Page - 173 - in Digital Entrepreneurship - Impact on Business and Society

by Homeplus largely increased their sales and made them leading in the online market and second in theofflinemarket for groceries.Online shopping isnot anew phenomenon, but Homeplus used its insights into a very creative way to make it extremely convenient and appealing for the customers. The customers found the idea appealing to them because it met their shopping needs, but also turned their waiting time at subway stations into productive shopping andmaximized their free time. In 2011, they won the Grand Prix award for mobile creativity emphasizing success in changing theway the people usedmobile technologies. Homepluswas able to do this as they looked at its organization and competition in a differentway than its competitors. They creatively created a novel and useful solution that mimicked real store shelveswithdigital displays. In addition, theybrought together marketing and sales as the marketing of their company and products directly became sales. Their creativity in this process was expressed through the creative combinationof twoexistingproducts, namely smartphone appanddigital displays. Case 2: Benchvertising WhenNerminVelagić, the founder of Benchvertising.com, startedworking in the advertising industry, hedidnot reallyplan to introduce innovations thatwould take advertising toawholenew level.Hisfirst businessventurewithin this industrywas focused on installing classical benches in parks andmain pedestrian zones in the CityofSarajevo,Bosnia, andHerzegovina.Whennot inuse, part of thebenchused for sittingwould fold, thereby exposing a highly visible surface to anyonewalking nearby.Being installed inplaceswithhigh frequency, thesebenchesbecameavery attractivecommunicationmedium.Severalhundredsof suchbencheswere installed and advertisements of major Bosnian–Herzegovinian advertisers were highly exposed. It was a win-win-win situation for municipalities, advertising agencies, and the public, i.e., (potential) consumers. However, asconsumersembraceddigitalization ineveryaspectof their everyday lives,Mr.Velagićwasaware that hehad to follow. Insteadof starting a completely new (digitalized) business idea, he decided to do something extraordinarywith the current business. He decided to digitalize the bench! A very traditional, simple artifacthasbeenaround forcenturies inmoreor less thesameshapeandwithavery basic function. Meanwhile, verymuch as thewhole of Europe, Bosnia andHerzegovina faces thedemographic trendof an agingpopulation.For local communities, amongother things, this implies an increasing need for benches—in parks, pedestrian zones, aroundmedical, and administrative facilities. In terms of costs related to benches, local authorities face risingcostsofpurchasing, installing, andmaintaining them. In times of increasing pressure to achieve high-cost efficiency, financing benches represent a growing challenge for local authorities with anyhow tight budgets. Having inmind theneed to ‘godigital’andfindingout theproblemof long-term financing the risingneed forbenches,Mr.Velagić, again, came to the idea to create a win-win-win business concept. He created digital benches labeled as ‘Benchvertising’ which provides a web, cloud-based, communication tool that allows owner/user to upload content, create, and schedule campaigns, to manage 178 E. Smailhodžić andD. Berberović