Should I make an app for my retail brand?

Every few months, a retailer asks the same question: “Should we build an app?”

The conversation usually starts with excitement — “Push notifications!” someone says. “Big X brand does it!” another chimes in. The boardroom nods, the marketing team gets stars in their eyes, and suddenly the idea of an app starts to feel like a mark of legitimacy.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most retail apps fail.

Not because the brands behind them weren’t ambitious. Not because the developers weren’t skilled. But because the whole project was rooted in the wrong question. Instead of asking, “What do our customers actually want?” the question was, “What can we build to make our brand feel bigger?”

That’s not strategy. That’s ego.

No one will use your app

Think about your own phone. How many brand apps do you actually use? Not the ones you downloaded once and abandoned. Not the ones gathering dust in a folder you never open. The ones you truly engage with week after week.

Chances are, it’s only a handful. Tiktok, Instagram. Maybe your airline or your bank. That’s it.

Your customers aren’t sitting around hoping you’ll add another square icon to their home screen. They’re hoping you’ll make their lives easier, your offers more relevant, and their rewards more accessible. That doesn’t require an app.

As loyalty expert Lance Walker put it:

“A habit is not loyalty, it’s a habit. It’s much better if a customer is doing it because they’ve developed a relationship with your brand—they actually love and want to shop with you.”

An app doesn’t create that love. It often just creates friction.

Why do apps fail?

When retailers push for an app, the goals usually boil down to:

• Customer data
• Repeat purchases
• Push notifications
• Exclusivity

All worthwhile ambitions. But here’s the kicker: you don’t need an app to achieve any of them. So after a retailer launches their app with fanfare, watch it quietly slide into irrelevance.

The reasons are predictable:

• No clear problem solved. If your app is just a clone of your mobile website, customers won’t bother.
• No scale. Competing in the App Store against Amazon, Nike, and Sephora means you’re outgunned on budget, UX, and acquisition.
• No usage. You spent six figures, but customers open it once, forget it exists, and never return.
• No ROI. Unlike loyalty programs, it’s often impossible to measure what the app is delivering in hard terms.

Remember that app stores are not neutral ground. The App Store and Google Play aren’t friendly marketplaces for small or mid-size brands. They’re battlegrounds dominated by billion-dollar players. Trying to compete there is like opening a boutique next door to a Walmart and wondering why no one comes in.

If retention is your goal, there are far smarter (and cheaper) ways to achieve it.

When do apps succeed?

Let’s be clear — not every brand app is a vanity project. Some absolutely work. But they succeed because they solve real problems for real customers, not because a marketing team wanted a shiny new icon in the App Store.

The best brand apps do at least one of three things exceptionally well:

• They offer true utility.
  Think Starbucks or airlines. Their apps make everyday actions faster and easier — ordering ahead, tracking flights, managing points, boarding passes, or payments. They replace friction with convenience.
• They support high-frequency, habitual use.
  Daily coffee runs, rideshares, grocery shops — these are behaviors people repeat constantly. The app becomes part of their routine because it connects directly to something they already do. Most retail brands, however, don’t have that kind of purchase cadence. A boutique that sees customers every few months doesn’t need a permanent app presence.
• They deliver personalized, data-driven experiences.
  Big players like Amazon or Nike use apps to serve hyper-targeted recommendations, content, and exclusive community access. They have the data, scale, and resources to make those experiences worth opening an app for.

For most independent or mid-sized retailers, this level of investment and frequency simply isn’t there. And that’s okay — it’s not a failure, it’s just a different business model.

Instead of an app, here's what you should do

If you want app-like benefits without the app headache, here are better plays.

• Loyalty programs. With tiers, streaks, or exclusive rewards that deepen connection.
• Customer portal and a digital wallet card. Give customers instant access to rewards in the tools they already use.
• A fast, mobile-optimized site. Covers 90% of what customers need.
• Email and SMS automation. Personalized flows (win-backs, expiries, reminders) perform better than generic push notifications.

1. Implement a Loyalty Program

A loyalty program should be more than a discount scheme — it’s your engine for retention, insight, and emotional connection. The goal isn’t to buy loyalty with dollars off; it’s to recognize and reward higher frequency customers and top spenders. This creates a feeling of belonging, feeling valuable to the brand.

“If your loyalty program is not impacting on retention, then all things being equal, it's not delivering value.”
—Lance Walker, loyalty consultant

Smart programs use:

• Tiers that reward long-term engagement (think “VIP,” “Insider,” or “Gold” levels).

• Streaks that build repeat visits (purchase regularly and unlock something special).

• Non-monetary rewards — things like early access, exclusives, or recognition — which strengthen emotional ties.

2. Add a Customer Portal to your website

With a Customer Portal, your customers can log into your website — on mobile or desktop — and instantly see:

• Their points balance
• Rewards available to claim
• Their VIP status

It feels like an app, but lives where your customers already are: your website. Mobile-optimized, seamless, and always up-to-date.

“We’re able to accurately tell you how much money you’re making as a result of your marketing activity right down to the dollar level.”
—Rory Moss, Marsello

3. Enable Digital Loyalty Cards for their phone wallet

For customers who do want that “card in the pocket” feeling, Marsello lets them add their loyalty card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet.

• Their card shows a scannable QR code for faster, more streamlined checkout.
• It surfaces automatically in their wallet — no extra app clutter.
• It makes it easier for your staff to attach customers to the sale.

And unlike competitors, Marsello includes this feature free in every plan. No nickel-and-diming for something that should be core.

The net effect? You give customers the app-like convenience they actually value, without the friction of asking them to download, log in, and remember to use yet another app.

4. Use email & SMS automations

If you think push notifications are the only way to stay top-of-mind, think again. Hobbytech Toys’ Jordan shared that their retention strategy is almost entirely automated emails and SMS messages — all thriving without an app:

“We run highly automated flows which still feel personalized because we segment customers based on what they’ve been purchasing.”

Here’s why it works:

• Automation keeps you consistent. Win-backs, expiries, and reward reminders go out at the right time.

• Personalization makes it relevant. Customers only hear about what they care about.

• Omnichannel connection closes the loop. Integrating POS, ecommerce, and loyalty data ensures every message reflects real behavior.

5. Mobile-optimize your website

Before you dream up an app, look at your website on a phone — really look at it. If it takes more than a few seconds to load, if the navigation feels clunky, or if checkout makes you want to abandon your own cart, you don’t need an app. You need a better website experience.

Most of what an app promises — convenience, personalization, repeat engagement — can be delivered by a mobile-optimized site that’s fast, intuitive, and integrated with your loyalty and marketing tools.

“It’s not just enough to develop a strong brand with your brand values, but for your customers to experience that, to love that, and feel part of that community as well.”
—Rory Moss, Marsello

That experience starts the moment your site loads.

Here’s what matters most:

• Speed and simplicity. Customers won’t wait. Optimize for fast load times and effortless checkout.

• Integrated loyalty visibility. Let customers see their points and rewards right from your site (through Marsello’s portal, not a separate app).

• Consistent omnichannel design. The site should feel the same whether customers shop online or walk into your store.

A great mobile website is your digital storefront, loyalty hub, and engagement platform all in one. Get that right first — it delivers 90% of what an app does, without the cost, maintenance, or vanity.

Final words

The hard truth: your brand probably doesn’t deserve a permanent place on your customer’s home screen. And that’s okay.

Because loyalty doesn’t come from logos on a phone. It comes from value, timing, and relevance.

So before you greenlight that six-figure app project, ask yourself:

• Is this for the customer, or for my ego?
• Will it solve a real problem, or just duplicate my website?
• Could I achieve the same goals with smarter, cheaper, and more effective tools? Chances are, the answer is yes.

Most customers don’t need another app in their lives. What they do need is a brand that makes things simple, rewarding, and worth coming back to.

Marsello's customer loyalty platform gives you the best of both worlds: the app-like features customers enjoy, without the cost or clutter of building an app. It’s a smarter way to create real loyalty — built on value, convenience, and connection.