Progressive web apps have already become the primary choice for online businesses.
In the app industry, there is a popular saying that goes like “You can tell a lot about someone by apps on the home screen of their smartphones”.
But, the first page on most smartphones often contains the same apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, and LinkedIn.
Other apps, on the other hand, usually remain hidden under subfolders that are often ignored.
The Era of Progressive Web Apps
But, we’re now entering the era of progressive web apps and they’re specifically designed to inspire smartphone users to fall back in love with the mobile apps again.
As a matter of fact, Uber, Washington Post, Google, Twitter, and many more have already adopted PWA.
Gartner also revealed that PWAs have replaced as much as 50% of consumer-facing apps in 2020.
But, what are progressive web apps anyway?
More importantly, why should they be an integral part of your mobile app strategy?
A Progressive Web App is basically a hybrid of both a mobile app and a responsive website. It runs on a web browser such as Safari, Chrome, Firefox that looks and works like a native mobile app but isn’t necessarily required to install it.
In simple words, PWAs enable smartphone users to enjoy the same intuitive mobile app experience even when they’re offline or at a location with weak network connectivity.
All in all, PWAs are quite promising especially for impatient smartphone users whose expectations for instant gratification continue to rise.
What Does PWA Mean for eCommerce Business?
PWAs are primarily known for improving the speed of an eCommerce store dramatically and enhancing the expectations of online shoppers.
Just imagine providing your customers with an option to install your eCommerce store on their smartphones for offline use. PWAs have the power to deliver it. And the best part is, this is just the beginning of many possibilities.
Magento-based eCommerce stores are already building PWA stores on its latest Magento PWA Studio.
If you’re a Magento store owner who is struggling to keep up with the demands of maintaining a web store and iOS & Android app ecosystem, PWA is a perfect replacement for you to deliver a seamless experience across all devices.
Unlike native iOS & Android apps, PWAs directly contribute to your brand’s search engine optimization.
And not only that but PWAs are far easier for building personalized offers even if customers have low bandwidth.
When George.com implement PWA, they witnessed a 4x decrease in page load time and a whopping 31% increase in conversions.
Expedia, on the other hand, adopted PWA and was able to accelerate its hotel search result loading speed by 3x.
A Mobile-First Digital World
In the first quarter of 2021, 54.1% of all global website traffic was generated through smartphones.
As for consumers, they now have a lower tolerance for poorly optimized websites with slow loading times.
This is the number #1 reason why the majority of online businesses (especially eCommerce) are looking for new ways to deliver a more revolutionary mobile experience.
Put another way, how people consume information is evolved at a rapid pace. And many early adopters now see PWA as the silver bullet for increasing engagement, retention, & conversion.
Put it simply, we’re finally moving from style over substance vanity websites and native apps.
Thanks to PWA, brands are now beginning to raise the expectation bar with more faster and reliable interactions with customers.
Concluding Thoughts…
It’s time for eCommerce businesses to accept that having a native app that’s hidden under subfolders is no longer beneficial and that PWAs allow providing an easier way to overcome the app fatigue that works offline and contributes to SEO.
And in the coming years, we expect many more eCommerce businesses to join the PWA bandwagon to strive for massive growth and success.
That being said, if you ever need professional consultation or assistance with Magento PWA development, feel free to reach out to us at any time.
