Amazon's international app downloads decline: report

Dive Brief:

Maintaining its stronghold among American shoppers, Amazon was the top downloaded shopping app in the U.S. last year, followed by Shein, Shop, Walmart and OfferUp, according to an Apptopia report.
Nike, Fetch Rewards, eBay, Wish and Klarna took the sixth through tenth spots on the top 10 most downloaded apps in the U.S. The Apptopia report noted that Klarna has emerged as a buy now, pay later app and a shopping destination.
Globally, Shopee de-throned Amazon as the most downloaded app in 2021, and Shein came in second. While Amazon dropped to the fourth most downloaded shopping app in 2021, AliExpress, Wish and Alibaba came in sixth, seventh and 10th place, respectively, per the report.

Dive Insight:

The Apptopia report confirms Shein's growing popularity among U.S. shoppers. In July, another report from Ernest Research found that Shein became America's biggest fast fashion retailer, with H&M, Zara, Forever 21 and Fashion Nova taking up the following top spots.

Apptopia's previous research has tracked the rise in Shopee's popularity before it became the most downloaded app internationally. In 2020, Shopee was the second most downloaded app worldwide, followed by Wish, according to another Apptopia report.

Though Amazon is no longer the most downloaded app worldwide, other research from Digital Turbine indicated that Amazon, Walmart and Target were the most downloaded apps among U.S. consumers. The report also noted that eBay was one of the apps with lower install intent despite high consumer awareness.

Research suggests that mobile apps are becoming an even more important channel for retailers, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. A 2021 report from Sensor Tower found that consumers spent more than $100 billion in 2020 via mobile apps and games. Of the non-gaming apps, TikTok generated $4.7 million in international revenue on Christmas in 2020, per Sensor Tower. Meanwhile, the Digital Turbine report found that 55% of mobile shoppers downloaded a new mobile shopping app ahead of the 2021 holiday shopping season.