Digital in Your Pocket with Art&sofT
Danilo Alagi, CEO of Art&sofT, explains how technology, creativity and aesthetics can come together in a digitized world, offering a high value buying experience
You are importing the concept of phygital into the world of high-end jewelry.
How important is it now for jewelry boutiques to align themselves with these new marketing strategies and why?
In my opinion, it is indispensable, given the habit we all have these days of accessing any kind of product via digital. Phygital is extremely appropriate for high-end because it doesn’t only involve selling a product or a service, it also offers an experience. If the high street were to equip itself with the right tools, it could make the shopping experience less cold and anonymous. Personally, I think it is more useful for high-end than a lower target sector.
You offer these exact tools with your XOX digital platform. How did the idea come about?
It was a project that grew naturally over time. By working with our clients at brand sales offices, trade fairs and in large boutiques, and by collaborating with large brands such as Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe and Gucci, we digitized everything they asked us to or that we could see might be of interest. In this way, we ended up with a software product that is now a complete suite in every aspect. It wasn't a clear idea from day one but rather the result of experience that took into account everyone's need to have all the executive commercial and analysis phases grouped together in a single digital platform, not to mention a single centralized database.
Can you tell us about the different tools that XOX offers and the advantages of using it?
To sum up what is actually a very large analytical field of operation, the greatest advantage is having access to all kinds of real time information: from warehouse stock to incoming orders, to a potential customer’s preferences as well as his website browsing history. A centrality of information that combines management aspects with those of customer profiling. In short, a veritable "control panel" for the salesperson. The jeweler can have a dashboard that digitalizes and synthesizes company information, with a history of the current situation and even a forecast. Forecasts can be for the whole or for each individual or potential customer.
Art&sofT has 20 years’ experience. How much has the agency's mission changed over time? What are your greatest successes?
Since its foundation, the agency has always had two souls, one creative and the other technological. In the beginning, however, these two aspects did not communicate organically because technologies did not allow them to: our solutions were presented and able to communicate with the public, but then, in order to increase sales, everything remained in a state of waiting. Today's experience and technology puts us in an active rather than passive state. Through digital, we are able to reach potential and existing customers directly, we are able to arouse interest, reaffirm our presence, be communicative and capillary at the same time. I believe that our success is due to the fact that we have always dedicated ourselves exclusively to the jewelry sector and this has led to a significant increase in our know-how.
What are the challenges for the future?
Our aim is to continue to keep our customers up to date in terms of the latest technologies and the most avantgarde working methods. In the future, we want to take the digital experience to a higher level. We would like the technology that we make available to clients not only to provide a useful report for an entrepreneur’s decisions, but also to suggest the decisions themselves. We are already experimenting with artificial intelligence at every level to educate it to the specific needs of high-end.
How important is it now for jewelry boutiques to align themselves with these new marketing strategies and why?
In my opinion, it is indispensable, given the habit we all have these days of accessing any kind of product via digital. Phygital is extremely appropriate for high-end because it doesn’t only involve selling a product or a service, it also offers an experience. If the high street were to equip itself with the right tools, it could make the shopping experience less cold and anonymous. Personally, I think it is more useful for high-end than a lower target sector.
You offer these exact tools with your XOX digital platform. How did the idea come about?
It was a project that grew naturally over time. By working with our clients at brand sales offices, trade fairs and in large boutiques, and by collaborating with large brands such as Rolex, Cartier, Patek Philippe and Gucci, we digitized everything they asked us to or that we could see might be of interest. In this way, we ended up with a software product that is now a complete suite in every aspect. It wasn't a clear idea from day one but rather the result of experience that took into account everyone's need to have all the executive commercial and analysis phases grouped together in a single digital platform, not to mention a single centralized database.
Can you tell us about the different tools that XOX offers and the advantages of using it?
To sum up what is actually a very large analytical field of operation, the greatest advantage is having access to all kinds of real time information: from warehouse stock to incoming orders, to a potential customer’s preferences as well as his website browsing history. A centrality of information that combines management aspects with those of customer profiling. In short, a veritable "control panel" for the salesperson. The jeweler can have a dashboard that digitalizes and synthesizes company information, with a history of the current situation and even a forecast. Forecasts can be for the whole or for each individual or potential customer.
Art&sofT has 20 years’ experience. How much has the agency's mission changed over time? What are your greatest successes?
Since its foundation, the agency has always had two souls, one creative and the other technological. In the beginning, however, these two aspects did not communicate organically because technologies did not allow them to: our solutions were presented and able to communicate with the public, but then, in order to increase sales, everything remained in a state of waiting. Today's experience and technology puts us in an active rather than passive state. Through digital, we are able to reach potential and existing customers directly, we are able to arouse interest, reaffirm our presence, be communicative and capillary at the same time. I believe that our success is due to the fact that we have always dedicated ourselves exclusively to the jewelry sector and this has led to a significant increase in our know-how.
What are the challenges for the future?
Our aim is to continue to keep our customers up to date in terms of the latest technologies and the most avantgarde working methods. In the future, we want to take the digital experience to a higher level. We would like the technology that we make available to clients not only to provide a useful report for an entrepreneur’s decisions, but also to suggest the decisions themselves. We are already experimenting with artificial intelligence at every level to educate it to the specific needs of high-end.
