Time and money spent in mobile shopping apps are expected to increase on Black Friday, according to app data provider App Annie.
App Annie predicts that time spent in the “top five digital” Android shopping apps in the U.S. will increase 40% compared with time spent in the top five such apps on Black Friday 2016, which is the day after Thanksgiving. The top five digital Android shopping apps are those from primarily web-only retailers in which consumers spent the most time during the first half of 2017. Those apps this year are:
- Amazon.com Inc. (No. 1 in the Internet Retailer 2017 Top 500)
- Amazon Shopping
- Wish (an online marketplace)
- Etsy Inc. (No. 22)
- Zulily (owned by QVC Group, No. 7)
The Amazon app is a previous version of Amazon’s shopping app and is no longer available for shoppers to download. However, many consumers still actively use it. The Amazon Shopping app is the retailer’s current main shopping app available for download.
In the first half of 2016, the top five digital apps were:
- Amazon
- Amazon Shopping
- Wish
- Etsy
- Geek
For the top online and store-based retailers, App Annie estimates that time spent in their U.S. Android apps will increase 30% over last Black Friday.
In 2017, those top apps are:
- Walmart (No. 3 in the Top 500)
- Cartwheel (Target Corp.’s store-based coupon finding app that has since been incorporated into its main shopping app)
- Kohl’s Corp. (No. 18)
- The Home Depot Inc. (No. 8)
- Kroger
The top apps were the same in 2016.
Many retailers find that consumers spend more time in their app than on the mobile web throughout the year, according to market research firm comScore Inc.
App Annie recommends store-based retailers prioritize their mobile apps during this Black Friday week, Nov. 19-25, especially for those whose app experiences could complement physical stores, such as coupons a consumer can store in-app that can be scanned at the register. Retailers can also offer app-exclusive deals to drive consumers to use their apps, App Annie recommends.
Nitin Mangtani, CEO and founder of mobile commerce vendor Predict Spring, agrees and says store-based retailers should tout their unique assets, such as the option to buy an item online and pick it up in a store.
Plus, retailers should ensure their app is optimized for consumers searching in the app store by updating their app description, screenshots, logos and version updates in order to show up high in app store searches.
Walmart, for example, places in the top 10 for the keyword “Black Friday” on Apple Inc.’s App Store as of Nov. 12, according to App Annie.
For the entire Black Friday week, App Annie estimates that consumers will spend almost 45 million hours in shopping apps on Android smartphones in the U.S., up 15% from 38 hours from Black Friday week 2016.
“We expect revenue to follow, setting new mobile commerce records in the process,” says Lexi Sydow, market insights manager at App Annie. “More time spent in-app equates to more dollars spent, as users browse products, collate wish lists, unlock deals, access loyalty programs and ultimately move the consumer one step closer to purchase.”
In fact, 35% of shoppers who will shop on Black Friday plan to buy in a smartphone app, according to a new survey of 1,000 U.S. online shoppers conducted Nov. 3-6 by mobile engagement platform Leanplum and mobile commerce platform Branding Brand.
The study also finds:
- 64% of Black Friday shoppers plan to use mobile devices to learn about sales, coupons and deals.
- 58% plan to use mobile devices to compare prices.
- 50% are likely to enable push notifications to learn about Black Friday deals.
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