Amazon’s shopping app made headlines with the announcement that teens will be able to shop, listen to music, watch movies – all with parental supervision and spending limits. This signals a fresh opportunity for any brand selling to teens via Amazon. But the larger lesson for every brand – regardless of target audience – is how powerful and prevalent shopping apps have become.

If you are not paying attention to mobile apps, you are not paying attention

More than a quarter of all smartphone Consumers in the US spend an average of 50 minutes on shopping apps each month, according to research from app market data and insights company App Annie. Total sessions in the top five digital-first apps (think Amazon, Wish) increased about 60% in the first half of the year, while total sessions in brick-and-mortar apps grew by about 50% during the same timeframe. Worldwide the average user is using between two and four shopping apps in a given month.

Retailers are using mobile apps to connect with customers by:

• Collecting purchase and browse data insights. Just like any digital channel, retailers can track user behavior on a mobile app. The personal nature of a mobile phone, allows retailers to understand a buyer’s shopping patterns over time and draw conclusions that can help inform merchandising and marketing.
• Building shopper loyalty. By providing convenient way to browse, buy, and save preferences on the go, retailers establish a relationship based on convenience. Mobile apps provide an opportunity to give shipping updates and useful content and experiences triggered by time of day, consumers actions or location.
• Driving impulse buying. With the glut of data coming from user behavior, mobile apps can serve up customize offers that can feel exclusive and personalized to each shopper at scale.

What do brands need to know about mobile apps

Your brand may not be ready to invest in a custom mobile app for your buyers, nor should you need to benefit from the growth in this trend. Brands need to be prepared to provide content that will work well on a mobile device and in-app. Identify key retailers that are using and investing in their apps today and test your product experience on them. Speak to your key retailers about investigate product promotion opportunities as well as any data and page view information they are collecting and can share.

For more data on today’s digital consumer, download our 2017 Consumer Research Report.