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The hype around progressive web apps (PWA) in ecommerce keeps growing. Creating a PWA is regarded as one of the most high-yielding investments helping to accelerate websites to the top speeds.
Below we will discover the PWA meaning as well as recap on the PWA best practices. Major ecommerce businesses ride their way to the immense growth in performance and marketing figures on PWA, and we can see their PWA examples testify to the technology’s success.
Progressive web apps were presented to the public in 2015. This web app development technology provides the engaging user experience of a native app but at a lower development cost. eCommerce businesses were among the first to catch up with this innovative trend and invest in PWA development. They modernize websites, adapt apps to users’ new expectations, and rapidly increase sales through the new opportunities.
Below you will learn the main pros and cons of PWA and see the best progressive web apps that already help their owners to gain profit.
An ecommerce progressive web app is essentially a web application that delivers a native app-like experience through the latest JavaScript, HTML, and CSS technologies. A web based app is a website that looks and behaves exactly as a native mobile app. It is fast, it sends push notifications, and you can add it to the home screen of your smartphone.
PWA is a game-changing solution for both companies and customers as it combines the web and mobile components and features.
The key perks of the PWA technology include:
No matter the network state, PWA loads instantly. Progressive web sites do not depend on the connection heavily, some provide access even offline and ensure reliable user experience.
PWAs are accessible through URLs and can be easily found through search engines like Google or Safari. PWA optimized sites can rank higher in results and consistently drive organic visitors.
One of the ways to save time and money for an ecommerce business is to create web app. A PWA works practically on any platform, no need developing separate Safari PWA or Chrome PWA – with this technology you will have no issues with adaptability.
The smooth user experience, clear navigation patterns, push-notifications, cross-browser compatibility, and responsive pages across all devices increase user retention, making PWA ecommerce solutions a strong marketing strategy.
With all its benefits, PWA seems to be perfect. However, the technology has certain limitations. 4 of the most often mentioned PWA flaws by companies and technical experts are:
PWA can’t use NFC, bluetooth, proximity sensor, fingerprints, phone camera controls, and a number of other native device features. Support for the latest hardware functionalities can be restricted too.
A PWA cannot be submitted to the App Store and Google Play. For businesses it means lower chances of discoverability, as a large number of mobile users may never come across the app, giving preference to native iOS and Android options.
You can build progressive web apps iOS-based. However, on an Android device with Chrome or Opera, your PWA will load faster and will have access to more native device features.
Creation of a revenue model and finding an opportunity for advertising with PWA remain a challenge. Progressive web apps offer fewer subscription options than native mobile apps.
The PWA technology has gained wide adoption in ecommerce. The leading ecommerce platform Magento offers Magento PWA Studios, which is a bundle of tools that helps create reliable, fast, and engaging mobile experience and bounce conversion rates, page views, and average session length.
Learn more about Magento 2 PWA in our article: Key New Features of Magento 2: Why Migrate & What to Know
A PWA community-driven list of PWA stats provides data and precise figures on the use of the PWA tech in different business fields. It also collects best progressive web app examples and shows how apps that switched from native and cross-platform to PWA consistently improve performance.
Below are 7 projects that have made it to the tops by shifting to PWA. Get inspired.
This beauty giant was among the first ecommerce companies to change their strategy and rebuild the website as PWA. As a result, the company saw a 17% conversion boost and a 51% increase in mobile sessions. The time until the page is interactive fell by 84%.
The Rooted Objects fashion brand can be considered as a good PWA example as after launching the solution, the brand has received +162% conversion rate lift. The web page loads 25% faster. The company’s revenue has increased by 44%.
A UK clothing brand and a part of ASDA Walmart, George has upgraded their mobile experience by building a progressive web app. This decision has brought a 31% increase in mobile conversions and added 20% more to page views per visit.
The leading online source of dropshipping products AliExpress has transformed its website into a PWA, leading to 104% of new users who now visit twice as many pages per session. The time spent per session has increased by 74% on all browsers.
A British fashion and beauty retailer Debenhams has gained a 40% increase in mobile revenue and a 20% increase in conversions after switching to a progressive web app ecommerce solution from maintaining a native app.
The launch of Starbucks PWA resulted in 2x daily active users. Orders placed from desktops have become equal to orders placed from mobile browsers. Besides, the PWA has become 99.84% smaller than the 148MB size of the Starbucks’ iOS app.
Forbes website redesigned into a PWA has brought a 2x increase in average user session length. Now the starting page loads in only 0.8 seconds compared to 3 – 12 seconds before.
PWA is called the future of ecommerce, despite the challenges the technology faces. Through PWA, businesses have an opportunity to provide the convenience and app-like experience of using a native iOS/Android app to a much larger audience of mobile users.
In case ‘to be, or not to be progressive’ for you is still a question, contact us through the form on our website. The PWA developers at NEKLO can help you to find the right answer and get you a solution to your proper needs.
US-based and operating globally, NEKLO spearheads digital transformation initiatives for businesses worldwide. We deliver software solutions complying with your market and legislation.
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