury sector divided, with a thriving tourist trade driven by the exchange rate and a domestic customer base hindered by uncertainty.

As Britain remains locked in extended negotiations about its exit from the EU, both British nationals and EU citizens are concerned about their financial future, resulting in less and more cautious spending.

Yet, while Brexit has caused trepidation, it has also brought opportunities for luxury businesses.Tourism was at an all-time high in the UK in 2017,and in particular visits from Chinese shoppers increased. Yet currency fluctuations make it a precarious time for luxury brands that are dependent on overseas customers, as the strengthening pound makes the UK a less attractive shopping destination for luxury bargain hunters.

As a result, luxury brands are responding by changing their focus to domestic UK shoppers, embracing youthfulness while honouring their brand heritage. Having long targeted Middle Eastern clients, prestige British jeweller David Morris has launched the playful Berry collection with price-points from £2,000. Elsewhere, Tiffany & Co. recently opened its Tiffany Style Lab in London’s Covent Garden, allowing shoppers to get to know the brand and its jewels in a relaxed, youthful environment, complete with Instagrammable walls and a perfume vending machine.

For more, read our new UK Luxury Market.