Sales of fashion items may have fluctuated wildly in the past couple of months due to the pandemic, but the good news for a few of the UK’s established clothing retail brands is that they are managing to maintain traction in the mobile market thanks to the popularity of their fashion apps.

This is based on the latest figures published by analysts at App Annie, which show that three of the UK’s most widely used apps that allow consumers to order fashion via safe shopping online are operated by brands that have a significant bricks and mortar presence.

While the top spot in the current rankings is occupied by online-only fashion firm Asos, the other retailers to appear alongside it include Next, Marks & Spencer and H&M.

Study spokesperson Lexi Sydow said that the fact that these retailers were able to claw their way to the upper limits of the competitive fashion app market was a testament to the fact that they were taking deliberate steps to cater to mobile users, creating compelling digital experiences that are superior to those offered by their rivals.

She also said that it was important to bear in mind that retailers which have well-made mobile apps are set to continue benefiting from this fact going forwards given that even with high street stores reopening in some parts of the UK, consumer trends were already showing signs of a permanent shift towards increased online shopping.

Another reason that apps are so important for retailers to offer is that average mobile users dedicated almost four hours a day to their portable device, according to Sydow. This means there is plenty of opportunity for brands to engage with them via standalone apps aimed at selling products to captive audiences.