SUNGLASSES REPORT


Traveller confidence to browse, test and purchase sunglasses ‘will return’


The sunglasses category is battling its way through Covid-19, but having zero opportunity to be tactile in the product sale brings added pressure. However, with the right precautions in place companies are confident that customers will shop again. Luke Barras-Hill reports.


“S


ales have been affected heavily. Sunglasses are not the first product a


passenger is looking for.” In these comments, Ernst


Silbermayr, Head of International Retail


Sales, Silhouette


International encapsulates the stiff challenges facing non-core travel retail suppliers. Unsurprisingly, the consensus


among those TRBusiness spoke to for this report was that the sunglasses category, like every other, has suffered a resounding collapse in sales due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Encouragingly though, many


suppliers think the crisis is not likely to have a detrimental effect on future demand for certain sunglass styles; Asian fit, oversized, sustainable, retro, hexagonal or triangular are just a handful of popular ones. In fact, some believe the appetite


for certain styles could actually increase in the future. “With the threat of Covid-19,


people might see sunglasses not only as a fashionable product but


JULY 2020


also as a glamorous tool to protect their eyes from the virus,” observes Alessia Voltan, Head of Travel Retail & Online, Marcolin Group. “There might be some increasing interest on big frames and shields that could cover the eyes.” With that being said, Rodenstock’s


Director Global Retail Petra Eckhardt- Koestler suggests that Covid-19 has stifled new trends in sunglasses that stem from the fashion industry. “I would argue that there might


be a delay and maybe even a re- arrangement of when and what trends will capture the market, which will then be reflected in the customer’s demand,” she observes.


China’s reawakening Until international flight schedules resume, it remains conjecture as to what travellers will actually do when they decide to travel, let alone shop. At the time of writing, China,


where the virus originated, is reporting small clusters of Covid-19 cases. This has given rise to [as yet unsubstantiated - Ed] claims of a ‘second wave’ of the virus. As such,


this is yet to develop and could well be short-lived. In any case, DF&TR is pinning its


hopes on China’s travel re-awakening as a catalyst for further airline route and passenger volume gains. To that end, Rodenstock has been


working closely with China Duty Free Group (CDFG) to curate high-profile online promotions to coax customer sales, including a summer event at the CDFG Haitang Bay flagship store in Sanya. “Shoppers on the Sanya Haitang Bay digital platforms have been able


“Shoppers on the Sanya Haitang Bay digital platforms have been able to access products via the website, while those looking for Porsche Design online at Guangzhou Airport access through a WeChat embed.”


Petra Eckhardt-Koestler, Director Global Retail, Rodenstock


TRBUSINESS 39


Above: Rodenstock, which manufactures Porsche Design eyewear (pictured), believes that integrating digital into retailers’ business models goes hand- in-hand with in-store sales.


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