PWA In eCommerce. Why should you consider this solution?
Progressive web applications have been getting more and more attention lately. What is worth knowing about PWA? What is the application of PWA in eCommerce?
What is a PWA?
PWA (Progressive Web Application) is a special web application, the use of which allows users not only to seamlessly browse the site, but also to complete selected orders (both through mobile and desktop applications). To create PWA, web technologies based on CSS, HTML and JavaScript were used. Using Progressive Web Application is the best alternative to responsive websites that cannot meet the ever-increasing demands of users.
PWA is an extremely effective application that works quickly and reliably. All the user needs to do is to enter the website, so that the necessary shortcuts to the stores can be created, which will be placed on the home screen. At the same time the service will be displayed, but unlike the operation of many other applications, in this case the URL at the top of the page will not be visible. Despite the lack of URL, all the most important items of the store will be very visible.
Perhaps not many people know this, but the PWA technology allows the site to load quickly even with a weak and problematic Internet connection. Moreover, the application works smoothly on both desktop computers and mobile devices.
Why use PWA for e-commerce?
Progressive Web Application brings a lot of advantages in ecommerce, which will surely convince those not yet fully decided to take advantage of the application’s capabilities. What are the most important advantages of using PWA? Crucial here are:
- Low costs – by using PWA there is no need to create different versions of the application, depending on which devices it will be used on and which system the user uses;
- Very good performance – PWA is characterized by fast performance, which is especially useful for SEO and numerous conversions;
- No problems with updates – in many respects, PWA platforms function like standard websites, so in this case it is possible to update them automatically, without asking the user for permission;
- Independence from application stores – most applications use special platforms (mainly App Store, Microsoft Play, Google Play), which are often unreliable. In the case of PWA, there is no such problem – the application is completely independent from the aforementioned platforms;
- Safety of use – although PWA has many features characteristic for mobile applications, from a technical point of view, it is much safer to use than other applications.
Why is PWA a good alternative to native apps?
A PWA allows you to freely test a wide variety of solutions, making it easier to customize the user interface. This is one of the areas in which PWA gains a significant advantage over native applications, which, as you know, are created taking into account only one system. In contrast, PWAs are also easier and cheaper to implement and install by the user. What else speaks in favor of using a PWA and not a native application? The former are independent of stores such as Google Play or App Store – you just need to open the appropriate page and save it on the screen of the selected device. This results in a low entry threshold, indispensable especially for small promotional campaigns.
PWA is a very well known and valued application, used by the largest and most respected brands in the world, from very different industries. The advantages of PWA were used, among others, by Lancome, Tymbark, OLX or Trivago.
Thanks to the use of PWA in e-commerce, it is possible primarily:
to lower the rejection rate, mainly due to faster page loading and the ability to work many functions offline.
What is the advantage of PWAs over native apps?
It might seem that iOS and Android dedicated apps are the best choice for the eCommerce world. It turns out that this is not necessarily true. There are several advantages that make eCommerce stores better able to convert when we use PWA as the main technology. Let’s take a closer look at them:
Google ecosystem and search engine visibility
Native apps are a good choice when we have a very recognizable brand, or we are a global marketplace. Otherwise, we have to make sure that customers download our app first, and this is not always successful and takes time. The ability to reach users directly from Google is a huge advantage that can bring many purchases.
There is a rule in the world of eCommerce which says that the fewer clicks leading to conversions, the better. If the PWA app is visible as a subpage in the search engine, we respond to the user’s intent and give them what they were looking for right away. We do not introduce any intermediate steps, we do not lengthen the whole process, the user sees the product and can buy it right away.
No need to make cyclic updates of the application
PWA has the advantage over native applications that all changes can be made on the server, and the user gets the latest version of the application without updating Google Play or App Store. This means that we can be sure that the user experience and functionality that we have planned is consistent with our expectations.
PWA takes less space on the phone
Native apps sometimes weigh many megabytes. Users try to manage the space on the phone wisely, so sometimes they may give up some application. PWA usually takes up very little space, so there is no such problem.
