How far will Apps take the shopping experience?

Apps are pushing the envelope when it comes to a richer shopping experience.

photo of Nuzhat Naweed
Nuzhat Naweed

Head of Mobile Product and Engineering

Posted on Mar 23, 2016

Apps have earned their place amongst the smartphone-savvy, but Monday’s Apple announcement signaled a new found importance in the way consumers will interact with apps in the future. The recently unveiled Apple TV upgrade will allow customers to control their apps in new ways, which begs the question of where our Fashion Store app fits into the equation.

Tim Cook announced that over 5,000 apps are now available via the App Store on Apple TV, and last year we were greeted with the news that shopping using e-commerce apps was now a possibility on the Apple TV. While the major product news in Apple's Keynote centered on smaller products, the allure of the big screen isn't lost on us. We believe that shopping through your TV may soon become the norm, but the gravity of mobile's effect on the market shouldn't be sidestepped just yet. We want to be with our customers on every step of their shopping journey, and right now their feet are firmly planted in the mobile world.

Earlier this year we relaunched our Fashion App with dedicated mobile-only content, as a push towards our mobile-first approach. We want customers to engage with an app that feels personal and inspirational, which is why we've created quality content specifically for mobile users. Videos, editorials, and scrollable look-books submitted by style influencers have been specially curated, with the Zalando Mobile Team behind the app ensuring that all of our 15 markets are recognised and captivated.

Apple added a dedicated Shopping category to the App store in November 2015, which includes apps for mobile banking and coupons. Apps that support Apple Pay are also included. This is a significant change, moving shopping apps out of the Lifestyle section and placing m-commerce in the spotlight. What's important to note here is that this new category doesn't merely contain apps where you can shop, but also features apps where customers can follow the latest trends, find influential content and product reviews, and be inspired to discover new brands. This singular category's concept is exactly what we aim to deliver with our Zalando Fashion Store app, where the customer's needs and desires are our top priority.

More than 60% of Zalando customers visit the Fashion Store from mobile devices, with that number increasing every quarter. Our customers are growing more accustomed to the dynamic experience of mobile, and we're gearing up to make those experiences more magnetic and engaging.

As a mobile-first company, we want to drive a mobile mindshift more than ever. We'll be diving deep into the app build in the coming months to show you just how committed we are to this ethos, and ensuring our place in Europe's m-commerce market is stronger than ever.



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