When Vancouver welcomes the world for the 2010 Olympic games, people will not have to search hard to find the city’s varied shopping, eating and drinking spots with the stylish, GPS-enabled shopping application for iPhone and iPod Touch users, named ChicWalks Vancouver.
In partnership with ConQuer Mobile and CellMap, rising stars in the mobile space, Chicwalks Media offers meticulously researched shopping walks for fashion capitals worldwide, starting with mapped shopping routes for Vancouver, Canada and Paris, France, and soon adding San Francisco as the first US city. In anticipation of the huge influx of tourists expected for the 2010 Winter Olympics, ChicWalks Vancouver is the first in a series of apps to be launched that allow shoppers to quickly and easily discover what they want to shop for in a city, from the palm of their hand.
“Vancouver’s shopping scene ranges from top-name, international designers and chains, to funky, independent boutiques and local shops featuring unique fashions, shoes, jewellery and home decor items,” says Karen Henrich, CEO of Chicwalks Media Inc. “We document and organize it all in a way that enables shoppers to browse through snappy merchant descriptions and instantly hit the ground shopping—without having to do a lot of research and putting together tedious strategic plans.” ChicWalks Vancouver utilizes CellTouch In-App Mapping technology—a platform developed for Virtual Shopping Malls, Tourism and Event organizations that enables consumers to connect with local businesses.
Says ConQuer Mobile Inc. CEO, Angela Robert: “The ChicWalks Vancouver iPhone App concept is the perfect complement to the CellTouch technology, which links GPS mapping to the shopping listings, right within the application. We’re thrilled to work with Chicwalks Media to showcase the most fashionable cities worldwide, in user-friendly, informative and stylish applications that help shoppers make the most of their time and energy.”
Show Me the Shopping!
Visitors to Vancouver can maximize their precious time by browsing the descriptive listings in 9 walks and deciding what and where to explore. Locals can save time by previewing what’s new, or branch out to discover another area or stores they never thought to check out. Users can immediately recoup the cost of the app through valuable, exclusive offers from walk merchants. Content is kept current with weekly updates that load quickly and seamlessly to the iPhone upon opening the application, and new walks and features and offers will be added on a regular basis.
The Origins of the Shopping Walk
The shopping walks are the result of founder and CEO Karen Henrich’s experience as a Paris tour operator and her frustration in trying to find one comprehensive source for all of the city’s key shopping areas. Through her sister tour company, Nuit Blanche Tours, Henrich has developed and led popular shopping tours for hundreds of English-speaking clients in Paris. She created shopping walks for customers by conducting her own meticulous research, on foot and online, and asking the advice of fashionable French friends. ChicWalks.com was born when she brought all of that research together in one user-friendly format that allows users to shop the way they want to, on a street-by-street basis. Chicwalks is taking the next step by creating mobile applications for each city to allow shoppers to have a great shopping experience, from the palm of their hand.
