Global shoppers spent 18 billion hours in shopping apps during 2018

Consumers in mature markets like the US spent nearly three hours a day in mobile apps in 2018 on average, according to the State of Mobile 2019 report. Retailers who meet shoppers on the screen they prefer are reaping the benefits, since digital sales correlate strongly with the amount of time spent on a retail app.

US consumers may be spending more time on the apps they have, but there appears to be less willingness to add new apps to already crowded devices. Domestic app store downloads grew just 5% during 2018, compared to 35% growth worldwide. Digital natives are seeing the most success, accounting for 69% of retail app downloads globally, followed by:

• peer-to-peer marketplaces (24%)

• brick-and-click retailers (5%)

• coupon and third-party loyalty apps (3%).

Visuals: Are product images too large or too small, and is the size easy to adjust? Social media apps in particular can teach retailers how best to show off products on a small screen;

Onboarding: How intuitive is the app for a completely new user? A frustrating experience can cause shoppers to delete an app rather than learn to use it;

Recommendations: This is an area where digital natives tend to have more experience, but strong personalization functionality is also important for brick-and-mortar apps;

Payments and loyalty: Shoppers may not be interested in signing up for a retailer’s physical loyalty or credit card, but moving these features onto an app makes them more convenient.