Branding Abroad: Italy

There’s a lot to look forward to in 2021. With wide-spread vaccination on the horizon, relative relief from the global pandemic is close at hand. But even with a new layer of safety added to the retail shopping experience, one factor remains irrevocably changed — the consumer. The numbers back this. More than 65% of consumers intend to continue new buying behaviors acquired due to the pandemic during the post-vaccine era, according to one recent study. Another survey reveals that 56% of consumers plan to use BOPIS (buy-online-pickup-in-store) after the pandemic ends. While retailers ready themselves to meet the post-pandemic consumer online and in-store, one thing is clear. Retail success in the post-pandemic era isn’t so much about where you serve your customers as it is about how you create authentic, personalized omnichannel experiences that transcend the limits of your digital and physical touchpoints and create lasting brand loyalty.

As we prepare for the Holiday season and consider last-minute changes to our media spend, it’s essential to ask: Can print media be a digital champion? Overwhelmingly, the data tells us YES. Print campaigns are often perceived as more credible and trustworthy than digital ads. This trust translates into a stronger brand presence and higher engagement when audiences encounter the brand online. Print media also has a lasting presence; customers and prospects may keep the printed piece for weeks, providing ongoing brand exposure and serving as a reminder that drives people to engage with the brand digitally. Moreover, shoppers tend to spend more time with print media compared to digital ads, which are often skimmed or skipped. This higher engagement can lead to better recall and a stronger inclination to explore the brand online. Just think of our own shopping experiences around digital ad fatigue. Digital and Meta channels are saturated with ads, leading to ad fatigue. Print campaigns faces less competition, allowing your message to stand out and capture attention more effectively.

Tackling a global health crisis has looked different for different retailers. For United by Blue, an outdoor brand that sells through its own site as well as retail partners, it looked like holds on order shipments, followed by cancellations on those orders. It proved a tough position to effectively run a business. Mike Cangi, co-founder of United by Blue, said the company swiftly noticed that its peers were also struggling in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic, and thought there may be a solution in them all banding together. The result was a joint sales event between some 15 to 20 mission driven brands in April, dubbed "I Stand With Small," in an effort to drive traffic — and hopefully sales — to each other's businesses. "It was really just a joint marketing and sales tool for us to help get through what was a really tough time with a lot of uncertainty in April of this year," Cangi said. "And it was really successful." For the brands, it did what it was supposed to do: give them a lift at a much-needed time. But for consumers, it was also a plus, by introducing them to new brands that held similar values to the ones they already bought from, according to Cangi. After the initial sale's success, the companies started talking about working together again, and thus, the effort was renamed the Mission Brand Alliance and a website launched to showcase the brands in July. more at: https://www.retaildive.com/news/why-20-brands-are-sending-out-a-joint-holiday-catalog-this-season/591499/