Let’s start with the most obvious question – What is PropTech? The name PropTech is an amalgamation of the words “property” and “technology”, and is also commonly referred to […]
For those wondering – what is PWA – PWA is an acronym for “Progressive Web Apps”. The best way to describe it, a PWA is a website with the look and feel of an app. PWA apps are designed to work on any browser and from whatever device (phone, tablet, laptop). This means they are able to adapt to any screen size without losing usability. Many businesses also offer the possibility of installing a PWA to a device, thereby enabling even easier access for users.
But, what’s the big deal? Why are more and more businesses opting for PWA instead of apps? Or in other words, why use PWA for your business at all?
PWA and native apps are developed on entirely different platforms using different programming languages. Without getting into the technicalities, let’s see what are the essential differences between the two.
Native apps are applications developed for specific platforms (Android and iOS) and can be downloaded for use with all its content from the relevant app store. These are the apps most of us use on a daily basis on our phones and tablets. Some pros and cons of native apps are:
As I said in the beginning, PWA are websites which you can access through any of your browsers, but made to work like a native app. What does this mean in regards to PWA characteristics and performance?
PWA apps are predicted to seize a larger part of the market in the coming years. Many of the most popular global companies such as Twitter, Facebook, Alibaba, etc. have successfully incorporated PWA into their business. Twitter, for example, managed to significantly increase the site’s performance, since their PWA – much smaller in size than the Twitter app – reduced data required to upload the website by 70%. Thus, they were able to increase the number of tweets by up to 75%!
There are many other reasons why a business could opt for a PWA instead of a native app, or even develop PWA alongside their native app:
For the users, it’s all about their experience!
How does improving customer experience impact your business? PWAs have shown to directly add value to businesses by increasing their mobile traffic and the average session duration. This leads to increased engagement and page views, which increases the conversion rates by a significant amount! There’s more bang for your buck in PWAs than any other type of digital marketing – your ROI is not only instantaneous, but you also get a bigger slice of the pizza!
In the end, it all depends on the type of business and who the users are. The choice is more nuanced than simply googling “PWA vs native”. Each has its own characteristics, use cases, and advantages/disadvantages. Many companies choose to utilize both. It depends on what you want and need for your business. However, it is undeniable that as the users become more sophisticated in their needs, and as the digital competition keeps rising, the need for and the popularity of PWAs shall rise exponentially. PWA is the future, and investing in the future means good business practices!