This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.
Name: FastMall
Quick Pitch: Think Foursquare-meets-Yelp for shopping malls.
Genius Idea: FastMall is a website and an iPhone app that acts as both a mall directory/map/guide and a tool offering you local deals at stores, reviews of shops and eateries and fast access to information such as parking and restroom locations.
Like many other red-blooded Americans who grew up in the suburbs of a major city, I love my malls. In fact, I’ve had the layout of Atlanta’s major malls memorized since… well, let’s just say I’ve always know my way around Lenox, Phipp’s Plaza and Perimeter.
That isn’t to say that I don’t sometimes forget what mall has my favorite store or food court stand, or that when I travel to other places, I know the malls in those locales. That’s where FastMall comes in: it is designed to be your guide to a mall — complete with maps, a place to store parking info, a store directory with phone numbers and the ability to read and submit reviews and turn-by-turn directions.
There’s also a social element involved that lets you “check-in” a la Foursquare to a store or mall and find deals at the shops near you.
The FastMall website has the information for the detailed mall maps (which include some big malls like the Beverly Center and the Mall of America), but the iPhone apps includes store listings even for malls that don’t yet have a fully-featured interactive map.
The idea behind FastMall is to create a platform that can eventually extend to amusement parks and other types of venues. We think that’s really smart and that the app (and the site) is really onto something. FastMall isn’t a competitor to Foursquare and the like; it’s a niche-focused app that will help you find out what you need when at a venue or location with lots of shops.
Do you have any favorite mobile apps for finding your way around the mall? Let us know!
Sponsored by Microsoft BizSpark
BizSpark is a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.
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Tags: apple, fastmall.com, foursquare, iphone, iphone apps
