Back in January, Adobe made the general release of Progressive Web Applications (PWA) Studio. It allows the developers to make Magento applications similar to mobile applications. In fact, the user experience will be so seamless that it will be hard to differentiate between the Magento PWA and the native mobile app.
But, how the progressive web apps can bring a revolution to the entire Magento experience? Will they offer a faster and smoother experience for the user? Will they engage the customers with the brand more than ever before? Can they benefit the retailers with a significant conversion boost? You will find the answers to all of these questions right here.
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What are Progressive Web Apps?
Progressive web apps (PWAs) are web applications that utilize modern features to give you an app-like experience. In other words, they are a hybrid between web pages and native apps. They load in a browser, just like the web pages. Underneath, progressive web app is just a website. However, it can be transformed into an app if you want to use it that way.
Progressive web apps are characterized by the following set of attributes:
- Responsive – Fit in any screen size
- Addable – Can be added from the browser to the home screen
- Linkable – Each of the pages is deep linkable via the unique URLs, allowing you to share them on social media
- Engaging – Immersive user experience results in enhanced customer engagement
- Fast – Instant loading delivers a silky smooth user experience
The Advantages of Progressive Web Apps
- The Ability to Work Offline: Unlike the websites, the progressive web apps can work offline. So, even though the internet connection is unavailable, the users can still browse your products. It increases not only customer engagement but also strengthens the chance of selling the items.
- No Need to Go to Play Store or App Store: The biggest advantage of PWA is allowing the users to add the app from the browser to the Home screen. You don’t have to go to Play Store or App store to download it. So, you can get rid of the long download times.
- No Play Store or App Store Submission Required: The developers do not have to submit the progressive web app to Play Store or App Store for approval. So, there’s no need to wait for publishing new updates.
- Looks Quite Similar to Native Mobile Apps: Progressive web apps provide you the user experience of a native app while offering the full benefits of mobile websites with dynamic data and database access. So, while using them, you will have the feeling of using native mobile apps.
- Faster Performance: Progressive Web Apps are 2 - 3 times faster than mobile websites. Also, they load faster than native mobile apps. It results in smoother user experience and enhancement of the retention rate.
- Cheaper Than Building Native Apps: Having responsive design, the Progressive Web Apps can run on all the devices with different screen sizes. So, there is no need to develop different versions for Android and iOS. It results in a significantly lower development cost.
- Higher Conversion Rates: PWAs have a proven record of boosting conversion rates massively. After implementing the technology, AliExpress, one of the world’s largest e-commerce businesses, saw 82% more conversion on iOS. On the other hand, Flipkart, India’s biggest e-commerce store, achieved 70% greater conversion.
How the Progressive Web Apps Can Revolutionize the Entire Magento Experience
Online Stores with App-like Experience
Magento PWA studio helps the developers to build online stores capable of delivering the same experience as mobile apps. However, the users do not have to install it on their smartphones, as it is immediately discoverable and usable via the web browser. Also, it operates in full-screen mode, hiding the browser URL bar on top and the navigation tools on the bottom. As a result, the Magento PWA retains the same look and feel as the native apps.
If the developers can apply the best UI/UX design techniques while taking the advantage of the app-like experience feature of the PWA, the appearance and user experience of the store can reach a whole new level. The customers will feel more attracted and comfortable using the progressive web apps, rather than the typical mobile apps, which occupy phone storage.
Smoother Browsing Experience
Progressive web apps are much faster to interact with than typical responsive websites. It’s quite normal for the web pages to load slowly during sluggish internet connection. However, in case of PWA, you will face this problem only during the first visit. In the subsequent visits, the screens of the app will load at a blazing pace. So, you will enjoy a significantly smoother browsing experience.
You can scroll down without any stuttering to see the details of the product and add it to the cart. The reason behind the smooth performance is the application of service works, which pre-cache part of the web app to load instantly. So, your customers can interact with the store faster than ever before, which is really good for your business.
=> Learn more: How to Integrate Progressive Web App in Magento 2
Rapid Re-Engagement
PWA can enhance the re-engagement of the customers rapidly. As said earlier, PWA doesn’t need to be installed. Instead, it can be added to the home screen. As a result, you can get the access to the Magento stores quickly, as you don’t have to launch the browser and type the URL. Also, Magento PWA supports push notifications, which can boost engagement by up to 88%. All these things pave the way for rapid re-engagement.
Significant Improvement in Logistics
In today’s e-commerce world, the shoppers expect all the sales associates to have good knowledge about the products available in the online store. However, meeting such expectation is really difficult and challenging.
In this case, the PWAs come into play. They are capable of replacing legacy POS system and retail associate platforms with a faster and more efficient system. The developers can utilize the Magento PWA studio to build apps for store associates, allowing them to locate online and in-store items quickly and efficiently.
With the implementation of advanced features, like self-checkout and service returns, the PWAs can bring a revolution in today’s logistical functions of the retail stores.
Easy Access
With Magento PWA on board, the customers no longer need to open a browser to visit your store. Instead, they can visit it right from the home screen of the smartphone, just like a native app. So, everyone can get into your Magento store easier than ever before.
Streamline Payments
PWAs can create a massive impact by renovating the existing payment system. They allow you to integrate PayPal, Signifyd and Braintree. So, you can streamline the risk management process and payments efficiently. Also, you can synchronize order and payment detail to make the transaction more transparent.
Magento PWAs comes with a variety of security features, like Google reCaptcha and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), for preventing password hacking. Also, they utilize HTTP connections and transport layer security, which makes it really difficult to intrude. All these technologies guarantee you secure shopping experience.
Mageplaza’s Google reCaptcha extension helps you to protect your store from spams and bots. So, you will never have to worry about getting your valuable information being stolen or hacked.
Offline Browsing
Magento PWAs work behind the scenes to retrieve and store the site information, which you can access offline. So, if you face any issue with the internet connection, you can still carry on browsing the store and add products to the cart. In other words, Magento PWAs provide you with an uninterrupted shopping experience.
Conclusion
From the merchants to the shoppers, everyone will be benefited massively by Magento PWAs. Due to the faster speed, the buyers will have an outstanding shopping experience. They will never face any irritating issue, like getting held by slow checkout. Also, they do not need to download any app from the Play Store or App Store, as the Magento PWAs are accessible directly from the home screen.
It works as a great opportunity for merchants. The technology can bring a dramatic increase in the re-engagement rate. Also, due to the much better user experience offered by Magento PWAs, the businesses have a higher chance of not only drawing increased customers but also getting a massive boost in revenue. Overall, Magento PWA has everything to revolutionize the entire Magento experience from the perspectives of both the shoppers and the merchants.
If you’re considering developing PWAs for your Magento store, the Mageplaza team is always ready and willing to help you. With years of experience in the Magento E-commerce industry, Mageplaza has helped a huge number of clients develop PWAs successfully.
Why should you choose Magento PWA development services by Mageplaza?
- A wide range of PWA development services, such as custom development, UX/UI design, app shell model, PWA migration/upgrade, etc.
- A dedicated team with great experience
- Transparent and straightforward communication
- Reasonable pricing plans
- Free 2-month support guaranteed
Don’t hesitate to contact the Mageplaza team today for free consultations!
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About the Author
Md. Ehsanul Haque Kanan is one of the top-rated tech writers from Upwork.com. He has been involved with producing tech articles for the last six years. At present, he is working as a tech writer for Hostadvice.com. His favorite topics to write about are Magento, WordPress, Linux, and web servers.
