Bringing retail to rentals: Glimpse
Offering an antidote to e-commerce fatigue, Glimpse provides immersive opportunities to trial products in person – in a natural setting on holiday. Merging try-before-you-buy with the popularity of short-term rentals such as those available on Airbnb, the tool allows consumers to browse through a variety of products in a natural, home-like setting, from bedding to electronics and even direct-to-consumer names like cult water brand Liquid Death.
Brands, on the other hand, can select the ideal showrooms around the US to display their products, approving properties based on intelligent curations of over 8,000 short-term rentals in over 40 states.
‘Short-term rentals provide the perfect environment for customer engagement, as guests can truly experience these products in their intended setting,’ says Akash Raju, co-founder and CEO of Glimpse.
Elevating the ‘always shopping’ mindset: Minoan
Tuning into the idea that we’re always shopping, Minoan wants to be a convenient tool to help people quickly access and shop for products, particularly when there’s a post-pandemic boom of Bleisure travellers hitting the road. ‘The best products are often discovered without intention – while living your life, or often, while on vacation. We believe the best retail experience happens all around you,’ the brand explains.
The idea for Minoan was born when its founder, Marc Hostovsky, discovered a high-end portable speaker in his Airbnb. He now works with more than 160 premium brands such as West Elm, Phaeton Books and Public Goods bodycare, providing property owners with ‘steep discounts’ that allow them to finish a property to a high spec while also earning a percentage of product sales, ‘transforming the furnishing process from a cost centre to a source of revenue generation’.
