While globalism is a given, the vast majority of consumers continue to live and work in their local area. So, whether it’s producing goods locally, celebrating an urban area, or providing location-specific services, the potential of these innovations continues to grow:

Food & Beverage | Taking a local approach to candy bars, Nestlé recently launched 19 new Kit Kat flavours in Japan that reflect food specialties of specific districts. Each flavor is sold exclusively in the region for which it was created. The Japanese Kit Kat varieties include yubari melon and baked corn from Hokkaido island; strawberry cheesecake from Yokohama; cherries from Yamagata Prefecture; and sweet potato, blueberry and soybean from the Kanto region. More »

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Food & Beverage | Oregon-based SoupCycle offers organic soup, made from locally grown produce and delivered each week to subscribers. Consumers who live or work in the company's delivery area order their soup a week in advance. SoupCycle then buys the necessary produce from local farmers and cooks the week’s soup, which is delivered by bicycle over the following days. More »

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It’s a long time since we covered CURATED CONSUMPTION, but as consumers are still spoiled for choice (if not overwhelmed), and there is still a growing demand for trusted curators across every B2C sector:

Fashion | Panty by Post is a Canadian venture that offers women's underwear by monthly subscription. The company has an exclusive agreement with Montreal’s Blush Lingerie for its signature and bridal lines. Customers can order panties individually, or they can sign up for subscriptions lasting two, three, six or 12 months. A different panty is then sent every month, with prices ranging from CDN 16 for a single pair to CDN 240 for a year's worth of premium deliveries. More »

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Publishing | IndieReader offers a marketplace for independent, self-published books. The books sold on the site are curated by IndieReader to ensure that the cream of the indie “crop" is well-represented. Self-published authors begin by sending their books for vetting, if accepted they then pay an annual fee of USD 149 for their first book, which goes up for sale on IndieReader. When a consumer makes a purchase, IndieReader notifies the author by email and the author ships the book out. IndieReader pays authors 75 percent of the sales of their books at the end of each month, plus the shipping fees paid by buyers.
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Consumers will always feel the need for DAILY LUBRICANTS: products that make their lives simpler and easier. Of course, brands will forever be happy to oblige:

Travel & Transport | ANWB, the Dutch motorists association, has launched a mobile store that will tour France this summer. The ANWB's store on wheels will stop at campgrounds across France, selling tourists items they forgot to pack, from toothbrushes and sunblock to its own maps and travel guides. It will be joined by motor care teams who'll check tire pressure, give traffic updates and clean car windows and mirrors. When drivers have finally reached their destination, the ANWB's 'Helping Hands' will pitch tents, fill jerry cans and even dry dishes. More »

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Retail | Fragrance retailer Sephora installed a series of machines at various Paris Métro stations dedicated to selling Calvin Klein's CK One scent in a special, portable size. In February 2010, visitors to the Métro's La Défense, Charles de Gaulle-Étoile, Montparnasse and Miromesnil stations could buy a special 15ml size of CK One at an on-site "CK One Pocket Store" by Sephora. More »

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Retail | With three stores in Northern Spain, butcher Izarzugaza has installed a vending machine outside its Mundaka shop that sells a variety of meats, sausages, sandwiches and other goods around the clock. Products sold within the machine vary with the season, so summer offerings might include pasta salads while the emphasis is more on meatballs and sausages in the wintertime. More »

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Fashion | Belgian OrgaSizer offers an online place to check the sizes and preferences of loved ones and friends. Users of OrgaSizer can then enter all their sizes and preferences for a variety of different types of clothing, deciding what information they'd like to share with others, and exactly whom they'd like to share it with. Users can also create wish lists and request reminders about important gift-giving dates. Ultimately, the idea is that shoppers hoping to purchase a gift can then check the site from wherever they happen to be to see what the recipient wants, and in what sizes or variations. More »

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Bikes | German startup MyBikeNumber, launched in December 2009, is a free online service that lets consumers register their bicycle and components, or search for them worldwide. Users register their bike on the MyBikeNumber site using the frame number, and add photos to the profile page to help visually identify their bike. Registered bikes are allocated a unique QR code, which can be printed as a sticker and affixed to the frame. More »

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Public Transport | Tube Refund helps consumers get compensated for the 40 or so delays that occur each week on the London Underground. Each time a train is delayed by more than 15 minutes, riders are entitled to a full refund of a single-journey fare. Priced at GBP 0.59, the Tube Refund app can be used to register where and when a delay occurred and how long it lasted. Tube Refund then submits that information to the London Underground website, which generates a refund voucher for the user. More »

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Personal Care | New York-based 3floz offers a range of luxury skin and hair care products for men and women, all in travel-friendly sizes of 3 fluid ounces (100 ml) or less. 3floz is also marketing itself as a sample site, catering to consumers who want to try out high-end beauty products without committing to pricey full-sized versions. International shipping is available, including delivery direct to hotels, as well as a same-day courier delivery service within Manhattan. More »

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Insurance | AccidentSketch is a free online tool that allows users to graphically document car accidents using a drag and drop template system. Road 'pieces' are added to a grid to create an accurate depiction of the road, before vehicles are placed on the road map. Final details are then added, such as bicycles, pedestrians, traffic signs, lights, arrows and braking marks. The finished sketch can be printed out or downloaded as a PDF file. More »

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From customized and personalized goods to obsessing over one's personal online presence, BRAND ME will continue to be a source for innovation for years to come:

Food & Beverage | Progurt is a do-it-yourself yoghurt kit that aims to provide an alternative to store-bought packaged nutraceuticals. The DIY yoghurt maker comes with accessories including refrigeration tubs, electrolyte complexes, prebiotic syrups and probiotic sachets. Each Progurt probiotic sachet contains a formulation of multiple strains of probiotic bacteria of human origin to enhance and strengthen the immune system. A starter pack including one incubator, one tub, prebiotic syrup and a pack of 15 probiotic sachets is priced at AUD 440. More »

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Kids | Japan’s Otete & Anyo offers original stamps of babies' hand- and footprints. The engraved prints can be used not only as stamps for papers and letters, but also as lifelong mementos suitable for birthday presents, baby gifts and more. Parents or other gift-givers begin by making an ink print of baby's hands and feet, then emailing those prints to Otete & Anyo, which engraves them in real size. More »

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Social Media | Famebook and TweetNotebook both of embellish custom notebooks with select online content: With BookofFame, Facebook users can create a unique notebook featuring a post from their Facebook feed at the bottom of each page. By connecting to Facebook from the BookofFame site, users allow Famebook to access their status updates, which are then used to create a notebook with one timestamped update on the bottom of each page. Users can choose their own cover post and design.
TweetNotebook, meanwhile, features the user's Twitter posts instead. Customers enter their Twitter name on the site, and it automatically populates each page in a blank 320-page notebook with one randomly selected tweet along with its timestamp and URL. More »

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Food & Beverage | Canadian RedMoon Custom Pet Food lets its customers design the food they buy for their cats and dogs. RedMoon offers fully customizable dry pet food based on a variety of meats, produce and supplements. Dog owners begin by choosing a base formula and indicating the activity level of their dog. They then select the size of kibble they'd like and then a variety of supplements are available to be added. Cat owners have similar options, starting with a base food made from salmon. More »

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Fashion | Shortomatic is a California-based company that invites consumers to upload their own art to create customized swim shorts. Customers indicate their waist size then upload, position and size the art, choose their colors and add text for use on the waistband. Shortomatic's Artist's Program curates designs, which are produced in limited editions of 200, with creators receiving USD 5 for every pair sold. More »