Brittany W's Profile

This is awesome! I can’t wait to download the app and try it out. I wonder what effect this will have on Sephora’s need for retail associates. I’m sure some customers still find value in speaking to an associate when they purchase makeup. However, Sephora may be able to significantly reduce their overhead costs if more people make use of this app.

I agree with others who have said that Sephora has the potential to use this app to help recommend products to customers. Women of color in particular often find it challenging to purchase foundations since there are rarely colors that are a perfect match. I think it would be great if this app could allow customers to upload pictures of themselves and then it could recommend foundation brands / colors that would be well suited for the customer.

Interesting post, Emma! I’ve never been to a Miniluxe in Boston, but now I’d love to try it. I imagine that Miniluxe’s prices are higher than competitors to support the higher costs associated with the technology use in the salons. As it currently stands, I’m not convinced that the value-add for the customer is substantial enough to support the higher prices. Miniluxe should do a better job of communicating to customers about its use of technology and how that translates into better service for consumers. If not, as a consumer, I’m likely to go to a peer who has lower prices and still does a great mani/pedi.

Very interesting article, Peter! I too am a bit worried about the widespread use of self-driving cars. While I recognize that over 90% of car collisions are caused by human error and this removes the human error element, I am very concerned about cyber security threats. Terrorists may have the ability to hack the self-driving vehicle and use it remotely. Or there is even the potential for cyber terrorism through a large-scale attack of cars in a particular country. I’m sure much research has gone into ensuring these vehicles are safe and less likely to be hacked. Have you come across this in your research?

Interesting article, Yao! I also struggle to see how GS Bank can stay competitive with no features of a traditional bank (ATM cards, retail branches, etc.). Have you seen any information on their customer base so far? I wonder how fast customers have been to adopt this new online bank. I believe the 1.05% APR is a tool to attract a wide customer base and that once they reach their minimum target level then they may be likely to reduce the rates to levels more in line with peers.

Very interesting article, Elyse! I think PillPack has a unique business model and I see huge potential for this business in more rural United States communities or even internationally in some third world countries. I agree with CM above that prescription fraud and quality assurance are huge risks here. What relationships does PillPack have with doctors currently? What checks are in place to ensure that consumers do not abuse the system?

Interesting article! Their efforts to expand sustainability education are great, but I agree that much more can be done. For example, H&M introduced a clothes recycling program where customers can recycle their used clothes and H&M uses these recycled clothes in their clothing production. Efforts such as these would both improve North Face’s brand image and also provide a direct way of reducing its environmental impact.

Very interesting article, Greta! I’m surprised that wine companies are not more focused on practicing sustainability when it comes to the wine barrels used in production. Similar to the IKEA case we reviewed, I imagine that wine companies should focus on sourcing barrels that use wood from PEFC-certified forests or aim to purchase forests so they can fully vertically integrate their supply chain and control the process. Did you come across any focus on the barreling process in your analysis? I wonder if similar to IKEA – there are “engineered woods” that can be used in the barreling process. I’m curious if any technology has been implemented to address this.

Interesting article, Colin! What do you think this does to the cost of skiing at resorts? I imagine that the need to invest in more energy efficient snow making machines will boost the cost of the already relatively expensive sport? I wonder how this may affect ski resort’s incentives to implement sustainable practices.

Nice article, Brandon! I think its great that AB Inbev has installed water and solar power at their plants. I do know that some breweries are using Nitrogen Fuel Cell technology to supply about 90% of their energy. Do you think this would be a good option for AB Inbev to consider? It’s probably capital intensive in the beginning but may have high ROI.

Interesting article! What are your views on the location of the avocado farms? I like the idea of vertically integrating the supply system, but I imagine that transportation costs for Chipotle are significant and this may also lead to increased CO2 emissions. What options does Chipotle have in reducing some of these transportation costs?