May 31, 2014

$12.5 Billion 'ROI' profit growth on 'PURE' Digital luxury marketing !


With three out of four affluent consumers turning to mobile devices to assist in purchases, their behavior and interactions with luxury brands are changing almost as fast as the technology itself, according to a report by the Altagamma-McKinsey Online Observatory.

As the affluent become more reliant on their devices to shop, marketers will need to work to create worthwhile digital experiences to keep pace with consumers’ preferences. But, as Altagamma-McKinsey found, this is not as simple as just redeveloping a Web site or creating an active Twitter account.

“Digital is going to enhance and complement the luxury experience as we know it today,” said Linda Dauriz, principal at McKinsey & Company, Cologne, Germany.

“It’s not going to question the luxury experience that customers have been demanding from stores and their staff,” she said. “Digital is going to give luxury brands the opportunity to complement their customer’s journeys.

“[Digital] is about branding the customer journey, branding a customer experience and digital will increasingly be component of this digital journey. The luxury customer is becoming more fluid and moving from the offline world to the online world seamlessly.”

The Altagamma Foundation and McKinsey & Company collaborate to form the Altagamma-McKinsey Online Observatory. The group’s second report, the “Digital Luxury Experience 2013,” studied the behaviors of 3,000 consumers living in Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States and Japan as well as the digital performances of 300 luxury brands in 12 product categories.

Keepin’ up
Altagamma-McKinsey Online Observatory’s report found that 20 percent of total sales in the luxury space, both online and in-store, were driven directly by digital touch points. Also, the total sales from pure digital marketing generated $12.5 billion, a 20 percent growth rate from the year-ago period.

In terms of growth momentum, in 2013 pure online sales raised 20 percent even though the overall market was considered to be “stagnant”. In the next five years, these figures are expected to reach $27.8 billion, but may increase even higher as new technologies are developed and incorporated into the daily lives of affluent consumers.

Mobile commerce gift guid for Mothers Day !

The report discovered that the mono-brand store format, or a storefront that carries a brand’s entire range, is growing at a faster pace than other retail models. For luxury consumers, this mono-brand format allows for a better depiction of a brand’s lifestyle.

For instance, French footwear maker Berluti continued its move toward a full-service lifestyle brand with the opening of a new boutique on New York’s Madison Avenue.

Berluti’s bricks-and-mortar location opened Feb. 6 only blocks away from its prior location on the high-end retail stretch. Although known as a bespoke cobbler, Berluti has expanded to apparel and furnishings to better represent the lifestyle of its brand (see story).

Berluti’s new Madison Avenue flagship is categorized as a mono-brand store
By having a mono-brand store location, the consumer’s in-store experience will be more similar to digital interactions, where all of the brand’s products are available at a click. Although common practice among luxury brands, which develop multiple social accounts and Web sites to accommodate different ranges such as a dedicated beauty page, the research suggests that this model is likely not needed.

In its assessment of the digital luxury marketplace, the report found that 65 percent of online sales are generated by fashion accessories, perfumes and cosmetics. One must only look at online retailer Amazon’s luxury ecommerce presence to understand how significant that finding is.

Amazon launched its luxury beauty store Oct. 10 to expand its luxury offerings to aspirational consumers aiming to save money on high-end products while still obtaining a piece of the luxury lifestyle. With Amazon stepping into the luxury beauty sector, brands and high-end retailers should look to increase levels of consumer engagement and customer service via online and mobile commerce so brand allure is not diluted (see story).

Amazon’s Luxury Beauty page 
Digital investments
As for consumer behavior the report saw that, in general, “digital passion” via “mobile penetration” is becoming more important in marketing. That being said, the report suggests that more can be done to further engage consumers online.

This engagement stems from four sources: online marketing metrics, or OMEX, that supports awareness and consideration to purchase and loyalty, social media, consumer feedback and the brand’s economic performance. Based on how the surveyed brands replied to their use of engagement tactics they were categorized by three archetypes.

Brands that use mono- and multi-brand retail strategies for both ecommerce and bricks-and-mortar stores and also engage consumers on all types of digital communication are branded as “plugged-in pros.”

Cartier can be defined as a “plugged-in pro” 
The second distinction is “selective e-tailers” that maintain only a mono-brand Web site for entry-level products geared toward aspirational consumers and use digital as a marketing channel while the third is “hesitant holdouts.” This title is given to smaller brands with tight control on retail and which sell from mono-brand stores only and use digital platforms as showrooms rather than a point of sale.

From these categories, the report notes that the archetypes have their strengths and weaknesses that can be aided by various digital strategies. Overall, each brand has a unique DNA and style, and understanding the archetype will help marketers develop proper metrics to compete effectively in the digital space.

Behavior to savor
A main take away from the reports findings is that to succeed in the increasingly competitive digital space, brands should invest in a digital approach to reach consumers and as a secondary tactic that works to connect consumers with branded content.

For instance, a report by Boston Consulting Group explored the online shopping tendencies of Chinese consumers, such as a widely-held penchant for researching products at length. “The Chinese Digital Consumer in a Multichannel World” report explains that the number of Chinese online shoppers is expected to reach 380 million by 2016, which presents brands with huge swaths of potential customers (see story).

Also, in response to how smartphones have altered the way consumers shop, a report by Forrester Research indicated that 66 percent of luxury consumers are more willing to interact with a sales associate equipped with a mobile device.

The “A New Generation of Clienteling” report discovered that some consumers do not feel that sales associates are the best source of product information. With the role of sales associates changing, bringing mobile technology into stores may help re-establish trust while creating an enhanced experience for consumers (see story).

Digital is no longer enough for brands to create awareness and loyal consumers. These tactics must be supported by a strong mobile tactic.

“The main piece of advice is to shift your mindset from branding product to branding experience,” Ms. Dauriz said. “Understand which experience or journey your customers are going through today and understand the break through they’re going through.

“Measure what you’re doing, ” she said. “Measure the money you’re spending, measure the results — the operational KPI’s.

“Don’t be afraid of testing and learning as you go, but measure what you do — but don’t go wild and shift your money without knowing what the return is.”

Mickey Alam Khan contributed to this article. ref: www.luxurydaily.com

May 25, 2014

What does digital luxury Customers 'WANT' today ?


BARCELONA – Thomas Romieu, Digital Director, LVMH Group, notes that what luxury goods shoppers really want is a streamlined experience that minimizes the number of decisions they have to make.

“Those of us in the luxury business spend a lot of time thinking about the how to offer our customers special experiences. But our perceptions of what customers want online often differ from reality. People often aren't looking for something baroque and atmospheric. Shoppers for luxury goods are generally successful, time-challenged people—so they want a streamlined experience that minimizes the number of decisions they have to make.

They also overwhelmingly go online with a very specific mission: to research products before making a purchase at a bricks-and-mortar store. In other words, they want information prior to purchase at the touch point they find most relevant. And in the vast majority of cases, that relevant touch point is the brand Web site.

www.uberdigitalluxury.com


In a survey of interactive marketing executives, about 60 percent of respondents said that their company's brand-owned Web site was still the number one way for them to engage customers. Nothing else—Facebook pages, blogs, YouTube channels—even comes close.”

“Getting five things right turns the Web site—a basic customer touch point—into an exceptional customer experience:

Make sure your brand—not fakes, discounters, or resellers—gets a "prime location" in search results.

Provide a site that works well on any device. While there's little difference in how PCs and tablets present content, smart phones demand something quite different.

Ensure your site works fast. Research has shown that 57 percent of customers will abandon a site if it doesn't load in three seconds. In fact, one of the major KPIs that the LVMH Group tracks is load times for our brand's Web pages, and how they stack up to the competition.

Take people straight to your products, and their prices. Not listing prices on your site aggravates your customers.

Create a great store locator. It may seem simple, but it's neither easy nor common. For example, French brands often list their stores' opening hours in military time on their English-language page. But that's not helpful to Americans—in fact, the message they are likely to get is ‘You don't understand who I am.’

All of these areas are fundamental, but over-delivering on the basics is what makes the experience special. Think of Apple: although we wouldn't normally consider it a luxury company, it provides its customers with a clean, intuitive, ‘luxurious’ experience online.”

“This emphasis on nuts and bolts may seem surprising to marketers used to hearing that they need to ‘surprise and delight’ customers. But customers are delighted when a site surpasses their expectations by being faster or simpler than they expect. For example, a site that is personalized to remember their preferences can be a boon to busy customers.

Adastra Super yacht & Graff Diamonds.


Conversely, abandoning the established grammar of site design for the sake of being ‘different’ simply aggravates visitors. When they click, people expect something to happen. When it's not what they expect, you're in trouble. The classic work on Web design, Don't Make Me Think, hammers home this point, explaining that people come to your page with a ‘reservoir of good will’ that quickly drains if they face confusing options or other problems. Once a company has mastered all five basic areas, it can add e-commerce, social media, immersive experiences, and other more recent innovations as well.

Of course, luxury products have a special aura, and a luxury brand's Web presence can and should reflect these dreams and aspirations. But the best place for customers to experience this atmosphere is the product-level page. Imagine a live store visit that follows the pattern of a typical Web pitch. The customer comes in and says, ‘I read about your XYZ bag and I'd like to see it.’ The salesperson replies, ‘We've been making quality bags by hand since 1887.’ It would be completely frustrating. A good salesman would get the bag, check that it's really the one the customer wants to see—and then explain what makes it so special.” ref: www.mckinseyonmarketingandsales.com

May 21, 2014

Men's 2014, style by Gieves & Hawkes of UK.

http://www.gievesandhawkes.com/

There comes a time in every man’s life when he has to dust off his shoulders from whatever misery he might have gone through and invest in a decent suit. Surely, a suit like that is something to invest in. One of the oldest bespoke tailoring companies in the world, Gieves & Hawkes has proven that devotion and love for detail will result in just this type of suit. Since their foundation in 1771 (yes, you read that right), the Savile Row taylor has created innumerable ready-to-wear as well as bespoke outfits that give competition a run for their money.

At its presentation in a Kings Street gallery on the first day of London Collections: Men, they once again had us begging for more – a part of me would like to add that this also refers to the cucumber cocktails they served. We saw a variation of stylish suits, many of which were pastel pink and beautifully chequered. Paired with red ties, they certainly had an element of colour innovation to them and hence felt everything but dated. Apart from pink, Gieves & Hawkes did a good job covering all sorts of colours of the palette: brown, grey, blue, etc. And that’s not the only aspect that made it obvious we’re looking at a spring / summer collection: We were especially delighted to see linen being put to good use! 


While a whole linen suit might be bit too much for many, we would recommend at least getting a linen jacket or trousers anytime. The fabric even seems to have found its way into evening wear this season. But this is not where it stops. Gieves & Hawkes is known for having an E.B. Meyrowitz concession at their Savile Row flagship. We’re talking bespoke eyewear here! At the presentation, many of the models looked at us through a pair of stylish shades. Luckily for us though, these sunglasses were relatively small and didn’t hide too much of the models’ faces (why hire Versace model Edward Wilding and then not show him off?).



In conclusion, the brand hasn’t surprised us but that’s a good thing: Quintessentially British as they are, Gieves & Hawkes can afford staying very true to their roots and leaving the element of innovation to accessories and colours. In 2013, traditional cuts and finest fabrics still have the power to convince us all along the line. In a year’s time, when the collection will be worn on the streets, a Gieves & Hawkes suit will doubtlessly be one of those I-just-dusted-off-my-shoulders suits. Not that we would let it get dirty.

The major platforms, Marketer's use Social media !



Facebook remains the most popular social media platform among marketers, but less than half agree that it's actually effective, according to Social Media Examiner's 2014 Social Media Marketing Industry Report.

Nearly 100% of professionals polled reported using the network in business-to-consumer marketing while 89% said they used it to communicate with other businesses. Despite these astronomical numbers, 57% of the marketers either don't think their Facebook posts make a difference or aren't sure.

Twitter came in as the second most popular site — 83% of marketers reported using the microblogging service — while LinkedIn took third. Only 28% take advantage of Instagram while a mere 1% have incorporate Snapchat into their work. The top six platforms have stayed relatively steady since 2012.

The chart below, created by Statista, outlines some of the most popular social media platforms used by marketers:

May 19, 2014

Attention Trekkies, Star Trek Mansion up for $35 Million dollars.




















Trekkies, prepare to swoon. A 27,000-square-foot home with a home theater modeled after the bridge of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise has hit the market in Florida for $35 million.

That price tag makes the home, at 3682 Princeton Place, the most expensive ever to hit the market in Boca Raton, according to representatives for Douglas Elliman. Florida agent Senada Adzem and the New York-based power broker brothers Oren and Tal Alexander, also of Douglas Elliman, share the listing.




















The seller, Marc Bell of investment firm Marc Bell Capital Partners, must be quite the Star Trek fan. The ”bridge”–which on the television series served as the command center of the starship–comes with a sound system that replicates the “woosh” the doors made when Captain Kirk or Lieutenant Commander Spock (or anyone else) walked through. The ceiling of the home theater also features hundreds of thousands of “stars,” which are built into the ceiling.




















Bell produced Jersey Boys on Broadway and currently runs an investment firm focused on real estate, private equity and entertainment ventures. Previously, he was the CEO of FriendFinder, the parent company of both Penthouse and the website BigChurch.com, an online Christian dating site, as well as several other brands.

Bell’s Boca Raton home features eight bedrooms and 16 full and two half baths, as well as a ballroom that currently houses 60-plus arcade games, including some that date back to the late 1970s. The palatial home also includes a room designed to look like the “Call of Duty” video game. Additional selling points include three full bars, a 1,500-bottle wine cellar, a library, gym and full outdoor basketball court.

May 13, 2014

The labor of love, the Nixie Watch !

http://www.cathodecorner.com/

The Old Cathode Corner Nixie Watch is the perfect way to show your retro-geek cred. It is a two-digit wristwatch using Nixie tubes, a forty-year-old display technology that is delightfully easy to read.

The watch requires no button-pushing to operate. Just hold the watch at your standard viewing angle, and the hours, then the minutes, will appear in perfectly-formed, 14mm tall, glowing orange digits.

It is water resistant and rugged. The case is machined from aircraft aluminum and hard anodized to handle years of abuse and still look great. 


The large round crystal shows off the workings of the watch - the tubes, battery, high-voltage power supply and setting controls are all visible.

The watch features 12 or 24-hour time display mode, user-settable tilt angle, and easy time setting operation. The timekeeping rate is adjustable to permit regulation to within a few seconds a week.

The two Nixie tubes are the widely available B-5870 type and are socketed for easy replacement in case of damage. (They have been known to develop short circuits between adjacent cathode plates as a result of mechanical shock.) These tubes have 0.6" (15mm) tall digits for easy reading in adverse conditions.

Opening the case by unscrewing the ribbed cover reveals the time setting buttons, the battery and the tubes. The battery lasts several months, and is available at any drugstore.

For the electrical engineers in the audience, the theory of operation may be read here.

For the hardcore code tweaker, a programming adapter allows the GPL’d PIC firmware running the watch to be hacked up at will. The source code is available on the firmware page.

The case is made of strong, lightweight aircraft aluminum, hard anodized for lasting beauty. The rear of the case is gently contoured for comfort in all-day use. An O-ring seal keeps out water, dust and dirt. The strap is a standard 20mm size, available at any fine jeweler.

What they're saying
“A timepiece such as this could make grown geeks cry.” —Engadget
“If I wanted to buy a watch that guaranteed I would never get laid, I certainly wouldn't have to spend that much on it.” — random Slashdot 
comment “I would have loved to have invented that.” —Steve Wozniak, Co-founder of Apple.
Status I am now building the old style, round Nixie Watches.
I am also working on a new design, which is here. It's not complete yet.

Truly a Mechanical Tourbillon phone - a masterpiece !

CELSIUS GMT FURTIF 01, GMT VELOCE 02, GMT VELOCE 03

The founding concept behind Celsius X VI II was born in 2005 in the mind of Thomas Pruvot, a mechanical engineer specialised in industrial design, during a flight from Paris to Hong Kong. Frustrated at losing the time display when he had to switch off his cellphone, he had the idea of adopting a mechanical solution inspired by watchmaking. Thomas soon produced some sketches and showed them to a childhood friend.

                                                      Watch the masterpiece in the video

Celsius X VI II is fundamentally an innovative brand that combines mobile telephony with prestige watchmaking in creating nomadic objets d’art. In an age when the fascination exercised by micro-mechanics is generating an unprecedented surge of creativity and ingenuity, Celsius X VI II does far more than just fit in with the current movement. The first creation, a cellphone merged with a Tourbillon watch and an exclusive Remontage Papillon (butterfly winding mechanism), heralds a new generation of objects with high emotional value. Celsius X VI II reinvents micro-mechanical applications by going beyond the established watchmaking framework in place for the past five centuries in order to create an astonishing new symbiotic relationship with microelectronics. The synergies thus achieved by Celsius X VI II mark the start of a full-fledged revolution. It encapsulates the founders’ dream of drawing on historical roots in order to humanize the future of communication. A dream that embraces a concept that is still impossible today but may one day come true: an entirely mechanical cellphone!

Please visit and discover http://www.celsius-x-vi-ii.com

A ' TV ' you cant miss, costing a pretty penny - Bang & Olufsen !

BeoVision Avant. B&O.

There's a reason Bang & Olufsen is calling its new 4K TV the "one that moves." The BeoVision Avant will follow you around the room, and special stands and mounts change its position.

But B&O is really hoping that it has created such a high-end viewing experience that the TV will move you to part with about $8,000 — the retail price of the 55-inch TV. And that doesn't even include one of those fancy stands.

During a demonstration, B&O was persuasive that it had created a unique TV. Although motorized stands for TVs have existed for decades, the company's design makes them silent and elegant, and the wall mount — which can fold the TV outward as much as 90 degrees — barely makes the TV stick out.

Check out this amazing VDO !

Additionally, the TV has an audio system just as fancy and high-tech as the set itself. When you turn it on, the speaker array slowly emerges from the bottom of the TV (getting the "move" theme yet?). It includes a trio of tweeter/midrange pairs as well as a 4-inch woofer. A 6-inch bass driver is in back.

Playing Michael Bublé and Nelly Furtardo's version of "Quando Quando Quando,"

the TV was more than capable of filling a large room with sound, and that was even before the woofers were engaged. When they were, the set could get impressively loud, even in an event space. You can also reprogram the TV speakers to work with a more extensive room system.

The moving stands, which start at $895, complete the experience. A circular floor stand (which B&O calls the "planet") can both rotate itself as well as the TV's angle on it, opening up lots of flexibility for viewing. You can preprogram your own optimal positions, which the TV will move to at the touch of a button.

The wall mount works similarly, angling the TV from side to side, able to position it at up to a right angle, assuming your walls allow it. The table stand doesn't rotate, but can elevate the TV a few inches when it's turned on.

B&O thought a lot about the video tech, providing five HDMI inputs, including sensors to adjust the picture based on room lighting, and carving out a space within the TV to install an Apple TV. The 4K resolution makes it fairly "future proof," although at 55 inches, the benefits are minimal.

While few will probably be inclined to spend the $7,995 to own the BeoVision Avant, Bang & Olufsen did a good job creating a TV that will solicit "oohs" and "aahs" from customers — something most TV manufacturers haven't been able to do in a long time.
ref: Mashable

May 1, 2014

An expensive, brain developing wearable at $1.5 Million !

http://haloneuro.com/#














While the thought of applying electricity directly to the brain in unsupervised conditions is, to some, a bit scary, Halo Neuroscience has gotten over a million smackers to allow you do just that. Halo, a company that will produce a wearable device to “boost brain function” has closed a $1.5 million round led by Marc Andreessen of Andreessen Horowitz and Jeff Clavier of SoftTech VC.

First, understand that this isn’t a One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest simulator. Writes Dan Chao, CEO:
Halo’s technology employs a range of non-invasive, low energy, battery operated stimulation modalities that work on the nervous system to boost cognition. Halo builds on the field of neuromodulation, where recent science has employed electromagnetic waveforms, infrared light, ultrasound, physical and other stimulation techniques.

What will the company do with the cash? They will primarily work on IP and safety issues with the Food and Drug Administration to ensure that the product doesn’t make us all hallucinate that we’re being hunted by the North American Sasquatch.

Founded by Stanford-educated neuroscience researcher Dan Chao and engineer Brett Winger along with Amol Sarva, a consumer mobile guru with oodles of hardware experience, the company is on solid intellectual footing.

http://haloneuro.com/#


“Halo makes a technology that stimulates brain function in sick people and healthy people. It makes the brain work better — a wide range of potential effects from accelerating learning to improving body movement control,” said Sarva. “The company isn’t saying exactly what they are working on first but the field is a big new area — not just sensing things in the brain or ‘reading’ it, but sending waves into the brain and ‘writing’ to it.”

Sarva admits the whole thing seems far-fetched.
“Dan and Amol have been in neuroscience for years. Have heard about this fringe technology since as early as 2002. Nobody believed it was real! We didn’t either. Until we tried it,” he said.

While the team isn’t claiming you’ll gain Magneto-like abilities upon using the device, it looks to be an interesting startup doing something far more important than making it easier for you to open your front door remotely. Who knows: maybe the company will allow you to add psychokinesis to your list of skills.

Meet Vanhawk's, GPS navigation Bike !



Cars have gotten really smart over the years: Nowadays they can provide their drivers with directions, answer phone calls, and even occasionally drive themselves. By contrast, bicycle technology is still stuck in the 20th century, with the biggest advancements coming mostly from electric bikes that make it easier to bike up hills and whatnot.

Vanhawks seeks to make bicycles smarter, and is starting with a bike called the Valour that is Bluetooth-enabled to connect with smartphones and other devices. That connectivity also provides the ability to get guided directions while biking and to get notifications when vehicles are in the bike’s blind spot.

The Vanhawks bike was designed to make biking safer for riders. To do that, it connects with iOS and Android phones, and can get navigation directions from them. Those turn-by-turn directions are then relayed to the bike’s handlebars, where a set of LED lights indicate to the rider when she should turn. That reduces the need to check a phone or be distracted while riding.



It also has a set of sensors in the rear of the bike to let riders know when a vehicle is creeping up on her blind spot. To alert the rider, the bike has a set of handlebar grips that provide haptic feedback if someone is getting too close to the bike.

All of those sensors monitor where the bike travels and can provide real-time statistics about a ride. It also has a mesh network, so that it can connect to other nearby Vanhawks bicycles.

That’s cool and all, but check out the actual bike! It’s pretty slick, and with a carbon-fiber frame, it’s also ultra-light.

Vanhawks is seeking backing for the bike through a Kickstarter campaign. Backers can sign up to purchase a single-speed version of the bike, which will sell for $999, with a geared version available for $300 more.
Watch the video @ ; http://techcrunch.com

Amazing future of 3D Printing, ART !



















The 3Doodler 3D-printing pen, as my TC colleague John Biggs recently pointed out, is a fun toy but a silly tool. It’s big and its output is frustratingly wonky. But then it was created by a pair of veteran toy makers so focusing on the fun was clearly the primary intention.

Now a U.K. startup is taking aim at building a more precise 3D-printing pen for the professional user — designers, architects and so on. Their Lix pen prototypepassed its Kickstarter goal of £30,000 two hours after the crowdfunding campaign launched yesterday, and is fast approaching has passed £100,000 in pledged funds after one day in the wild, with 29 days left of the campaign to run.

“We have a small and lightweight product that is power supplied from any usual USB port. Lix Pen is very portable and comfortable to use. 3Doodler on the other hand, is heavy, big, difficult to use and is power supplied by standard power electrical outlet that is not practical,” says co-founder Anton Suvorov, when asked how the product differs from the 3Doodler.



“We have created a slick looking and professional creative tool,” he adds. “Lix 3D printing pen opens new possibilities to many other industries such as for stylists, architects, designers and anybody who are interested in 3D printing.”

The startup began work developing the Lix in July last year — inspired, no doubt, by the 3Doodler pulling in $2.3 million on Kickstarter months earlier.

Instead of looking like a cartoon bullet, as the 3Doodler does, the Lix pen looks like a technical drawing instrument — with a slender (14mm thick at its widest point), aluminum form that its makers claim allow for the freestyle mid-air extrusions to be more precisely sketched. (Albeit, it looks like it has to be tethered to a USB port for power while you sketch.)

There are two buttons towards the tip of the Lix for controlling the speed of the plastic extrusions.
Frankly, it almost looks too good to be true — but its makers claim they have indeed managed to shrink the 3D-printing tech to fit this 40g pen-sized form factor by making the parts themselves, rather than using off the shelf components.

“3Doodler use existing parts of 3d printers which should result in a lower price but does not. We on the other hand use premium material for a higher quality,” Suvorov tells TechCrunch. “All technical parts of Lix were re-invented and made from scratch.”



Lix’s three co-founders include a shoe designer, Delphine Eloise Wood, who is still finishing her studies at the London College of Fashion; a marketing and graphic design graduate, Ismail Baran; along with economics and applied arts graduate, Suvorov.

At the time of writing the pen starts at £73 (~$120) so it’s around double the cost of the 3Doodler – so that slender form factor does not come cheap – although they were offering a few very early bird pledges of £43 (~$70) for the pen, now all snapped up. They say they’re aiming to ship pens to backers starting in October.

The post-Kickstarter retail price for Lix is likely to be £85/$140 — a higher price-tag reflecting the professional user the Lix is being aimed at, and the cost of those proprietary parts.

The pen takes ABS/PLA plastic filament refills. The cost for refills is likely to be around £7/$10 for 30 pieces of 10 inch filament of different colours, says Suvorov. “One cartridge will last you a couple minutes,” he adds – ergo 30 pieces might only give you about one hour’s solid mid-air sketching time.

What can the Lix be used for? Sketching models and fashion/design prototypes, or making custom jewelry and decorations, or just doodling around. As with the 3Doodler, this 3D printing pen requires your own imagination to power the stuff you churn out — and that’s likely its biggest barrier to entry.
Watch the amazing video at : http://techcrunch.com/