#walk15 is a mobile walking app founded in 2019 that offers users several different features to promote principles of healthiness, sustainability and reducing CO2 emission. The app is available worldwide and today it unites more than 250 000 users globally.
The feature of the app that stands out is that steps collected in steps challenges are converted into virtual trees. Later on, virtual trees can become real – planted in the special areas of the cities around the world.
First steps forest planted while walking in a #walk15 steps challenge can be found in Vilnius, Lithuania. This steps challenge was initiated with insurance company ERGO (Munich RE Group). The steps of the challenge were converted into more than 5000 trees.
What is more, virtual trees are a feature that symbolizes the concept of our impact on the environment. Since it is grown while walking, virtual trees correspond to the number of real ones we employ to process CO2 over the same distance by driving a car. For example, 1 kilometer (or 1400 steps) walked on foot allows the user grow 5 virtual trees. This is how many real trees we would employ to process CO2 if we would be driving 1 kilometer by car. Therefore, virtual trees also have an educational function. It allows users to understand their CO2 footprint.
Another feature of the app is the STEPS WALLET. Steps wallet transforms the daily habits of the users into healthier ones. It allows users to exchange their collected steps into special offers and benefits at the local grocery stores. For example, to get a special offer for fruits and vegetables.
Furthermore, app #walk15 has a special TRACKS section. The idea of the tracks section is to help tourism information centers to reduce the usage of paper maps and to provide a tourist with a convenient way to find cognitive paths, tourist routes, etc. Guides can access a special platform on the app, where they can upload their tracks, supplemented with informational points, audio records, and photos. Uploaded tracks are visible to all the users and can be found by their location. Now there are more than 250 virtual tracks available in Lithuania. Tracks can be created in every country of the world.
Users are motivated to walk every day by setting special goals. The personal motivation for every user is to walk around the globe at least once (50 million steps). On average, this goal is reached in 5 years. After reaching this goal, user receives a special badge, which symbolizes his or her achievement. Also, the team of the app challenges users to pursue a common goal. For example, the #walk15 user community is the first one to reach Mars. On foot! ?
When talking about the business model of the #walk15, the steps challenge for companies and organizations are the main feature. The app allows organizations to create their personal challenges, where they can have fun competing inside the team – individually or in small groups. Steps challenges allow companies to prosper the values of healthiness, and to build a sense of team spirit innovatively and safely. The significance of the challenges of the steps is extremely big during the pandemics. Since the start of 2021, more than 400 steps of challenges for companies were created globally. It is almost five times more than a previous year. It illustrates that steps challenges have a huge potential in the future.
Also, the app solves the low mobility problems at schools. With the same steps challenge functionalities and other educational features, the app has become a useful tool to encourage the physical activity values among school-aged children.
The goal of the team behind the app is to grow up to 37,5 million registered users worldwide up until 2024.
#walk15 introduction video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oR1FzjnQ8I&t
