Many clothing stores are now all investing in apps to make shopping more convenient for its customers. Here’s how they add up:

Forever 21:

The only thing more cringe-worthy than denim jackets with cheesy iron-on decals on the back is the Forever 21 app. Starting on a positive note, Forever 21 has created a simple design and is easy to navigate. However, its number of minor issues quickly adds up. I suggest this app to those who’d like to make a direct purchase and know what they’d like to buy as soon as they open the app. Many additional shortcuts, such as—searching for nearby stores, checking item availability, or filtration options, are not available. Users are also required to sign-in with an account to add an item to their shopping cart or wishlist. It takes away from the purpose of browsing through pages of clothing just for the sake of ‘window shopping’ online. If you’re genuinely interested in shopping at Forever 21, try detaching yourself from your cell phone, and spend a few minutes shopping in-store.

ASOS:

The ASOS app is basic, but still the company’s bright products definitely make themselves known. The app is based around these bright clothes, as they are the only source of color, pattern, or differentiation in the app. The best part of the app is the easy-to-find “wish list” feature. Here, once you have an account on ASOS, you can save products you want to view (or buy) later. The design of the app is simple and effective but kind of boring. The simple color palette (stark black and white), the boring fonts, and the familiar design are not memorable, but fulfill their duties well. Overall the app is fine and does its jobs well, but is lackluster in design.

Sephora:

This app will be the highlight of your day—pun intended.

Dear all makeup lovers,

No matter where you are, Sephora has your back. Sephora manages to stay true to their brand; the app opens to a screen projecting their grandiose, opaque black-and-white stripes and takes users to a page profoundly identical to the Sephora website homepage. Honestly, the app is more convenient than the site because everything from booking reservations to checking account points is available at your fingertips. The app divides itself into three main sections— home, shop, and stores. ‘Home’ displays recommended and trending items. The ‘Shop’ section has every possible category you’d find on the website or in-store, such as—brands, skincare, makeup, fragrance, etc. ‘Stores’ allows customers to access the store locator, book reservations, check out reviews, and account history items including ‘loves’ and purchases. I suggest that if you love wearing a flawless face, browse through Sephora’s flawless app.

Urban Outfitters:

Like the other apps, the UO app allows its patron to browse every product the store has to offer, making wasting your time wishing for over-priced  dresses inevitable. The app is fun, clean, and easy to navigate. Perhaps my favorite feature of this app is their easy to find sale section. Here their best deals are highlighted ($10 dollar Mary Jane flats! $20 off the dress I was admiring at the mall 3 weeks ago!). The app relies heavily on categorizing its products, making it easy to filter in the things you actually want to see. The app is designed well, it flows seamlessly and makes logical sense. The app does share a lot with its physical counterpart, but most notably, the sense that its “cool” aesthetic is a marketing tactic that effectively pressures its customers to buy their overly expensive products.