Retailers Have an App Problem: 72% of Shoppers Download for a Deal, Then Delete It

Adobe surveyed 1,000 consumers in the United States about how they download, use and delete retail apps. Respondents reported having an average of ten retail or brand apps on their phones. Only five had been used in the previous month, while three had never been opened at all. The numbers suggest that an app download should not automatically be treated as an engaged customer.

Discounts Get the Download. Then What?

The reasons people install retail apps are heavily weighted towards immediate incentives.

Joining a loyalty or membership programme was the most common motivation, cited by 45% of respondents. Another 42% downloaded apps for a one-time discount or promotion, while 37% wanted an easier shopping experience.

The problem comes once that initial reason disappears. Some 64% of respondents who uninstall retail apps said they do so because the app is no longer needed for its original purpose. Storage was cited by 43%, while the same share pointed to a lack of ongoing relevance or utility. Another 38% mentioned a lack of incentives or deals. Interestingly, notification fatigue ranked lower, at 30%.

The findings suggest that retailers may have a bigger relevance problem than a notification problem. If an app exists primarily to deliver the discount that persuaded someone to install it, its usefulness can effectively end as soon as the transaction is completed.

Utility Beats Another Promotion

What earns an app a more permanent place on a customer’s phone looks rather different.

Frequent use was by far the biggest reason consumers gave for moving a retail app onto their home screen, at 61%. Ease of navigation followed at 24%, with exclusive content or early promotions at 23%.

Notifications show a similar pattern.

Order and delivery status updates were the notifications most likely to drive engagement, cited by 39% of respondents. Personalised discounts followed at 37%, while 33% selected price drops on products they had previously saved or viewed.

For e-commerce businesses, that shifts some of the focus from acquisition towards what happens after checkout.

Shoppers May Not Want AI. They Want Useful Apps.

Adobe also asked consumers which AI-powered features would make them more likely to keep retail apps. But the answers are notable for how practical they are.

Order tracking and delivery updates topped the list at 65%, followed by loyalty points and rewards management at 57% and instant returns processing at 42%. Tailored product comparisons attracted 31%, while personalised restock and sale alerts reached 28%. Automated customer support or troubleshooting came in lower, at 23%.

Meanwhile, 41% said built-in AI-powered post-purchase support would make them more likely to keep a retail or brand app on their home screen.

Rather than suggesting consumers simply want more AI, the results point towards something more basic – they value technology when it removes friction from tasks they already need to complete.

The Real Challenge Starts After the Install

For retailers, the research raises a question about how app success is measured.

Downloads driven by discounts, loyalty incentives or paid acquisition may look good at the top of the funnel. But if customers have little reason to return once they have completed their purchase, the install itself has limited long-term value.

The stronger opportunity may therefore sit after checkout: tracking an order, processing a return, managing loyalty points or alerting customers when something they actually want changes in price.

Adobe’s findings are based on self-reported responses from 1,000 U.S. consumers, rather than observed app behaviour, so the percentages should be read accordingly. The company reports a 95% confidence level and a ±3% margin of error.

Still, the broader message is difficult for retailers to ignore: getting onto a customer’s phone is not the same as earning a place there.