It was my friend’s birthday and I wanted to order muffins and a smart fitness watch for him. I picked up my mobile phone and opened Google to search for muffins first. The very next moment, Google search results displayed muffins almost all over my phone’s screen. I clicked on one of those and the next thing I saw was a popup, prompting me to install an Android application for a far better experience of ordering muffins.
I was now wondering in frustration why I would need to install the app from Play Store just to order muffins. All that I wanted was to order muffins from a website and get it delivered on that special day. Anyway, I refused to install the app and tried to scroll down for more options. But then, scrolling down became a challenge with the flaky UI and installation popup sitting at the bottom of the mobile screen, hogging one-fourth of the space. I literally had a very hard time ordering muffins, but somehow managed in the end.
The stark different between hasssles and convenience is what progressive web apps (PWAs) all about.
After the mind-boggling experience of ordering muffins, the next test of patience was to order a smart fitness watch. So, I jumped to Google yet again and clicked on the first link. I couldn’t believe what I saw next. The UI and all the content perfectly fitted my mobile screen and scrolling was so smooth that I almost felt as if I was using a native app. The best part was that I was able to see the content even during a moment when Internet connectivity problem cropped up. I faced no problem at all while ordering the smartwatch, the smooth and pleasing experience took me by surprise instead and it was all made possible by the power of Progressive Web App (PWA).
What is PWA and its Advantages over Mobile Websites and Native Apps
Mobile websites are easy to get to, but the user experience is not that smooth as native apps due to issues like page load error in slow internet connections, slow loading speed, less responsive UI experience, etc. Native apps are reliable and facilitate silky smooth user experience, but then you need to download and regularly update them. Besides, native apps occupy a lot of space in your phone memory which becomes problematic when you need to download several native apps for your different needs.
A PWA is the middle ground that addresses the problems associated with responsive mobile websites and native apps. You don’t need to download and install them from the respective app store. They are always up to date and you need not to make any extra efforts to update them for a smooth experience always like native apps.
PWA, in a nutshell, is a web app that runs through the phone’s browser and feels very much like native apps. PWAs are built using modern web technologies, like Service Workers, Fetch API, Cache API, Push notifications, Web App Manifest. It is much more convenient to simply click on a link for your needs than to download and install an app from the respective app store, isn’t it?
Little data storage, option to add home screen icon, get notifications and even work offline or when Internet connectivity is slow are other factors that make PWAs highly engaging and much better than mobile websites and native apps. PWAs store previous responses keyed by request in the cache memory of your device which enables PWAs to load content instantly from cache and give rise to a very similar experience of native apps. Also, since PWAs operate on browsers, they carry the advantage of being indexed and crawled by major search engines, provided the SEO is done just right.
Why Businesses Need to Adopt PWAs to Stay Ahead of Competition
As per official Google statements, more than 60% of search queries globally now come from mobile. It means that business owners must make efforts to enhance user experience on mobile. With more and more people relying on mobiles for their day-to-day needs, the time is not far when good PWAs will be used way more than a company’s mobile site, its native app and even its desktop site. PWAs are also much less expensive to build than native apps. Unlike native apps that require a different app structure for Android, Apple and Windows devices, just one version of the PWA is good enough to work seamlessly and identically on all devices.
Twitter, Starbucks, Flipkart and Pinterest are among the first players who were quick to realize the importance of PWAs to increase user engagement and ROI in return. Tinder has also made it official that load times have been cut in half compared to its native app. It’s high time now for businesses to optimize user experience on mobile phones to stay competent and increase business sales. And PWAs, without a doubt, are the best of both worlds of mobile websites and native apps.
Evon Technologies, a leading custom web design and development company in India for more than 10 years, has realized that PWA is the future of online business and offers high-quality PWA development services to clients across the globe. Evon collaborates with clients at every step to bring out smart progressive web apps that work smoothly across all devices without having to rely on the high-speed internet every time.
Your business has a mobile presence, but you now want the transition into PWAs for better ROI? Contact us, and we will get back to you shortly to get you started on what is going to be inevitable.