What brands are occupying the vital real estate on young consumers’ phone screens? We found out the top 15 brand/store apps they’re using now…
The more time young consumers spend on their phones, the more important brand apps become. When we ask young consumers if they would prefer to interact with or access a brand on their phone via app, browser, or chatbot, the top response is app—and 60% of 13-36-year-olds tell us that they currently use a brand’s/store’s app. In response, brands are thinking outside the box, and integrating new tools and features to make it even easier for young users to click “buy.” Bloomberg reports that Abercrombie’s apps are its “fastest-growing digital channel,” and they’re following in the wake of several other retailers by integrating Venmo. Nike uses their app to engineer innovative digital product drops. ASOS’s app includes a Style Match feature that allows users to upload a picture of an item of clothing they like and gives them suggestions for look-alikes available for sale at that moment on ASOS.com. For the youngest shoppers, tween brands like Justice have created branded apps where young users can play games, and create product wishlists they can email their parents.
To see what brands are having the most app success with young consumers, in our most recent mobile/app behavior survey we asked 13-36-year-olds, “What brand’s/store’s app do you use?”* We’ve ranked their top 15 responses here:
*This was an open-end response question to allow us to capture the full range of apps that Millennials and Gen Z say they can’t live without—without our preconceived ideas shaping their responses. As with any qualitative question, the responses include those that are top of mind and those that are most popular. The lists are ordered according to number of responses received, and alphabetically when ties occurred.
What Brand/Store App Do They Use?
13-36-year-olds
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Amazon
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Target
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Starbucks
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Walmart
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Kohl’s
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Dunkin Donuts
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Kroger
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Nike
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Sephora
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McDonald’s
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eBay
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Whole Foods
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Chick-Fil-A
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Forever 21
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CVS
Well, we know that Millennials love Amazon—and now we know that it’s the top brand/store app that they use. In the same survey, 38% of 13-36-year-olds told us they open a shopping app daily, and in our tech use survey 34% said they are shopping on their phones at least once a week. Retailers dominate the list of brand apps they’re using, with food brands a close second. Both industries have made mobile ordering a priority to reach young consumers and keep up with their on-demand mentalities.
Amazon ranked as a top app amongst all age groups, but actually slipped to number two for one demo…
Target is the number one app that 25-36-year-olds say they use, likely thanks to the popularity of their Cartwheel discount app, which has been integrated into the mail Target app. Target also ranked high among 18-24-year-olds, who were fairly aligned with 25-36-year-olds, but more likely to name Sephora and Nike. Among 13-17-year-olds, Amazon is the number one app, but their beloved Nike came in second. This group was also more likely to name McDonald’s, Forever 21, and eBay.
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