There is no doubt that the world of bridal boutiques has been entirely revolutionised by the health emergency, which has undermined its more social characteristics and, above all, how the product is used, inevitably changing the shopping experience. The need to understand change and create new strategies and drivers on which to focus led to a debate involving various players in the bridal world, culminating in the webinar organised by Sì Sposaitalia Collezioni 1 December. The speeches by Carlo Marco Cavallo (CEO of Nicole Fashion Group), Emanuela Franzese (lecturer and VM of the Aeffe Group), Marco Milan (Visual Team Leader Italia of Hugo Boss), Massimiliano Mincone, Head Visual Merchandising Rinascente, Gino Signore, CEO Maison Signore and Roberta Valentini (Owner of Penelope Sposa), in the presence of Emanuele Guido, Exhibition Director Business Unit Lifestyle, Fiera Milano and with the skilful direction of Silvia Paoli, have tried to give a detailed picture of the scenario that, starting from the change in the store experience, passes through the inevitable contribution of digital and the relationship with the future brides and grooms.

At the centre of it, all are the bride and groom, whose dream has been revolutionised by the pandemic emergency but for whom the desire for an unforgettable wedding day remains. Today, as in the past, this always starts with a customer experience in which empathy must be prioritised. New paradigms are, therefore, needed to enhance the value of experience. For example, Emanuela Franzese suggests, it is possible to envisage new professional figures to accompany the traditional wedding planner: a personal stylist or a visual consultant, both in the store and during the various organisational moments, are essential resources on which to focus.

If it is crucial to connect 'humanly speaking', it is equally important for the point of sale to make the connections generated by it active and fruitful: this is the phygital phenomenon, that virtuous blend of the real and the digital that has proved fundamental in recent times. You only have to think of WhatsApp consultations with personal shoppers to understand the scope! But we must not forget that this is a powerful tool that must be used wisely to convey all the richness of reality even through a screen, giving it a soul and above all an essential heritage, the one that makes the difference at the time of purchase. And if virtual showrooms have been a successful experiment, as Carlo Maria Cavallo attests, a return to normality is desirable and in great demand in the wedding sector too (a phenomenon proven by the numbers). 

If the bridal universe is moving towards a multichannel logic. In that case, digital can amplify the concepts of Made in Italy and its storytelling with the right amount of emotion, always bearing in mind that "exposing is different from proposing", as Marco Milan reminds us. So the choice of clothes must also be based on a moving logic, the same as in real shopping, where the digital must guide and not disorientate, which is a risk that has arisen numerous times. Roberta Valentini emphasises that "the space in which a dress is displayed has the function of amplifying the garment on display, just like a work of art in a museum", echoing Massimiliano Mincone, who focuses on the importance of the bridal shop windows, the interior design of the shop, and the immersive atmosphere with which the boutique welcomes the bride as she prepares to choose her dress.

The final thoughts of the webinar focused precisely on clothing. They made a precise analysis making the phygital evolution of the market the core of a new future approach, the effects of which can already be seen. The analyses covered WhatsApp consultations capable of preparing for boutique immersion and the risks of an instrument that, if not used properly, can lead to a distortion of reality and expectations.

But what will the dress of the future be like? Respondents do not doubt that from 2021 you will see a return of the powerful creations made to measure, with models literally sewn on the spouses in an all-Italian triumph of creativity that we are anxiously awaiting.