Shopping application trends
To see the latest shopping application trends from the myriad of research agencies and their reports, I suggest you look at the data from Data.ai (fka App Annie). It is one of the best sources for mobile app market data. It is founded on transparent and objective sources and impartially reflects all trends without "labeling" or dividing them into positive and negative.
And even if it troubles market players, this year's State of Mobile 2024 report from Data.ai has restored my long-lost faith in humanity, noting that the Annual Hour Spent in Shopping Apps growth rate turned negative in 2023. To calm the app owners and shopaholics, it's worth noting that the numbers remain huge - humanity still spends 100 billion hours on shopping apps.
The geographical focus of the shopping app market has slightly shifted towards China and Singapore, thanks to the launch of apps like Temu and Shein.
Temu has also impacted the industry structure, increasing the share of Supermarket and Convenience Store to 9% while E-commerce decreased by 7%.
Shopping apps ratings
In the Data.ai ratings, depending on the region and assessment method, the top two shopping apps from Asia - Temu and Shein - occupy the first and second places. JD.COM is in third place, while Flipkart and Red, which are related to Social Media, share the fourth and fifth places.
Long-standing major players like Amazon, AliExpress, Alibaba, and Walmart are in the second and third positions in local markets.
If you're looking for the best shopping apps, I also recommend checking out the ratings in the Apple Stores and Google Play.
Another source for analyzing trends in the best shopping apps market is SimilarWeb, where you can see not only the app rankings but also many useful details about traffic sources and competitors.
Top features of the best shopping apps
So, what can give you a competitive edge in this crazy mobile shopping app market?
Creative Gallery
Feature #1 for shopping apps is Creative Gallery - a section or component within the app that showcases visually appealing and often inspiring content related to the products or services offered. This feature can include high-quality images, videos, design ideas, user-generated content, or themed collections that enhance the shopping experience by inspiration, engagement, highlighting trends, brand representation, community building.
Overall, the Creative Gallery Feature aims to enrich the user interface of the shopping app, making it not just a place to buy products but also a source of ideas and enjoyment.
App IQ
The "App IQ" feature in a shopping app refers to the intelligent functionalities integrated within the app to enhance the user experience through personalization, recommendations, and data-driven insights. This feature leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms to analyze user behavior, preferences, and interactions within the app. Here's what App IQ typically involves:
Personalized Recommendations: Based on the user's browsing history, purchase history, and search queries, the app suggests products that the individual is likely to be interested in, creating a tailored shopping experience.
Search Optimization: App IQ can improve the search functionality by using natural language processing (NLP) to better understand and respond to user queries, including voice search capabilities.
Predictive Analytics: By analyzing trends and user behavior, App IQ can predict and highlight products that are likely to become popular, offering users a curated selection of trending items.
Customer Insights: Retailers can use the data gathered from App IQ to gain insights into customer preferences and shopping patterns, aiding in inventory management, marketing strategies, and product development.
Enhanced User Interface (UI): App IQ can lead to an adaptive and responsive UI that changes based on the user's needs and habits, making the shopping experience more intuitive and efficient.
Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: Integration of AI-driven chatbots or virtual assistants to provide instant customer support, product recommendations, and assist with navigation within the app.
Ratings and reviews
The Ratings and Reviews feature in shopping apps is crucial for building trust and influencing purchase decisions. Here are some of the latest trends in this area:
User-Generated Content (UGC): Beyond traditional text reviews, there's a trend towards including user-generated content like photos and videos.
Verified Purchase Reviews: To ensure the authenticity of reviews, many apps now highlight reviews from verified purchasers.
Incentivized Reviews: Encouraging users to leave reviews by offering incentives like discounts, loyalty points, or entry into competitions.
Advanced Filtering and Sorting: Providing advanced options to filter and sort reviews, such as by star rating, date, or helpfulness.
Integrated Q&A Sections: Including a section where potential buyers can ask questions and receive answers either from the seller or from customers who have purchased the product.
AI and Machine Learning: Using artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to analyze review text for insights into customer sentiment, detect fake reviews, and summarize key points, making it easier for users to glean useful information at a glance.
Social Integration: Allowing users to share their reviews or favorite products on social media directly from the app, thus integrating the shopping experience with social networking and enhancing the spread of word-of-mouth endorsements.
Here are examples of real shopping apps that incorporate these trends in their ratings and reviews features:
Amazon: Amazon uses verified purchase reviews to ensure authenticity and employs advanced filtering and sorting options. They also support user-generated content like photos and videos in reviews, helping potential buyers see the products in use.
Sephora: In the Sephora app, customers can upload photos and videos along with their reviews. The app also features a Q&A section where shoppers can ask and answer questions about products.
Etsy: Etsy incentivizes reviews by creating a trustworthy community vibe. Reviews often include user-generated images, and the platform highlights if a review is from a verified purchase.
Best Buy: Best Buy's app features comprehensive review sections, including verified purchaser tags, and uses AI to summarize product reviews, highlighting the most mentioned pros and cons.
Top 5 shopping apps
Temu
Temu is a shopping app known for offering a wide range of products at very competitive prices. The combination of low prices, a broad range of products, flash sales and discounts, user-friendly experience, and reliable shipping and payment options makes Temu a popular choice among online shoppers looking for convenience and value.
PDD Holdings использовал обширную рекламу и низкие цены, чтобы привлечь новых пользователей и стать ключевым игроком, за которым стоит следить.
Shein
Shein is a global fashion retail app known for offering a vast array of trendy, affordable clothing and accessories.
Shein's unique selling proposition is its ability to rapidly produce and offer trendy, fashionable items at extremely low prices. This fast-fashion model, combined with an efficient supply chain, allows it to quickly bring the latest styles from the runway to consumers’ wardrobes.
Best features of the Shein shopping app are extensive range of fashion items, trendy styles at affordable prices, user-friendly interface, flash sales and discounts, and global reach. With shipping to over 220 countries and regions, Shein has a broad international customer base.
Shein has utilized social media marketing effectively, collaborating with influencers and bloggers to reach a wider audience and create a strong brand presence.
Leveraging big data analytics to understand consumer preferences and trends, enabling the brand to offer highly desired products.
Shein has a highly efficient supply chain that enables rapid production and turnover of new styles, keeping the inventory fresh and appealing.
Through its app, Shein engages customers with personalized recommendations, rewards programs, and interactive features like fashion challenges.
JD.com
JD.com, also known as Jingdong, is a leading e-commerce platform in China, known for its wide range of products, high-quality service, and fast delivery. It. offers an extensive selection of products across various categories including electronics, home appliances, fashion, books, and groceries.
The shopping platform is known for its commitment to quality, selling only genuine and authentic products, which is a significant concern for consumers in online shopping. JD.com has formed strategic partnerships with global brands and expanded internationally, including Southeast Asia and Europe, to diversify its market presence.
JD.com places a strong emphasis on customer service, offering 24/7 support and easy return policies to enhance the shopping experience and build customer loyalty.
JD.com operates its own logistics network, offering same-day or next-day delivery for many products in numerous cities across China. JD.com has heavily invested in its logistics network, including warehouses, delivery trucks, and even drones for rural deliveries, ensuring speed and efficiency in order fulfillment.
The shopping platform uses advanced technology for its operations, including AI, big data analytics, and automation in its warehouses and logistics.The company continuously invests in technology, including AI, drones, and robotics, to improve operations, customer experience, and to reduce costs.
Unlike competitors that primarily operate as marketplaces, JD.com maintains a direct sales model for a significant portion of its inventory, providing better control over product quality and supply chain. JD.com has ventured into offline retail, opening brick-and-mortar stores across China, including supermarkets and electronics stores, offering a seamless online-to-offline (O2O) shopping experience.
Aliexpress
AliExpress is a popular global online retail service based in China, part of the Alibaba Group. It is known for offering a wide variety of products at factory-direct prices, enabling consumers worldwide to access affordable goods directly from manufacturers and wholesalers.
AliExpress features a vast selection of products across various categories, from electronics and fashion to home goods and toys.
Known for its affordable pricing, the platform aggregates products from numerous sellers, often manufacturers or wholesalers, which helps keep prices low.
AliExpress provides a comprehensive buyer protection program, which includes full refunds if products aren’t received or aren’t as described.
To stay popular in 2024, AliExpress has localized its services and offerings to meet the specific needs and preferences of different regional markets, including local payment options and tailored marketing.
The platform continues to integrate advanced technologies like AI and machine learning for personalized recommendations, enhancing the shopping experience for users.
To ensure customer satisfaction, AliExpress has implemented stricter quality assurance measures and vetting processes for sellers.
AliExpress has expanded its ecosystem, integrating with local e-commerce platforms and payment systems, and collaborating with local businesses to strengthen its market presence.
TikTok seller
TikTok Seller refers to the e-commerce functionality integrated within the TikTok platform, known as TikTok Shop. This feature allows sellers to promote and sell products directly through the TikTok app.
TikTok Seller's unique selling proposition lies in its integration of e-commerce with highly engaging, short-form video content. This makes the shopping experience entertaining, interactive, and seamlessly integrated with users’ content consumption habits.
Sellers can integrate shopping features directly into their TikTok videos, allowing users to purchase products through links in the content.
TikTok Seller enables live stream shopping, where sellers can showcase and sell products in real-time, interacting with the audience.
The platform leverages the power of social media and community, encouraging users to share products and purchases, thus enhancing product visibility.
TikTok has a creator marketplace where brands can connect with influencers and content creators to promote their products, leveraging their reach and engagement.
The app encourages user-generated content, including reviews and unboxing videos, which contribute to the authenticity and trustworthiness of the products.
TikTok’s algorithm promotes content that gains high engagement, helping sellers reach a large audience quickly if their content resonates well with users.
With a large user base of young people, TikTok Shop taps into the market of digital-savvy consumers who are inclined towards online shopping.
Leveraging viral content and trends, TikTok Shop allows sellers to gain rapid visibility and sales momentum.
Why you should launch a shopping app in 2024
Shopping apps from well known brands create a stronger connection between the brand, retailers and their customers, resulting in increased sales and profitability. For retailers, having a shopping app offers benefits compared to physical stores or mobile web shopping. These include improved customer engagement metrics such as conversion rates, time spent on the app and product views. Retailers also experience higher return visit rates and customer loyalty, a direct means of communication through push notifications and an overall enhanced shopping experience. Moreover, being available in app stores acts as an effective way to attract new customers and boosts credibility.
It's not just major brands that can benefit from shopping apps; they are accessible to all online retailers. Launching your own branded app through Natively is simple and cost effective. If you already have a mobile friendly e-commerce website (as most do nowadays), you can get your Android and iOS apps up and running within hours with Natively's help. Natively converts your existing mobile optimized website into mobile apps with key smartphone features like push notifications, camera access, digital wallet integration and review requests. The technical coding work is taken care of for you – all you need to do is review and approve the final product.
Converting your e-commerce website into mobile apps through Natively is not only the easiest way but also the most cost effective option. Unlike traditional native app development, which can be quite expensive, Natively provides a more budget friendly solution that can save you a substantial amount on yearly maintenance costs. With the support of Natively, over 800 businesses have already successfully launched their mobile applications. To explore how you can introduce your own shopping app, start a free trial.
