Mobile app store spending to jump 30% in 2018

Consumer spending among all mobile app stores will rise 30% to more than $110 billion in 2018, according to a Mobile Marketer article cited in RetailDive.

“App Annie’s forecast for 2018 holds nuggets of insights based on the in-app spending and downloads it tracks. The retail industry will increasingly become less segmented between traditional categories of ‘digital-first’ like Amazon and eBay, and ‘bricks-and-clicks’ like Walmart and Target,” the article said. “One key driver lies in the growth of mobile payments, as Western countries will become more like China, where cashless mobile commerce is becoming increasingly popular in major urban centers, App Annie said.

Several tech companies and retailers like Apple and Walmart are ramping up efforts to integrate mobile pay options in the $49 billion market that’s faced some difficulty gaining traction among consumers. For shoppers, enhanced mobile apps could lead to people using physical stores as a place to pick up items purchased on smartphones, while cash registers will gradually lose their role in the checkout and payment process as mobile solutions become more prominent.”