Why Progressive Web Apps Are the Way Forward
The need for businesses to target customers on mobile devices is widely recognized in today's digital landscape.
The pivotal question has shifted from whether to engage in this practice to how to do it effectively. Businesses aspiring to appeal to mobile-based customers essentially have three viable options: constructing a responsive website, developing a native app, or creating a progressive web app (PWA).
Mobile websites offer speed and accessibility but often lack in terms of user experience. On the other end, native apps deliver a superior user experience but are confined to specific devices and pose high barriers to adoption. They demand a download, necessitating significant commitment from consumers upfront and forsaking the spontaneity of impulse behavior. Bridging these options is the innovative mobile solution: the PWA. It amalgamates the finest features of mobile sites and native apps while mitigating their respective drawbacks.
Unveiling Progressive Web Apps
A progressive web app, simply put, is a mobile app accessed through the web. It emulates a native app, employing an app shell to facilitate app-style gestures and navigations. The key distinction lies in its installation process—there's no need to download it from an app store. It operates, self-contained, directly in a web browser. Utilizing service workers, a PWA loads swiftly, even in regions with poor connectivity. Through pre-caching, the app remains up to date, presenting the latest version upon initiation.
The Efficiency and Economy of PWAs
PWAs are more efficient than native apps. They are on-demand and always accessible without consuming a significant portion of a smartphone's memory or data. Opting for a PWA over a native version of the same application results in reduced data consumption (as seen in the case of the Twitter PWA). Importantly, users can save the PWA to their home screen without the inconvenience of a real download.
This not only accentuates the enhancement in user experience but also addresses the previous concern of consumer buy-in. Users do not have to make a weighty decision and commitment to download and maintain a native app. Clicking a simple link is an effortless task, requiring minimal storage on the device, no protracted download period, and no installation.
From a developer's standpoint, progressive web apps offer economic benefits. They are faster to develop and update. You can create a single version of the app that displays seamlessly on all devices. Unlike the fragmented market of native mobile apps, where distinct app structures are necessary for Apple and Android devices, PWAs operate uniformly on browsers common to all devices. Moreover, they incur lower development costs compared to native mobile apps.
Embracing the Future with Progressive Web Apps
The era when consumers couldn't get enough of native apps has passed. Recent trends indicate a shift away from apps. According to comScore (via TechCrunch), a significant majority of consumers no longer download apps monthly. For a native app to succeed, it needs to be exceptional, a demanding expectation for a business app.
Introduced in 2015, PWAs have gained substantial traction this year. Industry leaders such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft—the mainstays in native app distribution—are all propelling the transition to PWAs. Due to their inherent flexibility, PWAs stand as the optimal route to stay ahead of the curve in the mobile industry.
From Twitter to Starbucks, PWAs are demonstrating that any business can achieve significant progress with this technology. Notably, Tinder witnessed a 50% reduction in load times compared to its native app, resulting in extended session times, more messages sent, and increased engagement. Furthermore, PWAs enabled users to access Tinder from both mobile and desktop devices, broadening the targetable market.
Pinterest's PWA users spend 40% more time on the site compared to the previous mobile website. Ad revenue rates also witnessed a 44% increase, with core engagements surging by 60%. Flipkart saw 60% of customers who had uninstalled their native app return to use the Flipkart PWA. Lancôme noted an 84% decrease in the time until the page became interactive, leading to a 17% increase in conversions and a 53% increase in mobile sessions on iOS with their PWA.
A Mobile-First Approach with PWAs
If you've hesitated to develop a responsive website or a native mobile app, you're standing at a unique juncture. Many established businesses have already navigated the challenges of creating a (native) mobile experience for their customers. However, a robust PWA effectively supplants a company’s mobile site, its native app, and perhaps even its desktop site. In essence, it embodies a mobile-first approach to engaging with your customers.
For those yet to establish a mobile presence, you can bypass those initial steps and directly opt for a PWA. It allows you to craft an experience with mobile as its focal point. Larger enterprises that established their mobile presence early on will eventually need to transition their mobile presence to progressive technology.
In Conclusion
Numerous major brands are shifting from native apps to PWAs, and the reasons are evident. Both mobile sites and native apps have their pros and cons, and PWAs are demonstrating to be the best of both worlds for businesses. As this technology continues to evolve, bigger and better opportunities await.
