The e-commerce effect on product thinking

“I wanted to focus on e-commerce this year because value is never vague there. It is concrete. Even small improvements can lead to higher, measurable conversion. That makes e-commerce a very satisfying space to work in. The impact is immediate and measurable.”

“Good e-commerce apps combine everything: onboarding, engagement, seamless checkout, and personalization. They are content-driven and task-driven at the same time. That makes them uniquely complete, functionally and strategically. Other industries often cover parts of this, but e-commerce forces you to connect them all. Mastering that builds skills that transfer to any product context.”

“For store-led brands, the challenge is to let the digital experience stand on its own while still reinforcing in-store value. Digital-first brands often outperform them because they have no choice but to invest fully in that one channel. Still, store-led brands have a different kind of strength: deep brand trust. That also matters in how users experience an app. There is a lot both sides can learn, but I think physical-first brands stand to gain the most by thinking digital-first.”

“Personalization will become easier for everyone. With large language models, you no longer need complex logic to make smart recommendations, the system can learn from patterns directly. That lowers the barrier for smaller teams with limited resources. And it will also make testing faster. A/B testing in native apps still takes effort. AI can  compensate for that effort, so you can iterate without significant delays or large resource loads.”

“Even if you are not in retail, do not overlook e-commerce. Every part of the product experience is in there. It teaches you how small UX improvements lead to real business impact. That mindset is invaluable no matter what kind of app you are building.”

Curious how today’s top e-commerce apps really perform, and what drives their success? The Mobile App Trends Report 2025 breaks down strategic differences between digital-first and store-led brands, and highlights what product teams across sectors can apply to their own roadmap.