Web technology is constantly evolving and the latest bar for a good online customer experience is a Progressive Web App (PWA).
A PWA is a set of web technologies that creates fast, app-like experiences for users. This results in higher conversion rates and also gives a SEO boost. For example, Lancôme saw a 36% boost in mobile revenue from their PWA, UK department store Debenhams saw a 40% boost. Even more impressive is the success of Alibaba which saw a 76% rise in conversions with four times higher interaction rates after upgrading its mobile site to a PWA.
PWA technology has quickly evolved to a cross-platform solution with a single codebase for mobile web and desktop. This saves time and money for maintaining the platform and makes it easier to roll out new features to users.
Speed
A PWA pre-loads and stores your website content while users browse. This means faster page load times because the content is already rendered. Elements are reused (e.g., page headers) and stay visible through page transitions to give users the perception of an instant response. When content is not yet downloaded, content placeholders make sure that users see the proper screen layout immediately. This gives users the impression that the remaining content that just needs to be downloaded in the background.
Reliability
The PWA technology stack makes sure that PWAs work for every user, regardless of their device, browser or network conditions. To that end, so-called Service workers provide offline capabilities and ensure that PWAs work. Thus, users can stay engaged even with limited or no internet connectivity – no more losing users when they ride the bus or get in an elevator.
Engagement
Thanks to the technology stack, PWAs offer a rich app-like user experience. They provice features like “push notifications” and “add to homescreen”. The app-shell model ensures a smooth app-like behavior for the user. Ultimately, all these PWA benefits lead to a better, more engaging user experience, which translates to higher conversions.
IKANGAI offers PWA solutions, get in touch to learn more about what a PWA can do for your business.
Photo by Ali Pazani from Pexels
