Mobile apps drive an increasingly significant portion of Americans’ shopping and buying behavior. But many retailers were late to recognize the channel shift and now have mobile apps and corresponding marketing strategies out of step with consumers’ expectations. However, recent shifts in technology and better understanding around consumer behavior present a renewed opportunity to get a retail mobile app strategy right, take advantage of a fast-growing mcommerce market, and deliver an outstanding omnichannel experience for customers.

• Americans spend the overwhelming majority of their mobile time within apps (86%), but many retailers remain focused on mobile web.
• Most mobile users have just a few retail apps on their smartphones, favoring the largest retailers and putting those without an established app presence at a disadvantage.
• App user acquisition, engagement and retention are challenges for many retailers as they look for the right value proposition to offer customers.
• Emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) and visual search offer new promise for retail apps as they evolve beyond simply reducing friction toward surprising and delighting their users.