Are Progressive Web Apps the new future?

October 23, 2019

Reading time about 5 minutes

Traditional web apps have been the internet backed products that seem useless without proper connectivity. The introduction of progressive web applications has completely transformed the way we think about mobile apps or website development.
Leading names in the market have introduced progressive web apps to not just stay ahead of the competition but to provide their customers with a better experience than ever. For instance, Pinterest and Uber opted for a progressive web application, increasing its core engagements by 60 percent, which equated to a 44 percent increase in user-generated revenue. Pinterest users now spend 40% more time on the website. similarly, in the case of Uber’s PWA app, it takes less than 50 KB of space on smartphones and takes less than 3 seconds to load even on 2G networks.

Simplifying Progressive Web Apps

PWA’s are the simpler version of both websites and mobile apps which can speed up the browsing process and accelerate customer engagement. You can consider PWA as the extension of a traditional mobile website. It’s a simpler way to access a mobile app exactly how you open a website from a web browser and an identical image to visit websites that offer features and other functions similar to an app. These apps support most functionalities offered by a traditional app and a feature-packed deal without consuming any storage space of requesting permissions to access hardware an app does.

Perks of opting for a PWA

Though its enough said and taken, a progressive web app is a lot more to it! Here are a few benefits that can convenience you to connect a PWA app development company right away!

  • A PWA app can load and work super smooth! Even on low-bandwidth networks
  • It stays easy on mobile storage, consuming lesser possible space on the devices. For instance, a mobile app of Google maps consumes around 40 MB of the space at the time of installation, while a similar app in the form of PWA consumes a mere 50 KB!
  • PWA can be loaded directly from the website the user does not have to go through a long process of installing an app on the device.
  • Insecurity terms, PWAs are similarly vulnerable to security threats as any mobile app would be but they do not have direct access to the device hardware as a mobile app would have! Since PWAs are directly operational from a web browser, their hardware functionality can be directly controlled by the users.
  • PWAs aren’t running low on features, you will not miss the push notifications which only a mobile app can provide. The progressive web app will send push notifications to the users, the publishers and developers mostly prefer to use this feature in order to implement creative solutions for advertising new content.

How about the perks for business owners?

It’s not just the users but, also the business owners who are benefitted from the usage of PWA. Though a string of newbies and many established names have already been associated with the new technology, here’s how the small business owners can get the most cost-effective solution-

  • Not all small business owners have the budget to hire employees for every mere thing, PWAs are quite an effective option to pick with a significantly lower cost than mobile or web apps.
  • These applications are updated automatically through the website itself, you are not required to get it updated from time to time.
  •  The app installation procedure isn’t a complicated deal at all! Though PWA does not need to be published in the app/play store, its an easy catch! PWA can be manually added to the home screen directly from the browser.

Is reaching the potential customers a tough deal with PWA?

Progressive apps are the next big thing in the industry but, you may have doubts about the usage and its capabilities to reach new customers. Progressive web apps were initially launched by Google, being constrained to only android devices. However, today they can be developed even for iOS & Microsoft windows devices.

Here are a few steps for how you can initiate building a PWA-

  • Identify the ideal options your customers would need online. Understand their needs and implement them accordingly.
  • Look for the web development platform you need your customers to access your services on! You can find out which platform can have most users and start your development considering the same.
  • Hire certified developers from a mobile app development company or from a top IT outsourcing company to get your progressive app functional in no time and let you expand your business online.

A progressive app cannot replace either a website or a mobile app but, it can surely be a next-level idea considering a few impactful factors. Though many new names in the industry are already in the league, don’t lose the fort and look for a PWA development company in USA to get started.