The importance of data in transforming traditional company to a digital thinking company

Etro was founded in 1968 in Milan by Gerolamo Etro. It is an Italian fashion label famous for the Paisley pattern. Etro is a family- run company, where family members have been involved in management and design. In particular, Veronica Etro designed the ready- towear line of the women’s collection and Kean Etro designed menswear. The company is present in over 70 countries and its turnover was nearly 300 million euros. Etro operates 150 monobrand stores all over the world. The company did not embrace technology until 2014 and four years later decided to hire a chief digital offi cer (CDO), Fabrizio Viacava. Thus, to understand the company’s digital transformation Fabrizio was interviewed. The interview discusses the digital transformation process in Etro and highlights the challenges and success of this company, an example of an Italian family- run company in the luxury fashion market. Some final remarks summarise the key points emerging from the interview.