RECHARGE Diary

Finding and testing innovative business models for cultural institutions is what we do at RECHARGE, with our Living Labs as core functioning units. What is Museo del Tessuto di Prato working on and how is the institution establishing its own ad-hoc procedures?

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MdT's position stems out of a firm belief: museums need new revenue streams and they also need to serve their local and creative communities. MdT proposed business model wants to try and combine these two needs. Museums all over Europe need to diversify their revenues and embrace the digital transition. Many have gift shops on-site but they are rarely profitable, due to some inherent difficulties: their customers are only visitors of the museum, who don’t usually buy big or weighty books or even goods, especially if they travelling for tourism, and the staff often lacks the proper sales knowledge to engage clients in purchases that would be more profitable for the museum itself.

Local artisans, designers and artists are increasingly adopting an ethical and sustainable approach in their production processes, while revisiting local heritage and traditions, and they look for places that share the same values as outlets to sell their creations. This is a strong, identifiable, professional community that museums can serve, given the pivotal role in co-creating and sharing value by and with their local communities while educating their users on the most pressing cultural, social and environmental issues of our times.

Therefore, the proposed business model the Museo del Tessuto di Prato is working on concerns a commonly owned e-commerce platform for museums to individually sell sustainable, locally and ethically sourced goods and services. 

The idea is to create an e-commerce platform in collaboration with other museums, local designers, and artisans. The platform is conceived as a common marketplace for locally and ethically sourced items, promoting sustainable business practices and consumption while also supporting the local professional communities of the territory. By leveraging expertise, this model also creates a one-of-a-kind shopping experience that is socially responsible and financially sustainable.

MdT decided to focus on e-commerce as museums are in need of alternative income sources, but they also need to align them to their social role and hopefully use them as ways to increase connection and relevance with immediate communities, as reflected in new definition of museum given by ICOM:

 A museum is a not-for-profit, permanent institution in the service of society [...] Open to the public, accessible and inclusive, museums foster diversity and sustainability.

The business model is being developed via co-creation workshops and webinars, aimed at involving the communities surrounding the museums, the artists and artisans reflecting on the local heritage, and also the very team of the museum, responsible for the displays, exhibitions and activities of the museum itself. The process is designed to be then applied to other institutions and locations, making the business model sustainable and shareable with the wider CH community.