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Report: Shopping apps keep shoppers in store longer, more engaged

Deploying a store brand app is paying off for a majority of retailers. Nordstrom, though, isn’t feeling much love from app users.

August 6, 2015

Macy’s shoppers using the retailer’s app spend more time in a store visit than consumers not using its app, and Target fans tapping its app tend to visit once more a month than those not using the retailer’s app.

Those are just a few findings from data analytics firm Wefi, which researched in-store app use at 49 stores in the Los Angeles region across a wide range of retail industry businesses including Walmart, Costco, Nordstrom, Kohl’s and Sears.

The data reveals Macy’s app users hang in the store 29 percent longer — nearly 50 minutes compared to the typical average Macy's shopper, who spends 38 minutes in its store, according to  a Venture Beat report on the data insight.

The research collected data on 40,000 consumer shopping devices. The Venture Beat report also noted that in terms of store visits, Kohl’s shoppers using the store’s app boasted the best return traffic with 86 percent more visits within three months, compared to consumers not using the app who hit the store about 1.5 times on average in three months.

Nordstrom, however, isn’t see such love from those downloading its app. The retailer was the lone store in which app users visited the store less than non-app users.

One reason for such a discrepancy with a retailer, Wefi VP of Product Management Alexander Zaidelson told Venture Beat, is likely tied to the retailer’s mobile strategy and execution.