Why can businesses not neglect progressive web apps (PWA)?

PWAs integrate the user-friendliness of a native app and the seamless experience of a website into a single platform.

Businesses desire to provide top-notch services to their customers. But they have to often choose between a full-fledged website or a mobile application to do so. It usually requires investing a significant amount of resources and time, which isn’t feasible for every business. An excellent alternative to building resource-heavy applications is Progressive Web Apps (PWA) that integrate the user-friendliness of a native app and the seamless experience of a website. PWAs have gained massive appeal in recent times. According to Gartner, Progressive Web Apps will replace about 50% of all customer-centric apps by 2020. It seems to be an overstatement, but things are progressively changing, and people are adopting PWAs at a fast pace. 

The best thing about PWAs is that they are resource-light and can be developed at half the cost of an iOS or Android app. They are responsive on every device regardless of the operating system. Also, users don’t need to search and download them. They can link to PWAs, share on the web, or install them on their devices to use as native apps. Do you know that 53% of mobile users abandon websites that take more than 3 seconds to load? PWAs provide a worthy alternative for businesses looking to create a super-fast and interactive platform for their customers. 

Let’s check out how PWAs can help your business flourish.

1. Frictionless experience

Unlike native apps, users don’t need to download and install PWAs on their mobile devices. They can log in to the website and continue doing their business. Also, native apps require various permissions and occupy a substantial amount of memory, which isn’t the case with PWAs.

2. Enhanced security

PWAs use HTTPS protocol instead of HTTP because the former provides enhanced security mechanisms. So customers don’t hesitate to provide necessary details to a business that uses PWAs. Moreover, web app developers use Fetch APIs and Cache to load PWAs faster, which means that it takes less time to load content. This feature also allows users to access PWAs offline directly through their home screen. 

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3. Improved speed

PWAs load very fast. They run using JavaScript that allows users to access the app conveniently, even in low internet connectivity. PWAs caches information from both the browser and the app, which further improves the speed.

4. Increased flexibility

PWAs support all actions of a native application and their interface is also very similar to a mobile app. Moreover, PWAs support push notifications and payment gateways. Users can purchase products, participate in loyalty programs, and post queries using PWAs. They can also save PWA shortcuts on their mobile screens and access them at any time. 

5. Bugs are fixed instantly

If a user reports a bug in a native app, the developer will fix the problem and send the new build to the App Store or the Play Store for review. The user can download the updated version of the app once the changes have been approved. On the other hand, companies can make instant changes to Progressive Web Apps once they receive a bug report. Thus, making changes in PWAs is faster when compared to native apps.

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Conclusion

PWAs are rising in importance. According to a report, PWAs receive about 15.7 million users every month, which is 2.2 times higher than native apps. Also, users spend 10.9 minutes on average on progressive web apps. Another report suggests that the user acquisition cost of PWAs is 10 times lesser compared to native apps. It’s high time that you create a progressive web app and reap the benefits. 

At Sage Software Solutions (P) Ltd., we are home to world-class ERP software and CRM software that will solidify your business tech support fundamentals and enable you to build a customer-centric organization. To know more about it, SMS SAGE to 56767. You can also write to us at sales@sagesoftware.co.in

Disclaimer: All the information, views, and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and their respective web sources and in no way reflect the principles, views, or objectives of Sage Software Solutions (P) Ltd.