Q1 2021 appcommerce growth continues apace

The inaugural quarterly App Shopper Index from poq reveals the pandemic’s catalytic effect on consumer appetites for shopping in-app shows no signs of slowing.

Even with social restrictions eased in some countries and non-essential stores reopening, brand-new appcommerce research from poq indicates the growth trend among consumers for mobile shopping is set to continue through 2021.

The App Shopper Index Report Q1 2021, published today by poq Commerce, tracked in-app retail shopping activity growth in line with the record-breaking $32 billion spent on in-app purchases across Apple’s App Store and Google Play globally, according to App Annie. 

Analyzing exclusive in-app retail shopping purchase data gathered from some 50 poq-powered native iOS and Android apps, poq tracked a 63.6% increase in downloads during the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year. 

User base differences narrow

However, the difference in relative importance between the two dominant app stores is rapidly narrowing, where Android app download growth outstripped iOS by a factor of three. But this also translated to an overall increased app store conversion rate of 39.3% year-on-year (YoY).

While consumers have been downloading and engaging through mobile shopping apps at a faster rate during Q1, as users they also converted at a rate that was also 37.7% higher than the same period last year. 

The data also found iOS users were still the most valuable shoppers, where their average order value (AOV) rose by 10.5%. But the sheer growth in volumes of Android users embracing appcommerce cannot be ignored, where sessions per Android user increased 3.6%. 

“Our first poq App Shopper Index clearly shows appcommerce is no longer a luxury, but a must-have for retailers wanting to offer their customers the most immersive and engaging digital flagship shopping experiences,” said Helen Slaven, Chief Revenue Officer, poq. “Our research also confirms that consumers are using native shopping apps not just to browse more, but to buy more too.” 

Register here to get exclusive access to poq’s App Shopper Index Report Q1 2021.