As mobile shopping continues to grow, consumers are downloading retailers' mobile apps at double the rate of years past and conducting more in-app purchases, according to new findings from Synchrony.

Some 67 percent of consumers have downloaded a retailer's app, according to new data from the Synchrony 2018 Digital Study. More than half of those did so specifically for a coupon or discount offer. Nearly half of consumers that have downloaded a retailer's app use it for purchases, according to a press release.

Synchrony commissioned the 2018 Digital Study in order to gain insights on consumer behavior and trends in digital shopping. It was a self-administered online survey executed by Rothstein Tauber (RTi Research) with a base of 1,255 respondents. 

"In today's competitive landscape, a mobile application is not just another piece of technology for retailers, it is a vital tool to engage shoppers with their brand. Done well, retail apps engage both in and out of stores with personalized experiences and easy credit solutions," said Maya Mikhailov, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of GPShopper, a developer of mobile apps acquired by Synchrony in 2017, in the release. "Consumers that use retail mobile applications are a retailer's top shoppers. As such, they want their apps to be tailored to their unique shopping experiences and preferences."