Consumers believe current retail apps are failing to deliver the high quality and interactive mobile shopping experience they demand, according to new research.
Despite a third of UK consumers admitting to downloading more retail apps in the last 12 months than they did in the previous year, just 40% said they were satisfied with the current offering.
The report, by mobile app developer Apadmi, found that nearly one in five consumers would like to see retailers invest in more innovation to improve apps, while 30% would be more likely to use them if they could do more than just browse and buy.
Only a third of app users said they had noticed any kind of improvement in the shopping tools they have previously downloaded and, worryingly for retailers, more than a quarter said they would think less of a retailer that developed an app but failed to update it regularly.
Of those shoppers who said they wanted to see improved innovation or incentives to use apps, more than a fifth said they would prefer apps that could help them make purchasing decisions, or recommend products based on their browsing history.
More than half said they would be more likely to download apps if they were offered specific rewards for doing so.
Commenting on the findings Nick Black, CEO of Apadmi, says: “These results sound a clear warning message to retailers that, while retail apps are becoming more popular with consumers, many are failing to meet expectations and deliver the kind of service customers clearly expect.”
Black continues: “New technology is making it possible to offer a genuinely personalised mobile retail experience, helping consumers make purchasing decisions and even recommend new products, and apps are an ideal platform to deliver this service.Retailers should use these findings as a kick-start to improve their apps before consumers start to turn away.”
The report comes as a study by App Annie finds that Not only are downloads increasing, both time spent in apps and revenue are too. Worldwide downloads grew by 15% from 2015 to 2016, increasing by more than 13 billion across iOS and Google Play.
Time spent in apps grew by 25%, increasing by over 150 billion hours YoY, reaching nearly 900 billion hours in 2016. This drove app store revenue paid out to publishers from Google Play and the iOS App Store up by 40%.
It also chimes with our Guest Opinion by Andreas Hassellöf, CEO, PresenceKit, which points out how being on users’ devices is a privilege that should not be taken for granted. According to comScore, the typical user in the US or Europe downloads just one app a month, and only has between 20 and 40 apps on their phone. Of those, the majority are highly popular apps such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Messenger, or the standard Google or Apple suite.
