Why Ecommerce Mobile Apps Fail (And How to Make Yours a Success)

Many ecommerce brands try launching a mobile app, only to be disappointed with the results. They don’t see a return, adoption stalls, and within months the app is either neglected or written off as a failed experiment.

This negative sentiment spreads throughout the ecom community… and all of a sudden you get the impression from talking to other brand owners that apps don’t work.

The truth is: mobile apps can deliver exceptional results. Launching an app could be one of the best things you do for your business. The ROI potential is massive, as much as 53x for some of the brands we’ve worked with.

But at the same time, there are many “failed” apps out there. And there are very real reasons you could launch an app that doesn’t deliver the kind of results you are looking for.

Let’s explore the most common reasons ecommerce mobile apps fail, and how each one can be avoided with the right strategy, mindset, and support.

MobiLoud helps you create the perfect, high-ROI mobile app, by converting your existing website. Want to learn how? Start with a free preview of your app now.

1. No One Knows Your App Exists

Too often, brands build an app but don’t promote it.

It’s not mentioned on the website. There’s no email, no SMS announcing the app. No incentive offered to download it. Then they wonder why no one’s using the app, and write it off as a failure.

Without visibility, even your most loyal customers won’t bother downloading it.

The fix: Build a real launch plan. Promote your app across every channel - your homepage, emails, SMS, Instagram, even QR codes on your product packaging. Offer clear benefits for downloading, like exclusive discounts or early access.

Once customers are in the app, they convert more often, spend more per order, and return more frequently. That’s ROI worth investing in from day one.

Learn more: How to Launch Your Mobile App (Step-by-Step App Launch Playbook)

2. The App Feels Worse Than the Website

If your app looks and feels like a stripped-down version of your site (or worse, a generic app built from a template), there’s no reason for customers to use the app – since they can just get a better user experience, without downloading, on the web.

Poor UX kills adoption fast. Especially when you’re trying to sell customers on downloading something that’s missing key features and functionality compared to your website.

Rainbow Shops’ VP of Ecommerce, David Cost, said this regarding apps:

“The app needs to be at least as functional as the website. It doesn’t need to be better than the website, but the user experience can’t be worse.”

The fix: Make sure your app matches the quality of your website. With MobiLoud, your app mirrors your website’s features, design, and experience - while adding the speed and convenience of a native app. There are no compromises, no features lost along the way.

3. Buggy, Broken, or Outdated Apps

Apps require constant maintenance. It’s a common misconception that you just need to build once, and never have to touch the app again.

Without active maintenance, your app becomes a liability. Bugs go unfixed. New OS versions break functionality. Features lag behind your website. 

The result? Frustrated users, negative reviews, and an app that slowly declines until it dies… and the brand takes this to mean that apps don’t work.

The fix: When you’re building your app, choose a solution that keeps your app stable, up to date, and polished. 

With MobiLoud, your app stays synced with your website in real time, so your content and features are always up to date. More importantly, our team handles all technical upkeep, including updates for new iOS/Android releases, bug fixes, and quality assurance.

You don’t need to hire developers or constantly check for issues. We proactively manage your app so it just works, and keeps your customers coming back.

4. Ongoing Maintenance is a Burden

Perhaps you are keeping your app up to date, but doing so becomes like running a whole new business in and of itself.

Custom apps and many app builders come with hidden overhead. With custom apps, you’re either wrangling internal devs or coordinating with freelancers just to keep things working.

This is what Tobi found – their custom ecommerce app needed an in-house team of six just to maintain.

Then there’s the constant duplication of work with many app builders – making each update twice (once on your website, once on the app), which wears on your team over time.

For most brands, it’s just not sustainable.

The fix: Pick the right way to build an app. Don’t go with an option that creates more work. MobiLoud handles your app’s maintenance, updates, and support. You manage everything from your existing site, with no new systems, no dev work.

MobiLoud is a service, not just a tool. Our team acts as your mobile app department so you don’t have to build one internally. You save massively on overhead as a result.

5. You Spent Too Much to Build It

A very common issue is brands spending huge amounts of money on a custom app, and facing a steep uphill climb just to make back the money they invested.

If you spent $100,000 or more building your app, you need your app to really take off if you want to make a positive return. Even moderate usage looks like a failure.

The fix: Keep it lean. We don’t recommend ecommerce brands to invest in custom development. The cost is far too much, and the minimal benefits are just not worth it.

MobiLoud helps you launch fully branded, premium apps for a fraction of the cost of custom development. Most brands recover the initial investment within weeks, thanks to increased conversion and engagement.

There’s simply no business case for spending six figures on an ecommerce app when you already have a solid mobile site.

6. Customers Forget About the App

You might get a decent number of downloads, but these customers are not guaranteed to keep using the app.

It’s easier than you think for someone to totally forget about your app. Most people have 50+ apps on their phone. Downloading an app is so easy that many people will download apps that end up buried and unused.

Once you get the initial download, it’s essential to have a strategy to keep users engaged.

The fix: Actively drive engagement. Push notifications are great for this. 

Many people see push as just a direct response channel, used for promotions and product launches, but it’s much more than that. Regular push notifications keep your brand (and app) top of mind, and build constant awareness that prevents it from being forgotten.

Send regular, non-pushy push notifications, especially in the early stages after download, when there’s the biggest drop-off in app retention.

Get more opt-ins, by communicating the value of push notifications upfront (and actually delivering that value), so you’re able to send push notifications to a higher percentage of your app users.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Push Notifications for Ecommerce Brands

7. There’s No Reason to Keep Using the App

You need to ensure there’s a tangible benefit for customers to keep using the app long-term.

This often happens if you front-load download incentives (like a one-time discount on the first app purchase).

The result? Many shoppers download the app to get the discount, make a purchase, and then delete the app (or forget about it).

You’ll get some power users who prefer the convenience of the app, but your overall app retention rates lead you to believe that it’s a failure.

The fix: Build long-term value into your app. Offer app-only perks like early access to drops and promotions, app exclusives, or loyalty rewards. Make your best customers feel like insiders – part of an elite community.

Use push notifications wisely, too, to provide real value that users can’t get on the website; fast order updates and alerts, useful tips, priority notification about new sales and drops.

Learn more: Exclusivity marketing: how to use mobile apps and exclusive experiences for sustainable growth.

8. Your Brand Isn’t a Good Fit

Not every ecommerce business is a good match for a mobile app. A furniture store, for example, doesn’t make as much sense for an app as a fast fashion brand.

Mobile apps are great for brands with a high SKU count, high purchase frequency, strong impulse buy potential.

If you have low purchase frequency or a tiny product catalog, your audience may simply not need one.

The fix: Define your goals up front. Is your business the kind of business that could benefit from getting customers to browse your store more often, habitually open the app, and buy more often?

If not, you might be better served focusing on another area of your business.

9. Misaligned Expectations

Many brands think their app was a failure because they simply expected too much.

They thought it was supposed to double their revenue, or become their top sales channel.

Apps typically contribute less sales than a brand’s mobile and desktop sites, simply because there’s more friction involved in downloading the app. Most customers will make their first purchase on the website; an app is unlikely to be a major acquisition channel.

The fix: Set the right expectations. Mobile apps drive higher LTV, AOV, and retention among your top customer segment; usually your top 10-20% of customers. 

So while there may be substantially fewer people using your app than shopping on your website, these customers generally give an outsized contribution to revenue (a brand might see 20% of total online revenue through their app, from just 10% of their customers, for example).

As long as you keep costs in check and avoid unnecessary complexity, a small but engaged app audience can produce outsized results (and a clear positive ROI).

Conclusion: Making Your Ecommerce App a Success

Ecommerce mobile apps are a powerful growth lever for brands. But they’re not a magic fix.

You need the right strategy to ensure that your decision to launch an app pays off. In summary, you need:

• A clear app promotion strategy
• A user experience at least as good as your mobile website (no missing features or inconsistencies)
• Compelling reasons for customers (not all your customers – but your best customers) to keep the app downloaded
• Strong early engagement, to keep your app and brand top of mind after someone downloads
• A low enough investment (and overhead) to ensure a clear path to profitability

At MobiLoud, we’ve helped thousands of brands turn their websites into high-performing mobile apps, with zero duplication of effort and full-service support from day one.

If you’re serious about unlocking retention, LTV, and mobile-driven revenue (without the risk, waste, or technical headaches) we’d love to show you how it’s done.

Just get a preview of your app, and you’ll be able to try out an interactive demo that shows you how well your existing site can function as a mobile app.

There’s no need to rebuild, no need to reinvent the wheel. Just replicate what already works for you, in a more convenient package, for your best customers.

Ready to build a mobile app that actually works? Get a free preview of your app now.