Shein, the rising star with 81 million worldwide downloads, has recently overshadowed even the mighty Amazon in-app popularity. This unexpected turn of events begs the question: is Shein a formidable contender challenging the eCommerce giant, or is Amazon's dominance still unassailable?

Comparing Giant Shopping Apps

Shein was created in 2008. It has an office in Guangzhou, China, and is considered to serve as a "B2C fast e-commerce fashion platform." Its strategy revolves around mastering fast fashion, swiftly emulating catwalk trends, offering competitive prices, and delivering to a global audience at an impressive pace.

Unlike Amazon's vast marketplace, Shein exclusively focuses on fashion, emphasizing inclusivity and catering to various styles and body types, including a popular plus-size section.

Its successful appeal to Gen-Z through interactive features, gamification, and a solid social media presence sets Shein apart.

Users can engage through comments, contests, and influencers, driving almost 11% of desktop web traffic through social media, double the industry average. Shein's mobile app, brimming with contests and hashtags, attracts younger shoppers, making it a rising star in the fashion eCommerce scene.

Amazon's Vast Reach and Shein's Steady Growth

While Shein's app downloads triumphed globally, it's essential to acknowledge Amazon's colossal user base, with an app penetration nearing 57%.

Amazon's diversified business model spans various industries, making app downloads more challenging. Despite this, Shein's rapid ascent signals a shift in consumer behavior towards mobile shopping, making it a noteworthy contender in the eCommerce landscape.

Shein's web traffic has nearly doubled worldwide, reaching 67.2 million monthly visits. In the U.S., Shein's traffic has tripled since January 2020, now at 27.8 million. However, Amazon consistently outperforms Shein in traffic, especially in the Clothing, Shoes, & Jewelry category.

Amazon's seasonal growth spikes during the holiday seasons, while Shein exhibits steady, consistent growth.

Traffic Channels and Search Terms

Direct traffic and organic search dominate as primary channels for both platforms. Amazon's brand awareness is evident, with 58.8% direct traffic compared to Shein's 36.7%. Shein lags in direct traffic, highlighting room for brand awareness improvement. Its top search terms often revolve around fashion trends and rival brand names, showcasing its reliance on paid advertising.

The Chinese company's investment in paid search pays off, contributing to 18.9% of its worldwide desktop traffic, surpassing the industry average by seven percentage points. In contrast, Amazon receives only 3.2% through paid searches. It's improving engagement metrics, including a decreasing bounce rate and increased pages visited, indicate growing customer confidence and loyalty, resulting in a higher conversion rate than Amazon.

Shein's Conversion Rate Triumph

Shein started with a 1% conversion rate in 2019, caught up with industry leaders in 2020, and reached 5% in March 2021, surpassing Amazon. The growing number of converted visits signals Shein's effective building of trust among consumers, offering a seamless shopping experience with low prices and fast delivery.

Shein vs. Other Fashion Retailers

Compared to competitors like H&M, Zara, and Nike, Shein's conversion rate growth positions it as a strong contender in fast fashion. Despite the demand for online apparel shopping, competitors hardly increased their conversion rates, with Shein outperforming them at 5%.

Shein's Meteoric Rise

The Shein phenomenon has proven itself with tremendous success and a huge conversion rate, becoming a new challenge for the online shopping revolution. Contrary to what one may think, however, Shein does not seem an immediate threat to Amazon, which is a behemoth with such diverse offerings.

However, the trajectory of this small company is proof that one day, Shein may create further disruption in eCommerce in the same way Amazon did, but in fashion.

In the complex e-business industry, where the giants of e-commerce remain dominant, it could be a good idea for Amazon and its rivals to borrow the successful ideas from Shein and possibly improve in areas that seemed redundant. Shifting customer behavior on mobile shopping, the demand for fast, affordable fashion with a high customer retention rate, is a significant milestone in e-commerce market dominance.