Luxury packaging: a concept in the making

Luciana Guidotti

By its nature, selective packaging meets essential criteria of excellence. Synthesis of research, technology, artisan knowledge and attention to detail, it is an industrial asset in all respects, capable of supporting the image and reputation of a brand. We therefore involved experts and operators in the sector to investigate the evolution of the high-end packaging market, asking them to take stock of the needs expressed by the brands, the possible influences exerted by the new online sales methods and the value of Made in Italy in the global market. The points of view that we report below are linked by a common thread, which sees the search for sustainability of products and processes as an element of strong characterization. An element that could not exist, however, without the development and investments in technology, as described in various ways by the respondents. And if it is common to all the consideration of “Italianness” as a distinctive value to be protected (perhaps to be reinterpreted on the basis of new communication codes), there are still perplexities of various kinds about e-commerce, for some irrelevant, for other potential development drivers also for selective packaging.

We obviously thank those who joined our investigation (Baralan, Fontana Grafica, G. Candiani, Lumson, Luxoro, Zignago Vetro), and we leave to Andrea Sommavilla (a life spent on the quality and development of packaging and today also a consultant for Cosmetica Italia) the task of anticipating some reflections on the subject.

Towards experiential luxury

According to an authoritative source*, the global pandemic “has been an accelerator of trends that were already emerging”, bequeathing the search for an experiential, more discreet and intimate luxury. With the due differences between East and West, however, where trends seem to polarize: if Western consumers think that “sobriety” is the way to go, along with slow fashion and intrinsic product quality, the Orientals (Chinese above all) always aim at coolness and brand visibility. As summed up by Matteo Lunelli, President of Altagamma, in the sector the importance of experiences is consolidated as well as the attention to sustainability, which puts social and * The seventh edition of the Altagamma environmental scenarios at the center of business strategies. Digital becomes essential, but Consumer and Retail Insight was personal contact enhances it with taicharacterized by the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 on the luxury world, with the usual focus on the evolution of consumer behavior lor-made proposals for a Clienteling 2.0, where the relationship with the consumer and distribution strategies of companies. is seamlessly nurtured both in store and online”.