Where the hell is innovation?
M6 recently broadcasted a program focused on inventors; it’s simply called “The Inventor” and can be seen as a sort of contest where you come to pitch your idea in front of a jury. A Belgian inventor, Celestin de Wergifosse, presented his invention which is basically a little trailer with solar panels, two dynamos and a petrol engine, which aims at producing electricity everywhere where it’s not readily...
Has Delhaize already given up?
We reported a few weeks ago about the innovation launched by Delhaize in Brussels to allow consumers to shop “virtually”. The “Cube”, as it is called, had been installed in the Central Station in Brussels and we were were skeptical about its chances of success because it was a mere copy of an innovation launched in South Korea where the context and the literacy of the consumer with mobile phones are totally...
Stores’ windows are more and more interactive
Consumers are likely to interact physically with stores’ windows in the near future. I’ve noticed several examples over the last few weeks and I’d like to share them with you in my next posts. Let’s start with the first example I saw in Paris, more precisely in Rue Saint-Honoré which is well known for being home of luxury stores, ranging from watches to jewels through clothes and bags. Chronopassion is one of...
Lytro will fail and go bankrupt, unless …
Do you know Lytro ? Most probably not. The technology behind this new product is still in its infancy and distribution of the product has remained confidential. Yet it is a disruptive technology. What is Lytro ? There is a very good explanation on the science behind Lytro on their website. Let me nevertheless explain the product with my own words. Until now you were taking 2D pictures; zooming in, zooming out, focusing on one point...
Delhaize launches virtual shopping innovation in Brussels
Tesco started it in South Korea in 2010; Delhaize is doing it now in Brussels. Four boards depicting 300 products were set up last week in Brussels Central Station, allowing travelers to order products with their smartphone. Each product picture is accompanied with a barcode and Delhaize mobile app allows the shopper to scan and get the products prepared for delivery at his/her favorite Delhaize supermarket. Home Plus (Tesco) was the...
Open innovation initiatives fail
One of EMAC 2011 participants (from the University of Amsterdam) presented yesterday some facts about platforms of open innovation like MyStarbucksidea and Dell’s Ideastorm. MyStarbucksIdea received some 74000+ suggestions out of which about 300 were actually converted. A mere 0.4%. You can wonder therefore what the value of such platforms really is. Well, I see some positive points: firms using such platforms actually do...
Solvay and the intrapreneurship
The research on entrepreneurship is still looking for a reason to be and sometimes is merely understood as the study of innovation. The major epistemological contribution of this field of research is focused on the study of the phenomena around (1) the recognition of opportunities, (2) their evaluation and (3) their exploitation. Opportunities are often defined as innovations which, minor or major, tend to fill in a gap in the market....
Waka, an energy drink and a great entrepreneurial adventure
After I discovered the vitality of the energy drink brand, Jean-Christophe and Christopher made me know Waka, a coffee-based drink which is positioned differently from traditional players. Waka was created by a firm specialized in coffee-roasting established in the northern France (Cafés Didier Boulet). What amazed me in this product was the innovation process which led to the creation of the drink. As its name suggest, the firm is...
Henry Ford and Cesar Ritz
Is the customer always King as Cesar Ritz, the founder of the eponymous palace, once said? In other words, should we always obey customers wishes? Well, I’m not so sure about it. Remember what Henry Ford said «If I had asked to my clients what they needed they would have told me a faster horse». How should we interpret such opposed statements? At first sight they don’t seem to be to be incompatible. Both statements can be situated...
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