Category: Progressive Web App

Google first introduced Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) in 2015 with an aim to reduce app fatigue and poor app discovery rates by creating an enhanced website that could function just like a native mobile app.

In the last two years, PWAs have proven to achieve 50% higher conversion rates for eCommerce companies along with a better customer experience and higher searchability on the web app.

No wonder popular eCommerce brands like Alibaba, MakeMyTrip, Jumia, and George.com launched their PWA-enabled websites!

Did you know Alibaba achieved 76% higher conversions across the web and mobile browsers and increased its interaction rate from Add to Home screen by four times – all because of its web app!

But what’s so great about a PWA?

Unlike native apps, PWAs are written in standard web languages, don’t require any installation and run on web browsers.

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The fact that they have an advanced loading experience and better internet discoverability cost a fraction of what it takes to build a native mobile app and can be accessed offline makes them all the more appealing!

Soon, PWAs are expected to replace many Android and iOS apps and currently have enough strength to improve the mobile platform. The development and maintenance costs alone are supposed to be higher than 33% if a PWA can serve all mobile web needs.

The PWA community expands and how!

In 2018, Magento rolled out the PWA Studio – a suite of tools for developers and merchants to use to build and maintain eCommerce storefronts, with an app-like functionality, on top of Magento 2.

The Studio enables a framework which adheres to the Magento “principle of extensibility.”

That means the framework allows easy addition of new functionalities and capabilities as and when it grows – which is ideal in the case of eCommerce sites that are continually adding new product pages or upgrading user-interface.

There are three primary tools that Magento’s PWA Studio includes:

1. A PWA-buildpack that comprises development tools for a Magento PWA storefront.
2. Peregrine which contains UI components for a Magento PWA.
3. Venia, a proof of concept of Magento 2 that is built using the PWA Studio tools.

On further research, we found that the Studio boasts of the following four core features:

• Flexibility to personalize content and add local preferences
• Deployment of innovative commerce and CMS theming
• Purpose-built developer tools for fast prototyping, helpful debugging, productive feedback, and increased productivity
• Modularized component architecture to help drive opportunities for extension resellers

 

Adding to that, here are five basic concepts of the Magento PWA Studio make it a favorable choice when it comes developing PWAs:

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1) Application Shell

What is that, you ask? It is a simple PHTML file that is curated at the beginning of a project and is rarely edited as the project progresses and evolves.

The Application Shells forms the basis for the HTML response and holds responsibility for:

• Indexable and socially linkable metadata for the webpages
• Minimal branded UI during the page loading time
• In-lined critical CSS and global data
• Seed JavaScript file to shorten the PWA runtime and the time it takes to load the entire page data

2) Application framework

Once the PWA is up and running on the Magento platform, it only interacts with the data via API calls. That is because it runs on a new core JavaScript framework which ensures a unidirectional data flow pattern.

3) API layer

The functionality enables the developer to work on a new style of API and on new methods that can provider lighter and more customized responses, unlike the REST designs. Such a feature enables the PWA to provide a web experience to its users that is similar to native mobile apps.

4) React

If your goal is to create an interactive UI, then you must deploy React which is a JavaScript library for user interfaces. It expedites the PWA development by:

• Ensuring an appropriate solution is chosen for the project
• Creating complex interfaces for any application state
• By rendering the UI correctly when the state changes
• By instigating developers to build modular and UI components for coding easily

5) GraphQL

If you are looking for an alternative to REST endpoints, then GraphQL is ideal. It’s mainly a service layer of the service and data query language of the client.

A single GraphQL can comprise requests for combinations of multiple data sets. PWAs decrease the server call numbers and data returned amount, and thus enhance the performance.

Over to you

The world of PWA is transforming rapidly, and Magento PWA Studio is expected to be the next big thing for the mobile web. With so many attractive features in the kitty, that isn’t surprising at all!

However, if the Magento PWA Studio is not your cup of tea, other options in the market can build your eCommerce storefront PWA for even a better deal.

Now that we have rung in the New Year, one thing is for sure – “mobile” is still very important for consumers and businesses alike! Let us tell you why:

• Google drives 90% of mobile search traffic.
• Users spend 86% of their time on mobile sites on an average with a majority of the time spent on gaming and social media.
• Google mobile app payments amounted to $700mn in just four years where its Pay service also paid a crucial role.

Mobile is now seen as the first digital touch with consumers. It is undoubtedly the new battleground for businesses, and eCommerce brands specifically are leveraging that in a significant way. They are continually looking for new ways to target and engage their customers.

That’s where Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) enter the picture.

Defining PWAs in an age of mobile commerce

(Source – https://www.applozic.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/PWA.png)

Google introduced the PWA technology in 2015 with an aim to create an enhanced website with an app-like functionality, and thus combat the constant problem of app fatigue and poor app discover rates.

The technology is known for a gamut of benefits, including:

1) Improved loading experience

Mobile websites that take more than three seconds to load have already lost 53% of their traffic. To add to it, a 100-millisecond delay can cost 7% of the conversion rate on the website, and that is a number that businesses can’t ignore.

2) Active push notifications

The user gets notified on his or her device even when the progressive web application is not open in any browser. 2.7x more people are likely to open and click a push notification as compared to an email. The feature helps eCommerce brands lock in more conversions. Retail chains like Lancome and Starbucks are known for their excellent PWA-enabled sites. Ever browsed through them?

3) Better internet discoverability

The end goal for any business is to get discovered by their customers. A progressive web app is easily discoverable by search engines because it’s full of content and if appropriately optimized, a web app can fetch good search results.

4) Offline usage

(source – https://brooklynseo.nyc/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web-design-brooklyn-cg-media-692×576.jpg

Whatever content is downloaded on the web app works even when the device is not connected to any Wi-Fi with the support of a Service Worker which is a script that the browser runs separately in the background. This means your customers can even access your PWA-enabled site in locations with spotty internet connectivity.

5) App-like navigation

The UX and UI of a PWA are similar to a mobile app, but here, you don’t need to search for it in the app store and download it to use it. It’s fully responsive and eliminates any lags or jerky transitions to ensure a smooth user interaction.

A PWA is served via HTTPS to ensure the web content isn’t tampered with and to prevent snooping.

How PWAs can help improve eCommerce SEO

(source – https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/0*6lsqh6xg_UzpRs9A.png

PWAs leverage technologies like Service Workers, Cache API, Web App Manifests to provide a web experience similar to native mobile apps.

In the last two years, they have proven to get 50% higher conversions for eCommerce brands and helped to improve the customer experience on the web app.

Recommended blog: Why Progressive Web Apps Are Important for Businesses?

George.com, Alibaba, Jumia, eXtra, MakeMyTrip and Flipkart are some of the most popular global brands in the eCommerce industry to have launched a PWA-enabled website. Social sharing platform Pinterest observed an increase in engagement by 60% and a rise in user-generated revenue by 40%.

So how does a PWA affect SEO? In more ways than you can imagine.

1) If an eCommerce PWA, serving contents from multiple resources, uses rel=canonical tags, it avoids any content violations.

2) If a web app page is available through a specific URL that does not make use of any fragment identifiers (#), Google crawls that page often which further helps in search rankings.

3) To ensure that the content of each page on the web app is indexable, it is necessary to use the feature of server-side rendering (SSR). Google’s master tool called Fetch and Render tool tests how Google Bots see and index a page.

4) Since PWAS are identifiable as “apps” thanks to Service Workers and W3C Manifests, it helps search engines to find the progressive web applications better and faster.

5) The number of embedded resources on the pages of a web app is considerably less as compared to a desktop site. This helps in faster loading of the pages. No wonder PWAs load better and quicker!

What’s new in store for PWAs in 2019?

1) Apple has always remained fresh and at the top of their game. However, the tech giant chose to ignore PWAs, when they first came into the picture. However, things have changed and how. Now even iOS devices support the technology as Apple feels PWAs have stood the test of time.

2) Google states PWA compliance standards have secured a perfect score of 100%. According to Mobile Marketer, the mobile conversions of online retailer Luxmart doubled and reached 1.24% since the launch of their PWA-enabled website.

3) Now that major tech companies like Apple and Google are wholeheartedly adopting the technology, it has convinced web developers around the world to write the coding of web apps just once and then deploy to different sites.

Wrapping up

Progressive web apps for Android and iOS are in the making on a massive scale in 2019 – for various industries, and eCommerce is no exception.

MobiCommerce, a progressive web app builder, completely understands if your customers don’t find it easy to purchase your products, you are losing sales to competitors. You need to be where your customers are! We will build a responsive, SEO-optimized PWA for your eCommerce business that enables more consumers to find you easily.

Looking for a one-stop-solution commerce solution? Contact us today, and a member of our staff will reach out to you at the earliest to learn about your requirements.

PWA (Progressive Web App) can be illustrated as a blend of a mobile app and a website, bringing out the best elements of both and giving users an amazing experience.  A PWA has to ensure that it meets certain requirements giving an app like feel. PWA has the upper hand compared to apps because it uses some of the latest web features to give an app like experience to its users.  It has gained immense popularity in the IT world in a very short span of time.

What is a Progressive Web App?

PWA is a website that looks and performs like a mobile app, which clearly means that you can add this to your Smartphone’s main screen, send push notifications, work offline, or access the hardware of the device. Do all you want from this progressive web app. Yes, even without a clear network this app will work smoothly, not be hampering your actions within the app.

Many have benefitted after adopting the PWA. Let us look at some facts

• By Building a PWA Garbarino’s conversion rate increased by 27%, visitors returned by 13%, their page views increased by 35% and they also saw a decrease in their bounce rate by 9%.
• BookMyShow’s conversion rate increased by 80% and they also saw a dramatic increase in revenue after they launched its PWA.

Top 7 Benefits of Progressive Web App

#1. The Offline Mode

It is the world of internet and everything will stop if the internet is not working. The poor internet does not allow a complete and proper display of websites sometimes. With PWA, the offline mode is one of the biggest benefits. You can make any changes and they are saved automatically. To make an offline page all you will need is a brand logo, some information and some features you wish to highlight. If you have a business that will require a catalog then your customers can see the products in the offline mode. This not only keeps the customer engaged but will also help to retain them.

#2. App-Like Feeling

Another feature to highlight about the Progressive Web apps is that they give you an app-like feeling, yet having all the website features with the dynamic data & access to the database. It lets the user operate in similar settings. Customers are looking for something that is easily accessible, with the more than half the world spending time on mobile apps, PWAs will give users the liberty to check updates and other details on their phone. It will feel like an app, but works like a website.

#3. Performance Enhanced

Progressive Web Apps are much faster than mobile apps. The technology used in creating a PWA is what makes it faster. Even in flaky networks, you get a seamless navigation. The animations are smooth making it fun to use this app. PWA is fast loading.

• More than 40% of users bounce from the website because it takes more than 3 seconds to load.
• Recently Forbes adopted PWA and said that PWA loads in 2.5 seconds on mobile compared to 6.5 seconds in the previous site. Impression increased by 10% per session.

#4. No Install & Download Time

Unlike other apps, PWA’s do not need a lot of time to download or install. You do not need to go through Google Play or App store, but you can directly download the app on your device. You do not need to wait for the app to download and then install. There is no need to go through any app store submission. These apps do not need to be published on Google Play or Apple App Store. You can download them easily with links and sharing also gets easy. All you have to do is share the link on various social media platforms that allow them to install the app without going to the app store. It is as simple as that.

#5. Maximize Reach

The mobile web users have increased over the years. A PWA helps businesses to reach maximum users across various platforms in less time and less effort in development. Where the competition if you have the ability to reach more users in less time you are definitely at an added advantage.

#6. Amalgamated Customer Experience

Exchanging your native apps with PWAs means to give your customers access to the same version of apps. Having this uniformity across all platforms ensures that you are delivering consistently dominant and enhanced user experience to all your users.

#7. Enhanced Conversions

Being able to access the catalog or the app even in no network zones enhances your conversion rate. PWA helps to increase your conversion rate by increasing prospective reach with low acquisition cost.

“Flipkart, India’s largest e-commerce site, decided to combine their web presence and native app into a Progressive Web Application that has resulted in a 70% increase in conversions.”

Progressive Web Apps is the bridges the gap between mobile apps and websites. You will not be able to get these features from Native App or e-commerce websites. PWA has not only eased the work of admin but it has also enhanced user experience. All businesses have understood this and have stated adopting the new trend of PWA.

Conclusion

PWA is a long-term investment that will bring numerous benefits to your business. Adopting PWA will add wings to the success of business and giving it an amazing growth.