"random apps" and it's the largest eCommerce company on the planet

So what? I install 0 ecommerce mobile apps.

What, I suddenly need to buy Alibaba crap and I can't wait to get to a laptop browser?

You've moved the goal posts there.

"Why would anyone install a random app"

"Why would anyone use a phone to make a purchase"

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Globally, more than half of all eCommerce purchases are made on a phone or tablet.

>Globally, more than half of all eCommerce purchases are made on a phone or tablet.

For no good reason in places where the phone is not the exclusive access many have to the internet (like it's for many people in the poorer places in Africa for example).

(And the number likely includes things like food delivery and digital goods like game assets and apps themselves)

> Globally, more than half of all eCommerce purchases are made on a phone or tablet.

The fact that all uneducated crash test dummies are purchasing via dubious apps doesn't mean a seemingly educated population about computer hygiene as I would expect is visiting hn would do that as well.

And it is not about purchasing from mobile, but app vs web browser.

When I did customer tech support for a major retailer, we had confused customers calling all the time because they would randomly get price-match refunds they never asked for. They were installing apps that were automatically requesting the refunds by searching their emails for orders and checking the prices on the websites. These people had no idea they had even given these apps permission to read their emails.

You'd be surprised on what general public can go to save $5.

I mean, I'm haunted by the things I did for a Klondike Bar.

eBay keeps pushing their app with a $5 discount, advertised using a focus-stealing popup interrupting your attempt to give them money, so some people must be taking the bait.

Sure. I can live for a day on those five bucks. You wouldn't believe what people in low income countries go through to save a bit of money: I've seen people I know (but couldn't stop in time) send copies of their ID to some shady company to get a five percent discount on gasoline.