Why Small Businesses Should Invest in PWAs Instead of Native Apps?

Written by ashish | Published 2020/02/05
Tech Story Tags: pwa-for-business | pwa-vs-native-app | why-choose-pwa | pwa-vs-hybrid-app | pwa-for-ecommerce | the-benefits-of-pwa-apps | react-native | application

TLDR Progressive Web Apps are considered as a great option for Startups & SMEs. The average cost of developing a PWA ranges between $6,000 to $20,000. With PWA your business gets discovered easily whenever users come across websites or social media pages. It means your app is always updated and can be easily saved on the mobile desktop, allowing easy access to everyone on any device. It also allows businesses to use web push notification feature to expand the reach, across the globe. It is a convenient option for businesses that are looking forward to their journey in the best way possible.via the TL;DR App

With the world’s largest growing companies to highest-earning startups such as Starbucks, Twitter, and Uber are already using PWAs to keep pace with evolving market trends. The introduction of progressive web development has changed the way we think about mobile app development. Not just enterprises but it is an efficient solution for small businesses that are willing to leverage the capabilities of mobile apps at cost-effective prices.
In today’s competitive marketplace, being mobile-first is imperative. PWAs play a crucial role in driving businesses for small companies worldwide.

Here are a few benefits that technology offers:

1. Faster Loading Time
PWAs take advantage of device-level caching thus load better on repeat visits to a page. It saves data in a device’s cache, therefore, offers enhanced customer engagement. Being progressive is the core principle of progressive web apps.
2. Connection Lost, No Problem – Offline Mode 
Another power of progressive web apps is to manage requests in offline mode. It allows small business owners to provide remarkable performance irrespective of connectivity. PWAs enable users to view information anytime they want, empowering brands to achieve higher customer retention rates.   
3. Let’s Talk Installation – Add to Home Screen
The ‘Add to Home Screen’ is a secret weapon to achieve great ROI for your business. PWAs are directly installed on the home screen thus, delivers a native app-like experience to users. Small business owners can leverage their capabilities and can get the same scope of accessibility and visibility as compared to native apps. It also allows them to define a home screen icon, splash screen, and theme color of the address bar in modern browsers. Moreover, PWAs allows businesses to use web push notification feature to expand the reach, across the globe. In a survey, it is found that push notifications can get up to 40% click-through rates whereas traditional mails have CTRS of around 3 to 6%.
4. Make One-Click Web Payments, Effortlessly
Today, 8 out of 10 consumers are looking forward to a simplified yet secure payment process. PWAs are equipped with highly secure yet straightforward web standards that make every purchase smooth and seamless. Since the web functionality uses pre-stored payment details of users, therefore, they don’t have to fill again during the checkout process. The payment process becomes quick, consistent, and secure for all its users.
Why Progressive Web Apps Have Upper hand Over Native Apps?
Cost of PWA Development 
The major benefit of developing PWAs is that they cost lesser than native app development. The average cost of developing a PWA ranges between $6,000 to $20,000. The cost of the project is determined based on design complexity, the time needed to make a layout, and several features added in the app. Many PWA companies are offering an app cost calculator tool that helps you find out a rough estimate of your app within minutes. All you need to choose the right features of your progressive web app and build an intuitive and desired app without burning a hole in your pocket as compared to native apps.
Progressive Web Apps are considered as a great option for Startups & SMEs
1. Unshackled Dependency on App Stores 
Forget about jumping through loopholes to get your app listed on the Apple Store or Google Play Store. With PWA your business gets discovered easily whenever users come across websites or social media pages. It means your app is always updated and can be easily saved on the mobile desktop, allowing easy access to everyone on any device.
2. Boosting Revenue and Gaining More Loyal Customers 
Customers are looking for convenience. Using Web Sign-in API on the mobile, it becomes easier for customers to authenticate and log in. It not only saves their time but also gives you better chances to retain them on mobile. It is seen that faster sign-in experience ensures a smaller number of drop-offs.
3. Affordable Mobile Presence
PWA development solution is an affordable alternative to a native app (approx. 75% cheaper). Almost 50% of search queries are coming from mobile thus, it becomes a great platform to drive higher mobile traffic by providing features that use less data usage, minimum storage, and faster load time.
4. Get the best of Both Worlds – Mobile & Web 
It is a one-stop-solution for businesses that are looking forward to beginning their journey in the best possible way. From instant browser access to offline content access, it has characteristics of both websites and native apps. A reliable PWA development Providers understand your requirements and deliver intuitive PWA solutions, exactly the way you want.
5. Keeps Your Business Updated, Always! 
Progressive web apps allow you to update your content in real-time, seamlessly. This is a convenient option for e-commerce businesses as it enables businesses to deliver real-time information on a timely basis.

PWA or Native App: Which One to Choose for eCommerce Business?

Is investing in PWA for your e-commerce store worth the effort? Or native apps still considered as a number one priority of clients.
It’s 2019 and a lot has changed the way consumers search or buy products. For a successful e-commerce store, it is important to cater to mobile users. If you are simply ignoring the mobile platform then you may lose out the opportunity to reach maximum potential customers.
Explore more about eCommerce PWAs
Progressive web app development is the next big thing in the world of e-commerce. Top mobile app development companies are recommending to build a PWA instead of a native app. Why? Progressive web apps are built using web technologies but provide native-app like experience to its users. The apps are fast, browser-agnostic and are built in the fraction of what it costs to develop a native mobile application.
Final Words! PWA or Native App for eCommerce?
Both native and Progressive Web Apps for e-commerce has its advantages and disadvantages, so it depends on your requirements.
Thinking, when is a PWA right for your business? Right now! Progressive Web Apps for small businesses act as a catalyst especially when your users are regular visitors, require real-time updates, and work on multiple browsers. Another big advantage of PWA is that you can easily migrate your current website into PWA with the help of dedicated PWA developers.
As time goes on, it will be interesting to watch how these two technologies are going to move forward the app development world. Will businesses look to utilize both traditional and PWA apps or will they pick and choose one or the other?

Written by ashish | Key Responsibilities: Lead Generation, Brand development, Website Traffic Growth, UI UX Management, & Market Research.
Published by HackerNoon on 2020/02/05