The mobile app economy has transformed the way we shop, bridging commerce and convenience in the palm of our hands. As of 2025, the global app market generates more than six hundred billion dollars annually driven by a surge in mobile commerce and monetization innovations. Among various app categories, certain mobile shopping and retail apps have risen to dominate revenue charts while shaping consumer behavior and the broader market landscape.
Market Scale and the Rise of E-commerce Apps
E-commerce app revenue reached approximately 3.88 trillion dollars in 2023, marking an 8 percent increase over the previous year. In 2025, non-gaming apps, including shopping apps, saw strong growth, contributing an estimated fifty six billion dollars in revenue on iOS alone, while games still held the largest slice.
Top Grossing Apps: Where Shopping Apps Stand
While gaming and social apps often dominate top grossing lists, a few shopping and retail apps have claimed their spots through subscriptions, in-app purchases, and integrated commerce features. According to Udonis, Amazon Shopping stands among the top grossing apps of 2025 ranking around twenty-ninth, with estimated revenue of 289 million dollars. This presence reflects how traditional retail brands can still capture significant in-app spending power.
Other analyses highlight TikTok as the highest grossing app overall, generating approximately 2.3 billion dollars in 2025. While it falls under the social category, TikTok’s TikTok Shop feature blends live commerce and social engagement into a powerful shopping experience. Google's utility app offering storage also shows how non-shopping apps with embedded commerce or services can generate significant recurring revenue.
Innovators in Mobile Shopping: Temu and the Value Play
Temu has emerged as a standout force in mobile shopping. Since its late 2022 launch, it has quickly climbed the charts to become one of the most downloaded apps globally. Analysts project that its total sales in 2024 exceeded 50 billion dollars. Temu's rapid scale stems from its strategy of offering ultra-low prices by connecting Chinese manufacturers directly with global consumers and expanding local supply chains to reduce shipping delays.
Though Temu is not yet listed among top grossing apps in every ranking, its dominance in downloads and commerce volume points to a next-generation mobile shopping model that combines speed, savings, and seamless user acquisition.
How Shopping Apps Earn and Engage
Successful shopping apps rely on multiple monetization strategies much like top gaming or social apps. Subscription models, loyalty programs, flash sales, targeted notifications, and integrated payment systems all drive higher average basket sizes and frequent repeat engagement. For example, apps such as Amazon and Temu incorporate features like one-click ordering, AI-powered recommendations, and loyalty incentives to enhance conversion.
TikTok’s social commerce model amplifies this by letting users purchase products during live broadcasts directly from creators. In the UK, TikTok doubled its daily livestream shopping events and anticipates a substantial increase in advertising and commerce revenue.
Future Outlook and Key Trends
Looking forward, shopping apps are likely to continue converging with social and entertainment apps, blurring the lines between content and commerce. TikTok’s success in combining social engagement with live shopping hints at broader shifts in mobile retail.
Meanwhile, apps like Temu demonstrate how aggressive pricing strategies and supply chain efficiencies can drive explosive growth. However, regulatory changes targeting cross-border imports and low-value tax exemptions may pose future challenges.
On the platform side, wearable and AI-powered enhancements are projected to further personalize shopping experiences. The app economy is expected to climb toward seven hundred billion dollars or more by 2027; within this growth, shopping apps will benefit from innovations in personalization, subscription loyalty, and monetization hybrid models