You love to shop at ecommerce sites on your mobile, don't you? And you also have lots of apps download so you can browse your favourite sites on the go. But don’t you feel bugged by some of the apps that consume too much of battery and storage space? You definitely don’t like intrusive apps that ask for too many personal details and keep updating often.
Despite these drawbacks, there is no denying the fact that we are hooked to the ease of use and fast accessibility provided by the mobile apps. But wouldn’t you like it even more if your ecommerce website can offer a mobile app like experience without the hassle of downloading, installing and frequently updating the app?
Wondering if this is possible?
Yes, it definitely is, with Progressive Web Apps for ecommerce!
Never heard this term? Let’s understand it!
To put it simply, Progressive Web Apps make a website look and behave like a mobile app. It combines the goodness of native apps and websites to make the online experience seamless and easier. The best part is that you don’t need to download it from the app store and it takes no space on your mobile.
The dynamic capabilities of these web apps make it easier to engage users with a smoother experience. The user just needs to type the website URL in their mobile browser and there opens an app which is actually a website yet functions no different than any app you have downloaded from Apple or Google Store.
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How is PWA different?
If you are still not sure how this makes a difference let's have a look at some of the features that give it an edge:
1. Fast
Thanks to service workers the app loads instantly and the animation, scrolling, navigation etc are very smooth.
2. Engaging
It is very engaging and offers a better user experience. The use of push notifications makes it more engaging and personalised leading to higher conversions.
3. Portable
It has uniform behaviour across platforms and fits any screen size. It works seamlessly on all devices, for all users.
4. Zero Install
It does not use the storage space on any device, unlike mobile apps. It works very much like the mobile apps but you need not develop an app and go through the process of app store submission and approval.
5. Discoverable
It is search engine friendly and the W3C compliance and service workers make it easily discoverable. This helps in bringing more traffic to the site.
6. Offline Connectivity
PWAs work seamlessly even on bad internet connections and even when there is no internet connectivity.
Why Should Ecommerce sites opt for Web Apps?
Mobile offers a more convenient way of shopping which can be done anytime, anywhere. We know that almost 70% of ecommerce traffic comes through mobiles. Both B2B and B2C customers use their mobiles for searching products and finalising a purchase. Users tend to go for 10x bigger ticket sizes when they are ordering from their smartphones.
With Google giving so much importance to the users experience on mobile, it becomes imperative for
Enhanced Speed, Better Conversions
We know that online buyers hate to wait and they may jump to another site if a given site has speed and performance issues. PWA can solve this problem as sites using this technology are very fast. Service workers and caching abilities store the repetitive elements which get filled immediately when a user requests the site. This effectively improves the load time and makes the site look super fast. Customers tend to stick to faster sites and also order more often on such sites.
Personalised Engagement, Push Notifications
This is the era of personalization and Progressive Web Apps does exactly this to optimize the user engagement on an ecommerce site. You can send out real-time personalized push notifications to your visitors to engage. Users love such notifications which are of value to them and offer real-time deals or discounts. This marketing strategy can not only nudge the visitors towards checkout but can also help in upselling with smart deals and offers.
Time and Effort Saving
The biggest advantage of using web apps is that you do not need to multiply your efforts in making apps for different mobile platforms. Your website works as a mobile app and your users don't need an apps download to open your online store on their mobile devices. Also, as the sites work even on slow internet connections it is easier to target a wider audience base that has access to just the entry-level devices. This helps you in reaching out to a maximum number of people who find it easy to locate your site thanks to the easy search engine discoverability of PWA ecommerce stores.
StoreHippo the Pioneer of PWA for Ecommerce
StoreHippo has been using web apps technology to build ecommerce stores since 2014. All stores built on StoreHippo are PWA and offer all the listed advantages to
Give your business a chance to stand out and stay ahead of the competition by powering it with the next generation technology of StoreHippo. Start your 14-day free trial and explore the feature-rich StoreHippo ecommerce platform.
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