ShopClues Android app review: the best deals on your smartphone

When it comes to online shopping, India isn’t the most confident market, but it is a curious one. This is the reason why most online stores are trying newer ways to get potential customers interested in online shopping, primarily by offering them easier ways to shop. And for this, nothing beats a smartphone app, which allows a user to shop from practically anywhere and at any time. ShopClues, which today is considered one of the bigger online shopping destinations in India, has recently updated its Android application. While improving the shortcomings of the previous version, the new app promises a better overall experience and faster turnaround time, from searching to buying a product. But how well does the new ShopClues Android app perform? Let’s find out.

First things first, the ShopClues Android app has a very small installation size of just under 2MB, making it really easy for users even with 2G data connections to download it without any hassle. Compared to apps offered by by other popular online stores, this app is almost half in terms of size, which is a good thing. As a result, the installation takes about just a couple of seconds and users can start shopping in minutes.

The application has a very simple and neatly laid out interface, and is not just a replication of the online store, or a web wrapper as many online stores offer in their mobile apps. It is a dedicated smartphone app, which has been designed for compatibility and usability with smartphones from the ground up.

The home page of the app shows the deal of the day and other interesting deals that have been provided especially for app users. Being one of the USP’s of ShopClues, this app brings exciting deals for users on a daily basis. Along with deals, users can also access all product categories featured on the store. The home page highlights all important information via a menu on the right, making it easy to access. ShopClues is also showcasing its top-selling products through the application as well. 

While the developers have tried making the ShopClues Android application different from what most online retailers are offering, it essentially feels more like a deals-centric app. Nevertheless, considering that for most users ShopClues is the ultimate deals destination, the app is spot on for them.

While most users in India still rely on 2G data, the ShopClues app is optimised for a 3G internet connection. However if you are using a 2G internet connection,  the application will offer a similar experience, although it might take a while to load all the images and product descriptions. We tried the application with both 2G as well as 3G internet data and in both cases we were able to finalise the transaction, even though the time difference between both the transactions was relative.

Searching for products through the app is fairly easy and users can either search for the product directly using the search widget, or navigate through the product categories and zero in on a particular product as per interest. Additionally, the app also has a push notification feature which displays a prompt on your device as soon as any offer or deal is available.

Most payment options including cash on delivery have been provided though the app. This will be a big help for buyers, as they won’t need to access the website on their computer to complete purchases. If you have ever purchased a product through ShopClues, you should be aware that the retailer offers coupon codes to provide discounts on products, and has recently started displaying the coupon code right next to the product, even in the payment or order confirmation page, in order to maximise benefit for buyers. Well, the same feature is also available through the application and users can easily use the coupon right from the confirmation page without even having to juggle through different stages if they forgot to make a note of the code.

Overall, the ShopClues Android app is a simplified and small-screen friendly version of the website in terms of functionality, while offering the same utility for users. The product descriptions and images are displayed in bigger sizes, so no one can complain about missing out on details. The app comes with multiple payment options and offers a one-stop solution for buyers right through the smartphone. The only downside of the app is that it does not have any customer care or support related functions. All it does for support is display the customer care number, which is not what is expected from a full-featured shopping app.

The ShopClues app is available on the Google Play Store as a free download.

Editor’s Rating: 7/10

Pros

• Clean layout
• Multiple payment options
• Push notifications

Cons

• Feels more like a deals app
• No dedicated customer support feature