GfK Italia organized the event “The Augmented Era: Augmented Shopper, Retailer, Media & Brand”. During the meeting, various aspects of the Augmented Era were considered: this is characterized by new advanced products, new purchase methods, new physical and digital touchpoints, new media and new contents. Starting from GfK’s analysis, strategic indications have been presented that are also applicable to the Brands. Among the speeches, Stefano Pironi, Key Account Manager of GfK Italia, presented a scenario analysis on the theme “Purchasing, learning, sharing: the complex simplicity of the new trends”. “We are experiencing an unprecedented structural change in the markets – explained Pironi -. Thanks to digital (but not only), we are witnessing an increase in individual ’empowerment’ from which consumers derive who are freer, more informed, critical, disintermediate but also unfaithful and very difficult to predict and retain. Today more than ever it is essential to understand the profound purchase logic and the trends that guide the attitudes and behavior of the ‘new’ individuals-consumers. Experience, quality, disintermediation, simplicity, personalization, speed, authenticity and sustainability seem to be the key words to understand the complex simplicity of the new trends in the Augmented Consumer”.
Fabrizio Marazzi, Solution Lead Market Insights of GfK, has instead commented on the latest trends in the Tech market in Italy: “In the first four months of 2019, the Italian market of Technical Consumer Goods recorded a slight decrease in turnover (-0.2%) compared to the same period last year, with a total turnover of 4.2 billion euros. The performance of the Telecommunications sector is slowing down (+0.3%), the performance of the Small Household Appliance is positive (+8.9%), while IT and Major Domestic Appliances are stable. Negative trend (-7%) for Consumer electronics and Photo. Considering the 2018, we have recorded a decrease of -5.4% of the Entertainment market (physical support of Music, Video, Book and Video Game), which generated a turnover of 1,850 million euros. This sector has undergone the effects of the digital evolution, which has changed the use of content, bringing it from possession to streaming”.
The challenge of the new “augmented” era does not save brands, as explained by Chiara Galati, GfK Italia Sales Lead. “Even for the Brands – she said – the Augmented Era brings new challenges and the need to change approach by activating …”superpowers”! Three are the key words that should guide the Brands in this transformation process: first of all Speed, which means being able to listen to consumers (always more prepared and ready to experiment), intercept their desires and react very quickly. Flexibility, which means interaction and involvement of the consumers through experiences and contents consistent with the values of the brand. Finally the Strenght, that is to say the ability to be ‘relevant’ and to transmit confidence and safety to the consumers”.
