“The trend is better than we had expected: we continue to be positive and very confident that after these months of global slowdown there will be a strong recovery”: optimism is a virtue that supports the success of every project, and Guido Grassi Damiani is an example. The family group of which he is president, founded in 1924 in Valenza Po by the forefather Enrico and firmly in the hands of his heirs – an almost unique case in the panorama of the Italian jeweler -, has certainly not been able to avoid the slowdowns imposed by the pandemic, but it has treasured, focusing on digital innovation and the development of markets, such as the Asian ones, which are the driving force behind the recovery and where Damiani has been present for some time with solid foundations. And it is from China, the country that has supported the sales of jewelry throughout the sector in the difficult year that has just ended, that the expansion plan of the Piedmontese group will resume, which, in addition to the eponymous brand, also includes Salvini, Venini, Calderoni and Rocca, and which in 2024 will celebrate its first century of life. “People continue to have moments to celebrate that they want to make memorable and eternal by giving or treating themselves to something beautiful, valuable and timeless,” he explains.
Mr. Damiani, what changes have you introduced with the pandemic in your shops and workplaces such as offices and production plants?
Our watchword was “safety”. Covid has led us to rethink the spaces of our stores and our offices around the world, to structure a program of constant sanitization of the environments in order to guarantee a comfortable and safe shopping experience, to create private spaces, to guarantee meetings by appointment, further enhance the assistance services that allow us to remotely manage the relationship with the customer through the digital platforms made available by the company. We have adapted our sales model to this new scenario: we want to continue to be a guarantee for our customers and a reference point in the sector. The positive results are proving us right …
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What news will remain beyond the pandemic?
Digital will certainly be an increasingly important element also in the near future: it is a segment of the business in which we are continuing to invest by implementing strategic activities and strengthening the team.
Were you ready or did you increase investments and internalize platforms and logistics? How much has e-commerce helped?
The desire to offer an excellent digital customer experience has led the Damiani Group in recent years to define a strategic plan aimed at strengthening communication activities on all digital channels, enhancing assistance and online sales services. The pandemic has accelerated this mechanism. Thanks to these services, the e-commerce channel recorded significant growth in 2020, with sales quadrupled compared to the previous year.Among the activities planned, for which we have increased our investments, we have the development of an e-commerce platform and omnichannel for all the brands of the Group; the consolidation of the digital presence in all markets; the definition of strategic partnerships with excellent partners aimed at promoting the heritage of the brands and generating traffic in boutiques but also on our sites; the development of a digital customer experience increasingly integrated with the retail network that allows enthusiasts to view a wide selection of our creations at any time (and anywhere in the world). We want to implement new digital and e-commerce services aimed at supporting the sites and digital communication activities of authorized retailers and optimizing online insurance services. We are also working on the conception of new digital communication projects and on meetings and digital training cycles organized for employees and dealers who distribute our creations.
Has the pandemic changed your approach to social media and B2C communication through social media?
The pandemic has strengthened our approach to social media: digital channels par excellence dedicated to brand storytelling capable of generating “drive to e-commerce” and “drive to store” flows. On these digital applications, in addition to the product, it is important to tell “the invisible of the visible”: Made in Italy, Craftsmanship and Savoir Faire have been, and still are, key elements to communicate because they characterize the DNA of the product, reinforce its perception at the level digital and are able to generate interest in the potential consumer and strengthen that of the customer already acquired.