App engagement on the rise: 4 key findings from Q1 2017

Consumer shopping habits have evolved rapidly in recent years and the retailers who are succeeding with their omnichannel strategies are seeing the benefits of ‘going app’. Apps provide a more engaging shopping experience and as a result, we at Poq have seen app shoppers spending longer browsing, better conversion rates and greater revenue.

We analysed the performance of clients’ apps on our platform in Q1 and compared them to last year. We found that app shopping has become even more popular and app shoppers are more keen to engage with retailers through the channel.

1. Conversion rates

Our clients have seen a 90% increase year-on-year in conversion rates in Q1 2017! We attribute this to the innovative features their apps have, offering qualities that make the app shopping experience unique, easy and convenient. Interestingly whilst mobile web conversion rates have improved, in Q1 2017, apps again outperformed mobile web conversion rates by 40%, indicating that apps provide a more engaging experience.

Conversion rates Q1 2017

2. Sessions

Measuring average session duration provides a great insight into levels of engagement. Our clients have experienced over 2x the number of sessions this year compared to Q1 2016. Also, as can be seen below, in Q1 2016 the average session duration for apps was just over 2x the duration that desktop and mobile web experienced. Furthermore, the start of 2017 has shown session durations improve by 64% compared to the same period in 2016!

Average session duration

3. Average order values

The average order value (AOV) offers a useful insight into how much users are spending within the app. Comparison of Q1 for 2016 and 2017 has seen a 150% increase in the AOV on our platform. This has been echoed in the growth of revenue from apps by 5x! Our data reflects the movement towards mobile shopping that the rise of smartphones has brought.

App revenue growth

4. Returning users

Apps have the advantage of taking a valuable space on customers’ phones, meaning they are always at arm’s reach and enable a new channel of communication via push notifications. Increasing the proximity of a retailer to their customers makes it easier to promote loyalty. Across our platform, apps have consistently exceeded retention rates compared to desktop and mobile web, by over 2x.

Year-on-year % of returning users

Finally, we have seen our clients’ apps excel over the last year and our platform statistics show the impact that the evolution of shopping habits has on retail. We predict that the success of apps will continue to grow over the coming years as consumers expect more engaging and immersive experiences.

Reported by Samantha Rigg