Walk.by offers a consumer-facing iPhone app and a merchant app (Walk.by Snap) that let shoppers follow stores, brands, and specific items and notify merchants when matching inventory is available. Shoppers can purchase items for shipping or place reservations to hold items for in-person pickup or try-on; merchants fulfill shipped orders using UPS labels provided by Walk.by. Merchants post product photos from their store to the Walk.by marketplace and to social channels, simplifying inventory sharing for retailers that may not have e-commerce sites. Merchants pay no upfront fees or shipping costs; Walk.by takes a commission on sales ranging from 15 to 25 percent. Early operating metrics show 54 active merchants sold over 120 items in the first two months, and 194 retailers are now signed up, almost all in Chicago. Future plans include releasing the merchant app on the App Store, partnering on local delivery/messenger services, adding e-commerce integrations, improving push-notification timing, expanding merchant–customer communication, and creating incentives to drive in-store visits.

Total raised

$1M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Equity

Latest activity

Apr 2013