Jan 12, 2018
If you have not yet heard of a progressive web app, Google, who is leading the PWA action, defines them as “experiences that combine the best of the web and the best of apps.” PWAs essentially work as websites that are modified and enhanced for mobile experiences. The advancement from a native app to a progressive web app makes sense as we are moving more and more towards a mobile-first world. And while native apps were seemingly created for mobile, there are some restrictions and downsides that allow PWAs to threaten their future.
Native apps are created and developed for specific operating systems and then installed straight onto a device. This development for specific operating systems takes time and money. And those costs do no stop after the initial development. Native apps will need to be continually updated for maintenance which further costs more time and money.
For the end user, there is a lot of time that goes into installing and updating an app, all of which is done through an app store. The term ‘app fatigue’ has gained popularity as the unwillingness to download new apps has grown while most already downloaded apps sit on devices unused. This has seemingly contributed to the fact that people with smartphones are not downloading any new apps, and are spending the majority of their mobile time in the same 3-5 apps.
If users could use something similar to a native app but have the usage and process streamlined, they would. With progressive web apps, you can bookmark the site to your device’s home screen with an icon. From there, the PWA is updated automatically, meaning no more additional trips to the app store. The overall experience of a PWA should also increase the UX and provide a streamlined UI allowing the user to get to their end goal quicker. PWAs even use less data and storage space, all while producing a much faster load time compared to a native app.
With all of the benefits PWAs provide, there is more opportunity to create positive mobile experiences and interactions for customers with your brand through uninterrupted user experience, faster load times, automatic updates, and the elimination of a middleman (the app store), all for a much smaller investment. This can lead to an increase in mobile users, less bounce rates, and even more conversions. There are even more possibilities for your PWA to be found as they are indexable by Google, rather than being lost in the noise of an over-saturated app store.
