by Stefano Belviolandi

It is fundamental to react quickly to changes, anticipating the trends of a new normal that has boosted again values in everyone’s life that are often taken for granted, such as freedom, health, sport, travel, cuisine... The pandemic and related lockdowns have made these needs re-emerge and, as a consequence, have also focused their attention on promotional items for these sectors. Market demands have certainly changed and monitoring of customers and suppliers has evolved. The increased demand for eco-friendly accessories and the explosion in use of digital and technology have breathed new life into promotional items after a period when the latter “between the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 were experiencing a slight downturn", says Marco Zaffignani, partner and general manager of Ser.Com.

Yes to digital but with balance

While until recently, it was key to open negotiations by visiting customers and letting them experience products and projects first hand through direct experience, today technology has prevailed with virtual meetings, but this has left two key aspects uncovered: consultancy and trust. "Both are difficult to establish with customers and also very time-consuming. And a digital tool, says Diego Testi, managing partner of AD Selection, - is not always the solution for creating effective and lasting relationships. We are working to achieve a balance between traditional and digital approaches: both in our daily way of approaching customers and through the type of products, services and projects we offer, which will then be shared with end users.

Alberto Minnone, director and head of marketing and sales at Below the Sign, also emphasised how the main change was in the relationship between customers and suppliers and how, at the beginning of the pandemic, it was complicated to manage it just virtually. All this, however, led the company to turn to digital. How? "We chose to expand a number of technological aspects to offer a better service and make the whole business process smarter, including a new E-shop, Blockchain, 3D printing and a new reserved area. The E-Shop,” says Minnone, "was created to provide simple and immediate solutions for specific fast purchases. The Blockchain is a significant added value in terms of information exchange while 3D printing allows rapid prototyping and, finally, the reserved area is a customised and personalised area for our customers.

Trends reward Made in Italy

Given that the events of the pandemic have shown that companies can no longer afford to be 'passive and wait', as Zaffignani puts it, he emphasises a trend in creativity and sustainability, shared also by AD Selection and Below the Sign. Today's brands prefer eco-green gadgets where "aesthetics and functionality are linked", Minnone says and this is confirmed by Testi too, who adds usefulness and durability to this trend. Finally, an interesting detail: made in Italy. "More and more companiesarechoosing to support Italian companies for their campaigns, opting for items manufactured in our country» says Minnone.