Inhabiting time: new perspectives for amore sustainable economy
The 2011 edition of Abitare il Tempo project 100%, organized by Veronafiere through a partnership with Federmobili, has been completely revamped.
Becoming the meeting point for independent distribution seeking information, training, communication, services, new product mixes, creativity and innovative distribution formats. A true furniture distribution convention supported by a comprehensive program of events that include some important workshops with a very practical slant, in which topics closely related to the operation of the furniture company-shop are addressed.
We were also present at the fair these days but as mere and curious spectators and attended several interesting meetings. One of the scheduled seminars, entitled “Will the new consumer be the one to sell us something?“, conceived by Sharazad, highlighted how a new cultural dimension, combined with a crisis of economic paradigms believed to be infallible and the consolidation of social technologies, is causing a new type of consumer to emerge.
Exemplary was the presentation of the case etsy.com, the e-commerce that channels the largest community of buyers and sellers of handmade goods on the web. Unlike e-bay, Etsy is a platform that filters content at the entrance, requiring retailers to follow precise rules on the photographic presentation of proposed merchandise. Since 2009 there has also been an unofficial Italian blog known as “Etsy Italia Team” and it presents itself as the first team created by Italian sellers with the purpose of supporting each other through discussions. The ultimate goal is to provide answers to doubts and problems, along with an avalanche of ideas for promotional activities inside or outside Etsy.
In addition, support is provided to understand how online commerce works and to improve one’s store (tips on how to take photos, decide on prices, write descriptions, etc…).
Another platform of interest presented during the conference is the “Sustainable Design Week” which aims to be a cultural and communication project directed at enhancing the popularization of eco-sustainable design. A meta-container that brings together a series of initiatives aimed at engaging and raising awareness among consumers and practitioners towards the issues of design and environmental sustainability.
Finally, four successful business cases were presented: Amplificatoreculturale.it directed by Matteo Zamboni, reverselab.itpresented by Federica Collato, the small Verona-based company lounge-tek.com e pensierifattiamano.itconceived by Maria Cristina Pizzato.
The gist of the discourse of this very dense hour of meaning and insights is encapsulated in the very presentation of the workshop, which seeks to outline the characteristic traits of these new consumers, who will be the true protagnostics of the future market, “people who not only consume in an anomalous way, seeking meaning and involvement, but rediscover the dimension of making, with a view to sustainability and how through enabling platforms and social e-commerce they present their niche of quality and uniqueness to the international market.”