Nominis podcast – episode 087: How I started a webshop in 1998
In Nominis episode 087, we go back to the early days of online sales in Croatia. Dubravko Pavlešić, founder of Limes plus, shares how a family business that started with office supplies, paper catalogs, and a Renault 4 became one of the early examples of B2B eCommerce in the region.
In the new episode of Nominis podcast which we are producing in partnership with the Association of eCommerce Croatia, Marcel Majsan spoke with Dubravko Pavlešić, founder of Limes plus and one of the pioneers of online sales in Croatia.
Limes plus was founded in 1991 by Dubravko and Marija Pavlešić. The company started by selling paper and office supplies, then expanded as they followed what business customers needed in everyday work. Their first catalog was created in 1993, at first as a simple product list without photos, but it quickly became an important sales tool.
Before online sales became normal, Limes plus was already testing different ways to reach customers. They distributed flyers to business owners and accountants waiting in line at SDK, later ZAP and today’s Fina, and even turned a Renault 4 into a moving advertisement.
The company launched its webshop in 1998, when most people were still using slow dial-up connections. At the time, the webshop was more of an online catalog than a sales channel, but it gave customers a new way to browse the offer and understand what Limes plus could deliver.
One detail from the first website captures that period well: users could turn off product images so the page would load faster. It is a small reminder of how different eCommerce was at the time.
Over the years, Limes plus kept improving both its digital tools and internal processes. In 2003, the company introduced Navision, today known as Microsoft Dynamics NAV, which helped connect product data, orders, and business operations more efficiently.
Today, Limes plus is a wholesale business focused on B2B customers, with a distribution center in Dugave and delivery across Croatia. In 2024, 60 percent of all orders were placed through the webshop. That same year was also the first year in which the company did not receive a single fax order.
You do not have to be the biggest. You should aim to be the best.
The conversation also touched on the Limes plus concept store in central Zagreb, the importance of customer reviews, and the way the company listens to feedback. For Dubravko, complaints and reviews are not only about reputation. They are a practical way to understand what needs to improve.
The episode ends with a simple business lesson: technology changes, buying habits change, and channels change, but quality, consistency, and care for the customer still matter.
You can check the video recording of Nominis 087 on the official YouTube channel of eCommerce Croatia.
A Boletus aficionado who loves to get lost in the woods. He's still holding dearly to his OG Canon 5DmII while claiming that the play button is the apex call-to-action button on the web.
