Yamamay: Digital strategy and sustainability for global growth

Sustainability and digital strategy: Yamamay’s recipe for expanding globally

Italian lingerie, nightwear, beachwear, and fashion specialist Yamamay has over 600 stores in 32 countries, as well as partnerships with Zalando and Amazon. It has carved out a distinct market position combining style, performance, and environmental responsibility to generate annual revenues exceeding €230 million.

Francesco Pinto, Yamamay’s Chairman and Co-founder, highlights the importance of digital presence before entering new markets.

“You need a good digital umbrella to build up a community and activate your customer database. It’s much harder to start with physical stores alone,” he explained.

Pinto believes digital marketing and customer insights are crucial for expansion.

“Digital marketing prepares the market and gives you insights into customer behaviours and preferences,” he added.

“We have 450 stores in Italy, so we have a top-of-mind place with our customers. It’s not easy to replicate this outside Italy, but we’re expanding nicely in southern Europe and the Balkans because they are closer to Italian customer habits.”

Yamamay’s growth strategy focuses on franchise partnerships and marketplace platforms, plus flagship stores serving as physical hubs, while in Italy the network is expanding with flagship locations and mono-brand formats, including the Yamamay Man concept.

“Yamamay is a challenger company, facing tough competition from the domestic leader, Intimissimi,” said Pinto. “We fight side by side in the underwear market, learning from each other and our operations. We’ve been holding our ground from the very beginning, with a friendly, colourful brand that is sensitive to ESG.”

Reflecting on the company’s post-pandemic recovery, Pinto noted the need to rebuild its digital infrastructure, including CRM systems, and loyalty programmes.

“We had to rebuild everything from zero,” he recalled. Pinto is optimistic about the company’s future, saying, “By being smart and small, we still have tools to grow further.”