In China, IKEA is a furniture-filled theme park where people are welcome to spend an entire day – even if they don’t buy anything. The Swedish furniture store has adapted to the nuances of Chinese shopping - but will it be successful?

Getting clothes dry cleaned can be a real hassle, from finding a good dry cleaners to arranging a suitable time for pick-up. Spotting an opportunity to use technology to simplify the process, FlyCleaners is a laundry service that operates through an app.

The recession has changed the way we consume. From houses to cars and even clothes, rising costs mean we are more open to renting. In the Netherlands, a start-up called Bundles is loaning members a free washing machine, charging them only for what they wash each month.

In the UK, 75% of adults care about their home being clean – but only one in five put the time in to clean at the weekend. Perhaps it's down to laziness, being overworked, or rethinking priorities, but one million more people employ a cleaner than a decade ago.

Is tea still the most popular drink in China? And do logo-centric brands still dominate luxury? In our 2014 / 15 cultural snapshot of China, we demystify cultural myths, shed light on the country’s economic outlook, and explore the emerging and established trends across eleven sectors.

By 2030, cities in China will house 1 billion people. To meet rocketing demand, the government plans to build 36 million affordable new homes. Spending on home improvement has increased, but people aren’t embracing DIY – they’re paying others to do it for them.

The Apple App Store houses over one million apps. Despite once trying to do everything, apps are now being split into single purpose platforms. But how do people actually use them? And which is more useful – the Swiss Army knife approach or a tailored, single purpose app?

From being accustomed to renting our homes, and that power drill you only need once, we now don’t mind renting a nail polish that someone else has already had their hands on, or not owning our washing machine. But why aren’t people so keen to own material possessions anymore?