Subway Virtual Store

Why it works

The supermarket that came to the commuters. Tesco's South Korean chain Homeplus wanted an edge over its larger rival E-mart, so Cheil Worldwide stopped trying to lure busy Seoul workers into stores and put the store where they already stood: lifelike images of supermarket aisles lined a subway station, every product carrying a QR code. Commuters scanned groceries with their phones while waiting for a train, paid on the spot and had the order delivered to their door that evening. Engagement ran only to the tens of thousands, but the client reported online sales up 130%, and in 2012 Homeplus opened a 'smart' virtual store at Seolleung station. The work won the Media Grand Prix at Cannes 2011, South Korea's first in that category. It is studied as an early, defining picture of mobile commerce: dead waiting time turned into shopping time, and outdoor media turned into a storefront.