A Growth Engine for Europe

Francesco Maria Ioppolo first had the idea for Vinyluse while on a trip to Paris. Today, his company produces decorative wall stickers, made from recycled vinyl records, and wooden bow ties. It is the only business in Italy to produce these “wall objects”, shipping them all over the world from its warehouse in Viterbo and selling them through Italian department stores and galleries, Virgin Megastores in Dubai, Qatar, Egypt and Lebanon, and via its own e-commerce site. Ioppolo took advantage of the potential of the Internet from the outset, reducing the fixed costs of a shop, and selecting a restricted number of staff specialising in production. With the help of Eccellenze in Digitale, the company has increased its presence on the web, and created a corporate Google+ profile and a YouTube channel. It has also invested 20% of its sales in ongoing advertising campaigns on social networks and Google AdWords. Vinyluse’s investment in online strategy has generated over 800 new customers around the world. Of these 35% are in Italy, 20% in the rest of Europe, 15% in the Middle East and 10% elsewhere. The company’s sales are also up by 30%. “Eccellenze in Digitale can make a big contribution to corporate growth,” Ioppolo says. “It helps to spread a culture of innovation, and encourages businesses to go online.”