Small Commerce: How to generate ideas

Business Hubs Ideation Small Commerce: How to generate ideas

After this introduction to ideation and how it relates to co-creation, it is time to get to business, and apply the process to identify potential ideas for your business that take advantage of the possibilities and opportunities digital tools can offer you.

There are different options you can consider:

Adapting the channels through which you offer your product/service;
Adapting your product or service offer itself;
Generating a new (online or digital) product or service;
Adopt digital tools for enhancing your internal processes;
Adopting digital tools in your buying processes.

The decision on what you want to do needs to align with your vision and strategy for the business for the coming years, be aware that making the most of digital tools and technologies requires time and money so the decision is not to be taken lightly.

Before starting the ideation process, it is therefore important to stop and reflect on why you want or need to embark in this journey of becoming more digital. Ask yourself the following questions:

Ask yourself	Tip
What is the problem I want to solve?	Think about whether it is related to reaching and retaining clients, or if it is related to an internal process, or even something in your supply chain? Identify the process which is related to this problem.
How did other similar businesses in my sector solved this problem?	Search for cases or examples online or talk to others in your sector. See what they did to solve the problem.
Imagine the ideal situation, what would be the desired status, i.e. what would be the result of addressing the problem?	Create for yourself a picture of what the desired situation is.

You might come up with more than one problem you want to address, in this case we recommend to first analysis with the identified problems are related (e.g. cause and effect) or not. If they are not related you should prioritise and decide which problem to address first. If they are related try and identify which is the one that is the cause and which the effect.

Once you are clear on what problem you want to address, you can start “ideating” the solution, ,. This does not mean that you start by thinking in terms of a specific tool or technology, but define

– the new (online) product or service;

– the adapted product or service;

– the new or adapted channel;

– the new or adapted process (being it internal, related to your suppliers, or to your clients).

Examples can be a web shop; a fully automated stock (and buying process); a booking system; or an app complementary to your service offer.

Unless you have sufficient knowledge and skills and are quite tech savvy, to define what you want the digital tool or technology to do for you (i.e. the functionalities) and explore what technical solutions are out there, we recommend using a co-creation approach, in which together with digital experts you identify the possible solutions.

In this first phase, focus should be on jointly exploring what is it what you need from the solution, what problem does it solve, or what improvement should it bring about. This is what is called the definition of functionalities or requirements.

Maybe in the process of exploring your problem, and ideating your new product, service, channel, process, etc, you might come across businesses similar or complementary to yours that are facing a similar problem or issue. Teaming up together to co-create a solution that can be valid for the group can be interesting. However, bear in mind that there is always a trade-off, as you might not get a fully customised solution. Still it might be worthwhile from a cost efficiency perspective, or even from a competitiveness perspective, especially when exploring an integrated offer, e.g. a joint tourism/leisure offer which can be booked online, having one single booking accommodation, and activity and even a restaurant reservation.

In these cases, the co-creation approach described below, should first be applied first with the group of companies that has decided to explore this option together and ideate the product, service or process together. Once there is an agreement, the co-creation process with the digital expert or the small digital company can start.

In the below section below on co-creation we explain in more detail how to go about it, and what to bear in mind when initiating such a process with a small digital company or a digital expert.

The next phase “Preparation” will dive deeper into what to do once you have decided what kind of digital or solution you want to adopt and what the main functionalities or features are that you want to include.

Previous Topic

Back to Lesson

Next Topic

Personas

- Manager - Developer - Retail - Hospitality

Action Plan

Case Studies

Custom Cakes to Order Online

This case involves the expansion of Karaat Amsterdam’s cupcake service into the online world, specifically through the creation of a web shop and a special form for ordering custom cakes. Ideation refers to the process of generating, developing, and communicating new ideas, and in this case, the collaboration between Karaat Amsterdam and De Onliners led to the development of innovative solutions to meet the restaurant’s goals. The objectives was to create a web shop and a custom cake ordering system that met Karaat Amsterdam’s specific requirements. The clear display of prices throughout the ordering process also demonstrates the effectiveness of the ideation process in finding practical solutions.

Karaat Amsterdam was able to redesign its website and incorporate features that would enable customers to order cakes online. The creation of a web shop allowed for a seamless and user-friendly online ordering experience, while the special form for ordering custom made cakes added a unique and personalized touch to the service.

Overall, this case highlights how ideation, in the form of collaboration with web design creators, played a crucial role in expanding Karaat Amsterdam’s cupcake service into the online world and enhancing the customer experience through innovative features.

Eller Café & Wine Bar Pairs Nicely with Glass Mask Theatre

This case demonstrates how the collaboration between the Bestseller Café and Glass Mask Theatre led to the creation of a unique and innovative experience for patrons.

The process of ideation involves generating and nurturing fresh concepts, and in this instance, the collaboration led to the integration of a café and a theatre offering customers a different and intimate theatre experience within a central café setting.

Bestseller Café and Glass Mask Theatre joined forces to address a common challenge faced by new and experimental playwrights – the lack of affordable and accessible venues in city centers. By collaborating, the two businesses were able to leverage each other’s strengths and resources. The café, being a successful business with a loyal following, provided a beautiful venue to promote local artists and their work. On the other hand, the theatre brought in Innovative content Introducing new talent and enhancing the cultural experience for café patrons.

By combining food, wine, and theatre, the café was able to attract a broader customer base and generate additional revenue from theatre patrons. Additionally, the collaboration provided a valuable support system for artists, especially during the challenging times of the pandemic when many theatres and galleries were closed. The successful result of this collaboration is evident in the Bestseller Café’s steadfast growth in following by culturally literate Dubliners who not only enjoy the café’s offerings but also support and enrich local artists

Overall, this case exemplifies ideation by showcasing how the collaboration between the Bestseller Café and Glass Mask Theatre resulted in the creation of a unique and mutually beneficial experience for both businesses and their customers.

Case Study Together Academy Café

The Together Academy Café exemplifies preparation as it showcases the proactive steps taken to open a café that meets the needs of individuals with Down Syndrome and the wider community and demonstrates how proactive steps were taken to open a café in partnership with the local Dublin community. Te collaboration involved careful planning and preparation to address the needs of individuals with Down Syndrome and the wider community besides implementing training programs, and tailored supports to ensure the successful launch and operation of the café.

Together Academy Café recognized the high unemployment rate among individuals with Down Syndrome in Ireland and already offered various resources and training programs to address this issue. By partnering with the community and opening a café, it aimed to expand their services and provide additional job and life skills training opportunities for their students while also catering to the needs of the community and the Wanderers Rugby Club.

The allowed the opportunity and space where students could work and develop their job skills while also serving as a café for the community. -a seamless combination of two needs 1. providing employment opportunities for young adults with Down Syndrome and 2. offering café services to the community.

The successful result of this collaboration is evident in the readiness of the students to apply their job skills at the café, improving their employability and fostering connections with the Ballsbridge community. The results are not solely the services provided but also the creation of stable job opportunities for more young adults with Down Syndrome.

Case Study CENTRE DU CUIR

By proactively identifying the need for collaboration, understanding the target market, offering reliable solutions, and preparing for geographic expansion, Centre du Cuir demonstrated effective preparation in positioning themselves for success.:

Identifying the need for collaboration: Centre du Cuir recognized the need to improve its visibility and expand its customer base beyond the local market. By collaborating with Domino Communication, a web agency specializing in improving online visibility, Centre du Cuir took proactive steps to address this need and prepare for growth.
Assessing the target market: Centre du Cuir identified its target market as individuals and professionals who require maintenance services for leather and imitation leather surfaces. This understanding allowed them to tailor their services and marketing efforts to meet the specific needs and preferences of their target audience.
Offering reliable and durable solutions: Centre du Cuir positioned itself as a provider of reliable and durable solutions for various leather-related issues. This positioning indicates that they have invested time and effort in researching and testing their services, ensuring that they are well-prepared to address the problems commonly faced by their customers.
Geographic expansion: The strategic location of Centre du Cuir near the German border played a significant role in their successful preparation. They recognized the potential of expanding their operations to surrounding towns and prepared themselves to cater to customers in those areas. This shows that they conducted thorough research and planning to take advantage of their favourable location.

Grant: Cullen

This case was selected as an example of implementation because it showcases the successful execution of a project involving the development of a website and digital marketing efforts for Grant Cullen, a management coach trainer. Implementation refers to the process of putting plans or ideas into action, and in this case, the collaboration between Grant and GLO demonstrates the effective execution of their objectives.

Grant Cullen needed to reach out to more of his target audience and build a stronger client base. To achieve this, it sought to develop a multi-page website and establish a brand presence online. GLO, a service provider, was chosen to collaborate on this project.

The successful result of this collaboration is evident in the development of a website that showcases Grant’s expertise and effectively personalizes his services. The website has attracted relevant traffic through organic searches, indicating its effectiveness in reaching the target audience. Additionally, GLO has taken on responsibilities for Grant’s branding, logo design, and setting up profiles on relevant directories and social media platforms.

The project has now transitioned into the next phase, which involves digital marketing efforts such as Google Ads management. This signifies that the initial objectives of developing the website and establishing a brand presence have been successfully implemented, and the collaboration is progressing towards expanding Grant’s reach through targeted digital marketing strategies.

Overall, this case exemplifies implementation by demonstrating the successful execution of a project involving website development, brand establishment, and digital marketing efforts. The collaboration between Grant and GLO has effectively brought their plans into action, resulting in a website that showcases Grant’s expertise and attracts relevant traffic while setting the stage for further digital marketing endeavours.

La Casa del Habano Luxembourg

Implementation refers to the process of putting plans or ideas into action, and in this case, the collaboration between La Casa del Habano and Addedsense showcases the effective execution of their objectives and demonstrates the successful execution of a website creation project for La Casa del Habano Luxembourg. This case serves as a good example of implementation because it showcases the successful execution of a website creation project.

La Casa del Habano Luxembourg has a clear goal of stocking the very best products in optimal conditions, sourced exclusively from the Habanos S.A. Exclusive distributor CubaCigar Benelux. To enhance their business and reach a wider audience, they embarked on a website creation project in collaboration with Addedsense.

The collaboration involved a series of steps, starting with a needs analysis to ensure that the website meets the specific requirements of La Casa del Habano. Addedsense worked closely with the client to define the objectives and target audience of the site. They then proceeded to develop a web strategy and design that aligned with the brand’s visual identity.

The successful result of this collaboration is evident in the development of a website that recognizes the historical brand’s visual identity and aligns the goals and objectives of La Casa del Habano Luxembourg. The implementation of the web strategy and design showcases the effective execution of the project, ensuring that the website represents the brand in a visually appealing and functional manner. The collaboration between La Casa del Habano Luxembourg and Addedsense demonstrates the effective implementation of the defined objectives and the brand’s visual identity, resulting in a website that effectively represents the business and enhances its online presence.

Case Study Mascarillas Bejar

Evaluation involves assessing the effectiveness and outcomes of a project or initiative, and in this case, the story of Mascarillas Béjar demonstrates the evaluation of their business transformation and digitalization efforts. This case is a good example of an evaluation case study because it showcases the transformation and success of Mascarillas Béjar, a small company in Spain, during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a good example of an evaluation case study , it demonstrates the assessment of Mascarillas Béjar’s successful business transformation, digitalization efforts, and the positive outcomes they achieved as a result.

Initially, Fibras Textil Sánchez, the company’s original business, suffered a significant decrease due to the impact of the pandemic. However, in recognising the urgent need for mouth masks prompted the company to quickly pivot their business and focus on producing masks. This required acquiring new machinery and digitalizing their operations to enable online sales. The company rapidly implemented an e-commerce platform, but they faced challenges such as online attacks and cybersecurity gaps.

Recognizing the need for cybersecurity measures and stable management of supplies and sales, Mascarillas Béjar collaborated with specialized companies in cybersecurity and cloud services, such as Esprinet and Data Recover. This second phase of digitalization allowed them to stabilize their operations and enhance their digital capabilities.

The successful result of these efforts is evident in Mascarillas Béjar’s accomplishments. They became a viral phenomenon, producing a million masks per day and increasing their workforce from six to almost 100 employees. Their factory was operating in three shifts. The company’s focus on digitalization, including the use of artificial intelligence and cloud services, has played a vital role in their development.

The evaluation of Mascarillas Béjar’s transformation highlights the positive outcomes achieved through their digitalization and business transition . Their ability to adapt quickly, address cybersecurity concerns, and enhance their digital capabilities has not only enabled them to meet the urgent demand for masks but also positioned them as a reliable provider in the market. Their aim was to replace the Chinese providers within the Spanish hospital system, and this reflected their ambition for future growth and sustainability.

Case Study- Zen to GO

Evaluation involves assessing the effectiveness and outcomes of a project or initiative, and in this case, the story of Zen to Go and Think demonstrates the evaluation of their collaboration and the successful implementation of a mobile application and website. This case is showcasing the collaboration between ‘Zen to Go’ restaurant and ‘Think’ digital product agency in Malta to meet the growing demand for takeaway and provide an enhanced customer experience. It demonstrates the assessment of the collaboration between Zen to Go and Think, the successful implementation of a mobile application and website, and the positive outcomes achieved in terms of customer satisfaction and repeated usage of the platform.

The cause for collaboration stemmed from the restaurant’s need to cater to the growing demand for takeaway and provide a loyalty scheme for frequent users. They also wanted to address customer concerns about calories by incorporating a calorie counter feature.

The context of the case highlights the restaurant’s goal of offering customers the convenience of ordering sushi on the go, tracking orders, counting calories, and enjoying faster delivery. Collaborating with Think, they aimed to create a visually appealing platform that aligned with the brand’s primary colours and conveyed an energized, fun, bold, and optimistic feel.

The successful result of the collaboration is evident in the Zen to Go mobile application and website, which is used daily by hundreds of people to effortlessly order lunch or dinner. The platform offers the flexibility for users to have their orders delivered to their preferred address or pick them up from a Zen to Go outlet. The user flow is clear, simple, and intuitive, guiding users through the ordering process smoothly. The high percentage of returning users demonstrates the success of the platform in meeting customer needs and preferences.