Gianluca Catanese, Las sales and marketing director, tells us how the company experienced the lockdown.
2020 was a challening year for everyone, the pandemic had a tremendous impact on the Italian market and other business sectors. Gianluca Catanese, Las sales and marketing director, tells us how the company faced the lockdown and what the plans are for 2021.
How did the office furniture sector react to this crisis and how did Las?
2020 was a year like no other before, with a huge impact on people’s lives. The pandemic forced us to change our habits and it influenced both our personal relationships and those with clients. From an economic point of view, our sector was highly affected if we consider the new social dynamics that were introduced by the advent of smart working, both for individuals and companies. Thanks to its sales network and its presence in international markets, Las managed to effectively face the economic crisis and performed much better compared to the average in this sector.
At the same time, the uncertainty made us face new challenges in terms of sales channels and solutions tailored to current market needs. This new scenario enabled us to even consider those markets that were apparently distant from our own core business, using digitalization in the best possible way. We launched the Home Office collection, designed for people in smart working, through ad hoc social media campaigns, opening up new sales channels and added income that we would never thought as possible in 2019.
What impact did the pandemic have on the work of the sales and marketing director and on the sales network?
The real impact can be seen in the ability of the sales and marketing director but also in that of the company to question deeply rooted principles and find adequate solutions to new contexts.
First, there is the need to identify signals coming from different sources: listening skills, analysis and planning are the real weapons we can use to best face this crisis. Moreover, one has to be ready to change the ways of promoting products, using digital transformation, which has been happening at Las for many years already.
What does Las have in mind for next year?
The pillars of Las strategy for 2021 are all in the acronym PICS: Product, Innovation, Communication, Service.
Two new operative systems will be launched, a new filling system and wall units dedicated to informal company areas, as well as a revision and renewal of company guidelines. Our sector has always been considered as one that pays little attention to technological innovation and only proposes standard furniture solutions. It is not quite like that. Today, we are able to meet needs and expectations using high tech and digitalization. This we can do thanks to a team specifically created for this, with some of the best architects who have been collaborating with us for years. We are ready to set up innovative office solutions for the post-Covid. A new approach, also regarding communication: a new internet platform will be launched in 2021 and a new blog which will be dedicated to the world of office furniture and featuring the important contribution of market opinion leaders. A blog which aims at becoming an updated point of reference in the office world with all the dynamics that it will experience.
What’s more, we will still be continuing with Las Room, by programming a series of webinars focused on the furniture world and created for all professionals in this sector. To conclude, we are working on new initiatives for the service s