The Future of Commerce - Issue #186
Creativity
Ajax melt down Dutch title trophy to make 42,000 stars to give to fans - BBC Sport — www.bbc.co.uk With fans unable to watch in person because of the pandemic, Ajax melt down the Eredivisie trophy to make 42,000 silver stars to thanks fans for their support.
Why brands are putting QR codes on everything — thingtesting.com With QR codes, brands are connecting consumers with digital experiences, quick checkouts, and more product information.
Business/Marketing/Adv
Estée Lauder Companies Partners With Uber on Next-Hour Delivery
Uber said it launched the partnership in time for Mother’s Day but it will continue indefinitely. It’s part of the ride-sharing company’s larger effort to work with fashion and beauty retailers in offering same-day shipping.
Nestlé to acquire Nuun, entering the fast-growing functional hydration market — www.nestlehealthscience.com
Nestlé gets in to the functional hydration market by acquiring Nuun. Its low-sugar electrolyte tablet revolutionized the sports beverage market.
Interestingness
Adidas Allbirds unveil trainer with lowest carbon footprint — www.wallpaper.com Adidas and Allbirds unveil ‘Futurecraft.Footprint’ performance trainer, with a carbon emissions footprint of just 2.94kg, that took a year to develop
Online marketplace eBay to allow NFT sales — cointelegraph.com A senior vice president of eBay's North America offices said the online marketplace would add new capabilities to facilitate the buying and selling of NFTs for users in the coming months.
Wellness
The Other Side of Languishing Is Flourishing. Here’s How to Get There. — www.nytimes.com Research shows that the pandemic took a toll on our overall well-being and left many of us drained. Here are seven simple steps to get you thriving again.
HSBC to pilot Zoom-free Friday afternoons — www.bbc.com The trial comes in an effort to tackle stress caused by working from home during the pandemic.
Platform News
YouTube will pay $100 million to creators using its TikTok competitor — www.theverge.com YouTube announced the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100 million pool it’ll use to pay creators who make videos for its TikTok competitor. Creators will be paid for popular and engaging original content.
Has Snap laid the foundations for AR to be taken seriously? — www.thedrum.com
Estée Lauder is the latest to show confidence in the product by recently launching a ‘try-on’ augmented reality foundation on Snapchat. The Drum explores why marketers should pay attention to AR commerce and its role in the great retail reopening.