Italy

Italy has long been recognised as having a lower level of internet penetration and tech usage than other developed markets. However, COVID-19 has significantly bolstered digital engagement in the market, with lockdown and home seclusion encouraging ...

Car sales stopped for several months in Italy in 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19. This had a severe impact on demand for in-car entertainment, which was already facing significant challenges due to increasing demand for long-term rental cars and...

With the closure of workplaces and schools and enforced home seclusion due to COVID-19, consumers have spent considerably more time watching TV than usual. This has consolidated the role of TV in the day-to-day lives of families and helped to ...

The Italian market for smartphones was strongly affected by the outbreak of COVID-19. On one side, the fact that China was the first country affected had a significant detrimental impact on production and shipments. Meanwhile, the closure of ...

With strong advertising support and investment from major players such as Amazon’s Audible, audio books are witnessing a surge in interest amongst Italian consumers. This has been supported by the hectic lifestyles of modern consumers, which have ...

The closure of non-essential stores as part of measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 had a significant negative impact on sales of home audio and cinema in the early part of 2020. However, the fact that the category could not exploit other ...

Measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have had a marked negative impact on imaging devices. The leisure industry has faced a complete halt, with people initially prohibited from leaving their homes and subsequent limitations on possible visits ...

Lockdown aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 led to a spike in sales of consumer electronics, including computers and peripherals. The need to work from home meant that people had to build home offices, while the closure of schools required ...

While the rise in consumer health-awareness has been a key driver of developments across a range of industries, many Italian consumers are still not considered to be taking sufficient exercise. However, concerns about sedentary lifestyles have been ...

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Western Europe sees sales decline for menswear over the review period due macroeconomic challenges, aggressive competitive environment and weakened demand. Athleisure and casual clothing trends favour the cheapest categories, such as jeans and tops. ...

Writing instruments is expected to be negatively impacted by COVID-19 in 2020 as a whole. After seeing slow current value growth in 2018 and 2019, the category is expected to see a strong double-digit decline in 2020. Nevertheless, of all the ...

After seeing slow and steady current value growth in most years of the review period, sales of bags and luggage are set to take a tumble in 2020 as a whole. All categories are expected to see a strong negative impact from the measures implemented to ...

Jewellery is expected to see a dynamic current value decline in 2020 overall. Along with watches, jewellery is expected to be the personal accessories category most affected by COVID-19. Jewellery was already struggling to achieve growth in 2019 due ...

Personal accessories is expected to be heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis in 2020, recording a double-digit current value decline. During the first half of the year, sales decreased steeply due to the national lockdown to control the spread of ...

Like other personal accessories categories, watches is expected to see a significant negative impact from COVID-19 in 2020 overall. Watches had already seen current value declines in 2018 and 2019, and this is expected to turn to a stronger current ...

Sunglasses is expected to be the eyewear category to suffer the strongest current value decline in 2020, seeing the most negative impact from COVID-19 in the year overall. This is because consumers have been able to spend less time outdoors and have ...

Demand for spectacles is expected to be negatively impacted by COVID-19 in current value terms in 2020 as a whole. Sales were hard-hit in the first half of the year due to the national lockdown, which started on 9 March and started to ease from ...

Sales of contact lenses and solutions are expected to be negatively impacted by COVID-19 in 2020 overall, with the positive performance in 2019 set to turn into a strong decline in 2020. During the first half of the year sales were negatively ...

Eyewear was hard-hit during the first half of 2020 due COVID-19. Sales decreased steeply due to the national lockdown starting on 9 March, which started easing from May/June. During the second part of the year, sales are expected to recover only ...