Report updated Jun 3, 2026
JOANN - Shopping & Crafts
For dIY enthusiasts and crafters looking for project inspiration, store-specific coupons, and loyalty rewards.
JOANN - Shopping & Crafts is a challenged shopping app that is completely free. With a 4.6/5 rating from 761.6K reviews, it faces significant user friction. Users particularly appreciate extensive product variety and specialized crafting inventory provided a unique shopping experience for long-term users, though business closure and bankruptcy have left a significant void for local crafting and sewing communities remains a common concern.
What is JOANN - Shopping & Crafts?
JOANN is a retail shopping app for sewing and crafting supplies, offering loyalty rewards, weekly ads, and project inspiration on iOS and Android.
Users hire the app to manage craft-store savings and access project tutorials, but the current job-to-be-done is failing due to the inability to resolve financial obligations like gift cards.
Current Momentum
v8.1 · 11mo ago
Zombie- Added pinch and zoom to ads.
- Redirects users to local stores.
Active Nemesis
Fragmented niche
No dominant direct rival identified yet — see Other Rivals below.
Other Rivals
7-Day Rank Pulse 🇺🇸
ShoppingNo ranking data
Rating Pulse 🇺🇸
Recent User Mood
What makes this app unique?
What Does It Look Like?
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What Are The Key Features?
Barcode-based loyalty program tracking purchases to issue personalized rewards and birthday offers.
Digital circular viewer with pinch-and-zoom functionality for local store inventory.
User-generated content platform for sharing DIY projects and stories under the #handmadewithjoann hashtag.
How much does it cost?
- Free app with no subscription or IAP
The app functions as a free utility to drive retail store traffic and loyalty program participation.
Who Built It?
Enrichment in progress
Publisher profile available very soon
What other apps does Jo-Ann Stores make?
What do users think recently?
High confidence · Latest 112 of 128 total reviews analyzed · Based on 128 reviews. Signal may be noisy.
How did the latest release land?
What is the recent mood?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate extensive product variety and specialized crafting inventory provided a unique shopping experience for long-term users, but report business closure and bankruptcy have left a significant void for local crafting and sewing communities.
What Users Love
What Frustrates Users
What Users Want
View the full user-sentiment analysis
Mood gauge, ratings & review-volume history, every praise / complaint / request, and sentiment over time.
What is the competitive landscape for JOANN - Shopping & Crafts?
Where is it available?
Localized markets (1)
How's The Shopping Market?
Market outlook for this category
Available very soon
The rivals identified
Nemeses(1)
The Home Depot competes for the same DIY project-based consumer wallet, leveraging a massive physical footprint and digital toolset that mirrors JOANN's focus on craft and home improvement.
Contenders(4)
This app targets the creator side of the DIY market, competing for the same talent pool that produces the projects JOANN customers aspire to make.
This platform competes by providing specialized utilities for independent creators to manage sales, mirroring the DIY community aspect of JOANN.
Toolstation targets the functional DIY market, competing with JOANN for the attention of users who prioritize project speed and supply availability.
TouchNote competes for the creative consumer by offering personalized physical goods, directly overlapping with JOANN's DIY card-making and gifting segments.
Same space(3)
Fanatics Collect competes for the high-intent hobbyist, focusing on authentication and long-term value, similar to high-end craft supply segments.
Courtyard targets the high-end hobbyist market, competing for the time and discretionary income of users who value specialized, curated goods.
Differentiators
- Implements 'Digital Pack Ripping' mechanics that gamify the shopping experience to drive higher user retention rates.
- Operates a 'Zero-Fee Marketplace' model that incentivizes frequent trading and liquidity compared to traditional retail shopping apps.
Cabela's competes for the outdoor-lifestyle DIYer, utilizing a similar retail-to-app model for specialized hobby equipment.
Compare JOANN - Shopping & Crafts against every rival
All rivals in one side-by-side table — identity, store metrics, ratings & sentiment, and strategic intel — plus a head-to-head page for each.
The outtake for JOANN - Shopping & Crafts
Strengths to defend, gaps to attack
Core Strengths
- Community-driven project sharing creates organic acquisition
- Loyalty program data enables targeted coupon delivery
Critical Frictions
- Unredeemable gift cards post-bankruptcy
- Forced competitor redirects
- 1.0★ Android-iOS rating gap
Growth Levers
- Pivot to digital-first project kits
- Leverage community content for B2B partnerships
Market Threats
- Permanent loss of local store foot traffic
- Competitor capture of displaced sewing hobbyists
What are the next best moves?
Audit redirection logic because users report forced competitor site access → stop traffic leakage
User complaints cite forced redirection to competitor sites as a primary frustration.
Trade-off: Pause the weekly ad viewer update — redirection audit is a critical retention fix.
Ship clear bankruptcy-status FAQ because gift card redemption is the #2 complaint → reduce support volume
Reports of unredeemable gift cards create significant financial friction for former customers.
Trade-off: Deprioritize the new project-sharing UI — transparency is required to manage current user anger.
A counter-intuitive read
The app's high iOS rating is a liability, as it masks the deep-seated frustration of the core user base regarding store closures and unredeemable financial assets.
Feature Gaps vs Competitors
- Real-time inventory management (available in Advance Auto Parts but absent here)
- Vehicle-specific parts search (available in Summit Racing but absent here)
Key Takeaways
JOANN holds a legacy brand presence but faces severe churn due to bankruptcy-related service failures, so the PM must prioritize transparent financial communication to prevent total loss of the remaining loyal user base.
Where Is It Heading?
Declining
The crafting retail market is consolidating, and JOANN's physical footprint reduction leaves the app without a clear value proposition. The PM must transition the app to a digital-first inspiration hub to survive the loss of store-based revenue.
Bankruptcy-related store closures alienate the core user base, which accelerates the decline in daily active usage.
Unredeemable gift card complaints create a negative feedback loop, which further suppresses new user acquisition and trust.