The Knowledge to Decide

A startup in India aims to sell cow based products. Based in Mumbai, Cowpathy uses ingredients such as manure, clarified butter (ghee) and urine among others to make consumer products with high medicinal properties. The company sells over 48,000 units of soaps that contain gooseberries, cow manure, lavender powder and orange peel. These are shipped out every month across 13 countries, including the US. Will the use of animal by-products revolutionize the consumer goods industry in time to come? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/cashing-in-on-the-cow-economy/

With the global Halal cosmetics market expected to reach USD55 billion in 2017, Spire Research and Consulting shared its views on the outlook for this category in an article published in Techno Business Insight. As the global Muslim population reaches 1.6 billion people, awareness of Halal cosmetics has surged. Halal cosmetics are not permitted to contain any animal blood, pigs or alcohol content. The entire supply chain, production, packaging as well as distribution process needs to comply with these rules to be certified as Halal. The rise of e-commerce has pushed the demand for Halal cosmetic products even further. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/global-halal-cosmetics-market-continues-to-prosper/

Studies show that every year, US bus and railway fleets are upgraded by spending close to USD5.4 billion. Much of the vehicle and carriage assembly takes place in cost-effective regions of Asia. To prevent this, the Obama administration has enforced Buy America – a federal law that ensures transportation projects utilize 60 percent of products manufactured in the U.S. Some see this as a protectionist move, though others point to the fact that many governments around the world find ways to give work to large local firms so as to create domestic jobs. It is also the case that some manufacturing is shifting back to the US in any case, as a function of trends like rising costs in China and 3D printing. Nevertheless, will the US move herald a rise in protectionist measures globally? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-the-new-year-see-a-rise-in-protectionism/

Retailers might just use chocolate scent to induce shoppers to linger on in their bookstores to boost sales. Researchers in Belgium discovered that potential customers are more likely to end up with purchases if the store is filled with the scent of chocolate. Such pleasant scents can improve the store environment and lead the customers to explore stores more; often resulting in purchases. Marketers could strategize by exploring different scents to lure customers. The scents used should correspond to the products on sale for more impact. For instance, a surf shop can consider having the scent of the salty smell of the sea to provide its customers a whole new shopping experience. Which scent are you most drawn to?