Study: Consumers use twice as many retailer apps from a year ago

Brief:

Smartphone users have doubled the average number of apps they have installed on their mobile devices to four in the past year, according to a survey by financial services company Synchrony. About two-thirds (67%) of consumers have downloaded a retailer's app, compared with 63% a year earlier, the survey found.
More than half of survey respondents downloaded a retailer app to receive a coupon or discount offer, while nearly half (49%) of consumers that downloaded a retailer's app use it to make purchases. Smart speakers also are more popular with 20% of consumers saying they own one of the voice-enabled devices, up from 10% last year, per Synchrony.
About three quarters of consumers (77%) rated credit card features on an app as very or extremely valuable. Synchrony commissioned the study from Rothstein Tauber (RTi Research), which surveyed 1,255 online consumers for the eighth annual 2018 Digital Study.

Insight:

The growth in adoption of retailer apps suggests that brick-and-mortar retailers who have expanded their operations to websites need to adapt to the smartphone era with mobile apps that help to reach shoppers. Consumers who use retail mobile applications are key customers for personalized experiences and easy credit solutions, Maya Mikhailov, chief marketing officer of GPShopper, a developer of mobile apps acquired by Synchrony, said in a statement.

Synchrony recommends that retailers create mobile apps to bring together user experience opportunities that are consistent among marketing channels, and to engage customers with personalized offers and discounts that promote brand loyalty. The company also recommends that apps have easy payment solutions that are seamless and secure.

Consumers are generally satisfied with smartphone shopping, with 83% saying they are happy with the customer experience of their retail mobile app, Synchrony found. But mobile shopping apps do face challenges, with 34% of consumers saying they deleted an app to free up storage space on a phone and 33% saying they removed apps after shopping less with retailers. After winning over a consumer who downloads an app, it's vital that mobile marketers keep those customers engaged.