WeWard, the application that promises to make you money by walking – West France Evening Edition

"You are paid to walk. " This is how Yves Benchimol, a 28-year-old engineer, summarizes the concept of the Weward mobile application, which he created with Nicolas Hardy, Rémi Gazquez and Tanguy de la Villegeorges. Launched last April, Weward has already seduced 45,000 users according to its creators.

The principle is simple: thanks to the geolocation of your phone (your data is secure and not sold, Weward co-founder), the application counts the number of steps you make per day. Depending on the distance traveled, you earn wards, a virtual currency that can then be exchanged for a sum in euros, a gift certificate, a place of cinema or concert …

To win a ward (which is currently 2 cents), it takes 1,000 steps. If you reach the limit of 10,000 steps per day (about 30 minutes walk), you earn 20 cents.

Too much sedentarity

"To create this app, we started from two problems. A health problem We are becoming more and more sedentary, and that is worrying. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are almost 4 million (about 3.2 million, NdlR) of death each year due to lack of exercise, notes Yves Benchimol. The second problem concerns city centers : the shops are deserted. Indeed, our relationship to screens changes our consumption patterns : we go out less and less to do our shopping for example. "

Is not it infantilizing people to reward them for walking? "It is true that we asked ourselves the question, admits the engineer. But we realize that it works Some people will go down to a subway station before theirs to walk a little, for example. In the first place, the application makes you aware of how many steps we take each day, to raise awareness of the benefits of walking, and to encourage people to walk. "

Solutions to have more wards

The four engineers added a "Cultural dimension" : "We have referenced monuments, museums, restaurants, shops… When you go there, you can earn more wards (from 5 to 100 wards, NdlR). But beware, it's exceptional : it only works once per place ! "Yves Benchimol continues.

This option is currently available only in certain cities, such as Paris, Marseille, Nice, Lille or Lyon.

It is on this referencing of signs that the economic model of WeWard is built: "By referencing a partner, we allow them to generate traffic and we charge them"says the 28-year-old, who says WeWard generates revenue but is not yet profitable.

The application will evolve in the coming weeks, warns Yves Benchimol: "We want to encourage people to walk more. This will work by palliating For example, to get out of the sedentary lifestyle, you need to do at least 2,500 steps a day. Below, you will not earn money. We will also push the "limit" to 25 000 no. The goal is not to do 10 000 not once a month, but to have regular physical activity "he concludes.