Mobile devices have enabled shoppers to be more informed than ever, adding value to their planning and buying process. And mobile apps have played a significant part in this evolution.
It took a while for retailers to realize that mobile apps need to be looked at beyond just the “downloads” aspect but also the retention strategy as well as the chances of in-app purchases. It might not seem like a feasible option initially, especially from an investment perspective, but studies have shown that engagement does pave way for monetization and top retailers are now proving this out.
According to Nielsen, companies that are associated with online shopping are also emerging as the ones that have “the most-used smartphone shopping apps”.
The eBay and Amazon apps managed to garner 13m and 12m unique users, respectively, in June this year.
The industry has also embraced vouchering, coupons, daily deals and proximity-based offers in a big way. Whether these efforts are strong enough to maintain loyal customers is still being questioned.
Shoppers do come to retailers to take advantage of such offerings via their mobile devices. According to Nielsen, “Target and Walgreens received significant mobile traffic from savvy shoppers looking to find the best deals in their local retail stores.” Clearly, the blend of mobile and location is too strong to be ignored.
“Overall, 45 million smartphone owners used apps in the Shopping/Commerce category, accessing shopping apps 17 times on average during June 2012 ,” shared Nielsen.
