Small urban retailers, in European cities, are facing a decrease in attractiveness because of the increase number of shopping malls, big chain shops and internet retailers. This led to the closure of a relevant number of stores and to the consequent reduction of people’s traffic in cities’ street. These closures are negatively affecting the vivacity and vibrancy of cities which should rather be pleasant and safe places.
The FRUC, Future of Retailing in Urban Cities, project was carried on in collaboration with ASCOM Torino, branch of the Italian trade union, and is focused on the Turin reality. The city of Turin is indeed affected by the previously mentioned issue, which is in this instance further relevant, being 96% of city retailers very small and family owned.
An in-depth analysis of the retailing situation in Turin allowed developing a service, Torino Pass, aimed at tackling the above mentioned issue with the objective to increase small retailers’ shops attractiveness. In particular, Torino Pass is meant to higher customers’ traffic in small urban retailers’ shops by addressing tourists’ needs. Indeed, the core element of the service is the creation of customized visit itineraries guiding tourists through the city of Turin to experience both Turin’s architectural and historical heritage and the offer of its retailers. On top of the customized itineraries, Torin Pass offers a number of ancillary services which allow to give tourists a 360-degree experience, covering all the phases of a travel. Worth of note is the e-commerce service which allows to turn tourists’ one time purchases into repeated purchases.
The main advantages of Torino Pass are linked to the fact that it is a solution which it is not only ideated to solve the issue faced by small retailers but it also satisfies all the main requirements of the stakeholders involved: it does not require big time and cost efforts to retailers, it offers an innovative solution answering tourists’ needs for a time and cost convenient experience and it offers benefits in a win-win fashion to other stakeholders (such as the hotels). The feedbacks the team got from all the stakeholders (ASCOM, retailers, tourists and hotels) were indeed extremely positive and Torino Pass was also granted the Municipality of Turin’s official patronage.
Principal Academic Tutor
Giulio Zotteri, Department of Management and Production Engineering, Politecnico di Torino
Academic Tutors
Francesca Montagna, Department of Management and Production Engineering, Politecnico di Torino
External institutions
Confcommercio
ASCOM Torino
Municipality of Torino
External tutor
Mario Lippi, ASCOM Torino
Team members
Andrea Benedetti, Industrial production and technological innovation Engineering, Politecnico di Torino [Team Controller]
Birhanu Shanko Dura, Textile Engineering, Politecnico di Torino
Francesca Pagnanelli, Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano [Communication Coordinator]
Cristiana Maria Passarella, Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano
Gabriele Roncoroni, Product-Service-Systems Design, Politecnico di Milano
Davide Trimarchi, Product-Service-Systems Design, Politecnico di Milano
Download the poster of the Project
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