USA Today: It’s just the thing for holiday procrastinators: customized gift cards that don’t look “last-minute.” Several retailers and financial services companies introduced the option this holiday season for shoppers to put a personal photo or an image of a product on the card — or even to design the card. Sales of holiday gift cards are expected to hit […]
Customized Gift Cards
My Home is a Hotel!
Frommers.com: My wife and I didn’t want to leave our bed at the Hotel Delamar in Greenwich, CT. Sure, we were having a romantic weekend, but more than just love was preventing us from getting up — the quilt and pillows made us feel like we were floating on clouds. A good hotel room is full of delicious stuff — […]
The Business of Renting Out Christmas Trees
USA Today: For years, Pat de Garmo’s Christmas tree was her aging yucca plant. She doesn’t like the idea of killing trees, and the size of her yard prevents her from getting a potted one. So year after year she strung lights and ornaments on the indoor plant, hanging toy drums and colored orbs from its stiff branches. For environmentally […]
China, The Toy-buying Country
VOA News: China is the toy-making capital of the world, sending $10 billion worth of toys around the world each year. Now, China is also becoming a toy-buying country. Christmas is coming and children are begging their parents for the season’s hottest toys. In Hong Kong, two little Chinese boys, both six years old, are very excited as their mothers […]
M&Ms, With Your Name On Them
Business2Blog: The folks at Mars have now made it possible to print (nearly) anything on your M&Ms. Go to their site, pick a color, and type out a message. Yes, it has a censor, and the kids at BoingBoing have already had their dirty fun. Gift boxes (2oz.) for $4.25 and a less impressive 8-oz. sack for 9.49. So that’s, […]
Multisensory Relief With Snoezelen
Iconoculture: From autism to Alzheimer’s, patients are finding some multisensory relief in Rompa’s Snoezelen (SNOO-ze-len). It’s a cozy, therapeutic room filled with multiple colors and lights, soft music, pleasing fragrances, plush pillows, and other sensory stimuli that turns agitation into calm and confusion into comfort. A contraction of the Dutch words for “sniff” and “doze,” this European import excites the […]
MP3 Player for Swimmers
DailyCandy.com: Does anyone exercise without an assistant anymore? We’re not referring to that overpriced trainer. We mean the MP3 player. Ubiquitous wherever people are sweating. Except the pool. Too bad, because you love the payoff of a good swim: toned muscles, non-stressed joints, smooth skin. You just hate the tedium. (If only Zero 7 and DJ Vadim performed poolside …) […]
Cell Phone Fashion
Yahoo! News: For the average Japanese teenager, a cell phone is a must-have item, used for email, taking photos and keeping track of dates, in addition to the simple phone call. But a quick stroll around the hip Shibuya district of Tokyo shows that cell phones in Japan have also become an important identity statement, with accessories like straps, antenna […]
Hot Franchising Trends
Entrepreneur: The vibrant and ever-changing world of franchising is one where anything is possible. And every year, without fail, strong patterns emerge, revealing the industries that hold promise for the year to come. This year is no different. After months of careful research, we are pleased to present the franchise segments that have caught our attention and promise strong growth […]
Quick Coffee
USA Today: Convenience is about to take on new meaning in the coffee aisle: single-serving coffee in a can that heats itself. Beginning Jan. 2, consumers can buy a 10-ounce container of Wolfgang Puck gourmet latte at the store and heat it by pressing a button. No electricity. No batteries. No appliances. “It will expand the way people drink coffee,” […]