America has a plastic problem.

In 2018, the most recent year followed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Americans have consumed more than 35.7 million tons of plastic. This represents over 70 million pounds of plastic waste generated. Seventy-five percent of this waste ended up in landfills, while the remaining 25% was recycled or destroyed.

Despite advances in technology and increasing resources, plastic is not easily recyclable. According to a NPR survey, companies have no incentive to recycle because it is cheaper and more convenient to produce new plastic than to melt it down and recycle it.

Because companies are unwilling to recycle, most plastic waste is single-use. A package or container is used once and ends up in a landfill indefinitely.

The artist Robin Frohardt tackles single-use plastic in his own way. Frohardt is the creator of “The Plastic Bag Store,” a traveling public art installation made from plastic waste she collected in New York City.

According to his website, The Plastic Bag Store is “a tragicomic ode to the eternity of plastic”. He uses humor to explore the themes of consumption and addiction to single-use plastics.

After touring New York, Los Angeles and Adelaide, Australia, the exhibition made its fourth stop in Chicago.

At first glance, The Plastic Bag Store looks like any other grocery store. There are stacks of produce, shelves of cereal, a selection of baked goods, and crates of frozen food.

Customers can look, they can touch, but it is not recommended that they taste. None of the products are edible as they are made from 100% plastic.

Michelle Yard, director of The Plastic Bag store, said Frohardt had been working on the exhibit for years, collecting plastic waste and turning it into plastic food items.

“Every time we go to a new city [Frohardt] tries to incorporate local products from the town we’re in,” Yard said.

In Chicago, that meant spoofing Affy Tapples with “Awful Apples” and making plastic cases of Polish kielbasa.

The exhibit was brought to Chicago as the star attraction of the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festivalattracting puppet fans.

“I’m a puppeteer and I’m a puppet specialist,” said Ana Diaz Varriga. “I [first] I came to the festival two years ago and am an avid spectator of puppets.

Diaz Varriga said his favorite part of the exhibit was the packaging design.

“They really put all the details on it,” she said.

Familiar brands like Marlboro, Arizona Iced Tea, and Ben & Jerry’s cigarettes became “Marlbags cigarettes,” “Plastizona Iced Tea,” and “Bag & Jerry’s.”

The plastic bag store is an engaging visual experience that doubles as a call to action.

The Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival hung posters urging Plastic Bag Store customers to take a stand against plastic waste. Visitors could scan QR codes linking to environmental resources and learning opportunities.

Kardamin Politzer, an aspiring environmental biologist, was drawn to The Plastic Bag Store because of its environmental message.

“I thought ‘Wow, I want to visit this because it’s totally in my interest,'” Politzer said.

In addition to visiting “The Plastic Bag Store,” customers can purchase tickets to watch an immersive puppet movie that continues his vision.

The Plastic Bag Store will continue its tour in Austin, Texas in April.

Aagam R Shah comes with experience in jewelry retail and knows people’s buying behavior.

He says, “In general, 98% of jewelry shoppers won’t buy jewelry without trying, but 95% of existing online jewelry stores don’t offer this experience.”

Stuffed toy was conceptualized in 2018 with the goal of transforming the way people buy jewelry. Due to the increasing demand from jewelers, the Start-up based in Ahmedabad launched a virtual Try feature on the platform in October 2019. Aagam says it decided to move to a SaaS model just before the pandemic-induced lockdown in January 2020.

“During the lockdown, the delivery chain was disrupted and gold prices were very volatile. On the other hand, the demand for virtual TryOn was high. electronics to an augmented reality-based SaaS startup,” says Aagam, who previously launched an e-commerce store for his family business before venturing into Plushvie.

“We have noticed that many visitors to our website add products to cart but do not pay for some reason. We tried to solve this problem by interviewing potential customers who wanted to buy something. We learned that they weren’t quite sure about the quality of the jewelry on them,” says Aagam.

“These feedback led the team to give a ‘try jewelry before you buy’ experience with video call-guided shopping. “It worked really well and we did a full-fledged product innovation around it “, he adds.

Plushvie has also been recognized as the “Startup of the year 2020” by Gujarat University Startup and Entrepreneurship Council (GUSEC) for its user-driven innovation in the retail space.

How it works?

Plushvie offers an AR video call called PlushMeetwhere jewelry retailers can show off their products via video call and shoppers can try them on live via the call.

“We use augmented reality technology to detect the user’s face and complement it with jewelry products to help them experience the look and feel of jewelry,” says Aagam.

It also has a group video conferencing feature, where everyone in a family can virtually try on the same piece of jewelry at the same time, which is not possible when shopping in physical stores.

For jewelry retailers, it’s a three-step process to upload products, helping retailers get to market quickly. It’s a web-first approach, so no app download worries.

Aagam says, “The web-based video shopping platform allows users to participate in the video call and makes the shopping experience comfortable, similar to in-person shopping in the store. Jewelry managers can show off products one-by-one, allowing them to TRY them on virtually and see which jewelry looks best on them, providing shoppers with “guided shopping assistance” (GSA). Nowadays, GSA is trending with many buyers because it saves them a lot of time and helps them choose the best product from the entire inventory. »

The startup also provides advanced analytics that give deeper insights to jewelry retailers. It also offers a secure payment method to help buyers purchase products directly from the video call.

Some of the retailers that have linked up with Plushive include Charu Jewels, Surat; Sri Bhavani Jewelry, Hyderabad; Kothari Jewellers, Chennai; and others.

Speaking of challenges, Agam Highlights, “Merchandising was the biggest challenge. Because there is very little infra to capture jewelry photos and convert them into virtual TryOn. To solve this problem, we have developed a three-step product listing process, which helps jewelers click images from a cell phone and download them in a minute. Team building was another challenge. We hire for the right attitude and train teammates in the skills. Finding the right candidate has always been a challenge.

Business model and revenues

With a 15-member team alongside the founder, the startup operates on a SaaS business model and licenses its technology on a monthly or yearly subscription basis.

It claims to have onboarded over 250 retailers and over 50,000 unique buyers so far.

“We currently have an ARR of Rs 50 lakh and we are targeting an ARR of Rs 5 crore by the end of FY2023. We have an aggressive target to serve one lakh of subscribers by 2025,” Aagam adds. .

“Due to the continuous expansion of our team, we are not yet profitable. We expect to be profitable by the end of this fiscal year,” says Aagam.

Market size and traction

The size of the Indian gemstone and jewelry market is expected to reach $100 billion by 2025.

The startup, which primarily targets jewelry retail brands in Tier I and Tier II cities, says its TryON feature has been used over a million times so far.

Aagam launched Plushvie with an initial investment of $20,000 and the startup has so far raised $230,000 from angel investors, friends and family.

At present, it competes with startups such as MirrAR by StyleDotMe, Modaka Technologies and Ammazza.

“We plan to onboard over 100,000 subscribers by 2025 and we also plan to expand our existing customer base in Dubai, USA, as well as Southeast Asia in a phased manner,” says Aagam.

From making container labels for her friends to building an online empire, Pretty Little Designs owner Deanna Foster has curated her path to success.

The busy mum-of-two has put the finishing touches on her new store, which is due to open in Mandurah on Saturday.

This is PLD’s second brick and mortar store, having overtaken the original building in just three months.

“I’m not going to lie, it was emotional, tiring and stressful to get everything done on time,” she said.

“But I’m so excited and proud to see something I’ve worked so hard for come to life.”

Located at 2/65 Reserve Drive, Mandurah and open six days a week, Pretty Little Designs offers a range of high quality products including personalized labels, clear pantry jars, storage bins and lazy Susans.

Clients can also book in-home consultations to create a personal plan tailored to their needs and budget.

Since its launch in 2017, PLD has achieved huge success, with the company boasting 242,000 followers on Instagram and being featured on Better Homes and Gardens and Today Tonight.

“I think growth on social media comes down to being authentic and real,” she said.

“I’ll show you that my pantry isn’t always perfect. I’m a mother of two and run a very successful business, so it doesn’t always look perfect on Insta.

The art of organizing and decluttering your home has been a cult phenomenon since 2019, when Japanese expert Marie Kondo launched the Netflix series Tidying Up.

Since then, a number of spin-off shows have been developed and “cleaninfluencers” have popped up all over Instagram and TikTok.

Although it’s a saturated market, Ms Foster said PLD prides itself on its originality.

“We think we’re offering the public something that no one else has ever offered,” she said.

“Our new store will showcase our products and the different ways they can be adapted to your home to create visually stunning and functional organization systems.”

“We’ve included four mockups of the most common pantries in homes, a laundry room, bathroom, shower and even a refrigerator, so you have a real representation of how our products can be applied in your home.”

When asked what’s next for PLD, Ms Foster said we’ll have to wait and see.

“Now that would be telling,” she said.

“The next steps are already in action and I look forward to sharing them soon.

“Watch this space because it will be large.”

For more information, go to Pretty Little Designs website.

By Mauro Orru

Shares of German online retailer Zalando SE plunged on Friday morning, a day after the company reported a weaker-than-expected second quarter, prompting it to revise its forecast for the year down, consumers buying less in a context of rising inflation and growing risks of recession.

Eurozone consumer confidence declined in June due to rising costs of living and a slowing economy.  The US and European economies have slowed sharply as soaring energy and food prices have weakened demand for other goods and services, according to business surveys.  Russia’s war in Ukraine hit growth as high inflation spread across the world.
At 07:50 GMT, Zalando shares were trading down 14% to 21.95 euros.
Zalando said it had a profitable but weaker-than-expected second quarter, with sales and earnings well below analysts’ forecasts.
The company has lowered its forecast for the year because it “no longer expects a rebound in consumer confidence in the short term”.
He said he now expects sales to increase by up to 3%, compared to previous forecasts of between 12% and 19%.  Gross merchandise volume – a closely watched metric that tracks sales performance – is expected to rise 3% to 7%, rather than down between 16% and 23%.  Adjusted profit before interest and tax – a key measure of profitability – is expected to be between 180 million euros ($189.4 million) and 260 million euros, well below previous guidance of between 430 and 510 million euros.
Deutsche Bank analysts wrote in a note to customers that Zalando’s “significant” yet “realistic” guidance cuts would help retailers reassess the investment case for online retailers who have benefited from banner two years as home consumers turned to online shopping at the height of the pandemic.
“At this stage, the evidence points to this being largely an online issue due to the re-opening of stores, but the direction of travel is rapidly heading towards a likely cliff edge for the European consumer” , said Deutsche Bank analysts.
Write to Mauro Orru at [email protected];  @MauroOrru94

SEOUL, Oct 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Online shopping in South Korea rose 16% year-on-year in August due to growing travel demand during the holiday season amid easing COVID-19 restrictions and increased shopping for groceries for preparations for the Chuseok holiday, according to data released Tuesday.

The value of online shopping transactions stood at 17.72 trillion won ($12.36 billion) in August, up from 15.28 trillion won a year earlier, according to data from Statistics Korea.

This is the second highest monthly figure since 2017, when the agency adopted the current data compilation system. The record figure was reached in December last year, when the value stood at 17.81 trillion won.

Per item, online food and beverage purchases rose 27.3 percent year-on-year to 2.67 trillion won, also a record high, as more people used online platforms to shop. prepare for Chuseok, or the celebration of autumn harvests in Korea.

This year’s Chuseok fell on September 10.

Online purchases of travel and transportation services more than doubled year-on-year to 1.87 trillion won in August, hitting an all-time high monthly.

The growth came as the easing of viruses prompted people to engage in more outdoor activities, particularly during the summer holiday season.

Online transactions for apparel, sportswear and other fashion items all rose in August amid easing viruses, the data showed.

But those food delivery services fell 7.7 percent year-on-year to 2.23 trillion won in August as more chose to dine out amid increased outdoor activities, the agency said. agency.

Purchases made through smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices rose 17.8 percent year-on-year to 3.23 trillion won. Mobile purchases accounted for 74.7% of the total value of online purchases, up 1.2 percentage points year on year, the data showed.

(Yonhap)

BeautiNow, a European online perfume retailer, is launching its own affiliate program.

NETHERLANDS, January 20, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — BeautiNow, a European online perfume retailer, is launching its own affiliate program. This program allows influencers, bloggers and affiliate sites to promote their products and earn a commission. The company is looking to capitalize on the rise of online influencers, who can promote its products more effectively than online advertisements.

According to Sup Lee, Affiliate Manager: “In addition to consumer brands, we own many niche perfume brands such as Mancera, Xerjoff and Frederic Malle. These brands are not widely known, while they are immensely popular within the fragrance community. It is exactly the influencers in this community who are able to promote our products. As a result, BeautiNow launched its own affiliate program by partnering with Awin. Lee says, “Awin has the largest network of affiliate sites, blogs and influencers. That makes it the most obvious and easiest choice for us.”

The company also states that it believes influencers will earn a lot more compared to viewing ads. “When affiliates promote our products, they earn a 7-10% commission. And their community benefits from the service we provide such as free shipping and returns as well as very competitive prices. We also support our affiliates with exclusive coupons that greatly benefit their audience, and help them achieve a great conversion rate.” In contrast, with display advertising, a website will have no control over what is displayed on its site and whether it will benefit its communities.

What also sets BeautiNow apart from other online perfumeries is its wide collection of perfume tester. “These are essentially original fragrances, but without the original retail packaging. Originally, tester fragrances are for in-store testing purposes.” BeautiNow sources large quantities of tester fragrances from reputable suppliers and offers them at prices up to 60% lower. “Again, these products are often appreciated by the fragrance community. They may not be suitable for purchase as a gift, but buying a tester fragrance for your own use is a no brainer than the alternative retail,” says Lee.

Interested bloggers, influencers and affiliate sites can visit the BeautiNow Affiliate Page on their website.

Sup Lee
Beautinow B.V.
write to us here
+31 6 84714856

LONDON, Oct. 12 (Reuters) – Softbank-backed online retailer THG (THG.L) lost more than a third of its value on Tuesday after hosting an investor presentation aimed at reassuring the market that it could reverse the price of a recent stock. drag.

The stock fell sharply in the late afternoon and closed 34.75% lower at 285 pence. The stock has now lost almost 60% since September, having been listed last year when it sold shares at 500p each.

No clear single trigger for the sudden sale was apparent, and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“What, in my opinion, drove the sale was a number of different factors,†said Susannah Streeter, analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown.

She listed profit warnings in the online retail sector, rising interest rates hurting the attractiveness of growing companies and the planned spin-off of THG’s beauty arm.

“There are also reports that a number of different institutional investors have sold shares,” she added.

THG was expected to detail plans for its e-commerce services business, THG Ingenuity, and present its ESG strategy on Tuesday’s capital market day.

But it ended the day ahead of the London Stock Exchange losers after recording its worst day in its one-year trading history.

Last year, THG completed what was at the time the largest London Stock Exchange debut in terms of market capitalization since Royal Mail (RMG.L) in 2013. The deal grossed the company $ 920 million pounds while shareholders, led by founder Matthew Molding and private equity group KKR (KKR.N) shared gross proceeds of £ 961 million.

KKR has sold its entire stake in the listing.

The company listed on the standard segment of the London Stock Exchange as a founder retained enhanced shareholder rights, thus prohibiting it from premium listing and access to FTSE indices.

Several London-listed companies at high valuations based on their online platform credentials have struggled in recent weeks, with iconic boot brand Dr Martens (DOCS.L) and card retailer in Moonpig line (MOONM.L) both trading well below their list. the price.

In May, THG raised $ 1 billion in new shares, including $ 730 million from Japanese group Softbank (9984.T). He also said he plans to turn his THG Ingenuity platform into a separate company and that Softbank has the option to inject an additional $ 1.6 billion into Ingenuity once that is done. Read more

(This story is passed on to remove the superfluous word from the title)

Report by Julien Ponthus and Abhinav Ramnarayan; Editing by Rachel Armstrong

Our standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

A leading home decor and furniture retailer is improving its game with the rollout of online shopping. Could this increase income and the share price?

What Happened: Household Items, a store brand owned by TJX Companies Inc (NYSE: TJX), is a leading and well-known brand in interior design and furnishings.

The banner ended the second quarter with 846 stores. Customers who do not live near a Home Goods or who regularly visit stores now have the option of shopping online.

HomeGoods launched its online store in late September, an initiative that generated positive media coverage from outlets like Today.com and USA Today.

“We’re excited to provide a second way for our passionate buyers to discover and purchase an assortment they know and loveâ€, President of HomeGoods Jean Ricciuti noted.

HomeGoods follows the company’s other brands Marshals and TJ Maxx, which launched online stores in 2019 and 2013 respectively.

The company said the HomeGoods website has more than 2,000 items for sale and will be updated frequently with “new finds.”

Related Link: 3 Underperforming Consumer Stocks Present a Great Buy Opportunity Right Now

Why this is important: HomeGoods’ media coverage likely brought good brand awareness to the retailer.

Google searches for HomeGoods are high for this time of year compared to recent years.

TJX Companies is one of many retailers that have rebounded from the sales decline seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company exceeded consensus revenue targets for the first and second quarters of the current fiscal year, by 17% and 10%, respectively.

Second quarter revenue of $ 12.1 billion increased 23% year-on-year. The company said its third quarter got off to a good start with sales of compositions rising in the teen range. Sales of compositions in the second quarter increased 20% year-on-year.

The company said model sales for TJMaxx and Marshalls stores were up 18% year-over-year. HomeGoods store sales increased 36% year-on-year.

TJMaxx sales were $ 7.35 billion for the second quarter, compared to $ 3.96 billion and $ 6.11 billion for the second quarters of the previous year. HomeGoods sales for the second quarter were $ 2.08 billion, compared to $ 1.24 billion and $ 1.43 billion for the second quarters of the previous two years.

“We see many opportunities to continue to gain market share and improve our profitability in the medium to long term,†said the CEO of TJX Companies. Ernie Hermann said about the second trimester.

The CEO added that the company has a long-term vision of reaching $ 60 billion in annual sales.

TJX companies are expected to release their third quarter results in November. Last year, the company reported third quarter revenue of $ 9.36 billion.

Price action: TJX shares closed at $ 64.35 at the time of writing on Friday. The shares are near the midpoint of their 52-week range of $ 50.06 to $ 76.16.

Weddings are back. About 2.6 million weddings are expected to take place in the United States this year, per The Tie. Insider Intelligence spoke with Rachel Jarrett, President and COO of Zola, an online wedding registry, planner and retailer, about how couples are getting ready and changing the way they say “I do”.

Insider Intelligence: What are the current wedding trends?

Rachel Jarret: The wedding industry has benefited from the pandemic shift to more things online, including planning. Couples use Zola to shop and plan all their weddings, from saving dates to wedding albums. Couples and guests are feeling more comfortable buying everything online than ever before.

Additionally, we are seeing couples have longer engagements than before, with the average being 18 months versus the previous 12. This means that couples have been thinking about their marriage for much longer and defining their vision for the day. There has always been meaning in weddings, but the meaning of weddings has been heightened and people are feeling very emotional about them right now.

Couples want their weddings to be a reflection of who they are as a couple, and they want to give it their own unique touch, which is why we’ve launched our local vendor marketplace to help them do just that. Couples can research local vendors, florists, photographers, venues and caterers to find the perfect fit for their vision. If they can’t find it locally, we have our check-in business and work directly with major brands like Brooklinen, Cuisinart or KitchenAid to ship specific items to us.

II: From the creation of an online community, what benefit does it bring to users?

RJ: We recently launched our in-app community of Zola couples who share ideas and ask each other questions. This allowed couples to find support and expand their creativity by getting ideas from others. One of the things people love to get creative with is their wedding hashtag, and we’re seeing a lot of threads about it in the community.

Our platform is incredibly flexible, allowing you to shape your journey and plan exactly what works for you. For example, instead of ordering your paper from thousands of other designs, you can upload your own. And we put QR codes on our paper invitations or paper save the dates. The pandemic has helped QR codes make a comeback, allowing you to direct people to your website, which is completely personalized to you.

II: What changes are coming for weddings and how are you responding to consumer desires as cultural trends evolve?

RJ: There will still be a huge amount of weddings at the end of this year and in 2023. The pandemic has drawn people closer together and sucked in more connection overall – and sucked in those times with friends and family, like at a marriage.

Couples will always want to give their unique touch to their wedding. More couples will move away from some of the traditions rooted in traditional patriarchal norms. We see fewer couples where the father walks the bride down the aisle; instead, it is both parents. We see fewer people tossing the bouquet. There has been an increase in sensitivity around some of these traditions.

Zola had a media campaign on International Women’s Day featuring women proposing to men. We only see 2% of women proposing to men in heterosexual relationships. We would like to see this change.

We want to see the industry embrace greater diversity at all levels and represent different cultures and types of people in everything from marketing to wedding vendors catering to all types of needs.