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Tag: design

  • Long wait times driving bad CX experiences

    Long wait times driving bad CX experiences

    Nine out of 10 customers say a bad experience with a company impacts their future buying decisions, with 42 percent saying it stops them buying from a brand altogether, according to new research by customer service software company Zendesk.

    The firm’s Quantifying the Business Impact of Customer Service in Australia Report found that companies that fail to deliver quality customer service experiences may be losing loyal customers, as well as sales.

    “Businesses are always competing to offer the latest and greatest products or services,” said Zendesk ANZ managing director Amy Foo. “But what is often overlooked is how quality customer service remains to be a cornerstone of business success.”

    “What this data suggests is that businesses can no longer afford to overlook the importance of delivering consistent excellence in customer service.”

    The research also found that customers are four times as likely to remember an unfavorable experience compared to a positive one for as long as two years, dramatically impacting a customer’s desire to return to a store.

    Some customer service lowlights include being expected to wait too long or failing to have an issue resolved at all. Highlights, on the other hand, include fast service and not having to explain an issue multiple times.

    “Providing positive experiences can mean the difference between poor, short-term and positive, long-standing customer relationships,” Foo said.

    “This inevitably has a significant impact on sales and revenue in the long-term.”

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  • Louis Vuitton sues Belle International For Copycatting

    Louis Vuitton sues Belle International For Copycatting

    French luxury retailer says Hong Kong company’s shoe designs too similar to its own to be coincidental.

    Luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton is suing two Belle International subsidiaries for copyright infringement.

    The Chinese footwear brands are being taken to court over the design over a pair of trainers valued at HK$8950 (US$1140).

    A High Court document described the case accusing Hong Kong-registered firms Belle International (China) and Best Able Footwear of retailing sneakers substantially similar to its LV Archlight trainers. Louis Vuitton has demanded the firms cease all infringements and hand over or destroy the alleged copies.

    The trial date has yet to be scheduled.

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  • Michael Kors launches improved Sofie Heart Rate smartwatch

    Michael Kors launches improved Sofie Heart Rate smartwatch

    Michael Kors is expanding its smartwatch offering with an improved version of Sofie, a wearable device that was launched two years ago. The new model, weirdly named Sofie Heart Rate, packs a few new features that the original model lacked, but keeps a similar price.

    The Sofie Heart Rate is available in five colors – Pave Rose Gold, Rose Gold, Silver, Pave Two-Tone, and Gold, for as low as $325. Officially unveiled early this year, Michael Kors’ new smartwatch runs Wear OS and is fully compatible with iPhone and Android phones.

    Unlike the original model, the new Sofie Heart Rate features built-in GPS, NFC (Near Field Communication) payment technology, heart rate tracking, and swimproof technology (water resistant up to 30m). Also, it comes with an AMOLED display, 4GB internal storage, and a 300 mAh battery.

    Design-wise, the smartwatch is made of stainless steel and features interchangeable straps. According to Michael Kors, in addition to the three classic stainless steel platings and the two-tone glitz version models, the Sofie Heart Rate will also be offered in alligator-stamped silicone. Moreover, brown and plum stainless steel platings, along with grey silicone, will be made available this fall.

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  • King Living Opens Shanghai Flagship Store

    King Living Opens Shanghai Flagship Store

    Australian furniture and lifestyle brand King Living has opened a flagship retail store in Shanghai, continuing its global expansion into China.

    The new 400sqm space will showcase King Living’s sofa designs, dining ranges, contemporary bed and mattress ranges, and outdoor collections.

    The brand has been a prominent player in Australian furniture design for more than 40 years, and is now continuing to seek a global audience with the opening of the new showroom in the design district of Xuhui in Shanghai.

    As King Living moves into China, it further expands its global reach with existing stores in Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand and Canada, with a showroom opening in Vancouver slated for later this year.

    The brand represents the deep quality and barefoot luxury of the Australian lifestyle that is in high demand across China, which has been the driving force behind for its expansion.

    “Shanghai is key to King Living’s global growth strategy,” said King Living’s CEO Anna Carrabs. “China provides us with an unparalleled growth opportunity that doesn’t exist in slower-moving markets of developed countries. A key advantage for King Living is that one of our manufacturing facilities is in Shanghai, which allows us to implement initiatives and increase market penetration.

    “Being from Australia, we have a reputation for quality, and I think that sets us apart from some of our global competitors. This is a very exciting time for King Living and we look forward to seeing the Shanghai showroom thrive in what we hope will be the first of many stores in the region.”

    King Living is also one of the first Australian furniture retailers to offer Alipay and WeChat Pay as a payment option throughout all their showrooms in Australia and abroad. These platforms are the preferred payment method for Chinese consumers both domestically and internationally, enabling more customers to transact with their mobile wallet.

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  • Prada Chongqing store has Italian Design Elements

    Prada Chongqing store has Italian Design Elements

    Fashion label Prada has opened a new outlet in Chinese Chongqing at the popular MixC department store.

    The 600sqm Prada Chongqing space stocks a selection of both women’s and men’s collections spanning ready to wear, leather items, shoes and accessories.

    The store’s design features spiral metal blades in gold and silver set against black marble and large windows to maximise natural light. The interior, inspired by Prada’s historic Galleria store in Milan, prominently features green Aver marble and chequered black and white marble flooring.

    The Prada Chongqing store’s velvet seating is a tribute to classic Milanese design of the 1950s and attempts an elegant and refined environment.

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  • Benoy completes design work of Jewel Changi

    Benoy completes design work of Jewel Changi

    International architecture and design firm Benoy has completed work on the interiors for Singapore’s new airport shopping centre, Jewel Changi.

    Opening its doors on April 17, the new 137,000sqm space connects three of Changi Airport’s current four terminals, making it easily accessible to the public and passengers. With more than 65 million passengers passing through Changi Airport last year, Jewel is designed to establish a new airport typology as a destination promoting community, commerce and entertainment.

    “We are incredibly proud of the work we have done for Jewel,” said Benoy director and head of Singapore studio Terence Seah. “We’ve created a dynamic environment that becomes a unique place for travellers and residents alike. This addresses the important question of place making in the aviation context.

    “In the process too, Jewel has enhanced the Changi experience. We are confident that other cities will be inspired to rethink the future of airports.”

    Benoy has drawn its capacities in retail, mixed-use, hospitality and leisure to deliver an experience-led destination for the city, offering a renewed sense of place for locals and visitors in connecting the city to the airport. The interiors navigate the many interfaces between aviation facilities and the retail centre.

    Celebrating the natural light offered by the forest valley at Jewel’s core, the retail design enables visitors to experience the vastness of the open space and the intimacy of nature throughout their elliptical journey of the building, reinterpreting the traditional sense of the commercial space.

    The expanded Terminal 1 also offers new pedestrian linkages to other terminals and the MRT via Jewel, improving connectivity and accessibility for all.

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  • Fashion Brand Alexander McQueen joins Tmall

    Fashion Brand Alexander McQueen joins Tmall

    British fashion house Alexander McQueen — known for its unique tailoring and audacious designs — has soft-launched a virtual store on the Tmall Luxury Pavilion, Alibaba Group’s platform for luxury and premium brands.

    It will be the first online store in China that’s directly run by the house itself, rather than through a local partner, giving it full creative control over the look and feel of the site, the Pavilion said.

    The luxury brand was founded in 1992 by the late Lee Alexander McQueen, known for combining a respect for traditional craftsmanship with provocative, darkly romantic designs. Today, his eponymous label remains hugely influential, seen as synonymous with modern British couture. Following his death in 2010, Sarah Burton was appointed creative director of the house. Burton, who worked alongside McQueen for 14 years, currently oversees the creative direction of all the brand’s collections.

    The Alexander McQueen brand oversees a network of 73 directly operated brick-and-mortar boutiques, as well as several franchises and specialty stores worldwide, with flagships stores due to open in Shanghai and Hong Kong in 2019, per its parent Kering Group.

    The Tmall Luxury Pavilion Alexander McQueen store will officially launch on April 16, featuring items that incorporate images from the John Daekin Archive as part of the designs. The archive manages the work of John Daekin, the 20th-century British photographer who captured the lives of his artist and poet friends in London’s bohemia, Soho.

    Alexander McQueen is the third Kering-owned luxury brand to join the Pavilion, following Hong Kong-based jeweller Qeelin and Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta. Launched in 2017, Tmall Luxury Pavilion now offers more than 100 brands, ranging from apparel and beauty items to watches and luxury cars, including Valentino, Burberry, Tod’s, Versace, Stella McCartney, Moschino, Giuseppe Zanotti, MCM, La Mer, Maserati, LVMH-owned Rimowa, Guerlain, Givenchy, Tag Heuer and Zenith.

    Sherry Lang, MD of Tmall’s luxury division, said the Pavilion helps maisons and premium brands engage with China’s younger generation of consumers, delivering the same brand exclusivity and tailored shopping experience online that they would get in a brick-and-mortar store.

    “We also want to help luxury brands expand their reach in smaller cities and rural areas, where purchasing power is growing, but offer limited access to luxury goods,” said Lang. “The Pavilion is well-positioned to fill that gap.”

    The growth of the Pavilion comes as Chinese consumers drive global high-end spending, with Mainland China’s luxury sales growing 20 per cent to €23 billion ($25.8 billion) last year, according to Bain & Co. The consulting firm forecasts that by 2025, Chinese consumers will account for 46 per cent of the global market, up from 33 per cent last year.

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  • Fritz Hansen Opens First Store in China

    Fritz Hansen Opens First Store in China

    Furniture firm Fritz Hansen has launched a Jaime Hayon-designed showroom in the Chinese city of Xi’an.

    The new 1000sqm gallery, represents a stage in the brand’s ambition to become the largest Danish brand in China, is Fritz Hansen’s first store in China and its largest in the world.

    “You always need to find a way to be new, never done before – you need to create an experience,” said Fritz Hansen’s Asia CEO Dario Reicherl in an interview with Dezeen. “Through a series of steps, I believe we can be the biggest Danish brand in China in a couple of years.”

    The gallery/store is designed to resemble a temple with high ceilings, warm-hued walls and vaulted walkways created by the Spanish designer. Furniture on display is arranged in living room-style set-ups. Fourteen more intimate show spaces are accessible by a grand staircase.

    “Like in a labyrinth, you start to discover the little areas and each one has the furniture of Fritz Hansen,” said designer Jaime Hayon, “from the historical ones to the new ones I have designed, and pieces from other designers. The lighting and everything has been composed together with some art, carpeting, plants and small objects. So in this way we can inspire the client.”

    “China is the second biggest luxury market in the world, soon overtaking the US,” according to the brand’s executive VP of sales and marketing Lars Hardboe Galsgaard. “It will definitely be the biggest market and economy in the world in terms of private consumption and commercial consumption within a few years. So if you look at that marketplace, we needed to move here. We need to be part of that and we need to be part of defining design, furniture and lifestyle in China.”

  • Coco Republic Expands Into New Zealand

    Coco Republic Expands Into New Zealand

    After almost 40 years in business, upmarket furniture brand Coco Republic is set to open the doors to its first ever international store in New Zealand mid-year.

    The 1000sqm store will be located within Westfield Newmarket, the brand’s second shopping centre location.

    “I think we’ve got a very steady approach to growth, and we’re really now in a position that when a unique and compelling proposition presents itself such as this one, we’re not forcing our growth, we’re just taking advantage of those opportunities,” Coco Republic’s CEO Nicholas Foster told.

    According to Foster, the Newmarket site brings together the best of Coco Republic’s destination and boutique offerings. This will include the brand’s chic in-store cafe, L’Americano.

    “Newmarket is going to be incredibly convenient for our core customer demographic in Auckland,” he said.

    “We’ve also secured a site that gives us prime ground level frontage to Broadway, the main arterial road through Newmarket and having a large footprint in that centre will allow us to curate a range of over 300 products to be showcased in that facility. We’re also going to take the food and beverage into that environment.”

    For the last few years, Foster says the furniture brand has focused on several key areas of the business, including investing in in-house design and sourcing teams and attracting talented local interior designers.

    Coco Republic has also been working on offering customers an elevated in-store experience.

    “We’re focused on delivering a unique and inspiring retail experience, where customers come into our showrooms and enjoy being part of the experience. That’s where we’ve also invested in food and beverage in L’Americano, particularly for our larger design centres,” Foster explained.

    “People often come in half a day or a whole day and get inspired and work out their design solutions and enjoy the extension by having a light lunch or a coffee.”

    “We’ve been on an exciting growth strategy over the last few years. We’re a premium aspirational design services brand but we’ve consciously focused on ensuring that we remain accessible from a customer’s perspective.”

    The business has also spent some time investing in its supply chain to increase its speed to market. There is a new 11,000sqm logistics hub in the Quarry in Greystanes too, which will form the basis of logistics for Coco Republic, sister brand Max Sparrow and New Zealand distribution.

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  • Oppo request patent on new slider design

    Oppo request patent on new slider design

    The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) has published a patent awarded to Chinese phone manufacturer Oppo. The company’s Oppo Find X was the first smartphone to feature a slider design; the slider hides the front-facing camera and dual rear cameras until needed. Now, Oppo’s new slider design includes dual cameras that are mounted on the back of the phone, never hidden from view. Meanwhile, the slider holds a pair of front-facing selfie cameras.

    Just the other day, we showed you a case render for a phone called the Oppo Reno, which will be unveiled on April 10th. To give the phone a high screen-to-body-ratio without relying on a notch (which is really the reason for all of the sliders, punch-holes, pop-up cameras and side panels we’re seeing on new handsets these days), the Oppo Reno uses a wedge that mechanically rises from the top of the device.

    The illustrations that accompany the patent show a phone using the newly patented slider, but also don’t show a fingerprint scanner. This could be related to the fact that the patent has nothing to do with that feature, or it could indicate that Oppo plans on equipping a phone using the patented new slider design, with an in-display fingerprint scanner.

    The patent was initially filed in January, was registered and published today. It expires on January 30, 2024.

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  • Hard Rock Bedding and Bath range planned

    Hard Rock Bedding and Bath range planned

    Restaurant and accommodation chain Hard Rock International is to partner with textiles firm Sobel Westex to produce a manchester range.

    The Hard Rock at Home collaboration is intended to give music fans around the globe the opportunity to fine-tune their living spaces with home goods inspired by music – including bedding, bath textiles, window treatments and beach towels.

    The Hard Rock at Home collection features luxurious bedding, including comforters, sheet sets, throws and decorative accent pillows with a variety of designs. Through the collection, fans can add country, rock and alternative music touches, as well as hip hop trends and pop accents.

    “We are excited to collaborate with Sobel Westex to bring these trendy bedding, bath and beach products to consumers worldwide,” said director of licensing for Hard Rock International Mark Linduski. “This fresh, unique collection of musically-inspired, designer textiles will appeal to customers of virtually every age range, music genre and lifestyle while aiding in our strategic initiative to expand retail distribution of the Hard Rock brand outside of our own retail properties.”

    The designer textile collection will debut at the New York City Spring Textile Market from March 18 through March 21, before launching to consumers this autumn.

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  • DesignSingapore to take local brands global

    DesignSingapore to take local brands global

    DesignSingapore Council (DSG)’s new Business of Design (BOD) program has launched to help local furniture and lifestyle brands expand globally.

    As a part of Singapore Design Week 2019, which runs until March 17, the program will select up to six brands the council believes have the potential to expand internationally, to receive mentorship from industry experts.

    During the first two years, the BOD program will focus on the furniture and lifestyle product sector, and it will be expanded to include designers from other industries later.

    “With increasing industry demand for design, the role of designers will expand,” said Chee Hong Tat, senior minister of state for trade and Industry. “Hence, our design education and talent development programme must adapt to help our designers tackle more complex challenges in the future.

    A themed collective showcase will be held in 2020 at an international location before travelling to other events including Milan Design Week. Displays will also be created at retail pop ups in cities including Shanghai.

    Established in 2003, DSG aims to help local companies expand beyond Singapore.

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  • Japanese Brand Muji Will Open First Vietnam Store in 2020

    Japanese Brand Muji Will Open First Vietnam Store in 2020

    Japanese household goods and apparel chain Muji plans to open in Vietnam next year. The company will establish its subsidiary Muji Vietnam this August with headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City. The first store is scheduled to open in the second quarter. Muji’s parent Ryohin Keikaku says it chose Vietnam as Muji’s next overseas market because of the country’s fast-paced development. Vietnam has the third-largest population in ASEAN and is undergoing rapid economic growth.

    “From our business’ point of view, it is one of the major markets in ASEAN, with the estimated real GDP growth of 7.1 per cent last year,” the company said in a statement released in Japan.

    “We expect that our experience and knowhow in the global market will help in running stores that serve everyday living and [that will] increase Muji’s fans in the area.”

    Muji products are among the most popular items hand-carried back into Vietnam from travellers visiting countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

    The opening of first Muji Vietnam store is expected to attract many Vietnamese youngsters, with the minimalist lifestyle reflected in the retailer’s product range currently a trend in the country.

    Muji has more than 450 stores in Japan, and 470 stores in other countries.

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  • Ikea to launch ‘intelligent curtain’

    Ikea to launch ‘intelligent curtain’

    Ikea has developed an ‘intelligent curtain’ capable of purifying air. The invention, coated with sunlight-activated minerals that break down airborne pollutants, has been developed in collaboration with several European and Asian universities. “By enabling a curtain to purify the air, we are creating an affordable and space-saving air purifying solution that also makes the home more beautiful,” said Ikea product developer Mauricio Affonso.

    The Gunrid intelligent curtain will be sold in stores next year and is expected to sell well in areas particularly affected by air pollution.

    According to the World Health Organisation, 91 per cent of humanity lives in areas affected by significant air pollution, which kills around 7 million people every year.

    “Gunrid is the first product to use the technology,” said Ikea’s head of sustainability Lena Pripp-Kovac, “but the development will give us opportunities for future applications on other textiles.”

    “We know that there is no single solution to solve air pollution. We work long term for positive change, to enable people to live healthier and more sustainable lives”, she said.

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  • New Celine store design was made for Asia

    New Celine store design was made for Asia

    The new Celine store design unveiled in New York City is destined for China and Japan in the early stages of a global rollout. The white and grey dominated, minimalist design illustrated here in official photographs released by the luxury fashion brand, was conceived by the label’s creative director Hedi Slimane. The first store, which has opened at 650 Madison Avenue, takes up 5000sqft, making it Celine’s largest store yet anywhere in the world.

    According to company sources, the new look will be implemented next in Los Angeles, Paris and Milan before being launched in Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo.

    Slimane uses natural materials as a contrast to stark white walls and polished railings.

    He used natural stones like basaltina on the floors and ginger and cream-streaked black granite on walls and some shelving together with a combination of marbles and grey travertine.

    Contrasting yet complementing the stone, reclaimed oak, polished stainless steel, brass, gold, and concrete are used and in the case of the Madison Avenue store, a large rock creates a focal point in the store.

    Celine says future stores will feature commissioned artworks relevant to the locations. Commissioned artists include Jose Davila, Oscar Tuazon, Elaine Cameron Weir and James Balmforth.

    The stores will also feature furniture designed by Slimane, such as wooden benches, tanned leather chairs and brass side table.

    The timeline for the rollout of the new Celine store design has not yet been released.

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