Want to save your development time and expenses? Read this free guide to know what benefits PWAs provide to your business and what make it worth for you.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) enhance basic web apps by offering push notifications, offline functionality, and improved security.
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Unlike regular web apps, PWAs utilize modern APIs for high performance and seamless installation across devices.
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PWAs offer advantages like ease of installation and access, an app-like experience, and faster performance.
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They also have lower development costs, better search engine discoverability, cross-platform functionality, real-time data updates, offline workability, and enhanced security.
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Brands like Starbucks, Trivago, Tinder, Debenhams, and Forbes have seen positive results like increased user engagement and faster load times by using PWAs.
Are you tired of creating separate native apps for Android or iOS that require more money from your pocket? This means more development and maintenance expenses for your business.
Millions of companies like Twitter, Starbucks, Pinterest, Trivago, etc. have benefited from creating progressive web apps. Not only did they get a rise in their engagement rate, but they saw a significant jump in their conversions as well.
What if we told you that you could get the same results for your business if you could invest in such types of web apps? Curious to know the potential benefits that PWAs offer? Read this blog to know more.
What is a Progressive web app?
Progressive web apps (PWAs) are the enhanced version of websites and mobile apps. Although these apps provide a native look and feel and give a similar user experience, they're a lot different than such mobile apps.
Rather, they're more like a website or web page that provides native-like functionalities.
These web apps are developed using programming languages such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
They work offline and users can add them to their home page. When they open such a web app, it redirects users to the browser. The best part about PWAs is that users don't need to download apps anymore from the app store or play store.
For businesses, these types of web apps can be a game changer because they offer fast loading times for visitors.
Let's say you're running an e-commerce business and the only thing customers want is a seamless shopping experience even when they’re offline.
This means that as a business owner, you can reduce your cart abandonment rate and see your conversions rising. Thanks to the capabilities of PWAs.
How PWAs are different from traditional web apps?
Let’s discuss the key differences as to how PWAs are different from web apps-
Progressive web apps (PWAs) extend the potential and functionalities of a basic web app. A term coined by Google Chrome engineer, Alex Russell, PWAs are capable of push notifications and function even offline, they are a website or webpage with all the benefits of an app.
Modern APIs are used to develop and enhance PWAs to ensure high functionality, reliability, and installation on any or multiple devices, unlike a regular web app. Since a PWA is a site converted into an app, they run on HTTP, automatically enhancing security.
Another key difference between a PWA and a regular web app. With the former, a user can enjoy more device features, than what’s possible with the latter.
Progressive Web apps are built using conventional front-end and back-end technologies for website building such as HTML, JavaScript, CSS, WebAssembly, etc. PWA developers can put the application online as a website. Later, a user can add a shortcut to these applications to their desktop or home screen, as preferred.
These web apps offer the best experience to users on both platforms, desktops, and mobile devices. Moreover, a native app isn’t discoverable, while a PWA can be easily made more discoverable on search engines using Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and on App/Play Store through App Store Optimization (ASO).
Some popular examples of PWAs are MakeMyTrip, Facebook Lite, Pinterest, Trivago, Twitter Lite, Forbes, etc.
10 Live changing benefits of PWA over native apps for businesses
PWAs offers large pool of advantages for businesses. These are as given below-
1. Ease of installation and access
Unlike native apps, a user does not have to go all the way to the App/Play store and download the app. Instead, a PWA runs in a standalone window and not a browser tab. This allows the app to be launched with a standard web link from the user’s home screen, dock, taskbar, or shelf.
Moreover, progressive web apps (PWAs) are lightweight and easily accessible. These web apps occupy very little space that goes up to a few KBs and is easily accessible from a home screen or app drawer showing the app icon.
Furthermore, PWA enables a user to share the app link, allowing them to directly install it through the link. This enhances the user experience as it cuts down the steps to install the app.
2. App-like experience
PWA is known to give its users a native app experience. These web apps are accessible through icons that can be added to a device's home screen or taskbar. This means that users can bookmark the app and quickly access it without worrying about searching for it on the Play Store or App Store.
Additionally, they can also be submitted to application stores and the user needs to sign in for usability. All this feels like working with a native app. Doesn’t it?
Further, a PWA can access hardware features like push notifications, irrespective of the web browser used. In terms of integration and frictionless experience, it becomes difficult to tell PWA and a native app apart.
Quick read: Want to know how PWAs are different from Native apps?
Progressive web apps cache data. This data offers images, other media and content to users before the entire app loads completely. This reduces the waiting time for a user and enhances the retention rate as well as the user experience, with lower investments than a regular web app.
Furthermore, using push notifications, a business can communicate the current offers, deals, and services with their customers to maintain brand engagement. Moreover, PWAs are responsive. They adapt to the user’s screen size or orientation, and input method, giving users the best experience!
4. Lower development costs
Progressive Web apps (PWAs) demand lower investments or involve low development and maintenance costs than any native or web app would require. With PWA, a single codebase is shared between the website, mobile application, and desktop app.
Further, a business need not spend money on the submission of apps on an App Store like a native app.
This means smaller companies without a large budget can find PWAs as a starting point.
5. Discoverability
Since PWAs work with web browsers and are indexed and discoverable on search engines, they can be optimized for those search engines and give your app more visibility.
To improve your Google rankings, PWAs need to be designed in a way that meets these requirements:
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Responsive and mobile-first
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Functions offline
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Served over HTTPS
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Loads quickly
This improves your Google rankings, and improved Google rankings will eventually widen your business reach and bring more organic traffic to your site.
6. Cross-platform functionality
Earlier, businesses had to struggle with creating different apps for Android and iOS, which required more development time and cost. Besides that, maintaining each application increased development costs.
One of the benefits of progressive web apps is that they come with cross-platform as well as cross-browser compatibility.
Thus, a PWA functions with multiple devices and web browsers. This, in turn, reduces development costs and provides greater business flexibility and scalability
7. Real-time data
Another benefit of building a PWA is that it can perform periodic updates even at the time when the app is not running. The user doesn’t need to manually update the app every time and they still get updated content in real time. So, the app is always updated and fresh.
8. Offline workability
PWAs can continue working when the device is offline or have low network bandwidth. In the former case, data/information is stored as a cache, which can be accessed by the user by choosing the Smart Cache option.
These type of web apps can function in offline mode because of service worker technology. Not because service worker is responsible for providing seamless offline experience, rather they act as an important component for sending push notifications to users or caching the content.
Let’s say if you create an e-commerce PWA for customers and it provides offline experience to them. This means they can do offline browsing, view the product catalogue, add items to Wishlist even if they have unstable internet connection.
This not only makes the users tick online but it increases their session time on the app. The more likely they're to spend time on app means they’re likely to purchase more.
9. Security
PWAs run on HTTP which allows the safe exchange of data between client and server so that it doesn’t get tampered with. This is not the case with native apps. Those apps need various security measures implemented to ensure data security.
With advancements in web technologies, PWAs have become very sophisticated and highly useable products. With more modern APIs, the scope of these technologies would further expand, further easing the web app experience.
10. Push notifications
Progressive web apps are a great way for sending push notifications to users and remind customers about any offers or discounts. These push messages act as great communication and marketing tool for companies to bring customers back on the app even if they work offline.
By sending personalized reminders, users can probably take an action such as making a purchase. Evens studies states that 28% of mobile app users end up making a purchase after they get a push notification. This means push notifications are the good driving force for business.
Yes, there are a few limitations that arise from creating PWAs. These are given below:-
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Unlike native apps, progressive web apps don't support all device functionalities such as GPS support, phone cameras, and biometrics. While they offer limited support, on iOS, features such as adding shortcuts to the home screen and push notifications aren't supported yet.
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Although PWAs provide numerous benefits, including using less device storage, they fail to provide performance comparable to native apps.
Examples of Successful PWAs
PWAs have helped many big brands to achieve their business goals. Let’s look at some of the examples of profitable PWAs of famous brands:
1. Starbucks
‘Great fast, integrated, reliable and engaging experience’, said Starbucks about PWAs.
Starbucks replaced its mobile app with a Starbucks PWA and has seen positive changes in terms of engagement. The big brand stated that the PWA has resulted in twice as many daily active users. Further, they said that orders on the desktop are nearly the same rate as orders through the mobile.
2. Trivago
This hotel search engine platform was facing an issue with its engagement. Since most people search for hotels on smartphones, the travel platform wanted to create a mobile app presence.
However, it had the following questions in mind:
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Users are not often willing to spend money on buying a native app
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Many users are still facing the issue of a poorly developed mobile internet connection
The company then came up with the idea to launch a PWA in 33 languages. And the results were very fulfilling. The rate of interaction grew by 150% through users who had placed the PWA on their home screen.
Moreover, the number of clicks in the PWA on hotel deals increased by 97%.
3. Tinder
This dating app came out with its PWA version- Tinder Online- with push notifications for chat engagement. The online dating company was able to cut load times from 11.91 seconds to 4.68 seconds with its progressive web app. Moreover, the app that was built was 90% smaller than the compiled Android app.
4. Debenhams
It is a British retailer with operations in 178 locations in the UK, Denmark, and Ireland. While the company was getting more than half of its online traffic through mobile devices, it was struggling with conversions.
Then the company invested in a PWA. The app reduced purchase time by 2 or 4 times in comparison to browsers. Since its launch, the PWA has increased revenue from mobile devices by 40% and overall conversions by 20% for the retailer.
5. Forbes
This leading global media company launched its PWA in 2017. With faster page load times, push notifications, etc., Forbes was able to increase the scroll depth by 3x, and session per user by 43%. The overall engagement rose by 2% as well.
Since we have learned about PWA, its benefits, how to build the app, and some successful apps running in the market, now let’s look at how to test the PWAs built to enjoy their benefits.
How can BigOhTech help with Progressive web apps?
As you can see, the above brands have become successful with the adoption of PWAs, as they get several benefits from them, such as faster loading times, the ability to alert users through personalized push notifications, and smaller app sizes, making these apps a game changer for users.
Without even downloading these apps, users can still enjoy a native-like experience. Thus, the benefits of investing in PWAs make them a good choice for businesses to explore their potential.
BigOhTech is adept at planning, designing, engineering, and scaling a Progressive Web App. With over 15+ years of experience in product development, BigOh brings to the table expertise and exposure to the latest tools and technologies to help businesses expand.
Our Progressive Web App development services include custom progressive web app design and development, migration to PWA, and end-to-end support and maintenance. With PWA solutions that are SEO-friendly, business-oriented, and modern, we connect businesses with their customers in every nook and cranny.
FAQs:
Q1. What is the difference between a web app and a progressive web app?
A web app is a website that is designed to be accessible on all mobile devices. The accessibility of a device's features depends upon the browser a user is using for a web app.
Whereas a PWAs are kind of web app that are smaller and have a faster loading than native web applications. They also have lower bounce rates. Furthermore, Progressive Web Applications support most of the features of the hardware device and native apps such as offline support, push notifications, etc.
Other differences include the costs of development. PWAs demand lower development and maintenance costs. Moreover, they are more discoverable and secure than traditional web apps.
Q2. How much does it cost to build a progressive web app?
The cost of building PWA ranges between $10,000 -$100,000 but the cost varies depending on the various factors such as -
