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Whats more motivating than a punch card? Thats the simple idea behind a recent so-called punch party that creator @emiliamariehome hosted with friends. On January 24, @emiliamariehome posted a video on TikTok of her group of friends creating punch cards (think: loyalty cards) as a Galentine’s day activity. It quickly went viral, gaining over 1.5 million views. Because whether its scoring a free cappuccino at your local coffee shop or a fresh loaf of bread at an independent bakery, the satisfaction from punching that final hole in a punch card is unmatched. Now, social media users are hacking that dopamine hit to achieve their own goals, from dating to reading. In @emiliamariehomes video, each friend picked a goal and a reward for finishing punching all the holes on their card. One of her friends used their card as motivation to try new flower arrangements. Once they punched all four holes, they would allow themselves to buy one new vase. Another wanted to try 10 new recipes before buying another cookbook. A third promised themselves 10 croissants if they went on 10 dates (10 croissants are needed after 10 hinge dates, the creator joked in the comments). In the spirit of January, the celebrated month of goal-setting, the punch cards have quickly taken off. Love this idea, one person commented. Especially as someone that struggles to celebrate her wins. Another added, this is ridiculously cute. I am doing it.” The New Year period is traditionally when millions take stock of how they live and set ambitious goals for the year ahead, often in terms of numbers. How many books will you read? How many exercise classes will you take? How many new recipes will you try? A recent YouGov poll found 31% of Americans said they would be making New Years resolutions or setting goals for 2025. But skip forward to the end of January, and a good number of those will already have given up on their goals set just a few short weeks ago. However, small lifestyle changes can often be transformative if you keep at them. And while there are a number of habit trackers that attempt to help us do that, from Apple watches and Oura rings to meticulously planned spreadsheets and Notion templates, punch cards may be a gentler way to keep yourself accountable in 2025.
Category:
E-Commerce
Two years ago, Volkswagen debuted a prototype of its ID.7, the sixth model in its lineup of electric vehicles, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The automaker said it was planning to launch the EV in three primary markets: Europe, China, and North America. But now, after a series of delays, VW has canceled its plans to sell the ID.7 in North America. Due to the ongoing challenging EV climate, Volkswagen has decided to no longer offer the ID.7 to the North American market, a Volkswagen spokesperson said. Despite this, electric vehicles continue to be a core part of Volkswagens long-term product strategy, and new electric models will continue to be introduced for this market. EV sales in the U.S. have been growing. They jumped more than 15% in the last quarter of 2024, compared to the year prior, setting a new quarter sales record. Sales for the entire year reached 1.3 million in the U.S., a more than 7% increase compared to 2023, according to data from Cox Automotive. But the Trump administration has already made the EV climate more challenging. Moments after being sworn in this week, Sean Duffy, Donald Trumps new Transportation Secretary, signed a memorandum to roll back fuel economy standards with the aim of eliminat[ing] the electric vehicle mandate. This follows an executive order by Trump promising to do the same, though no such mandate to force Americans to purchase EVs actually exists. What Trump is actually targeting are the EV tax credits of up to $7,500 that are part of the Inflation Reduction Act and Bidens goal to have EVs make up 50% of new vehicle sales by 2030. [Photo: Volkswagen] Some automakers were already scaling back their EV plans. Ford announced in August 2024 that it was canceling some electric SUVs in favor of hybrid models as a way to improve profits, though said it was still planning to roll out new all-electric vehicles in the future. Volkswagens ID.7 was first planned for 2024, but last year the automaker announced an indefinite delay due to changing market dynamics. The ID.7 has already launched in both Europe and China. Despite solid sales for 2024, automakers are now on edge as the EV industry in the U.S. faces an uncertain future. Trumps anti-EV agenda and plans for tariffs pose a threat to EV sales. The legality of Trumps actions are yet to be seen, however. And even still, analysts do expect EV sales to grow in 2025. Cox Automotives 2025 outlook predicted that one out of every four vehicles sold in 2025 will be electrified. The market is gaining momentum, economic fundamentals are improving, and consumer sentiment is pointing in the right direction, Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke said in a statement. We are ready for what 2025 might bring.
Category:
E-Commerce
Spirit Airlines has rejected a merger offer with Frontier as it prepares to exit bankruptcy. Wednesday, Frontier made its second offer to merge with the bankrupt Spirit Airlines, but Spirit rejected it on the grounds that it was financially insufficient. In 2022, Frontier offered to acquire Spirit for $2.9 billion, but the offer was ultimately rejected when Spirit chose to accept a higher offer from JetBlue (which was later blocked for antitrust concerns). Frontier Airlines put forward its current merger offer in hopes of creating a strong, low-fare airline together. “We have long believed a combination with Spirit would allow us to unlock additional value-creation opportunities,” said Barry Biffle, CEO of Frontier, in a statement. In a joint letter to Spirits chair and CEO, Biffle and Frontiers chair of the board added that they believe the transaction generates more value for all Spirit stakeholders than Spirits current plan filed to the Bankruptcy Court. But Frontiers offer was lower than the amount the two parties had discussed in 2022, Raniero DAversa, an attorney and market-leading practitioner in bankruptcies, out-of-court restructurings, and creditors’ rights controversies, tells Fast Company. In Frontiers offer, debt holders would receive $400 million in new debt and 19% of Frontiers common equity. It would also require stakeholders to invest $350 million in equity, which they were not willing to do, according to a regulatory filing. The offer appears to be too little, too late, DAversa says. In its rejection of the offer, Spirit said that the board believes Frontiers proposal is so insufficient as not to merit a counter. Accepting or considering this offer could also interfere with the airlines plans to exit bankruptcy, which it had filed for in November. Spirit Airlines is on a fast track to exit, DAversa says. Any serious consideration of the Frontier offer would derail the whole bankruptcy process, which is overwhelmingly supported by its constituents. The airline has a February 13 court date to finalize its exit plan. While a company and its board have a fiduciary obligation to consider any deal for the benefit of its constituents and equity holdersand in the case of bankruptcy, its creditorsthey’re under no obligation to actually accept it. Although Spirit has operated normally during its bankruptcy, the airline has cut 200 jobs and sold some Airbus planes in order to raise millions of dollars. DAversa compares the situation to the classic “a bird in the hand . . . ” idiom. Spirit is lined up to come out of bankruptcy imminently, and it appears the airline is ready to fight through its final month rather than merge.
Category:
E-Commerce
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