Progressive Web Application
Question: Why does your E-Commerce need a progressive web application?
In today’s world, digital technology reigns supreme. No matter what field you are in, having access to the internet is considered vital. In the business world, the internet has helped bring about e-commerce, the means of buying and selling goods and services through the internet. Customers can now order things online and save themselves the responsibility of having to go to the market, since the product gets delivered.
This has led to an increase in organizations that help provide e-commerce services all across the world. However, with its expansion, there has been an escalation of competition as well. Companies now need to stay updated on current trends and update their websites frequently. The internet is usually used to market the company and its product, but marketing efforts are not sufficient enough to ensure that a company is reaching its customers.
In order to stay present, cross-device accessibility, be it on mobile phones or tablets, is very important to have. It helps boost the market presence of e-commerce companies. The reason why customers are now resorting to mobile e-commerce is due to PWAs (Progressive Web Applications) and highly functional mobile apps. The manner in which they have managed to promote remains unprecedented.
To understand how PWAs have managed to take the digital world by storm, let us first understand what they are specifically. PWAs are highly responsive web applications, which are designed for mobile platforms, and serve as an alternative to the growing number of native applications. These PWAs forward notifications and synchronize with your personal details in order to provide good quality service. These are independent of OS platforms. Once the application is backed up on iOS and Android, the PWAs can save time and cost of developing an application.
Pros of Using (PWA) Progressive Web Application for E-Commerce Businesses
- Quick release time
Every PWA is designed with a set of reusable codes, allowing users to repeat the codes and modules, thus saving time and maintaining consistency. Whenever the app redirects to the original e-commerce site, the foundation is pretty much already established. Business owners who want to offer customers native app features quickly, can apply PWA since it is the most efficient alternative to developing a native app or a responsive site.
- Reduces gap between customers and businesses
The medium manages to keep a direct connection between a business and a user, because feedback and interaction is much faster. Most native apps can compromise a customer’s ability to interact with the business. Should this happen, then PWA is the best solution to switch to. Google, in their research, found out that since Twitter launched its very own customer engagement program back in 2017, the interaction with customers increased significantly. ComScore even reported that in 2017, U.S. mobile users usually limit their use of mobile apps from three to ten.
- Prevents third party app store subscriptions
Most native apps are bound to their OS application stores. This can be problematic for a customer who does not want to pay for subscription charges. PWAs help avoid the charges, and still maintain your site’s presence.
- Improves Visibility
The native is in sleep mode when kept at the app store. So when customers come around searching for it, they might miss it, due to the lack of visibility. With PWAs, your visibility is enhanced, thus allowing users to find the apps they need.
Every native app faces challenges when establishing itself in the e-commerce world. Sometimes their inability to adapt can fall short of expectations, leading to both customers and businesses losing out. Most native apps struggle with connectivity, because they heavily depend on a strong internet connection. Since not all computers have those means, e-commerce is affected badly. Also the conversion rate on a mobile phone tends to be very low, which in turn reduces chances of making profits as well.
All these challenges can be fixed and overlooked with PWA implementation, whose cross-browser web app works efficiently on mobile phones and computer desktops. There have been plenty of major e-commerce businesses that have applied the PWA and their conversion rates have improved, such as Flipkart and AliExpress.
Options to look over when considering your E-commerce requires a Progressive Web Application (PWA )
PWAs will always be tempting, given its advanced features that provide a long list of benefits. However, it does not guarantee that you are bound to buy one, and if you are, there is a lot of thinking that needs to go in before making the purchase. Its implementation will vary depending on the kind of problems your business is going through. Let’s consider a hypothetical situation, where your company is profiting from an iPhone. In such a case, there is very little reason to use a PWA, especially since it is not optimized for the iOS platform. But for Android users, PWA is a blessing.
Should you want to invest in a PWA? The following scenarios must apply in order to do so:
- Your e-commerce business has just begun
Most startups, especially those in e-commerce, come with dynamic and innovative ideas, which can engage the customer. The problem, however, is the low budget and lack of vision to help send the business in the right direction. Since time and resources are limited, the head of e-commerce has to take the initiative with small investments.
- Main Target centers the Android
The Apple Company achieves a significant amount of profit from its apps, thus it being a major contributor in terms of revenue. In terms of comparison however, Android has been very keen to promote PWAs given that it provides the same functions, making correlation between the two easier and effective.
- Time Saving in terms of experience
Most mobile apps take time to develop, but the PWA is much faster to create, and does not require much resources either. This provides a quick response to customers in a highly competitive market.
- Conversion rates are facing downwards
Sometimes native apps can be bringing more fault to your growth and brand. This can happen when your e-commerce site is struggling with conversion rates. By applying a PWA, the rates are likely to switch in your favors.
Getting left behind in the competition costs severely in the long run of things. Startups are bent on making it big when they enter the market, but due to lack of resources and information, most finish on an average of six to nine months. Hence, it is important that as an entrepreneur, you know your full potential and enter the race well prepared. Given now that the internet is becoming a bigger medium between customers and businesses, having even the smallest advantage can take you a long way. This is where PWA becomes important. With its benefits, it will make your product stand out from the rest, and keep you ahead of the competition. Before doing so make sure you are applying the one that benefits your circumstances. Buying it for the sake of just being ahead is not enough. It must be adapted in a manner that makes your e-commerce more efficient.
If your native is bringing in the needed revenue then it is okay not to get a PWA, but it is important to consider where you plan on taking the company in the long run. Sooner or later, it will become a necessary investment.
