Keep your shopping app visible through every sale.
ASO for shopping apps works in a category where the payment rule runs the other way: apps selling physical goods must use their own payment method instead of in-app purchase on the App Store, Google Play's billing system is not used for physical goods either, and discounts go into promotion tools rather than the title.
What makes ASO different in this category?
- 01
What the Shopping category covers
On the App Store, Shopping is for apps that support buying consumer goods or materially enhance the shopping experience: commerce, marketplaces, coupons, product reviews and apps with Apple Pay. On Google Play, Shopping covers online shopping, auctions, coupons, price comparison, grocery lists and product reviews.[1][2]
- 02
Physical goods skip store billing
Under Guideline 3.1.3(e), physical goods and services consumed outside the app use a purchase method other than in-app purchase, such as Apple Pay or card entry. Google Play's Payments policy also says its billing system must not be used for physical goods such as groceries, clothing, housewares and electronics, or for online auctions.[3][4]
- 03
Gift cards split two ways
Under Guideline 3.1.1, digital gift cards, vouchers and coupons redeemable for digital goods or services can only be sold in the app with in-app purchase. Physical gift cards mailed to customers may use other payment methods.[3]
- 04
Discounts stay out of the title
Google Play's Metadata policy forbids text or images in the app title, icon or developer name that indicate price or promotional information. The Offers type of Google Play promotional content, on the other hand, covers discounts and offers on physical goods and services; it is open to all games and to apps that meet the eligibility criteria.[5][6]
Features that matter most
Head to head
Shows who leads across your tracked searches and the keywords your rivals rank for and you do not.
MoreRival log
Logs rivals' title, short description, screenshot and price changes by date, so you see what they change around a sale.
MoreKeyword hunt
Finds product, category and coupon searches from store autocomplete and your rivals' top 10 terms.
MoreReviews and insights
Reads reviews every 6 hours and splits them into complaints, bugs, requests and praise, so checkout or login problems surface early.
MoreThis category's charts
The free Chart Movers tool shows this category's top 10 today, the climbers, new entrants and launches of the last 90 days.
App Store · Shopping
US · Chart Movers
Daily: a category's top 10 in a country, the climbers, new entrants and apps launched in the last 90 days.
Open toolGoogle Play · Shopping
US · Chart Movers
Daily: a category's top 10 in a country, the climbers, new entrants and apps launched in the last 90 days.
Open toolMetadata Linter
Paste your store text: limits, repeats, singular/plural waste and policy risks, instantly, in your browser.
Open toolQuestions
Can my shopping app take payment with Apple Pay?
Yes. Guideline 3.1.3(e) gives Apple Pay and traditional credit card entry as examples of purchase methods other than in-app purchase for physical goods and services consumed outside the app.
Can I put "sale" in my app title?
Not on Google Play: the Metadata policy forbids price or promotional information in the title, icon and developer name. The free Metadata Linter tool checks your store text for this kind of policy risk in your browser.
Read more
Guideline 3.1.1 In-App Purchase rejections: what needs IAP and what doesn't
What needs in-app purchase under Guideline 3.1.1, what may use other payment, the 3.1.1(a) link rules and US storefront exception, and 3.1.2 subscriptions.
Read the guideGoogle Play promotional content (LiveOps): events, offers and featuring
Google Play promotional content (LiveOps): eligibility, content types, submission timing, featuring quotas, text rules and App Store in-app events compared.
Read the guideGoogle Play metadata policy: emojis, ALL CAPS and "#1" in titles
What Google Play's Metadata policy bans in titles, short descriptions, icons and graphics: banned vs allowed examples, keyword stuffing rules and the fix.
Read the guideChoosing an app category and reading top charts on both stores
How to choose a primary and secondary category on the App Store and a category plus 5 tags on Google Play, and how to read category top charts.
Read the guide