Today we introduce you Daniel Viniegra from Zerogrey, the smile of the Spanish e-commerce. Every time we see him he is always smiling and it might be because he enjoys himself so much at The Hive that he can't stop smiling... but we really think that it's just the way he is.
A great smile as a cover letter and huge knowledge of the e-commerce, a pioneer in the Spanish (and international) e-commerce as he was developing websites even before the scary 2000 where machines were supposed to go crazy... but that's another story.
Shall we know him a bit better?
Job title CEO at ZeroGrey Spain
Studies Bachelor of Business Administration
Did you always know that you would do this job or you reinvented yourself?
I was lucky as I could study in the US and by chance, my very first job was back in 1996 in a web development company. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur in an innovative and growing industry both business and international.
The digital industry is the perfect place to create and to innovate.
Favourite Movie/ book: I like books a lot, each one offers you a new point of view in life and new knowledge. I liked a lot the book "The happiest company in the world" by David Tomás.
A place: Costa Brava.
How the idea of creating ZeroGrey came about?
ZeroGrey was born in Barcelona in 2000 with the idea to help brands with their online business development and management. 20 years ago e-commerce was pretty new and many companies needed a partner to help them. We loved being able to start innovating little by little and grow in an industry with such possibilities as e-commerce.
How would you describe ZeroGrey in one sentence? ZeroGrey takes your eShop to the next level.
How would you describe it in one word? E-commerce.
Which is the pain point ZeroGrey is solving?
We simplify the complexity of the online sales both locally and internationally. We work closely with brands and retailers who understand the great potential of the e-commerce but that are in the need of a partner with the expertise to bring them security and results.we have solutions regarding develpment, launch, managment and to help the growth of an online shop. We help our customers to showcase their products to an international audience without having to care about the difficulties to get there.
Which changes have you noticed during and after lockdown?
Without a doubt we noticed an important growth in the interest from brands and retailers to have a quality presence online and as fast as possible. We have also noticed and exponential growth of the customers who rediscovered the online shopping in another dimension.
How do you see the evolution of the Spanish e-commerce?
Covid-19 it's been an accelerator for the digital transformation of companies worldwide, it is clear that the digitalization process of the online shops suffered a huge acceleration. Spanish e-commerce will keep growing faster in the following years than in the past benefited for the lack of brick and mortar as time goes by.
What's missing in the Spanish e-commerce? - Which are now the bigger challenges of the Spanish e-commerce?
Companies should bet more into improving their user experience adapting it to each product and servide. We need more "local actors" to push the industry supponring brands and retailers and we mainly need many synergies between the digital solutions that improve and customize the cutomer experience such as the use of machine learning technoligies.
Which are the biggest difficulties you faced so far?
The biggest challenge comes from brands and retailers as they have to change their corporate culture and think that, nowadays, the word is more digital than ever and customers expect sublime omnichannel experiences. Online experience should take advantage of all the tools to offer a personalized and smooth shopping experience.
Do you use digital solutions on a daily basis?
Yes, we work with different tools that help us developing our business in the everyday tasks from CRM, collaborative tools for calls and videocalls etc..
Which sector needs your services the most?
I would say that right now there are many sectoris in the need, retailers and brands that want to sell both B2B and B2C and even in D2C. Fashion and accessories retailers, groceries, appliances and any product manufacturer that whants to sell direct to the customer (D2C) needs a company like us.
How do you see Zerogrey in 5 years time? which are the next steps?
The e-commerce industry is in its major growth moment and Covid-19 emergency strenghtened the premise that e-commerce is the future. In 5 years time I see ourselves as the leading agency in Europe together with the cloud platform Koomo. I see ourselves as partners of great companies that will be able to internationalize their offer with our help, management and expertise.
The next step will be to open new markets in new continents, especially America and Asia.
Who was your first customer? Do you still work with them?
One of our first customers was Dolce & Gabbana and even if they are no longer with are very produc of it and we remind them with lots of love.
We are aware that after so many years in the industry Daniel must have great stories of things that happened in the market so if you want to meet him and see if he tells you some of them book your spot at the Digital1to1 and get to know him!
