Woonivers wins 2 International Awards at the 9th edition of Global Brands Magazine Awards

Woonivers, a fintech app startup, has won the “Best Tax-Free Shopping App, Belgium” and “Best Tax-Free Shopping App, Spain” awards for the year 2021. The felicitation ceremony will be held at the Palm Jumeirah – Waldorf Astoria in early 2022 in Dubai.

The Global Brand Awards is an annual event held by Global Brands Magazine (GBM), an international publication headquartered in the UK. The award aims to recognise global brands achieving excellence in performance across a broad range of sectors while keeping its readers updated on key trends surrounding the branding world. Woonivers was evaluated based on customer service, satisfaction, digital innovation, strategic relationships and new business development.

Commenting on Woonivers winning the awards, ShivKumar (CEO) of Global Brands magazine said, “It was a tough call but Woonivers deservedly receives not one, but two awards for being the best tax-free shopping app—a remarkable achievement. Until Woonivers, claiming tax rebates in foreign countries was an arduous process, and one that put off many tourists from making purchases abroad in the first place. Woonivers has not only identified this pain point but solved it in such an astonishing efficient manner that it’s only a matter of time before this catches on in other countries.”

Commenting on winning the award, Antonio Cantalapiedra (co-founder) of Woonivers said, “Woonivers is beyond thrilled with this recognition. As e-commerce has grown exponentially so have the challenges associated with delivering a smooth and efficient consumer experience. Top companies, world over, have focused their energies and resources on improving the ‘purchase journeys’ digitizing their in store experiences, linking with social media sites, improving their platform performance, providing wider payment options, speeding up the checkout process, etc. One area which has not received the appropriate level of attention till the arrival of Woonivers has been the returns and refunds experience. Before Woonivers there was unnecessary consumer anxiety, a wasted opp for brands, poor feedback, etc. I truly believe that managing the post-sale experience, especially “tax free” refunds in an instant and proactive manner that the consumer finds palatable has a direct impact on engagement, future sales, customer loyalty, etc”

Commenting on winning the award, Abel Navajas (co-founder) of Woonivers said, ” Today’s society, and therefore travellers, demand agile and immediate solutions, and the Woonivers app, born in Spain, which has been operating in Belgium since 2021 – the country in which we have started our European expansion turns an initial project only of digital validation of the VAT refund status into a unique experience for the traveller, earning money as they shop on their holidays with a mobile-only service.

The traveller wants time to enjoy their holiday, not to waste it in complex, difficult refund processes and with too many bureaucratic steps as used to happen until our arrival. At Woonivers, experience is the most important thing and we put the customer at the centre of the service as new technology companies such as Uber, Deliveroo or Amazon do. With Woonivers everyone wins, travellers, shops and states, and in 2021 mainly the Brits, who will be able to do their Christmas shopping in Europe receiving money, isn’t it amazing?”

About Woonivers

Woonivers is a technological company founded in 2018 by the entrepreneurs Antonio Cantalapiedra and Abel Navajas, that combines technology and innovation within the shopping and travel sector. We’re reinventing Tax-Free shopping, providing a mobile-only, paperless and multichannel solution for business and travelers alike. With technology at the heart of our business, travel shoppers and retailers can benefit from more time and money to spend on the things that really matter. For businesses, the Tax-Free process couldn’t be easier — once travel shoppers make a purchase in a physical store or e-commerce, businesses simply deliver the same standard ticket/invoice as everyone else. This eradicates the need for business staff to integrate additional processes since everything mostly is done by the travel shoppers in the app. We’ve got businesses and e-commerce covered from the minute travel shoppers download the app, all the way through to receiving their refund. There’s also no need to struggle past the language barrier as the app provides step by step instructions. For travel shoppers, we’re providing a only-mobile, secured and simple tax-free shopping experience.

Once they make a purchase in a physical store or e-commerce, they can claim their VAT refund in only 3 steps from their mobile, eradicating long queues, lengthy forms and often considerable delays from the traditional refund process! Travellers only need to register in the app, upload their purchases, scan their passport and validate their tax-free refund code on the departure day. By using our solution, travellers and businesses carry out their tax refund process without having to do any kind of paperwork as our product is only-mobile, respecting the rules of social distancing recommended by the health authorities.

About Global Brands Magazine (England)

Global Brands Magazine (GBM) has been at the forefront, bringing news, views and opinions on brands shaping the future of their industry. The UK-based magazine provides its readers with the latest news and information on ‘best-in-class brands across the globe. Each year, GBM develops a series of awards for companies that stood out, having a unique vision, exceptional service, innovative solutions and consumer-centric products among their industry leaders.

About Global Brand Awards

Global Brand Awards honours brands for their excellence in performance and rewards companies across different sectors for the quality of their services. The Brand Awards highlight accomplishments of organisations that have performed remarkably well in finance, education, hospitality, automotive, lifestyle, education, real estate, technology and several more. Global Brand Awards recognise vital players who progress towards excellence by providing a platform to acknowledge their efforts. In addition, GBM strives to create awareness concerning the significance of such organisations and rewards them for their notable efforts with the ultimate global recognition.