Mobile

Ukrainian company MacPaw, is planning to launch its iOS app subscription service Setapp in Europe next year. By that time, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will have come into effect in the European Union. This allows users to install third-party apps on iOS, without using Apple’s App Store.

Ecommerce is booming, which has caused mcommerce to become more popular as well. More than one third of Dutch consumers prefer using their mobile phone while shopping. Not only do consumers use their smartphone during online shopping: a mobile search also precedes purchases in brick-and-mortar stores.

Supermarket chain Albert Heijn is the first Dutch supermarket that sells advertising space within the search results of its mobile app. A first public tryout started yesterday. This service is comparable with sponsored products within Google.

The use of mobile payments has further increased in France. The share was 18 percent in 2018, but has now grown significantly to 38 percent. Currently, half of French consumers intend to use their smartphones for in-store payments in the future.

Fashion retailer Chiquelle has launched its augmented reality shopping app. The Swedish company's latest app enables users to customize their own model and style it with fashion items sold by Chiquelle. Users can also add makeup and different hairstyles to the avatar.

Most growth of a European country's ecommerce market can be expected in the Czech Republic, where it's predicted the online retail industry will grow 16 percent between now and 2021. That's more than in other European markets.

Ikea is launching a new app, which enables customers to visualize products in the context of their own homes and then order these items through the app. The new Ikea app will be launched first in France and the Netherlands.

Shoppers from the United Kingdom are planning to spend 25 billion pounds, or 28.3 billion euros, using their smartphones this year. That's an increase of about 66 percent compared to the situation in 2018.

In the United Kingdom, 53 percent of consumers prefer to shop online using a brand's app over its website. This is mostly because they experience complex processes for signing in and setting up accounts on the website. Still, 40 percent get frustrated when shopping or paying on a mobile.

The United Kingdom is the third largest mobile commerce market in the world. Mcommerce in the UK is worth 55.9 billion euros. With this mobile sales figure, the European country ranks third world wide, with only China (652.6 billion euros) and the US (183.2 billion euros) performing better.

Transactions completed on the smartphone continue to rise globally. Especially in Northern Europe and Japan, mobile transaction now represent over half of online transactions. In Europe, Sweden is the absolute leader with 60 percent.

Amazon has updated both its mobile shopping app and its mobile website, so customers can now browse and ship millions of products to their country. The 'International Shopping' experience is available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Brazilian and German and 25 currencies, with more to be added later this year.

Fashion retailer Zara has announced plans to roll out an augmented reality experience across 120 stores worldwide. The app can also be used by online shoppers, who will be able to hover their smartphone over a package delivered from the Zara website.

Online retailers could sell more to consumers who shop from their smartphones, if they would offer a better shopping experience via the mobile app. Especially in the United Kingdom, the mobile shopping apps could really use an upgrade.

Mobile commerce sales in the three biggest ecommerce markets of Europe – the United Kingdom, France and Germany – will reach over 85 billion euros this year. Almost 57 percent of this amount will come from the UK, while Germany will have bigger mcommerce sales than France.