Unilever Calls For Innovations Aimed At Reducing Laundry Water Use

Unilever announced an innovation challenge through its Foundry IDEAS online platform which aims to reduce laundry water consumption. With laundry accounting for 19 percent of water consumption in Nigeria and with 4 billion people forecast to be affected by water shortage by 2025, the need to reduce water use when doing the laundry is quite urgent, the company said. According to Unilever, consumers who wish to participate in the challenge are encouraged to develop ideas for “new products, devices, services, communication tools or experiences.”

"Reinventing laundry to be less water-dependent", Unilever, October 15, 2015

Innovation Is Key To Unilever’s Bright 3rd Q Sales Picture

Unilever says its 3rd quarter sales boomlet is due to success in its innovative ice cream and personal care brands and in its e-commerce business. Sales in the period grew 9.4 percent to £9.9 billion (€13.4 billion), and underlying sales grew 5.7 percent. Sales in Europe grew by 2 percent. Food sales rose 1.6 percent while personal care and refreshment were up 6.2 percent and 8.5 percent respectively. The company said innovations like Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Core helped fuel double digit growth, along with the premium Magnum Pink and Black brand. In addition, e-commerce globally is growing at 20 percent a year and now accounts for seven percent of the overall business.

"Unilever credits beauty and ice cream innovation for Q3 growth", Marketing Week, October 15, 2015

Swedish Inventors Launch Successful Kickstarter Campaign For Laser Razor

Sweden-based inventors Morgan Gustavsson and Paul Binun launched a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter for the Skarp Razor. Designed to shave hair with a laser, Skarp Razor raised $650,000 in its first 10 days on the fundraising website. Gustavsson and Binun aim to release the laser razor by March 2016, with a retail price of $159.

"A futuristic razor that shaves hair with a laser has raised nearly $4 million on Kickstarter", Business Insider, October 10, 2015

Whole Foods Market Partners With Infor To Create Cloud-Based Retail Management Platform

Whole Foods Market partnered with technology firm Infor to build and install Infor CloudsuiteTM Retail, a cloud-based retail management solution. Designed to increase the speed and efficiency of the shopping process while improving the quality of customer experience, the platform combines cloud-based automation and updated processes designed for strategic merchandising and supply chain management. Through the partnership, Whole Foods Market will function as a testing ground for Infor’s technology.

"Whole Foods Market partners with Infor to build next-generation cloud retail management suite", Whole Foods Market, October 14, 2015

Kroger Tries Smart Shelf Technology At Ohio Store

Retailer Kroger is installing and testing smart shelf technology at its Cold Spring store on Crossroads Boulevard near Cincinnati, Ohio. Without revealing the cost of developing and installing the technology, the retailer said future applications could include providing nutrition information on demand, as well as allowing shoppers’ smartphones to link up with the shelf. Each of the Edge smart shelf comes with a plastic screen, with a small digital device inside that projects pricing and other data onto the screen. Kroger said it has already tested video and no-motion ads that reportedly boosted sales results.

"Kroger tests ‘smart shelf’ technology", Cincinnati.com, October 02, 2015