Responsible for Altavia’s international development, Lorenzo joined the group 21 years ago to start the first Altavia subsidiary outside France, after having worked in the telecom and publishing fields. Before his present position, he was GM of the Altavia Iberica and area manager for Europe. Italian by birth, graduated at Politecnico di Torino, he lived in Israel, Italy , Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Spain and finally in France.
What retail innovation recently seduced you the most?
Causses is a “Quality and Health Food Shop” ( AGQ ) inspired by the slow food values ( good , clean and fair ) , which highlights the recognized expertise of the producers which signed the brand’s quality charter, and is also a food court, offering a short homemade menu made from products from the store. “The mission of Causses is to transform the chore of shopping to a fun moment, and to be a place of experience and friendliness. ” The choice of products that are referenced meets the values of the brand : – Quality – Authenticity – Curiosity – friendliness – With over 2000 products guaranteed without additives or food coloring, there is more than enough to be satisfied .
What major trend affecting retail seems the most exciting to you ?
The customization of consumer products. Technology allows brands today to offer to their customers differentiated products, with direct access to information from their consumers through their digital activity. In an impersonal consumer world , personalization is a reflection of the desire to feel unique. tomorrow’s IoT, which will identify health and mood data, may pave the way for manufacturers to create new interactions, automatically delivering highly customized offers, such as a drinks adapted to each consumers needs in energy and calories. The question is to see how the industry will take this turn and when.
Your favorite retail destination ?
The Aligre market in Paris because it is : joyful , seductive, loud, full of life . Traders negotiate with customers, adapting the price to unsold stock, in short it is impossible to leave without having bought anything.
A Retail app in your Smartphone ?
Amazon. A classic but very powerful app, purchasing is done in a few clicks and with great ergonomy.
Customer satisfaction challenges of tomorrow in retail ?
There are many challenges, but one that seems quite important will be the time saved in the least fun part of the act of purchase : the calculation of the total amount due. The technologies will directly calculate at a low cost the amount of our purchases in our shopping cart or trolley and customers will be able to pay with a simple but secure validation . No more queues, more time to choose.
Your “Proust madeleine” in Retail ?
La Rinascente. 1865 the Bocconi brothers opened in Milan, the first great Italian store where consumers found ready-to-wear clothes, a great innovation, because at that time all clothes were tailor made. The success was immediate , allowing the opening of a second store in 1877 in Milan, Piazza del Duomo , which became the flagship of the brand , followed by many others. Then, to increase traffic and attractiveness of the store in Piazza del Duomo, the Rinascente added other services such as a bank and a post office. La Rinascente is a true icon of Italian retail and reminds me of my childhood.
Source : Altavia Watch
