A new fashion app, New Arrival, aims to introduce Chinese travellers abroad to lesser-known boutiques abroad.
The New Arrival app serves as a platform and guide for brick-and-mortar stores Chinese shoppers might otherwise miss in their travels.
Founded by Howell Hu, the app has two sections. One part focusses on “new arrivals” from on-ground stores, letting users browse products with a swiping feature. Shoppers swipe right to like a product and see more like it, swipe left to “pass” on the product, and swipe down to add it to their shopping cart.
From there, they can either access more information about the store or arrange to make the purchase directly on the app via Alipay. Users can also browse using a navigation system to shop by category.
The other section of the New Arrival app lets users tour shops by city. A “nearby” option lets travellers find stores on the go, or they can search by city (destinations include Beijing, Shanghai, New York, Paris and Hong Kong).
More than 200 stores are presently collaborating with the app, all of them either multi-brand stores or individual designers. While most of the countries included are major tourist destinations, China is also represented as well as several destinations in Asia, such as Johor Bahru in Malaysia.
The New Arrival app allows returns within one week, and the stores themselves handle shipping.
Available for iPhone, the app will have an Android version next month.