Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport has become the first airport in China to deploy autonomous food delivery robots, partnering with on-demand delivery giant Meituan to bring gate-to-gate meal service to its Satellite Concourse. Nicknamed "Little Bumblebee," the robots navigate the terminal independently, delivering orders from 11 participating merchants, including Starbucks, KFC and HEYTEA, directly to passengers waiting at boarding gates. The innovation demonstrates Meituan's strategic expansion beyond its traditional urban delivery network into major transport hubs. Founded in 2010, the "everything app" has grown to serve 770 million users annually and processes roughly 80 million daily food delivery orders. The airport deployment serves as a testing ground for integrating autonomous delivery into high-traffic, time-sensitive environments where traditional delivery methods face logistical constraints. For airport merchants, the service promises to expand their customer reach beyond foot traffic to gate-bound passengers throughout a terminal.TREND BITEMeituan's new service addresses a common airport frustration the dilemma of wanting food while also staying near a departure gate, and not having to deal with the hassle of maneuvering luggage or kids to a food outlet. As people's tolerance for waiting diminishes and convenience expectations intensify, we'll continue to witness the emergence of micro-delivery ecosystems within new environments. The new baseline? Frictionless convenience everywhere. Consumers aren't comparing airports only to other airports they're benchmarking them against the ease of ordering at home, in a mall or in their office. If they can get Starbucks delivered to their desk, they expect the same when they're stuck at a boarding gate. By addressing the "do I have enough time to grab food" question, Meituan removes one point of stress from a passenger's airport experience.
Vodafone Netherlands has launched a free, three-year battery replacement warranty for smartphones. Customers who purchase phones directly from Vodafone will receive a free battery replacement if capacity drops below 80%. All they need to do is bring their device to a Vodafone store. Notably, there's no charge for the warranty, and it's being offered retroactively for every phone purchased from Vodafone since 8 September 2022.Battery degradation is one of the main reasons people replace otherwise functional phones, yet batteries are rarely covered under manufacturer warranties. By tackling this pain point head-on, Vodafone positions itself as both customer-centric and environmentally conscious, noting that the program reduces unnecessary phone purchases while cutting electronic waste.TREND BITEBrand loyalty has declined sharply in the 2020s and keeps getting harder to earn. As inflation and economic uncertainties continue to strain household spending, companies face mounting pressure to demonstrate value beyond point of sale.
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Swedish perfume brand Koyia has opened a forest-based perfumery where customers can purchase fragrances using time instead of money. They're invited to spend 599 seconds of stillness in nature rather than 599 Swedish kronor: 599 SEC instead of 599 SEK.
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