Many mobile apps in the lifestyle, wellness, fitness, and cooking spaces have successfully implemented in-app shopping to enhance user experience and create additional revenue streams. Here are some notable examples: MyFitnessPal, Nike Training Club, YummlyYummly, ClassPass, NoomNoom, Strava, WW (formerly Weight Watchers), Yoga Studio, Kitchen Stories, Happify, Clue, Houzz, BabyCentre, Tone It Up, ThredUp, Cookpad, Calm, Peanut, Vivino.
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MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal has evolved from a simple calorie-counting app into a comprehensive fitness ecosystem. It offers a premium subscription with advanced features like macro tracking and meal planning. The app has also integrated a shop where users can purchase fitness equipment and nutritional supplements, creating a seamless experience where users can track their nutrition, plan workouts, and acquire fitness tools all within a single platform.
Calm
Calm, a meditation and sleep app, combines content with commerce. It offers premium subscriptions for access to guided meditations and sleep stories. The app has expanded its revenue potential by introducing an in-app store selling sleep-related products such as weighted blankets and sleep mists. This strategy provides added value to users while creating an additional revenue stream.
Headspace
Headspace, a leader in the meditation app market, has embraced in-app shopping to complement its subscription-based model. While its core offering remains guided meditations, Headspace now allows users to purchase books authored by its experts and other mindfulness products like journals and meditation cushions. This approach increases revenue and deepens user engagement with mindfulness practices beyond the digital realm.
Nike Training Club
Nike Training Club offers free workout videos and training plans while seamlessly integrating Nike's e-commerce platform. Users can easily purchase the workout gear they see being used in the training videos. This integration creates a natural pathway from inspiration to purchase, generating revenue and strengthening brand loyalty by creating a cohesive Nike fitness experience.
Flo
Flo has expanded from a period tracking app to a comprehensive women's health platform. It has introduced a shop feature where users can purchase feminine hygiene products and wellness items. The app offers personalized product recommendations based on user data, creating a tailored shopping experience while providing convenience for users who can now monitor their cycles and purchase necessary products in one place.
Yummly
Yummly has transformed the traditional recipe app model by incorporating a seamless shopping experience. The app offers recipes, personalized recommendations, and meal planning features. Users can purchase kitchen tools and ingredients directly through the app, with the option to have them delivered. This integration provides convenience and opens up new revenue streams through partnerships with grocery delivery services and kitchenware brands.
Fitbit
The Fitbit app serves as a central hub for Fitbit device users, offering activity tracking and health insights. It includes a shop where users can purchase new Fitbit devices, bands, and accessories. The app uses user data to make personalized product recommendations, creating a seamless upgrade path for existing users and allowing easy device personalization.
ClassPass
ClassPass has evolved from a fitness class booking platform to a comprehensive wellness marketplace. Users can now purchase workout equipment and wellness products directly through the app, complementing its core service of connecting users with fitness studios. ClassPass has also introduced digital fitness content, creating a holistic fitness ecosystem that diversifies its offerings and increases user engagement.
Noom
Noom, a psychology-based weight loss app, offers paid coaching services and personalized plans. It has introduced an in-app shop where users can purchase healthy food products and cooking tools that align with their personalized plans. This integration allows Noom to guide users in their weight loss journey and provide them with the tools needed to succeed, enhancing the user experience while creating an additional revenue stream.
Strava
Strava, a popular running and cycling tracking app, offers premium subscriptions and has partnered with brands to offer exclusive gear to its users through in-app shopping. Users can purchase running shoes, cycling equipment, and other fitness gear directly through the app. Strava uses its vast amount of user data to make personalized product recommendations, creating a highly targeted shopping experience that generates revenue and enhances the app's value to its community of athletes.
Sleep Cycle
Sleep Cycle has expanded beyond its original function as a smart alarm clock and sleep tracker. It now offers premium subscriptions for detailed sleep analysis and has introduced a shop for sleep-enhancing products such as white noise machines and sleep masks. This integration creates a comprehensive sleep improvement ecosystem, allowing users to track their sleep and purchase tools to improve it within the same app.
AllTrails
AllTrails provides users with trail maps and hiking information, offering a pro subscription for advanced features. The app has integrated a shop for outdoor gear, allowing users to purchase hiking boots, backpacks, and other equipment needed for their adventures. This integration creates a convenient one-stop-shop for hiking enthusiasts, allowing them to plan hikes and equip themselves within the same app.
WW (formerly Weight Watchers)
WW offers paid memberships for access to personalized weight loss plans and tracking tools. The app has integrated a shop where users can purchase WW-branded products and healthy snacks that align with their weight loss goals. This integration provides users with convenient access to program-compliant products, enhancing the user experience while creating an additional revenue stream.
Yoga Studio
Yoga Studio provides a wide range of yoga classes and allows users to create custom sequences. The app offers subscriptions and has introduced a marketplace for yoga equipment. Users can purchase yoga mats, blocks, and other gear directly through the app, creating a one-stop-shop for yoga practice that generates additional revenue and enhances the overall user experience.
Kitchen Stories
Kitchen Stories offers recipes, cooking videos, and kitchen tips, with premium content available through subscription. The app has integrated a shop for cooking utensils and appliances. When users find a recipe, they can easily purchase any specialized equipment needed, creating a seamless path from inspiration to action. This integration provides convenience to users and opens up new revenue streams through partnerships with kitchenware brands.
Happify
Happify, a mental wellness app focusing on science-based activities to reduce stress and build resilience, has integrated a subtle multi-vendor marketplace. While maintaining its core focus on emotional well-being, the app now offers curated products such as mindfulness journals, stress-relief gadgets, and self-help books from various vendors. These product suggestions appear after completing activities or reaching milestones, providing users with additional tools to support their mental health journey while creating a new revenue stream for Happify.
Clue
Clue, a period and ovulation tracking app, has introduced a marketplace for women's health products. Alongside its primary function of cycle tracking, the app now offers a selection of menstrual cups, organic tampons, and hormonal health supplements from various third-party vendors. These product recommendations are tailored to users' cycle phases and reported symptoms, enhancing the app's value while generating additional revenue through affiliate partnerships.
Houzz
Houzz, primarily a home design and renovation inspiration app, has seamlessly integrated a multi-vendor marketplace for home decor and furniture. Users browsing through design ideas can now purchase products featured in the images directly through the app. This integration allows Houzz to monetize its vast collection of home design photos while providing users with a convenient way to bring their design inspirations to life.
BabyCentre
BabyCentre, an app providing pregnancy and parenting information, has incorporated a marketplace for baby and parenting products. While maintaining its focus on expert advice and community support, the app now offers curated selections of baby gear, maternity wear, and parenting books from various vendors. These product suggestions are tailored to the user's stage of pregnancy or child's age, creating a personalized shopping experience that complements the app's informational content.
Tone It Up
Tone It Up, a fitness app offering workout videos and meal plans, has introduced a marketplace for fitness and nutrition products. In addition to its core content, the app now suggests workout equipment, protein powders, and meal prep tools from partnered brands. These product recommendations are integrated into workout routines and meal plans, providing users with easy access to tools that support their fitness journey while creating an additional revenue stream for the app.
ThredUp
ThredUp, originally a platform for buying and selling secondhand clothes, has expanded its app to include a curated marketplace for sustainable lifestyle products. While maintaining its focus on secondhand fashion, the app now offers a selection of eco-friendly beauty products, zero-waste home goods, and sustainable accessories from various vendors. This addition aligns with the app's sustainability mission while providing a new revenue stream through affiliate partnerships.
Cookpad
Cookpad, a recipe sharing and meal planning app, has integrated a multi-vendor marketplace for kitchen gadgets and specialty ingredients. Users viewing recipes can now purchase unique utensils or hard-to-find ingredients directly through the app. This feature enhances the cooking experience for users while providing Cookpad with an additional revenue source through partnerships with kitchenware brands and specialty food suppliers.
Peanut
Peanut, a social networking app for mothers and women trying to conceive, has introduced a marketplace for parenting and fertility products. While maintaining its core function as a community platform, the app now offers curated selections of pregnancy tests, ovulation kits, and parenting books from various vendors. These product recommendations are tailored to users' stages in their parenting or fertility journey, providing relevant resources while generating additional revenue through affiliate partnerships.
Vivino
Vivino, a wine discovery and rating app, has integrated a multi-vendor marketplace for wine purchases. While its primary function remains wine scanning and reviews, users can now buy wines directly through the app from various retailers and wineries. This feature enhances the user experience by allowing immediate purchase of discovered wines, while Vivino benefits from a new revenue stream through sales commissions.
Make your mobile app shoppable
As we've seen through numerous examples, from Happify to Vivino, successful integration of in-app shopping can significantly enhance a mobile app's value proposition and revenue potential.
As the mobile app landscape continues to evolve, the ability to seamlessly blend core functionality with strategic e-commerce capabilities will undoubtedly be a defining factor in attracting both user engagement and venture capital investment.
Customizable, source-available solutions, such as Vendo, emerge as the key to unlocking true innovation and protecting unique value propositions. By embracing these tailored approaches, mobile app startups can not only meet the immediate demands of their users but also position themselves for rapid growth and long-term success.
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