The state of shopping and e-commerce app performance in 2025

Shopping apps are playing an increasing role in global e-commerce growth, creating a huge opportunity for mobile app marketers and developers in this space. With retail e-commerce sales projected to hit $6.42 trillion this year, and mobile commerce alone set to generate $2.5 trillion, the stakes for creating seamless, relevant experiences across all touchpoints have never been higher.

Our comprehensive analysis in The shopping app insights report: 2025 edition reveals how AI is empowering marketers to surface new signals, enable hyper-personalization at scale, and make confident decisions in real time. The report examines the latest data on shopping app performance, user behavior, and conversion strategies. Download your copy today to get the benchmarks and insights, or read on here for some of the highlights.

Adjust data reveals that global e-commerce app installs rose 16% year-over-year (YoY) in 2024, with May emerging as the top month for both installs and sessions. While overall installs declined 14% year-over-year in H1 2025, sessions climbed 2%, indicating a strategic shift toward acquiring higher-quality users. This trend is particularly evident in shopping apps, where installs fell 18% while sessions dropped only 1%.

Marketplace apps consistently deliver the strongest user engagement metrics, accounting for 60% of global sessions while representing just 20% of installs. These apps recorded the highest day 0 engagement with 1.86 sessions per user and maintained the best day 1 retention rate at 24.8%—significantly outperforming the global e-commerce average of 13%.

Session lengths for e-commerce apps shortened slightly to 9.89 minutes in H1 2025, down from 10.23 in 2024. With regional differences continuing to reflect diverging user behavior, Japan maintained the highest performance with 1.51 sessions per user on day 0 and a day 1 retention rate of 16.4%. Malaysia saw the largest retention gain, increasing from 12.6% to 14.2%, followed by Brazil at 12.6%.

The global cost per install (CPI) for e-commerce apps declined $0.99 in Q1 2025. Marketplace apps drove this trend with a steeper drop (to $0.89), while shopping apps edged up to $1.01. 

Cost metrics vary substantially by region, with North America maintaining the highest CPI at $2.70. APAC saw the steepest decline, dropping over a third in two years to $0.90, while Europe cooled to $1.66. 

Revenue generation remains strong despite shifts in user acquisition strategies. The average revenue per monthly active user (ARPMAU) for e-commerce apps globally was $7.80 in 2024, with significant regional variations. LATAM led revenue performance at $16.59, followed by Thailand ($14.05), Vietnam ($12.70), and Malaysia ($13.54).

Looking ahead, the report identifies five crucial trends transforming the shopping app landscape. 

1. Quick commerce is becoming the new baseline, with revenue expected to reach $195 billion by year-end. 
2. Voice commerce is gaining momentum, projected to generate $151.4 billion in 2025. 
3. AI-powered chatbots are evolving beyond support to become conversion engines, with 80% of retail businesses now using or planning to implement this technology.
4. Privacy-first personalization strategies are emerging as cookies deprecate and frameworks like Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) continue to reshape measurement methodologies
5. Direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands are accelerating their investment in mobile apps to build customer relationships, harness first-party data, and personalize experiences at scale.

As we approach the critical Q4 shopping season, which includes major events like Singles' Day and Black Friday, early preparation is essential. The report provides tips to get started with creative testing, channel diversification, and audience targeting strategies for maximum impact during these high-volume periods.

To learn more about how Adjust can grow your shopping app, download your copy of The shopping app insights report: 2025 edition, or request a demo today.