Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are delivered through websites but are tweaked and transformed by adding some extra features. Though a web browser displays a PWA, it renders as an app. It consists of everything from a loading page and animations but doesn’t have a navigation bar. An ordinary user would see it as an app only. They can work even on slower or sparse networks, are reliable and load quickly.
Today, businesses and startups need to realize that user experience overpowers everything else. Statista states that February 2019 accounted for almost 48% of global web traffic through web views. Websites offer great experience only to a certain point. However, businesses need to upgrade their browsing experience continually. And PWAs are the perfect combination of a website and offering a user experience like apps.
Advantages of Having PWAs for Businesses
A Global Digital Report estimated that the year 2018 had approximately 5 billion people accessing the Internet through their mobiles. Hence, if a business wants to expand, they have to keep in mind the increasing use of the mobile Internet. PWAs are capable of boosting trade and retaining their customers. Here’s the lowdown on some of the merits of using PWAs as business apps:
Offline Access
Progressive Web Apps don’t always require a working Internet connection. Even when your customers are traveling to a place with a poor or weak network, they can easily access these apps. Statistics show that the use of PWAs resulted in a 137% increase in time spent on sites, compared to mobile websites. These apps operate on the service workers posing as the connecting links between network, browser, and app. Hence, the information entered by the customers in their last session is stored and saved. Like other websites, PWAs also involve multiple sites and have programming interface integrations.
No Download and Installations
PWAs need not be downloaded or installed. Since an app marketplace doesn’t distribute them, PWAs help customers download an app directly to their devices. And like other regular applications, it is saved in the devices with their respective icons. It enhances the user experience and even decreases cart abandonment. Hence, some browsers also have an in-built function of sending prompts for downloading respective apps. Plus, it increases the shareability of these apps too. Because they don’t need installation, customers are capable of accessing a PWA with its URL.
Responsive Layouts and Audience Loyalty
Similar content and user interface displayed for all users in PWAs. Whether their device’s browsers support the service workers or not, responsive layouts work for every browser. Additionally, PWAs offer many valuable benefits that can help in building a loyal customer base. Device compatibility and speedy performance are two significant problems PWAs aim to solve.
Forbes’ site is a great example to quote when it saw a 43% rise in user sessions with PWA. Customers can access PWAs without moving to different pages too. Such apps are convenient. Have no connectivity issues and load in no time. Also, users can navigate freely between integrated social media channels to any product page seamlessly.
Low Memory Consumption
The most significant advantage of PWAs is that they don’t consume a lot of memory storage. Even after 2018 saw almost 113 billion apps downloaded, users only use nine apps regularly. Since web servers host such apps, PWAs are stored only on the device’s home screen.
Since PWAs don’t install on the device, they don’t need to be updated frequently. It helps users in saving a lot of data usage too. They are updated automatically through the service workers when customers use their respective websites. PWAs also don’t need a lot of space to fit in as they are compact, saving storage space on the device. It runs directly from the browser, and customers can launch it from a URL.
Reach and Engagement
Since PWAs are apps rendered through websites, they have compatibility with any platform. Whether your users are on Android or Apple, they can easily access your app. Ultimately, it helps a brand reach and expand its audience base. Moreover, it can help reduce the rate of site abandonment. Already, almost 53% of users abandon a mobile site if it doesn’t load within just three seconds.
Progressive web apps can solve this issue to a large extent. Businesses can make use of sending push notifications/messages about the latest products, posts, and any other updates. Push notifications work better than emails. They help in re-engaging the old customers and hence retaining them for the long term. Such notifications can also be sent to inform about the items left in their cart.
Speed and SEO
Speed is not an issue with PWAs. Offline users and slow network users also benefit from PWAs because such apps use content caching and compression to display pages faster. And speed eventually has a direct impact on SEO. The speed of mobile websites holds the most prominent significance in increasing a brand’s visibility in the organic search rankings.
Hence, the need to optimize websites according to mobiles, loading time, etc. gained traction. The mobile sites that had 2 seconds or less loading speed had a higher conversion rate than others by 15%. PWAs use caching and hence load quickly, providing simplified user experience. Also, speed is an excellent foundation for increasing conversions. An increase in the site speed leads to a rise in conversions too.
Concluding Words
At 9series, many brands are already benefiting from Progressive Web Apps because they are capable of adapting themselves according to the customers’ needs. PWAs are a great option to have alongside a native app, though still quite far from replacing them altogether. It depends from brand to brand, as some of them would require complex functions while others won’t. It’s all about staying relevant to the current trends and customers’ preferences. Speed is and would always remain a top preference. Hence businesses can pick up on these cues and start investing in PWAs. Get in touch with the web development experts to discuss your next PWA.
