O - B2B24 - Il Sole 24 Ore

cs progetti&prodotti
”
Bisogna reagire
all’appiattimento
generale, spesso
creato dai campionari
di importazione
dice Mario Riccio, di Sharon, che è invece
un espositore storico «perché oggi
proporre un prodotto italiano significa inevitabilmente
avere prezzi più alti. Ma abbiamo
riscontrato una inaspettata attenzione
alla qualità. E il packaging diventa
una variabile importante per caratterizzare
la destinazione d’uso».
Aggiunge Ciro Tomeo, titolare dell’omonima
azienda: «Oggi torna l’attenzione, ad
esempio, per la ceramica di Capodimonte.
Chi spende denaro vuole oggetti che
abbiano un valore destinato a durare nel
tempo e a farsi apprezzare».
Ai negozi, poi, l’arduo compito di valorizzare
il prodotto con l’adeguato servizio,
ma anche di inventare e comunicare nuove
destinazioni d’uso. Come la “baby shower”
(ovvero la lista di regali prima della
nascita di un bimbo) che negli Stati Uniti è
molto in voga e dove le “bomboniere” italiane
sono le più richieste per le occasioni
d’elite. Parola di un buyer italo-americano
incontrato al Vebo, Alessandro Pieri, che
compra a Napoli e vende on line negli Usa
(www.myitalianfavors.com).
82 CASASTILE
THE NEW ERA OF FAVORS
TRADE FAIRS +10% attendance for
favors-themed Vebo; the industry now
focuses on Italian products and customised
service
These days, a 10% increase in the number
of visitors of a trade fair is really remarkable:
this year’s Vebo – the international event
dedicated to favours, giftware and houseware,
part of the Fiera d’Oltremare Fair –
welcomed 33,000 people who went to
Naples to visit 270 exhibitor stands across
25,600 sqm (12-15 October).
72% of them were from other Italian regions
– a figure that grew year after year since the
trade show was born. This 11th edition was
an unexpected success, especially on the
Sunday, when the stands were very busy.
The event organizer Luciano Paulillo said
they are ‘happy with the attendance and
the quality of the trade relationships established
in Naples, in a year when 2,000 businesses
were wiped out by the crisis. The
favours industry accounts for 1,500 manufacturers
in Italy, small and very small businesses
with 30,000 workers and – according
to the Italian federation for giftware and
favours Firb – a turnover of about 750 billion
Euros.
Vebo gave us the feeling that, despite
the crisis, the favours industry is still
extraordinarily lively, especially in Southern
and Central Italy. The survivors in the
market – both producers and retailers –
adapt to new challenges and focus on
”The favors industry
accounts for 1,500
manufacturers in Italy
quality and service, whether they reintroduce
100% Italian craftsmanship products
or propose brand new items.
They are currently at war against Asian
competitors, who lowered the perceived
value of favours; they take advantage of
people’s renewed interest in weddings, fostered
by many TV shows about the happiest
day, so popular among youths.
A cultural difference remains between
Northern and Southern Italy – an interesting
one if considered in all its complexity.
As Sales Manager for Wald Gianna de
Pretis explains: “Customers from Southern
Italy prefer traditional favours, purely decorative,
whereas customers from the North
opt for useful kitchenware or tableware;
that is why we created a line of products
that can be used as gifts and as favours.
The distribution patterns also differ: stores
in Southern Italy are better structured and
organized for the sale of favours, still an
important business. We had noticed an
increased interest in favours in the last few
months, and the success of this trade
eventistheproof’.
WhatwesawatVeboislesssilverand
more simplicity. There are a few reasons:
a change in taste in new generations, but
also lower average prices, as the exhibitors
confirmed: customers spend between 12
and 15 Euros for a favour, rarely more than
20, as they did a few years ago.
The association with fashion is still a winning
feature, but the brand has no longer
valueinitself.
As explained by Gigi Cucciardi from Platinum
Art, a company from Campania that
markets Gattinoni products, there is a need
to ‘fight homogenization. You need fantasy,
design and elegance: that is what makes a
great designer’s product. We try to help