BA R C E LON A... TO DAY A N D TO MO RROW
As the world-renowned and most influential of all bridal events changes its format in observance of the new health and safety measures, Wedding Trader talked to Estermaria Laruccia, VBBFW Director Business has changed as a result of the pandemic and the possibility of further outbreaks. How should/can retailers persuade future brides to buy from them when the lockdown no longer applies to bridal stores? The consequences of the health crisis generated by the pandemic have certainly disrupted our personal and professional habits and they’re also changing the dynamics of the market and, above all, the way we relate to each other, shop and do business. The new technologies are playing – and will continue to play – an increasingly important role, as was made clear in the study titled The Shops Of The Future For Millennial Brides that VBBFW asked IESE Professor Nueno to conduct. The future has arrived in an unexpected and dramatic manner and it has also accelerated changes that were pending in the retail channel. Bridal stores will also have to change the way they seduce their customers, facilitating virtual shopping journeys and welcoming the bride to the store solely for the final phase of the purchase. They’ll obviously have to adapt their premises to the health safety standards stemming from the pandemic, but this will be the final
18 ♦ W E D D I N G T R A D E R ♦ J U L Y / A U G U S T 2 0 2 0
