Progressive Web Apps in eCommerce: The What, Why, and How

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Progressive Web Apps in eCommerce

 A lot of companies are embracing Progressive Web Apps (PWA) to boost the capabilities of their eCommerce sites. These apps provide business key benefits in terms of usage and utility that companies can leverage to boost their sales, increase client base, and maximize their profits. 

Progressive Web Apps - Newstrends

PWA apps allow users to access them even in the absence of a good internet connection like Spectrum bundles. This is, perhaps, the greatest benefit that they offer. Read on below to understand more about them and their importance in the world of eCommerce.

What are PWAs?

PWA, simply out, is a web application based on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. However, these apps come with certain offerings that allow them to offer an elevated user experience to clients. The experience is similar to a native app and more.

According to the Google PWA checklist, it should have the following characteristics:

  1. HTTPS for security
  2. Responsive pages (automatic adjustment of displays on different devices)
  3. Offline availability of web pages with basic features
  4. Metadata file (manifest.json) to add home screen shortcuts
  5. Quick loading even on poor internet connections like 3G
  6. Cross-browser functionality (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari)
  7. Smooth page transitions
  8. You can use the Google Lighthouse tool to test if created websites are compatible with PWA or not.
  9. Benefits of PWAs in ECommerce

There are many benefits of PWAs in eCommerce. Have a look at some of them below:
 

Market Success

Statistics show that a huge volume of eCommerce sales take place through mobile channels. Due to the ongoing pandemic and lockdown, this trend has increased even more. Therefore, it is the need of the hour for businesses to adopt responsive designs. Responsive web designs are now an industrial standard and websites that are not optimized for mobile devices are set for commercial failure. As a result, companies are increasingly focusing on their efforts to create mobile apps that are responsive. This is the reason there is such a huge flux of apps in the iOS AppStore and Google Play Store. Companies want their apps to have a web and mobile presence at the same time. Moreover, they want their services to be available even on slow network connections. And this is where PWAs play a huge role in ensuring market success for many companies.

Accessibility

Not every user has the time to download apps. A key offering from PWAs of adding websites directly to the home screen allows businesses to entice such users. This enables eCommerce stores with PWA implementations to enjoy major advantages over their competitors.

Push Notifications

Another useful function that PWAs have is the ability to send push notifications. With this, eCommerce stores can send in reminders of an upcoming sales event or a promotion. With convenience, they can increase their brand outreach and user engagement.

Maintenance

The separate development of a mobile and a web app requires huge cost investments. With PWAs, this cost can be significantly cut down. Therefore, PWAs allow for economic development as well.

 Implementation of PWAs

Implementation on an eCommerce website of PWAs is quite simple. You can follow standard practices for implementation on open source platforms. For SaaS solutions, you will need to touch base with your vendor and confirm if they support PWAs. For a successful implementation, two components play a vital role. They are:

  • Web App Manifest
  • Service Worker
  • Web App Manifest

This is basically a JSON file that contains information about the website you want to change into a PWA. It allows the user to add it to the home screen. If you already own an eCommerce store then the implementation is quite easy. It will only take you a few hours to complete the integration.

Service Worker

The Service Worker runs in the background and is primarily a stand-alone service that runs in the background. In a JavaScript file, the Service Worker is responsible for push notifications and offline data management for users. For unique website implementation cases, its implementation is different and requires some time.

Make sure to provide your existing or new eCommerce website with PWAs. For users who have a good internet connection like Charter Spectrum, the website will be smooth, user-friendly, and responsive. And the good news is that the website will also be available for those users who have slow connections. Take your eCommerce game to the next level with PWAs! Happy implementation!

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