Sofía Fernández is a tireless traveler. She has already traveled to more than 50 countries, and she wants to continue traveling the world: “I always had a desire to discover different places, get to know different cultures and live adventures”, pointed out in an interview he gave to Coffee & Businesswho after accumulating experience in the field co-founded —with Ginny Ferraz— a company specializing in travel items.
Trotamundos emerged in 2017 as a company that responded to a need of female travelers: that there was a reference travel goods company in the country because although the different products could be bought in Uruguay, there was no company that concentrated everything in the same place.
For this purpose, Fernández and Ferraz created Trotamundos as a company that would market items for all kinds of adventures, although it started with a single product: the backpacking backpack.
“We dedicate all our energy in the design of a prototype, and all our savings in the manufacture of the first batch”explained Fernández, and then assured that this article was well accepted by the traveling community, which allowed them to establish themselves in the business.
Soon after, Trotamundos introduced new products.
Among the highlights, the co-founder named Trotamundos travel suitcases and backpackswhich, as he stated, They stand out for their adaptation to all types of trips, and to all types of travelers.
And by way of recommendation, he named three articles that, although they are not essential for travel, yes they are the ones that facilitate travel: mentioned the foldable tote bag ($590) that is attached to the suitcase, which allows comfortable travel; the luggage organizer kit ($690), which consists of six organizers for different sizes that allow you to organize the luggage easily and the universal travel adapter ($290) to be able to plug in your electronic devices no matter what country you travel to.
For this type of products —and for the desire to continue looking for innovative ideas for travelers—, Globetrotter has a story of growth, which was accentuated last year. As Fernandez said, during 2022 sales doubled —both for sale on-line What offline— which encouraged the founders to open stores in the airports of Carrasco and Punta del Este.
The impact of the pandemic: a challenge that became an opportunity
The pandemic was a blow to the company, which had been expanding even with stores in the interior of the country.
“2020 was very hard”, Fernandez said. It is that from one moment to the next it was no longer possible to travel, so the company —if it wanted to stay open— had to convert. And so it did, incorporating two new business units: lifestyle to accompany people to move within their homeY home with accessories to give a traveling touch to homes. “We made alliances with local entrepreneurs who helped us in production to get through the pandemic”said the co-founder of Trotamundos.
With those new products in its catalog, the company survived. At the same time, took advantage to strengthen the sale on-line through an improvement in the customer experience.
The key to success
“Our main differential is that we are travelers advising travelers”Fernandez maintained.
By the way, he explained that since they share the same passion as their clients, they choose to have a close relationship with them looking for you to have the best shopping experience before your trip and —thanks to the recommendations— the best user experience during your trip. “The traveler approaches with confidence, and in many cases looking for much more than just a product,” said the co-founder of Trotamundos. “Look for the company in the purchase decision, and above all the empathy of those who have already experienced the mixture of emotions prior to the trip“, he added.
Pixabay
Trip
Asked about the company’s commitment to the future, Fernández said that they are working on the improvement of various products that involve innovation in the manufacturing process and at the level of packaging. By way of example, he said that they are developing new models of ultra-resistant polycarbonate suitcases that will be ready for sale in the coming months.
In addition, he said that two technological references, Paula Martínez and Rodrigo Beceiro, recently acquired part of the company with the aim of accompanying the growth process of Trotamundos. In this sense, he explained that are working on the development of a virtual shopping assistant which they suppose will be of great help to the client since will be able to guide you quickly in your purchase process depending on the destination you are going to and the type of trip you are makingoffering him the pool ideal product to make your travel experience more pleasant.
For this, they won the MSME of the Year award in the digital category, awarded by the National Development Agency (ANDE). “It is an opportunity to continue growing with technical assistance to be able to improve internal processes, and the cash to implement it”Fernandez noted.
Due to this development —added to the interest in continuing the expansion of the company both in the country and in the region—, Globetrotter projects a year of strong growth for 2023.
