5 Key Advantages of Embracing Progressive Web Apps For Business

Haritha

November 25, 2023

Last updated: December 20, 2023

Table of Contents

Seamless Experiences, Stronger Results: The Progressive Web App Benefits For Business

Today, where every click matters and capturing user attention is the ultimate goal, start-ups, and businesses are in constant pursuit of that special something that sets them apart. And that something is Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) which are rewriting the rules of user experience and business triumph.

According to Gartner, Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) were predicted to replace half of consumer-facing apps by 2023, with 2022 marking the transition from being “on the rise” to “here to stay.” And guess what? 2024 is going to be all about PWAs.

A Quick Background

While Google has been a driving force behind PWA development in recent years, Microsoft and Apple are now implementing enhancements to the Chrome browser and Android operating system. This broad support extends to all major browsers and operating systems, spanning desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile devices.

Google’s collaboration with leading organizations to implement PWA app benefits has yielded remarkable results. For anyone currently involved in building a website or web application, it is imperative to consider deploying it as a PWA.

What Are Progressive Web Applications?

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are a type of web application designed to deliver a seamless and engaging user experience. They combine the best elements of web and mobile applications, offering features such as responsiveness across devices, offline functionality through service workers, and a more app-like experience with smooth interactions.

PWAs are characterized by their ability to work across various browsers, ensuring compatibility, and they prioritize security by being served over HTTPS. Notably, PWAs are discoverable by search engines, easily installable without the need for an app store, and capable of automatic updates.

These applications aim to enhance user engagement through features like push notifications while providing a reliable experience, making them a versatile and popular choice in the digital landscape.

Top 5 Progressive Web App Benefits for Businesses

Here are 5 reasons why progressive web apps are beneficial for businesses:

1. Enhanced User Experience

Accessibility:

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) provide businesses with the opportunity to create an inclusive user experience that is accessible to a wider audience. With this progressive web app benefit, businesses can reach users even with slower internet connections or low-end devices. This inclusivity ensures that no potential customer is left behind and increases the potential reach of the start-up’s product or service.

Additionally, the benefits of progressive web apps ensure a smooth experience across various platforms and screen sizes. Whether users are accessing the PWA on their desktop computers, tablets, or smartphones, the experience remains consistent and user-friendly. This adaptability eliminates the need for separate designs and development efforts for different platforms, saving the start-up valuable time and resources.

Speed:

One of the key benefits of progressive web apps for business is their ability to offer fast loading times, which can greatly impact user experience. With attention spans decreasing and users becoming more impatient, a slow-loading website or app can lead to high bounce rates and decreased user engagement.

However, PWAs utilize efficient caching techniques that allow for instant access to previously visited content. This not only reduces loading times but also creates the perception of a faster and smoother experience, impressing users and keeping them engaged with the start-up’s offerings.

Offline Functionality:

Another significant benefit of progressive web apps for businesses is the ability to provide offline functionality to users. With PWAs, users can still access key features and content even when they don’t have an active internet connection. This is particularly useful for businesses targeting users in areas with limited connectivity or for users on the go who may experience intermittent internet access.

By ensuring an uninterrupted user experience, PWAs can lead to increased engagement and conversions. Users can continue to explore the PWA, make purchases, or interact with the business offerings without the frustration of being limited by their internet connection.

2. Improved Conversion Rates

Push Notifications:

PWAs offer businesses the opportunity to engage users through personalized and timely push notifications. These notifications can be used to re-engage users, direct them to relevant content or promotions, and ultimately, increase conversion rates.

By sending notifications that are personalized to the user’s interests and behaviors, businesses can create a sense of exclusivity and urgency, encouraging users to take action. This level of engagement can significantly impact user retention and drive conversions, ultimately leading to increased revenue for the start-up.

Seamless Installation:

Unlike native apps that require app store downloads, PWAs offer a seamless installation process for users. Users have the ability to save PWAs to their home screen, making them easily accessible with just a tap. This eliminates the need for users to search for the app in app stores, significantly reducing friction and increasing the likelihood of adoption.

Additionally, the seamless installation process gives businesses full control over the user experience from the moment they discover the PWA benefits, allowing for a more cohesive and branded onboarding process.

Improved Performance:

Businesses that choose to embrace PWAs experience improved performance, leading to higher conversion rates. PWAs ensure smooth and responsive user interactions, reducing the potential for frustration and abandoned transactions. Users are more likely to complete a purchase or sign up for a service when they have a positive and effortless experience.

By optimizing performance and minimizing delays, PWAs increase customer satisfaction, trust, and willingness to complete transactions. This ultimately translates into higher conversion rates and a healthier bottom line for businesses.

3. Cost Efficiency

Cross-Platform Compatibility:

Businesses often face the challenge of building and maintaining separate native apps for different platforms, which can be costly and time-consuming. However, with the progressive web app benefits, businesses can develop a single app that can be accessed on multiple platforms.

This cross-platform compatibility eliminates the need for separate native apps and reduces the associated development and maintenance costs. By leveraging web technologies that are familiar to developers, PWAs provide a cost-efficient solution for businesses looking to optimize their resources and reach a wider audience.

Lower Development Time:

Time-to-market is crucial for businesses looking to establish their presence and gain a competitive edge. Compared to native app development, PWAs require less time to develop as they utilize web technologies that are familiar to developers.

Businesses can leverage existing knowledge, tools, and frameworks, accelerating the development process. The shorter web app development time allows businesses to quickly launch their product or service, seize market opportunities, and start generating revenue.

Simplified Updates and Maintenance:

Maintaining and updating multiple app versions can be a daunting and costly task for businesses. However, with PWAs, the update process is streamlined. Users don’t need to download and install updates manually, as PWAs automatically update in the background.

This eliminates the need for users to regularly check for updates and ensures that they always have access to the latest features and improvements. Additionally, the simplified update process reduces the cost and effort associated with maintaining and supporting multiple app versions, allowing businesses to focus on innovation and growth.

4. Increased Discoverability

SEO-Friendly:

PWAs offer significant advantages when it comes to discoverability. Unlike native apps that often require users to visit app stores to find them, PWAs are easily discoverable by search engines.

This means that businesses can leverage search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to improve their rankings and increase organic traffic to their PWAs. By optimizing the content and structure of the PWA, businesses can attract more users and improve their visibility in search engine results.

Shareability:

PWAs allow users to easily share the content they find interesting via URLs. This increases the likelihood of reaching new potential customers through word-of-mouth marketing and virality.

When users share a PWA’s content with their friends, family, or social media followers, they effectively become brand ambassadors, helping to enhance the business’s visibility and attract new users. The shareability of PWAs adds a social element to the user experience and can significantly contribute to the start-up’s growth and success.

Linkability:

In addition to shareability, the progressive web app benefits enable direct linking to specific content within the app. This feature allows businesses to drive traffic to targeted features or promotions, enhancing their marketing efforts and enabling precise user acquisition strategies.

With direct linking, businesses can create campaigns that lead users directly to specific parts of the PWA, guiding them through the conversion funnel and optimizing conversions. This level of control over user navigation and flow can greatly impact the start-up’s success in converting visitors into paying customers.

5. Lower Entry Barrier

Cost Savings:

For businesses with limited budgets, progressive web app benefits offer a cost-effective alternative to native app development. The substantial upfront investments associated with developing native apps can be eliminated by opting for PWAs.

By leveraging existing web technologies, businesses can significantly reduce development costs while still providing a high-quality user experience. This cost savings allows businesses to allocate their resources more efficiently and invest in other areas of their business, such as marketing or customer acquisition.

No App Store Approval:

Launching a native app often involves a rigorous app store approval process, which can lead to delays or even rejection. However, with PWAs, start-ups have full control over their launch timeline. They can bring their product or service to market without dependency on app stores, eliminating potential barriers and ensuring a seamless launch.

This level of control not only accelerates the time to market but also empowers businesses to iterate and experiment with their offerings, adapting quickly to market demands and user feedback.

Broader Reach:

By choosing PWAs, businesses can reach a wider audience compared to native apps. PWAs can be accessed through a web browser, eliminating the need for users to download and install a separate app.

This accessibility allows businesses to tap into users who may be reluctant or unable to download native apps due to limited storage space or device compatibility. By reaching a broader audience, businesses can increase brand exposure and the potential for acquiring new users, ultimately driving growth and expanding their market share.

Top Examples Of Progressive Web Apps Across A Variety Of Industries

1. BMW

BMW, known for pushing boundaries in cars and tech, revamped their website for a better user experience. The new site loads super fast with high-quality images and videos, impressively four times quicker than before. The result? More people clicking from the homepage to BMW sales, a 50% jump in mobile users, and a whopping 49% increase in overall site visits compared to the old site. BMW’s Progressive Web App not only wows users but also boosts their online presence big time.

2. Pinterest

Pinterest aimed for global expansion and decided to overhaul their mobile web experience using Progressive Web App (PWA) technology. Recognizing that only 1% of mobile users were converting due to poor performance, they rebuilt the mobile web from scratch. The results were impressive: a 40% increase in time spent on the new mobile web, a 44% boost in user-generated ad revenue, and a significant 60% uptick in core engagements. Thanks to the PWA benefits makeover, Pinterest not only improved user experience but also saw substantial growth in key metrics.

3. Starbucks

Starbucks wanted to make online ordering easy for everyone, so they created a web version using Progressive Web App (PWA) technology, giving a similar experience to their app. This PWA works even without a steady internet connection, letting customers browse the menu, customize orders, and add to carts offline. When back online, they can check prices and place orders.

This is handy for on-the-go customers and in places with unreliable internet. Since launching the new PWA, Starbucks has seen big changes. It’s way smaller than their iOS app, making it a hit. The number of people ordering on the web has doubled, and now, desktop users order as much as mobile users.

Many major companies, such as Facebook, Spotify, Uber, Forbes, The Washington Post, Trivago, and more, have adopted Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) to boost important metrics. PWAs offer the best user experience across different devices, blending the strengths of websites and apps.

So Why Consider A PWA App Benefits?

Be Ready For The Future!

The Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) enhance the user experience through accessibility, speed, and offline functionality. With the benefits of progressive web apps for business, you can also improve conversion rates through push notifications, seamless installation, and improved performance.

When users are happy with your site, they’re more likely to finish tasks, trust your brand, return, recommend to friends, and engage with your marketing efforts. Keeping people happy is not just good for business; it’s excellent for your brand.

If a website can match a native app’s capabilities, cut development costs, and offer the extra perks of the web, why shouldn’t we opt for a Progressive Web App (PWA)?

Frequently Asked Questions On PWAs For Business

What Are The Benefits Of PWA For Businesses?

The benefits of PWA for businesses are:

1. Faster Load Times

2. Offline Accessibility

3. Improved User Engagement

4. Increased Discoverability

5. Cost-Effectiveness

Is PWA Good For Ecommerce?

Yes! PWA is beneficial for ecommerce as it provides a seamless, app-like shopping experience with fast load times and offline capabilities. Additionally, it eliminates the need for users to download and install a separate app, streamlining the shopping process.

Is A PWA Better Than A Website?

Yes! A PWA offers advantages over a traditional website by providing a more app-like experience with features like offline access and push notifications, improving user engagement. PWAs also have faster load times and enhanced performance, contributing to a better overall user experience compared to standard websites.