In the past few months, shanzai.com has showcased a MacBook Air clone that, at just £170, improves in many ways on Apple's £1,200 original: for a start it has two USB ports, runs Windows software and a desktop remote control. Then there's the first tri-band phone with a high-resolution projector inside — on the market for months before LG got in on the act with its own Expo Projector Phone.

As Brown translates it, shanzhai comes from the Chinese characters for "mountain" and "fortress" or "bandit". The term originally referred to copycat manufacturing of the type that Western companies dismiss as blatant fraud. But in current usage, as Brown explains, it means "a vendor who operates a business without observing the traditional rules or practices — often resulting in innovative and unusual products or business models". Wrong, certainly, by western standards. Yet also a remarkable way to give consumers products that improve on the original.

Japanese fashion brand, Uniqlo’s latest collaboration with artist Shin Tanaka has been catching the attention of shoppers. A series of paper toys were created to promote their Disney line “mickey by…” and are showcased across the retail environment. Tanaka’s creations capture the essence of the whimsical products and proves that even a simple art display can serve as an innovative retail design solution.