The world of the home, including decoration, giftware and household goods, is going through a new phase involving all the key players in the supply chain, from the end consumer to manufacturers.

Retail, with its important role as an intermediary between consumption and production, is looking for ways to have a greater impact in terms of offer, visual merchandising, environments, in order to strengthen the relationship with the end customer, meeting their needs for new shopping experiences. This is a very important theme for the HOMI community that will also be addressed during the event and that was already anticipated by the webinar on the 16th "Retail and the home: an evolving relationship. "

For HOMI, themes that embrace space and its development in the retail experience are increasingly relevant. With the aim of offering new opportunities and food for thought by proposing tools, in-depth analysis, discussion and debate to support the entire exhibition chain. A context in which retailers - both large-scale and specialised - are moving in a number of directions: signing up to partnerships, implementing their own design skills, approaching new market segments. For all of them, the main theme is to be attractive and distinctive, to differentiate themselves from direct competitors, as well as from the dynamics and logic of online shopping.

This was the starting point for the contributions of the industry experts - designers, retailers, managers, visual design and merchandising experts - who spoke during the webinar.

A welcome by Emanuele Guido, Exhibition Director Business Unit Lifestyle of Fiera Milano was followed by the speech by the moderator Marina Bassi, Chief Retail Editor, MARK UP - GDO WEEK, New Business Media who introduced the report by Claudia Baldi, Architect and Professor at the School of Design Politecnico di Milano. The latter has the task of addressing the themes of phygital and omnichannel (onlife, interconnection, immediacy, interaction, immersion) under the banner of "Retail, the necessary change. Between fast delivery and value dynamics".

This was followed by the contribution of Emanuela Franzese, Visual Merchandising & Visual Design Consultant, which is important for defining the physical relationship between us and the exhibition space, for creating the space of experience (i.e.: we don't buy products, but what products can do for us).

Finally, Marina Bassi introduced Giuseppe Caponio, Category Manager Small Domestic Appliances who, among other things, presented an overview of household appliances at Unieuro, concluding with the growing importance of online sales, considered the market that will tend to develop the most in the future.

If you missed the webinar, review it here