App Annie tipped US consumers to spend approximately 45 million hours in Android shopping apps during the week of Black Friday.

The research company expects to see over 6 million hours spent in the top five digital-first apps on Android in the US on Black Friday (24 November) alone in 2017, a 40 per cent increase compared to 2016.

The top five apps are Amazon, Amazon Shopping, Wish, Etsy and zulily.

On the day, these apps will account for 15 per cent of the total time spent in shopping apps during the full week (19 to 25 November).

Top five bricks-and-clicks apps (referring to retail brands with physical stores along with online channels) on Android will experience 30 per cent growth in time spent year-over-year.

The apps are: Walmart, Cartwheel, Kohl’s, The Home Depot and Kroger.

Global phenomenon
App Annie also predicted countries beyond the US will experience “significant gains” in the total time spent in shopping apps.

For instance, in Japan the company expects total time in shopping apps on Android will grow 65 per cent from 2015 to over 15 million hours in 2017, and in the UK it will increase by 45 per cent to around 6 million hours.

In Europe, AliExpress experienced strong gains in downloads leading up to Singles Day (11 November), and claimed the top spot for shopping apps in terms of combined daily iOS and Google Play downloads in the UK, France and Germany.

“This could bode well for AliExpress during Black Friday, as its app is top of mind for consumers,” the company noted in a report.

“Alibaba’s record $25 billion in Singles Day sales is the harbinger of mobile commerce records during this year’s Black Friday week. With holiday promotion periods starting earlier and consumers continuing to shift to mobile as their primary channel, retailers would be remiss not to capitalise on the high-intent shopping period combined with the personal, direct and ‘always-on’ channel that mobile phones provide,” App Annie stated.

The company said revenue generated from shopping apps will rise because “more time spent in-app equates to more dollars spent, as users browse products, collate wish lists, unlock deals, access loyalty programs and ultimately move the consumer one step closer to purchase.”

App Annie also noted Black Friday is an excellent time for retailers to consider prioritising their user acquisition strategy.