EssilorLuxottica has unveiled a new approach to travel retail efforts with a fresh strategy and a commitment to taking the sunglasses category to new heights in the channel. It follows the company presenting a compelling showcase at the TFWA World Exhibition & Conference in Cannes last month.
The emphasis is on what EssilorLuxottica describes as “ground-breaking brand innovations” and a heightened sustainability focus. This was in evidence at the Cannes show with an interactive booth focused on a selection of the company’s wide portfolio of global brands, including Ray-Ban and Ray-Ban Stories, Oakley, Prada, Persol and Costa.
Taking guests on a digital journey, EssilorLuxottica’s booth delivered several immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences to underline its commitment to continuous research and innovation, product and design excellence, craftsmanship and sustainability.
From the Smart Shopper application (which enables consumers to try on sunglasses virtually) to Leonardo (a digital training platform for customers and in-store staff), EssilorLuxottica said it is continuously developing retail designs and digital applications to elevate the in-store experience.
The digital highlight of the booth was a section dedicated to Ray-Ban Stories, the new smart glasses collaboration between EssilorLuxottica and Meta. The initiative enables consumers to capture photos and videos and listen to audio, all through their sunglasses.
EssilorLuxottica debuted Ray-Ban Stories in travel retail this July with Dufr through a dedicated activation at Heathrow Airport.
In addition to its growing digital innovation portfolio, EssilorLuxottica has developed a sustainability programme titled ‘Eyes on the Planet’. It is built on five ‘Eyes on’ strategic pillars, each addressing a specific sustainability theme.
The five pillars are:
- Eyes on Carbon, focused on decreasing the company’s carbon footprint
- Eyes on World Sight, underlining a commitment to eliminating poor vision by 2050
- Eyes on Circularity, highlighting the company’s efforts to achieve circularity through the full product value chain reduction of EssilorLuxottica’s impact on the planet
- Eyes on Inclusion, centred on a safe working environment with a focus on diversity and inclusion efforts
- Eyes on Ethics, focused on ethical business standards to create shared value with company stakeholders
EssilorLuxottica Global Travel Retail Director Alessio Crivelli said: “Innovation is at the heart of EssilorLuxottica’s growth story. From product and design innovation to reimagining the consumer experience to establishing new business models, our teams constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible and question how we can better serve both our professional customers and our consumers.”
He added: “We are excited to bring these innovations to the travel retail channel to stimulate renewed growth for the sunglasses category.”