YPulse’s recent Shopping and Retail report shows that more young consumers are shopping on mobile apps this year than last—with two in five now saying they regularly shop on them. Gen Z and Millennials are always looking for convenience in their shopping experiences; the majority of young consumers who prefer shopping online (vs in-store) say they like that online shops are open 24/7, so it makes sense that they’re looking to their favorite stores’ apps to shop, too.
These gens are big on researching their purchases, and customer reviews can help them decide if a product is worth it—which are easy to find on dedicated mobile shopping apps. And, YPulse data shows that two in five young consumers have researched a product online before buying it in store instead—so, even if they don’t “add to cart” right away, online shopping can influence purchase decisions in the future. In fact, YPulse’s Link in Bio trend report found that young people turn to social shopping links as a directory and research tool to learn more about brands and products.
We’ve told you already which stores are Gen Z and Millennials’ favorite to buy clothes at. So, when we ask young people who say they regularly shop on mobile apps which ones they’re using, there’s a lot of overlap. Out of more than 100 responses, these are the mobile apps young consumers are shopping on most:
The Top Mobile Apps Gen Z and Millennials Shop On
13-39-year-olds
- Amazon
- SHEIN
- Walmart
- Target
- Temu
- eBay
- Etsy
- Nike
- Poshmark
- Fashion Nova
- H&M
- Macy’s
- Sephora
- Depop
- Zara
Young consumers are shopping through online-only stores’ mobile apps the most
The top two mobile retail apps Gen Z and Millennials use to shop on are stores they can only access online: Amazon and SHEIN. But eight of their top 10 mobile retail apps are fully virtual marketplaces, showing these platforms are clearly thriving with the option of a mobile retail app rather than just a website to access in a browser.
This year, online shopping giant Amazon tops their list once again, which makes sense given that it’s one of their favorite places to shop in general. On TikTok, a platform which can be highly influential on young people’s shopping choices, #AmazonFinds has 57.6B views, and is full of videos promoting different items with screenshots of their listing within the app. And with the tag thriving, it goes to show how a brands mobile app can function almost the same as the scroll of social media, except purchasing only takes one click. In fact, Amazon has even made some redesigns within the last year that emulate TikTok’s very own For You page to make the blend of social shopping even smoother.
Walmart, Target, and Nike are also among their top choices for mobile shopping despite these stores also having a huge market for in-person shoppers. One reason they may still be choosing to shop from these apps is because of the around-the-clock accessibility—which is a top reason young consumers tell YPulse they choose online shopping over in-person. But not only are young consumers drawn to the convenience of online shopping 24/7, they like perusing their options and seeing what’s on sale before they make the trip—or catching a special online sale for an item that costs more in-store.
Temu is climbing up the latter to compete with SHEIN
Whenever YPulse asks Gen Z and Millennials about their shopping preferences, their answers just about always include SHEIN as a favorite. In our most recent Shopping and Retail report, we asked their favorite place to buy clothing (thinking of the store or site where they actually most like to purchase clothing), and SHEIN came in third, just below Walmart and Amazon. Much like Amazon, SHEIN carries a huge online catalog, making it easy to shop constantly, and always find something new. But lately ,social media users (specifically on TikTok) have been raving about a similar site—and it’s now one of Gen Z and Millennials’ favorite mobile apps to shop on.
Last month, YPulse told you how Temu is basically the new SHEIN with its extremely cheap price tags and loyal customer base. The shopping app has even overtaken SHEIN, Walmart, and Amazon as the No. 1 free shopping app on both the App Store and Google Play. And just as TikTokers posted their SHEIN hauls all of last year, a growing number are now posting their Temu hauls, with the hashtag #TemuHaul currently at 845.2M views. And Wish, which ranked 10th in Gen Z and Millennials top mobile retail apps last year, is not even amongst their top 15 this year—which may have a lot to do with Temu’s spike in popularity.
The resale boom is majorly affecting their mobile shopping
Though it may appear fast fashion retailers are dominating the online shopping space, Gen Z and Millennials’ top mobile shopping apps still show a penchant for secondhand and small business shopping. In fact, with brands like eBay, Poshmark, and Depop so high on their list, resale is proving to be a huge trend for young consumers. For one, these platforms offer an eco-friendly option for shopping that is often far more affordable than brands working with new, sustainable fabrics.
And it’s actually a top eco-friendly choice for them overall: YPulse survey data shows secondhand clothing / accessories are the most popular eco-friendly item the younger gens are buying. Plus, they like being able to participate in both buying and selling items, so these platforms make doing so super convenient for them. Depop has even taken up real estate amongst Gen Z’s highest scoring fashion and apparel brands according to YPulse’s YScore+ measure—which you can learn more about in our Gen Z and Brands Special report.
