Selfie filters have improved immensely over the past several years, but companies on the forefront of the tech see plenty of room to grow.The cosmetics world has also seen some rapid change in the past several years as makeup has proven particularly ripe for up-and-coming direct-to-consumer and influencer-endorsed brands to take hold. Plenty of legacy brands have seen their revenues decimated,...

Less-well-off countries may have to wait years to inoculate their people.AS A SECOND wave of coronavirus infections sweeps through Europe, and America continues to break daily records for new covid-19 cases, the need for a vaccine is more urgent than ever. Pharmaceutical companies are racing to bring a viable drug to market. And this week came a bright ray of hope. On November 9th Pfizer and Bi...

As the yuan propels China toward a Golden Age, what a rising yuan will mean for Western luxury brands and consumers in China? In the 1960s, France’s then Minister of Finance, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, said that the US dollar gave America an “exorbitant privilege.” Unfortunately, the Golden Age of US currency is nearing an end. These days, analysts discuss “the new era of weakness” for Am...

European electric scooter startup Voi is turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to enable its vehicles to detect pedestrians and sidewalks, a move designed to ingratiate itself to municipalities worried about chaotic micromobility schemes.Escooter (and ebike) sales have surged throughout 2020 as travelers sought alternatives to crowded public transport, but this proliferation serves to stoke e...

On track for ‘one of the highest-volume years for US trade book sales in NPD BookScan history,’ the States headed into election week with a strong October performance.New York City police officers on Fifth Avenue on November 4, the day following the US election. Many landmark entries and storefronts were boarded up in case of election violence. Image – iStockphoto: Massimo GiachettiWhen she...

In the center of the shop is a bean-shaped Da Fanzhuo, which consists of ten puzzle-piece-like small tables, which can be taken apart and rearranged as desired. Along with our client 21cake, we have noticed that people in the community has different spatial needs in a bakery through out the day: small tables for individuals to breakfast in the morning, big tables for gatherings of various sizes...

Apple is apparently looking into some sort of head-worn wearable; rumors have circulated about a pair of Apple Glasses being on the horizon, and given the images in this patent, that seems a possibility. But the patent also outlines what the device might do, including many of the functions already available on the Apple Watch. According to the patent, the headset could track "biometric data and...

Despite turmoil in the real economy, the US stock market remains resilient because of three critical factors: the basis of valuations, the market’s composition, and investors’ expectations.On September 2, 2020, in the midst of the worst economic crisis since before World War II, the S&P 500 index reached a record level of 3,580, repre­senting a year-to-date increase of about 9 percent in...

The growing adoption of augmented reality (AR) try-on technology couldn’t be more timely as consumers weigh the choice to shop in-person against safety concerns amid the ongoing pandemic. The following brands have launched initiatives that harness this tech (or otherwise facilitate a more frictionless virtual shopping experience), which should be especially helpful as the holiday shopping seas...