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September 26, 2023 WE WILL SURVIVE by MARION SAMUEL

WE WILL SURVIVE by MARION SAMUEL

September 26, 2023

Babcock Gifts celebrates its 50th birthday in 2024. The bridal registry and gift shop opened in 1972 as a partnership that included interior design. In 1974, with the exit of one partner, the store focused on antiques, gifts, and bridal registry. Over the next 42 years, there would be growth into two stores before downsizing to one. In 2016, ownership changed and the store moved one block down, where it continues to be a destination for bridal registry and gift-giving. With the constant doom and...
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September 26, 2023 Bertil Vallien FOR Kosta Boda

Bertil Vallien FOR Kosta Boda

September 26, 2023

BERTIL VALLIEN is a gift to glass. The impressive portfolio of this prolific artist is haunting, memorable, and mesmerizing.

His 60-year career, spent advancing the craft of sand-casting, is a study of one man's existential questioning actualized on hypnotic works of art.
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BERTIL VALLIEN IS A 60-YEAR KOSTA BODA ICON, DESIGNING FOR THE BRAND SINCE 1963.

He is one of Sweden's most celebrated glass artists with numerous awards and museums exhibitions around...
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September 26, 2023 COMING OF AGE

COMING OF AGE

September 26, 2023

I got to thinking about the generational make-up of today's workforce when I realized all the folks I interviewed in the current issue are well-experienced, older workers with decades of expertise and know-how, who are still creating and innovating with alacrity. (Yours truly included.)

There was a time when you entered the labor force, worked until a certain age, and retired. Now, more and more people are working into their golden years, a trend that's expected to continue fueled by aging ...
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September 25, 2023 Simplicity ⚪️

What universal standards can teach us about simplicity regarding e-commerce platforms.

Simplicity ⚪️

What universal standards can teach us about simplicity regarding e-commerce platforms.

September 25, 2023

When Apple launched its new iPhones this month, one of its most noteworthy updates was replacing its Lightning charging cable with a USB-C. This was not a voluntary move or extension of Steve Jobs’s love of simplicity. Apple changed it because the European Union required them to, according to Ben Cohen in The Wall St. Journal. Now, just about every mobile phone in the world (forget just little ol’ Europe) will have one charging solution (USB-C).

While this may seem logical, it ...
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September 18, 2023 Amazon closes physical shops

Amazon closes physical shops

September 18, 2023

The Wall Street Journal gives us an update on Amazon’s plans, ranging from stores, hardware, health care, and logistics. The article shares that Amazon has closed all of its bookstores and 4-star stores.

Read the full article:
https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/amazon-fourth-pillar-3024a3c3 View Post

September 10, 2023 Herend mentioned in The New York Times

Herend mentioned in The New York Times

September 10, 2023

Herend, a maker of fine tableware and giftware, was mentioned by the Stephanie Carter, the wife of the ex-Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter.

Excerpt:
“She added a few new pieces, including Herend ceramic figurines of a lion and a squirrel. “I called Ash ‘Lion’ and he called me ‘Squirrelly,’” she explained. “All these things make me feel like he’s with me in a great way, not in a preserved-in-amber way.” “

Read ...
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September 7, 2023 Love Those Margins 💖

How premium plan tiers help businesses sell more and increase margins.

Love Those Margins 💖

How premium plan tiers help businesses sell more and increase margins.

September 7, 2023

Dating apps are launching higher-priced premium tiers, according to last week’s The Wall St. Journal. Hinge offers a new $50/month plan, and Tinder is launching a $500/month plan. The League already offers a $1,000 plan. These pricey plans take the sting out of Bumble’s $60/month plan.

Why are companies offering such plans? Because even if Tinder only gets 10% of users, that's millions. Plus, the profit and margins are likely higher for customers using these plans. A normal ...
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September 3, 2023 Jugaad’a Do What Jugaad’a Do 🚀

How limited resources can motivate teams to accomplish goals and breed solutions.

Jugaad’a Do What Jugaad’a Do 🚀

How limited resources can motivate teams to accomplish goals and breed solutions.

September 3, 2023

India last month joined three other countries in the exclusive club that has put a craft on the moon. What’s unique about India’s accomplishment is that it did this at a fraction of what the U.S. spends on space exploration, shares Ben Cohen in The Wall St. Journal. While the U.S.’s NASA program has a $24b budget, India’s ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) budget is just $1.3b. India, which started its space program in 1963, is able to do more with less because of ...
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September 1, 2023 Are People Spending Too Much Money on Attending Weddings?

Are People Spending Too Much Money on Attending Weddings?

September 1, 2023

Read The Wall St. Journal article:
https://www.wsj.com/personal-finance/too-many-weddings-cost-c72e6f07?st=gqfu0fd3z22sxrb&reflink=mobilewebshare_permalink View Post

August 23, 2023 Thank You, Early Software Designer from 42,000 Years Ago

Thank You, Early Software Designer from 42,000 Years Ago

August 23, 2023

I was inspired to read that what we do today as a software company can be traced back 42,000 years to a bone in a South African cave. I realized this after reading The Wall St. Journal’s review of ‘Empire of the Sum,’ a book about pocket calculators.

Here’s the lineage: We’re in the software business, which is a relative of the computer business, which is a relative of the pocket calculator business (just ask Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, who ...
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August 1, 2023 Hollywood Gets “Amazoned” 🤖

How technology hurts the entertainment industry just like Amazon hurts the retail industry.

Hollywood Gets “Amazoned” 🤖

How technology hurts the entertainment industry just like Amazon hurts the retail industry.

August 1, 2023

Over the last three decades, Hollywood and many that rely on the entertainment industry have embraced ordering goods over Amazon.com. Recap: Amazon is a technology company that often cuts costs by replacing humans with code and robots and bypasses local red tape like, um, taxes and labor rules. Hollywood writers, producers, and ticket goers embraced a technology company that made their lives easier but often at the cost of others (aka retail workers).

Today, technology is ...
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July 27, 2023 How Did Making a Soap Bottle Go From 90 Days to 21 Days?

How Did Making a Soap Bottle Go From 90 Days to 21 Days?

July 27, 2023

Bath & Body Works reduced the time it takes to make a bottle of soap from 90 days to 21, shares The Wall Street Journal. It also reduced the number of miles the parts travel from 13,000 miles to a just a handful of miles. Part of the solution: the company trimmed out China and Canada.

BBW was able to move production to the US largely due to robots and computers. In China, 50 people may work on a bottle. In the US, labor is too expensive. The company replaced the 40 people with...
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July 25, 2023 Thanks for the Memories, by Laurie Gates

Thanks for the Memories, by Laurie Gates

July 25, 2023

I chuckled when I was asked to author this column, as I have been known to have the last word from time to time. As I prepare to leave the industry that has given me so much (I eagerly accepted the opportunity to work in the gift and home area in 1986), I can vividly recall the excitement I felt when I first entered the creative space that we get to live and work in every day. I have been exposed to scores of creative people; I met and worked with artists and buyers who were inspired and ...
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July 25, 2023 Orrefors @ 125

Orrefors @ 125

July 25, 2023

EMON MAASHO, CEO AND PRESIDENT OF ORREFORS, NORTH AMERICA, is representative of the exciting trajectory in this 125-year operation. The über-exec joined the New Wave Group in 2013, a time when Orrefors and Kosta Boda (OKB) were underperforming assets in the portfolio. "Our crystal brands are national treasures and a part of Swedish history," Maasho affirms. And he wanted a front row seat in their revitalization. Maasho was placed in charge of the new hotel and restaurant division ...
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July 25, 2023 Queen Elizabeth: A New Reign

Queen Elizabeth: A New Reign

July 25, 2023

QUEEN ELIZABETH WOULD CERTAINLY APPROVE. Herend's Queen Elizabeth Collection, which includes a ten-piece tea set, bonbon, and corgi Fishnet figurine, is targeted not just to Anglophiles and fans of the Queen, but to anyone who wishes to own a beautiful, unique piece of Herend, says Kimberley Kimball, president, Martin's Herend Imports. "When the Queen passed last year, the Herend manufactory sought out our input about their idea of creating some commemorative pieces celebrating her 70-year ...
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July 25, 2023 This and That

This and That

July 25, 2023

I have a stack of virtual news clippings that either struck my fancy, taught me something new, or just made me shake my head in bemusement. On their own, they may not be enough for me to make a point, but together they have a thought-provoking synergy (and I'm sure I'll figure out what that is by the end of this column).

Our industry has been negatively affected by the loss of American manufacturing after we entered a long stretch of automation and outsourcing in the late 1970s; every ...
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July 21, 2023 70% of Brands offer Free Shipping vs. 13% of Stores

70% of Brands offer Free Shipping vs. 13% of Stores

July 21, 2023

My team researched 40 brands' websites and 200 indie stores' websites.

Research Findings

70% of tabletop and giftware brands offer free shipping.
Only 13% of indie stores offer free shipping.
Brands on average charge $115 to receive free shipping.
Retailers often charge $191 to receive free shipping.

Read our research report:
https://www.shoplocal.org/news.cfm/22883/70-of-Brands-Offer-Free-Shipping

Conclusions

Retailers are at a major disadvantage when

July 18, 2023 To Kill a Mockingbird

How a company's sales and growth can be affected by the message it conveys to customers.

To Kill a Mockingbird

How a company's sales and growth can be affected by the message it conveys to customers.

July 18, 2023

Allbirds stock is down 95% since its November 2021 initial public offering. People may say the company launched the wrong products (did you buy one of their puffer jackets?) or tried to grow too quickly. I believe there is a larger reason: you can’t scale a company by leading with an environmental message—which is Allbirds’s pitch. Consumers rank saving the planet as one of their least pressing concerns when making a purchase. The leading factors consumers look for when ...
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July 9, 2023 Bye Bye, Buybuy Baby 😔

Bye Bye, Buybuy Baby 😔

July 9, 2023

We follow the gift registry industry and Buybuy Baby has been a formidable player in this space. The WSJ reports that Buybuy Baby is being sold for $15m and the stores closed.

Bed Bath & Beyond was recently sold to Overstock.com for $21m.

Read the article:
https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/bed-bath-beyond-abandons-efforts-to-find-buyer-to-save-buybuy-baby-chain-3a698792
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June 26, 2023 Tips to Transition Your Living Room from Spring to Summer

Tips to Transition Your Living Room from Spring to Summer

June 26, 2023

If you're like many homeowners, finding that shift from one season to the next can be daunting, especially when it comes to your living room.

After all, this is the space where you and your family spend the majority of your time at home, so making sure it's comfortable and stylish is essential.

Luckily, there are a few easy ways to transition your living room from spring to summer. All it takes is a bit of design know-how, some practical steps, and a bit of creativity to get the job done.
...
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