People are looking for companies, brands and products capable of fostering the Three Ps: Planet, People, Profit, as the issue of sustainability is increasingly significant and real action needs to be taken. The perspective of Fabrizio Valente, CEO & Founder of Kiki Lab, a company specialised in all aspects of retail.

Ride the growth and continue sowing in order to strengthen it over time, take consumers’ views on board and meet demands when it comes to sustainability. The latter is an issue that must be addressed with actual answers and facts for the Planet and for People. For the first point, real actions need to be taken. For the second point, it's a matter of maintaining relationships with collaborators, communities, local areas and, more broadly, caring for our nation. We are actually talking about a sector in which Made in Italy has made global history: we must be able to revitalise it, if only as a great market opportunity. In this regard, the CEO of Kiki Lab points out that, due to the increase in raw material and staffing costs, many companies currently consider it cost-effective to bring production and logistics back to Italy.

In an interview with HOMI in September, Fabrizio Valente addressed the three Ps in detail, stressing that “only after tackling Planet and People can we tackle the third P, which is businesses’ economic sustainability, namely Profit, without which companies do not move forward. Developed in a well-balanced manner, the three Ps generate value for customers, the environment and society, as well as reinforcing a trustworthy image for products, brands and companies.”

“So in the future, the home will continue to be important, as will household consumption. On an emotional level, individuals and families will invest considerably in the domestic environment. People will choose and invest more in the home, but more selectively: in addition to sustainability, there is the theme of value, of product quality, bringing to mind the attention to detail and artisanship that are strongly linked to Made in Italy: there’s a lot of potential for bringing it back into vogue”. Because quality is a value that needs to be communicated and narrated.

“We’re well aware that an inexperienced person often does not recognise quality. In stores, we have to tell them about the entire supply chain from the point of view of the product, production and the production company’s values”. Interactions with customers take place in stores and contact with customers now happens at all touch points, including digital ones. “As long as it's authentic storytelling, not slogans, but something capable of communicating not just the quality of the products but also, and most importantly, the quality of the projects”. There is so much behind each product, “and this was evident when walking around the stands at HOMI,” continues Valente, “passion, local traditions, the ability to innovate from tradition. In a sector that’s often fragmented, it’s important to revitalise manufacturing areas and supply chains, integrating them, and making sure there are win-win projects that can help bring quality projects onto the market: innovation combined with Made in Italy's DNA. This path will definitely lead to success with customers and consumers.”

Fabrizio Valente has worked in retail and consumption for over 30 years as a researcher and consultant for companies in Italy and abroad. In 2001, he founded Kiki Lab, a company specialised in all areas of retail, offering consultancy, research and training for Retailers, Brands and Service Companies from different industries and positions, from mass-market to luxury. Kiki Lab is the only Italian member of the Ebeltoft Group, an alliance of over 20 companies that operates all across the world and publishes annual global research on different issues including Retail Innovations, Brands go to Retail and the Phygital Transition.