Also emphasizing the unique flavours of different varieties, Bee Raw Honey sells sets of honey samples, packaging the liquid gold in test-tubes that are corked and hand-sealed with beeswax.
Chocolates from Sir Hans Sloane Chocolate and Champagne House.
CHOCOLATE: More premiumization of the sweet kind is chocolate, which succumbed to this trend years ago, with artisan chocolate boutiques now charging top dollar/euro/pound for wasabi-infused bonbons from San Francisco to Singapore. So, what’s next? How about chocolatiers who are going bespoke? Check out firms such as Melt, Paul A Young and Sir Hans Sloane Chocolate and Champagne House Ltd for some mouth-watering bespoke inspiration, then figure out if the future of premiumization for your industry is bespoke, too. Hey, Puma is already on board.
TOYS: Hasbro’s FurReal Friends Butterscotch Pony seeks to “fulfill every little girl’s dream of having her very own pony.” From Hasbro: “Butterscotch is a miniature Shetland pony, with a fur coat and mane that feel just like a real pony. Butterscotch also has built-in sensors all over her body, which enable her to respond to children in lifelike ways. If talked to, she will cock her head towards the speaker quizzically and blink her eyes. She will also react to petting, showing her enjoyment by rubbing her head against a child, twitching her ears and swishing her tail. At over 3ft tall, Butterscotch is more than strong enough to support a rider up to 80 pounds (about 36kg) in weight. Along with her brush and carrot, Butterscotch comes with a special adoption certificate.”
AIR TRAVEL: Air travel has become one massive inspiration source for premiumization. We’re not even going to try to list all the business-class-only carriers that have sprung up, some of which are thriving. Also keep a close eye on the premiumization contest in First involving airlines such as Emirates (First Class private suites), Singapore Airlines (12 suites on board of each of its new Airbus 380s) and JetMax (Suite in the Sky).
The battle continues on terra firma: Lufthansa has been operating a dedicated First Class terminal in Frankfurt for a few years now, but got trumped in size and pomp by Qatar Airways’ Premium Terminal in Doha.
STUFF: Hauzen is Samsung Electronics’ new premium home appliance brand. Products include a washing machine, kimchi cooler, fridge and air conditioning system. All appliances are designed by well-known Korean designer Andre Kim. Not available outside South Korea. Yet. Or the Plantronics Voyager 855, the first two-in-one stereo Bluetooth headset with AudioIQ technology for crystal clear wireless sound. Price: $120.
Lenovo now offers the ThinkPad Reserve Edition laptop, encased in leather. The Reserve Edition is based on the recently released 12.1-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X61s, and comes with ‘Blue-Button Instant Access’ for instant messaging with dedicated support staff. Price: $5,000, sold by invitation only.