Bridging the Gap between Websites and Native Mobile Apps
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) combine the benefits of regular websites and native mobile apps. They run through web browsers, but can be used without internet to a certain degree. PWAs are becoming increasingly popular for many reasons, especially among e-commerce.
No More Downloading!
Unlike mobile apps, PWAs don’t need to be downloaded or updated since they function though web browsers. PWAs load using cached data, making their use simple, quick, and more convenient for online shoppers. If you leave and return to the page, it will automatically reload the page you were last on. This also applies when sharing the link — the state of the page will remain the same. Progressive Web Apps are essentially websites that load instantly and have greater usability.
Increase Your Sites SEO
The increased responsiveness of a PWA also increases the sites Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Websites that load more quickly receive a higher ranking.
These types of sites also increase SEO since they are discoverable by web browsers. This is one of the major flaws of native mobile apps — you typically have to go to the app store and search for them.
Progressive Web Apps for All
Progressive Web Apps are usable in all operating systems since they are universal. They don’t need separate designs for iOS and Android. If merchants decide to us a PWA instead of a mobile app, they could save a lot of time and money in both development and deployment. A PWA can also be easily adopted from the regular website, rather than being individually built like an app. Mobile apps also require a greater amount of data usage, whereas PWAs use much less and still have offline functionality.
The user needs to be the focus of any PWA, though. Before design can begin, developers need to understand how and why users will be using the PWA. Consumers have unlimited shopping and web browsing options, so it’s important that any PWA is efficient, functional, and usable.
One of the best parts of using Progressive Web Apps is that users won’t even be aware of it. Since they don’t have to download an app, they will think they are simply using the regular website, but with fewer frustrations.