•  Agency models involve hiring an outside design agency to create an app and write the required code.
•  In-house models use staff members with the necessary skills to design the company's app and write its code.
•  Platform models use a third-party platform to host a company's retail app.

RECENT TRENDS IN THE RETAIL APP SPACE

• Business are using retail apps to engage with shoppers through customer loyalty programs. Users' apps are personalized to suite individual tastes, and loyalty programs often involve a points system or specialty coupons for brand enthusiasts.
•  In-store engagement features allowing users to scan product bar codes or shop online and pick up orders in-store tie together the brick-and-mortar and digital shopping experiences.
• Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) features utilize phone cameras and audio functions to provide consumers with a 3D shopping experience. Stores like Macy's, Walgreens, Walmart, and Home Depot have been experimenting with this technology.
• Stores use push notifications to encourage retail app users to take a specific action. They had a 7.8% click-through rate in 2018.

CONSUMER USAGE RATES

• In a recent Yes Marketing survey, 57% of consumers stated that they use retail apps while shopping at brick-and-mortar locations to take advantage of coupons and other deals.
• Only 33% of shoppers use their smartphone apps to make retail purchases, and 49% of consumers state that they prefer using tablets or computers when shopping online.
• Consumer usage of retail apps increased by 60% between 2016 and 2018.

CONSUMER PREFERENCES

• Brick-and-mortar retailers with the highest number of app users in 2018 included Walmart, Target, Kohl's, Kroger, and Home Depot.
• According to a Business Insider survey, 35% of millennials consider Amazon's retail app one of their "top 3 most essential apps."

PROPRIETARY DATABASES