Apple Introduces New ‘Shopping’ Category on the iOS App Store

Today, Apple has updated the iOS App Store to include a new Shopping category that will allow iOS users to better find shopping-related apps.

According to a report from TechCrunch, the Shopping category will be available worldwide and will encompass apps that offer shopping, price comparisons, coupons, and more. We have confirmed that the Shopping category appears on the Canadian App Store, and it displays content relevant to Canadian shopping apps. The apps in this category have been transferred from the existing Lifestyle category to a new, less noisy category.

The company plans to use the Shopping category to highlight apps that support Apple Pay. Many apps now include Apple Pay integrating, letting users pay for merchandise with a finger on the Touch ID fingerprint button on supported devices.

The new App Store category will launch with several different collections of shopping apps, including a “Save While You Shop” category that will be offering exclusive discounts from a variety of merchants.

The new category in the App Store has started rolling out today. It is possible that Apple will consider expanding the category to the tvOS App Store as well.