# Binary Decision Retail Apps The 'A/B' App Lets You Split-Test Purchase Decisions Among Friends By Alexander Lam | Published 2013-06-12 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ab-app References: [psfk](http://www.psfk.com/2013/06/ab-app-social-shopping-feedback.html) & [fastcolabs](http://www.fastcolabs.com/3009658/accelerator/announcing-the-finalists-of-the-colabs-and-target-retail-accelerator) Bringing split-testing to real life, the 'A/B' app by David Chu lets you make hard decisions by asking your friends. A/B was created to augment the mobile shopping experience while making it personal and social. The app allows you to choose two items and ask your friends which one is better. Other app users can then decide which item is better by voting and commenting. After all the votes are tallied, you'll have a clear idea of which item is better for you. The A/B app was created as part of the Target Retail Accelerator competition which asks competitors to develop a mobile shopping app. Chu won the first place prize of $75,000 for his clever software. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.9/10 - Popularity: 33% | Activity: 47% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Mobile](https://www.trendhunter.com/mobile) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Social Decision-making Apps:** Creating apps that involve social decision-making processes can disrupt the retail industry by providing personalized and community-driven shopping experiences. - **Augmented Mobile Shopping:** Augmenting the mobile shopping experience through innovative apps like A/B can revolutionize how consumers make purchase decisions, potentially enhancing sales and engagement for retailers. - **Real-life Split Testing:** Introducing real-life split testing through apps like A/B opens up opportunities for retailers to gather insights on consumer preferences and optimize their product offerings. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Mobile App Development:** The rise of social decision-making apps, like A/B, presents a lucrative market for mobile app developers to create engaging and interactive shopping experiences. - **Retail:** Retailers have the opportunity to leverage augmented mobile shopping apps, such as A/B, to create personalized and social shopping experiences that drive customer engagement and loyalty. - **Market Research:** The use of real-life split testing apps like A/B can disrupt the market research industry by providing retailers with direct insights into consumer preferences and behavior, enabling data-driven decision-making. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Collaborative Shopping Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/consult-a-friend.md) - [Checkout Optimization Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ab-test-shopify.md) - [Personal Shopping Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/aritzias-new-app.md) - [Result-Highlighting Health Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sandyl.md) - [Value-Based Shopping Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/veebs.md) - [Randomized Decision Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/decision-tools.md) - [Interactive Decision Tools](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kick-it.md) - [Boycott-Supporting Phone Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/buycott.md) - [Gamified Shopping Apps](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/gamified-shopping-app.md)