Chinese shopping app Shein surpasses Amazon in popularity

The inexpensive fashion retailer is gaining popularity among young women shoppers because of its low prices and variety of choices.

According to analytics company App Annie, Shein has become the most downloaded shopping app in the U.S.: in the first four months of 2021 alone, the number of downloads exceeded 7.3 million. The Chinese retailer surpassed Amazon, the previous leader in the ranking, by the number of downloads. In mid-March, Shein became the leader among iPhone users in the United States, and earlier this year, the app reached this position thanks to the number of downloads on Google Play. 

Chinese retailer Shein launched in 2008, but over the past four months has managed to attract many visitors to the site and achieved growth in the app's mass downloads. Products by Shein are sold in more than 220 countries around the world. The main advantages of the retailer are its low prices for a rather diverse fashion assortment and the use of innovative digital strategies. 

The online platform allows customers to purchase fashion clothing and accessories for around $2-5, which is very appealing to the younger generation. The retailer also considers the needs of shoppers and, instead of sticking to any one brand, focuses on fast-changing trends, offering selections of current styles. 

Frequent additions of new features and design changes and the brand's active involvement of influencers and celebrities like Lil Nas X and Katy Perry, who took part in a virtual concert held on the platform, are called pluses of the application. 

An essential factor in the growing popularity of Shein was that during the pandemic, the popularity of online shopping increased significantly, and the reasonable cost of goods on the platform and the convenience of selecting fashion items further contributed to buyers' interest. 

Photo credit: depositphotos.com.

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