Surpassing the overall vertical’s average, shopping app installs rose 61% YoY (year-over-year) in H1 2024, while installs of e-commerce apps overall climbed 25% and sessions rose 13% YoY.  This growth comes as retail media networks continue to scale, next-generation digital shopping experiences are deployed and mobile wallets become commonplace.

“Shopping apps are transforming how consumers interact with brands and make purchases,” said Tiahn Wetzler, Director, Content & Insights at Adjust. “By working with AI and Augmented Reality, and integrating dynamic channels like social commerce and CTV, marketers can enhance user engagement and create experiences that drive high conversion rates.”

Marketers should take note of the Q4 shopping season that results in big install increases. In a survey by InMobi last holiday season, 81% of respondents in Indonesia, Singapore and Philippines chose to do  mobile shopping for their purchase. Adjust recorded installs 40% above the daily average on October 17, 2023, and 41% higher on October 18.

Adjust’s Shopping App Insights Report provides e-commerce app marketers and developers with key insights across all key sub-verticals. Highlights include:

E-commerce app session lengths in APAC  averaged 10 minutes, a slight decrease from the global average of 10.5 minutes. However, the region had a 15% Day 1 retention rate compared to North America and LATAM, which had rates of 11% and 14.4%, respectively.

In-app revenue for e-commerce apps increased 36% YoY with 60% of in-app revenue coming from Android devices globally. The biggest spikes in 2023 occurred in Q4, with November revenue 34% higher than the monthly average and December up 22%.

Global median installs per mille (IPM) rose from 1.94 in 2023 to 2.28 in H1 2024, indicating improved ad campaign effectiveness. APAC saw a significant increase from 1.53 to 3.06.

APAC had the highest number of partners per app, rising from 10.7 to 11.8 from 2023 to H1 2024.

“In a competitive market where engagement and customer loyalty are critical to moving the bottom line, staying at the forefront of intergenerational consumer expectations – and the technologies behind them – is paramount,” continued Wetzler. “As the shopping app landscape evolves, scalable growth will be achieved through a strategic channel mix, smart personalization, and a data-obsessed approach to measurement and analytics.”

Year-End Shopping Season: Shopping Apps Capitalize on Vietnam's Growing User Engagement

The Vietnamese market offers an attractive opportunity for shopping app developers due to its robust  and growing user engagement. According to Adjust research on the Vietnam app market, Vietnam ranks #9 globally in app usage, with users spending an impressive average of four hours daily across various categories, including mobile gaming, social and  entertainment, and utility apps. This average time spent on apps is expected to grow at a rate of 10% annually, enhancing the potential for developers to engage  and retain users in this dynamic market.

Data from Adjust’s Shopping App Insights Report shows that in 2023, Vietnamese users demonstrated strong initial engagement with a median of 1.33 sessions on Day 0, declining  to 0.07 sessions by Day 30. Early data from the first half of 2024 indicates a slight improvement, with 1.34 sessions on Day 0 and 0.09 sessions by Day 30. These statistics underscore the importance of retaining user attention over time and  the potential for shopping apps to capitalize on Vietnam's robust app usage patterns by delivering compelling, user-centered experiences in the much anticipated New Year shopping season.

“As shopping habits rapidly change with evolving e-commerce technology, it is highly valuable for marketers and retailers to sharpen their campaign strategies to ensure optimal growth and success,” says April Tayson, Regional Vice President for INSEAU at Adjust. Our data shows that Vietnamese users are spending a considerable amount of time within apps, presenting an opportunity for businesses to ride on this trend, which will likely grow even further in the foreseeable future.”