Ana judith benchmarking one year course

BENCHMARKING EVENT PROJECT Ana Judith Prado IED Istituto Europeo di Design

WHO? Luisa Via Roma (LVR), a shop that offers seventy years to customers of all places in the world clothing and accessories by famous designers, has become one of the most successful e-commerce for the Italian. Taking advantage of the large influx of tourism in the Tuscan city, LuisaViaRoma already in past decades had managed to maintain a relationship with its foreign clients that went beyond the simple purchase in the store, thanks to a system based on orders by fax and payments with bank transfers. Then, in 1999, comes the site, at first intended for a limited number of people, then open to the public.

Luisa Via Roma is constantly looking for new concepts. The concept of shopping has evolved.

The mix of art, music and innovation of new communication channels is the success of LVR.

TOOLS Ten years of fashion on the web that have made today's reality Luisaviroma leader in e-commerce by recording more than one million unique visitors per month on the platform online, real strength of the store. LVR has always been a pioneer of new technologies in the field of fashion.

Innovation was carried by them on the level of multimedia: the online store signed Luisa Via Roma as one of the top retailers of trade on the Internet. An interactive and immediate strategy helped LVR became leader of e-commerce high-end recording on the web with high turnover figures.

Thanks to the Internet, dialogue with the public has become a constant and direct relationship, not only regarding to e-commerce. The interaction between the retail, web, and new social networks is the secret of success of Luisa Via Roma.

The media for Luisa Via Roma does not stop at the web but also comes within the same store, where there are screens with which "browse" collections directly in the store, actually changing the way of shopping.

E.CRAFT Luisaviaroma.com creates section HOME / E.CRAFT, a selection of exclusive products and furniture created by the best Italian craftsmen that express the excellence of the product Made in Italy. The project starts from the thought on how the craft still represents a fundamental source of wealth and know-how to Italy, a resource that should be valued and promoted.

In the '400-'500 Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo, started their careers working in the workshops of Florence. In the same workshops are still produced handmade items of excellent quality.

LVR, with its first flagship store in Florence and one of the most important in the world today boutique e-commerce giant de luxe, has always been careful to preserve and enhance the know-how with a special Italian touch.

The project E.CRAFT started in collaboration with the Design Campus of the University of Florence - was created to allow the best companies of the craft made in Italy to achieve a certain visibility in the global marketplace, accessible through the

web.

E.CRAFT PORTAL The inclusion of "E.CRAFT" in the portal LuisaViaRoma.com, allows an access in an immediate way.

The banners contribute to an emotional communication which is sensed with lifestyle photographs or representations of the products.

To ensure the suitability and the subsequent entry of companies in the selection e.craft, they have created an assessment tool. It is structured to evaluate the product of Italian excellence.

For a company found to be eligible, it must guarantee a production conceived and designed in Italy.

The selected brands are: Agresti, Baldi Home Jewels, Bellini Sara, Bottega d’Arte Maselli, Ceramica Gatti, Cesa 1882, Devon & Devon Dottor Vranjes, Frilli Gallery, Greggio Argenterie, Luce Scultura, Masini, Mario Cioni & C., MCCS, Savio Firmino, Tommaso De Carlo and Tondo Doni.

Homepage of LVR.com with promotional banner of section e.craft

catalog

The catalog e.craft presents various Home products were we can find each product information, such as: low price, high price, company, etc...

For purchasing a product, you have the option of choosing variants: see the features, price and ask for more information at the service customer care.

INTEREST IN COMMON Italian artifacts have marked the main stages of development in the history of the product and its archetypes of many of them belong to Italy and its cultural heritage.

The Made in Italy is a system of excellence, know-how and culture of the quality of life globally recognized.

The craftsmanship

has always contributed to the structure of italian manufacturing processes. We can find craftsmanship in a variety of contexts: in design, fashion, in the production of machine tools, even in the field of hi-tech.

The craftsmanship is the essential ingredient of the modus operandi of luxury large companies as well as the small business of precision engineering.

We are used to match the creativity of the artisan to the artistic dimension that features many historical trades of Italian craftsmanship. Italy is becoming a must for many new creative with the passion of doing.

People come from all over the world to learn the techniques of the crafts, to discover the italian culture manufacturing and absorb the taste of tradition.

Their common challenge To stop denying the figure of the artisan since he is the one who organizes the quality and proposes the handcrafted value to an international scale.

To be able to mix innovative knowledge and gestures of tradition Learn to communicate the skills of craftsmen through the new media.

Embrace craftsmanship hand by hand with technology in its social and cultural dimension.

SWOT CONTRAST e.craft - LUISAVIAROMA

S W O T

- Offers its know-how to give digital craftsmanship Italian global visibility, while respecting the quality and tradition.

- Established and in function

- Limited to online sale - e.craft social network non-existant

- Would gain more visibility and attention with an event like Oltrarno’s - Access new markets

- Other sale platforms that have craftsmanship as their main focus.

Oltrarno event - MVA

S W O T

- Offers a real experience by working in the process of craftsmanship with the guidance of professional artisans.

- Collaboration with other companies that share the same values even if they are from different field sectors.

- Insufficient brand awareness - Have just reached attention of who works on the fashion field - The company concept is not well communicated.

- Develope different communication strategies to create a strong brand awareness.

- Social Media - Promotion of MVA’s archive and event - To reach key influencers - Lack of interest in younger generations.

- Piazza del Carmine is not a touristic spot.

PROPOSED BRAND Why?

A great example of Italian craftsmanship is the experienced Gucci, one of the brands that best represent Italy in the world. A fundamental part of Gucci’s heritage built its success on the unique know-how of thousands of craftsmen who work for the Florentine house.

The majority of those who produce Gucci bags and accessories, are craftsmen who revive the tradition projected into innovation and change. They know that the value of a quality product needs to be based on unique skills, which is why the experience of the artisan is critical, especially when the raw material has an intrinsic value and requires specific treatment.

This attention to handcrafted theme has also become a priority in their communication.

Forever Now campaign, designed by Frida Giannini and promoted since 2010, was mainly centered on the craftsman figure. Advertising Gucci gave life to a series of photographs of the fifties showing craftsmen at work in the old headquarters in Via delle Caldaie (today showroom of Gucci in Florence).

In some particularly prestigious shops, Gucci then organized a series of events designed to involve its customers to show live what it means to produce one of his bags. The artisan corners have helped to promote a new Gucci product, more attached to the expert craftsmen.

It is no coincidence that other brands have decided at the same time to revive this cultural heritage, such as Louis Vuitton, which bets on the history of its products and the value of craftsmanship that enables the production.

BENCHMARK CONCLUSION Although LVR and MVA are following different strategies, still they are very similar, since they both have some interests in common.

Besides they are both based in Florence, they are both interested in promoting and showing the importance of craftsmanship.

E.crafts from LuisaViaRoma, does not have an exactly direct link to Oltrarno’s event, but after analysing e.craft for benchmarking I could also propose e.craft as a candidate to create a similar event strategy as MVA, with some variations and a slightly different approach, but still having craftsmen as the protagonists of the event.

For a second proposal brand that could be interested on a similar event strategy could be high-end brands such as Gucci, as explained before, which their main success is built on their heritage of the unique know-how of thousands of craftsmen who work for the Florentine house.

THANK YOU! Ana Judith Prado IED Istituto Europeo di Design