Interview with Rafael Martínez-Avial, Tiendanimal

Interviews with Baud's customers and friends

Client: Tiendanimal.
Interviewee: Rafael Martínez-Avial, CEO.
Interviewer: Clara López, member of the Baud team.
Interview date: April 15, 2020.

Image: Rafael Martínez-Avial, CEO of Tiendanimal.
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Within the framework of Baud's Client and Friends Interviews, from which we try to contribute to give voice to those who tell us the most interesting and current things, today we interviewed Rafael Martínez-Avial, CEO of Tiendanimal.

Rafael defines himself as a normal person, with the tastes and hobbies that we all share: spending time with his family, nature, sports... But at Baud we know that he is much more than that, he is an expert, inspiring and transcendent figure in the business world.

He grew as a professional in multinational and multisectorial environments to, in recent years, boost Tiendanimal from the online store it was, to the reference brand it is today, multiplying its channels, employees and turnover, learning from the processes and the guts of the company to respond to the consumer in a scalable way.

As CEO, he is the team player that sports values have marked him and he gives priority as much as possible to ethics, equanimity and above all, common sense. Sense that he is applying these days in his business and his life to get out of this crisis in the best possible way, and that today we have the privilege of knowing through his own words.

Interviewer: Rafael, how do you see the current situation regarding the coronavirus?

Rafael: I am very concerned about it because I think it is a very important cataclysm in our lives, firstly for health and then for the consequences on the consumer, politics... it will mark before and after.

E: Talking about different studies and initiatives that we are seeing these days, for example, the 81% data from Spanish consumers who say that the efforts of brands in this crisis positively impact their purchase consideration, or the #ogether initiative of the best-known brands on the national scene, how do you value them as a consumer and as a businessman?

A: I strongly believe in it. As a consumer and as an entrepreneur. We are all more responsive and permeable and inclined toNow that we have begun to value qualitative aspects, price is a secondary variable and brand values are more important. But be careful, these values must be true, respond to deep and authentic interests, connected to your company and the market in which it operates. If this is not the case, they are always transferred outwards and end up not being reflected in the company's image.only by not adding, but by subtracting.

"The values must be true, respond to deep and authentic interests, rooted in your company and the market in which it operates".

E: How did you become Tiendanimal, tell us about the solidarity initiatives you are carrying out.

A: Actually, what we have done from Tiendanimal is a small grain of sand in the midst of countless positive initiatives. Apart from some economic contribution, we have donated merchandise that has served as raw material to manufacture essential sanitary material, in particular, we have donated dog soakers with which apparently we could make masks.

E: Tell us about other initiatives that surprised you positively.

A: What I liked most is the spontaneous display of young people helping their neighbors by offering themselves through posters in their neighborhoods. This spontaneous and common understanding that in times of difficulties you have to unite. This solidarity and the image of the help posters are a drop in the ocean, but I give it a lot of qualitative value.

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Then there are business initiatives such as Naturgy's deferral of invoices, which are not bad in substance.

"We would not be the humanity we are if the dog had not existed."

E: What do you think life will be like post-coronavirus, how will things change?

A: I see the short term as very worrying because it is killing people and companies.

. But I want to see it more positive in the long run, making us more supportive, more humane, less materialistic, recovering the community, the return to the local, valuing more those little things that we took for granted...

I remember a lot these days the last trip I made a week before the State of Alarm. I went skiing, as I do every year around that time, I experienced it as a regular thing and it's amazing how much I appreciate it in the past.

I think that Southern Europe and Latinos will also change quite a lot in the medium term, our culture of touching each other, socializing... we are going to do it differently, getting used to greeting each other differently, avoiding crowds, paying attention to safety, hygiene, health... When the vaccine arrives and we feel safe, maybe we will recover that culture, but it will not be the same.

E: What will that change look like at the business level, how is your company preparing for it?

A: This crisis will entail a drastic reinvention of companies. An important point will be the importance of themnicanality, although reinterpreted from this new point of view. If in the past, customers were attracted online, loyalty was built in-store and not much attention was paid to other channels, from now on all that will change.

At Tiendanimal, we proposed the store as aNow that's been touched and we will probably open new smaller stores, with storage space, but less references, practical to buy what you need and leave, and yet spend time and loyalty in the online environment. We are also opening and strengthening other channels such as telephone or WhatsApp.

"If you used to engage online, build loyalty in-store and didn't pay much attention to other channels, from now on all that will change."

Another important point on the reinvention of the companies will be the telework, its implementation is going to be more radical. The company that does not allow teleworking a few days a week will be outdated. They will have to procure good equipment and connection to work from home, there will be less traffic jams in the mornings, less pollution... a very significant change.

And another important point about this business reinvention will be the greater importance of true Corporate Social Responsibility, rooted in your raison d'être. In the coming scenario, the role of companies will be fundamental to contribute to society and the planet with their unique contribution.

In Tiendanimal we have always been very close to the world of the pet logically and in particular, to the dog world, and we have always been motivated to give back to the dog what the dog has given us. We would not be the humanity we are if the dog had not existed.

"I see the short term very worrying, but I want to see it more positive in the long term. I even want to believe that there will be greater international cooperation on behalf of global humanity."

This situation vwill help us all to become more aware and to row together for a better world. I even want to believe that this moment will be a catalyst for greater international cooperation against particular struggles and in favor of global humanity. A concern that already existed and that will be driven by the new context and the new generations.ones.

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Images provided by Tiendanimal.