NearbyNow and CosmoGirl Connect Teen Readers and Retail Outlets With Shopping Concierge Service for Back to School


MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA and NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - August 25, 2008) - In time for the back to school rush, NearbyNow, Inc. announces its continued partnership with CosmoGirl magazine through COSMOGIRL Concierge (www.CosmoGirl.com/concierge), an innovative service that allows teen readers to find products from the latest issue of CosmoGirl magazine at their local stores by simply clicking the "find local" button. Teens can also put items at COSMOGIRL Concierge on hold at their local store with a single click, ensuring their desired size and color will be waiting for them when they arrive.

"Research has shown that teens first look through magazines for shopping inspiration and then go online for more information on specific products before heading to the mall with friends," says Vicki Wellington, Publisher of CosmoGirl. "COSMOGIRL Concierge provides an exclusive service to our readers and advertisers, offering the ultimate reader-to-retail connection."

The COSMOGIRL Concierge program is groundbreaking in how it ties print, online, mobile, and local shopping into one seamless experience for teen readers:

--  The COSMOGIRL Concierge section of CosmoGirl magazine highlights
    featured products and directs readers to www.CosmoGirl.com/concierge to
    find the closest store that carries those products.
--  Once on the website, www.CosmoGirl.com/concierge, shoppers choose
    their desired product(s), and input their zip code to find the closest
    stores which carry that item. If shoppers want to verify availability of
    their size or put the product on hold to pickup at a select store,
    NearbyNow will coordinate this for them, saving the shopper the hassle of
    calling the store themselves.
--  Shoppers can also elect to receive a text message "claim check" to
    present at their local store when they pick up their item.
--  If CosmoGirl's readers want to purchase the product online and have it
    shipped, COSMOGIRL Concierge provides this option as well through the "buy
    online" button.
--  Readers have the option to "find local" and "buy online" for such
    brands as Converse, Vanilla Star, Zeno Mini, Stridex Dual Solution, and
    Soleil Shimmer.
--  In addition, readers have the option to search their local shopping
    areas for other products and brands by selecting the shopping area closest
    to them.
    

"NearbyNow has had great success working with CosmoGirl magazine since the launch of COSMOGIRL Concierge last year. By putting more information in the hands of our teen shoppers, we can establish a strong reader-to-retail connection that will drive in-store sales as well as online purchases. It puts fashion-savvy teens one-step closer to making the trends they see in the pages of CosmoGirl a reality after just one shopping trip," said Scott Dunlap, CEO of NearbyNow.

About NearbyNow, Inc.

NearbyNow, Inc. provides a unique online service that allows consumers to search all products, brands, and sales currently available in local shopping areas near them using the Internet or mobile phones. Shoppers can even put items on hold to pick up with a single click, ensuring that items will be available in the needed size and color. The company also creates an efficient marketing tool for retailers to target nearby consumers, helping increase sales by turning online shoppers into in-store buyers. NearbyNow is headquartered in Mountain View, CA. Additional information can be obtained by phone at (650) 967-0940 or via the Web at www.nearbynow.com, or try our service at a shopping mall near you by texting to 632729 (nearby).

About CosmoGirl

CosmoGirl is all about the girl. CosmoGirl is not only about the clothes or just about fitting in -- it's about the girl and what she will try, buy, and do. Young women start with CosmoGirl, not only to see how they should look or what they should do, but also to see who they can be. CosmoGirl publishes ten issues annually, as well as CosmoGirl Prom. Young women can also interact with the brand on the digital front, with CosmoGirl.com and CosmoGirl mobile (m.CosmoGirl.com). The magazine is published by Hearst Magazines, a unit of Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) and one of the world's largest publishers of monthly magazines, with nearly 200 editions around the world, including 19 U.S. titles and 20 magazines in the United Kingdom, published through its wholly owned subsidiary, The National Magazine Company Limited. Hearst reaches more adults than any other publisher of monthly magazines (74.1 million total adults, according to MRI, spring 07).

Contact Information: Media Contact: Beth Trier Trier Company for NearbyNow (415) 285-6147 beth@triercompany.com