What is a progressive web app? It’s a web app that looks and functions like an iOS or Android app but is indexed by search engines and available on desktop as well. Imagine if websites and mobile applications got together and decided to create offspring that would be smart, fast, and less annoying—that’s exactly what progressive web apps are. They load fast, feel like apps, and don’t force you to download anything from an app store. Instead, you just open them in your browser, and they work—online or offline.
Why Businesses Are Moving to PWAs
PWAs are affordable alternatives to native iOS or Android apps, which demand constant updating, advertisement to gain traffic, and pre-moderation to access app stores. Instead of balancing several applications and websites, companies can create a PWA that works everywhere and receives organic traffic directly from search engines. PWAs are user-friendly, fast to load, seamless to use, and resistant to crashes when your Wi-Fi goes out for a latte.
Industries winning with PWAs include:
- Retail: Seamless online shopping experiences increase sales and reduce abandoned shopping cart rates;
- Media: Fast loading of articles keeps your readers engaged, gets you traffic from Google News, and reduces bounce rates;
- Travel: Platforms allow people to plan trips on the go, even offline. So, can progressive web apps be used offline? Yes. As they cache data, PWAs provide users with uninterrupted access, ensuring a smooth experience even without an internet connection.
Why You Should Care
The bottom line? PWAs drive significant results, including better engagement, higher conversions, and happier users. In this article, we will show how businesses use PWAs to get ahead and why they may just be what your company needs. No jargon, no fluff. These are just helpful insights you can use.
Why PWAs Are a Game Changer for Companies
Progressive web apps represent the smartest way for businesses to answer users’ demands without hurting their wallets. They meld the best websites and mobile applications, making them fast, accessible, and reliable solutions for companies and their customers.
Key Features That Set PWA Apart
When building progressive web apps, several key features make them a standout choice for modern businesses, such as:
- Lightning-Fast Loading Times
No one wants to wait for a dull webpage to load—and with PWAs, no one has to. Designed to be fast, they provide instantaneous loading, even on the patchiest networks. That means fewer frustrated people and more who stick around long enough to make a purchase or explore your services.
- It Works Offline
PWAs won’t stop working when your internet will. They cache data on the user’s device, improving performance and even allowing users to browse, add to cart, and read offline uninterrupted by seamless, cached goodness. Now, imagine your website serving customers in the middle of a flight or from the subway.
- Native App Feel, No Downloads Required
PWAs bring an app-like experience through smooth navigation and an intuitive design, with push notifications, but without users having to visit an app store to download an app that takes up any of that precious phone storage. In other words, this means less friction for users and more business opportunities.
Why Businesses Are Adopting PWAs
PWAs solve big problems and yield measurable results, making them an easy sell for progressive and forward-thinking companies for the following reasons:
- Cost-Efficiency
Creating separate apps for iOS, Android, and the web depletes budgets faster than one can say the word “overhead.” PWA works seamlessly across platforms, saving businesses time and money and reaching a broader audience. It’s not just saving; it’s a smart investment.
- Broader Device Compatibility
From desktop to smartphone, PWAs scale to whatever screen size or operating system is used. With a PWA, businesses can reach their customers quite literally anywhere. You will never have to wonder if your application works on a certain device.
Business Value: More Than Just Numbers
PWAs are not about checking boxes but creating a real impact by solving actual user frustrations and making every interaction count.
They do so through:
- Increased Conversations and Engagement
PWAs lower users’ friction, which translates to more conversions. Sometimes, making the checkout process easier or faster determines whether a customer proceeds with a purchase or decides to head over to your competitor. And sometimes, saving those couple of seconds will translate into big wins.
- Lower Bounce Rates and Better SEO
Google wants fast-loading websites that improve user experience and check off all the right boxes to give your website a fighting chance in search rankings. It also means happier users who stay on your website longer.
Common Pain Points Solved by PWAs:
PWAs solve actual company problems in the real business world.
- Mobile Performance Issues
You’ve probably already tried loading a desktop site in a mobile browser. That’s quite like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Thankfully, PWAs were meant to fit on mobile, which provides users with an immensely clean, responsive, and intuitive experience. Say goodbye to clumsy interfaces.
- High Development Costs
Most of the time, the development of traditional apps requires different teams for iOS, Android, and the web, involving higher costs. PWAs, on the other hand, keep things very simple, offering one solution that works everywhere. Less complexity, more economy.
- Missing Users Due to Slow Load Time
An average user will leave if your website takes over three seconds to load. Thankfully, PWAs strongly reduce this time, keeping users engaged and businesses profitable. More speed, fewer missed opportunities.
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Real-World Success of PWAs
Progressive web apps have been a game changer for various industries. Indeed, enterprises have been able to achieve newer levels of customer engagement, secure more sales, and increase customer satisfaction by eradicating several pain points in the form of slow load times, partial connectivity, and bad mobile experiences.
Let’s dig deeper into how PWA technology, through these progressive web apps examples, can solve such pain points and unlock real opportunities.
Starbucks: Brewing a Smoother Customer Experience
Challenge: Starbucks wanted to ensure mobile ordering would work, even when the internet connection was somewhat uncooperative.
Before the PWA: Its mobile ordering platform had a lot of slow loading, which frustrated users and resulted in lost orders.
After the PWA: The coffee giant reaped the following benefits of progressive web apps:
- 2x increase in daily active mobile users as the platform got faster and more reliable;
- 20% increase in mobile revenue as ordering via mobile became easier for customers;
- Customers could even order when offline, as changes would sync with the server upon reconnecting.
Starbucks made mobile ordering stable and user-friendly, even on shaky connections.
Debenhams: Revitalizing Mobile Retail
Challenge: Poor loading speeds and a clunky mobile interface scared off mobile consumers, thus killing the department store chain‘s conversion rates.
Before the PWA: The experience suffered from frequent delays, which always led to bounced shoppers and reduced sales with mobile customers.
After the PWA:
- Mobile revenues increased by 40%, aided by improvements to site navigation and page loads;
- The number of mobile shoppers grew by 20% in response to its now streamlined shopping experience.
Debenhams proved that enhancing a poor-performing mobile experience means businesses can focus on turning browsers into buyers.
BMW: Accelerating User Engagement
Challenge: BMW’s mobile site was too slow for users to browse on the go, leading to high abandonment rates.
Before the PWA: Frustrated users left the website due to lengthy load times and a lack of smooth navigation.
After the PWA:
- Click-through rates quadrupled, showing users were spending more time engaging with the content;
- There was a 50% increase in mobile site engagements as browsing became pleasant thanks to faster load times.
BMW showed that speed and reliability are crucial to engaging users and maintaining their attention.
Challenge: Poor connectivity on mobile hurt Pinterest’s ability to engage users, thereby reducing ad revenues and retention.
Before the PWA: Slow loading and heavy data usage prevented users from being interested in the platform through mobile.
After the PWA:
- 40% increase in engagement by mobile users due to the platform’s responsiveness;
- A 44% increase in ad revenue as users reported positivity.
Pinterest’s PWA turned the nooks of pain in mobile into paths of growth and revenue.
Soundslice: Making Music Anywhere
Challenge: Soundslice had to provide offline support to its web-based music learning interface to allow users with poor internet connectivity to fully enjoy ease of use.
Before the PWA: The compulsion to always be online did not make the site appealing.
After the PWA:
- 20% more content was consumed as lessons could be accessed offline.
There was improved user retention, especially in mobile segments that are really seeking flexibility. Soundslice created a platform that worked for users regardless of their internet connection.
MakeMyTrip: Streamlining Travel Bookings
Challenge: Poor connectivity and slow load time often led travelers to abandon bookings during the process.
Before the PWA: The platform fell short of providing a seamless booking experience for its mobile phone users.
After the PWA:
- 160% increase in shopper sessions as users now benefit from a much faster and much more reliable interface for bookings.
MakeMyTrip demonstrated that speed and simplicity can turn browsers into buyers.
Uber: Rethinking Ride-Hailing Accessibility
Challenge: Uber wanted to make the platform accessible to regions with poor connectivity and provide them with seamless ride-hailing experiences.
Before the PWA: The app, with the performance and website that came with it, kept a large number of potential users away in areas with bad network conditions.
After the PWA: Because the PWA is lightweight, loading is super-fast, even on 2G networks, opening the door to more users, especially in regions with poor internet connectivity.
Uber PWA made ride-hailing easy, even for those with comparatively low internet accessibility.
Jumia: PWA For Mobile Shopping
Challenge: Jumia had to ensure ease of shopping through mobile phones under weak network conditions.
Before the PWA: Slow loading led to abandoned carts and missed sales.
After the PWA:
- 33% increase in mobile conversion rate since shoppers made more purchases;
- 50% more page views per session proved an increase in shopper engagement.
Jumia leveraged its PWA to overcome possible mobile weaknesses, turning them into strengths.
How PWAs Drive Business Success
Progressive web apps aren’t just a tech upgrade but a surefire way to shift critical metrics, such as conversion rates and user engagement. PWAs make the difference very quantifiable, as the following illustrates.
From Browsing to Buying: Optimizing Conversion Rates
Every second counts online. The best progressive web apps are designed to make those seconds tick in your favor thanks to:
- Faster Load Times: Needless to say, slow sites are deal-breakers. Thankfully, PWAs load faster, meaning your precious customers stay hooked rather than becoming frustrated and quitting.
- Seamless User Experience: Smoother navigation and quick responses on any device—iOS, Android, or desktop—lead the user smoothly toward the checkout.
- Real Results: Companies using PWAs have reported increased sales and reduced cart abandonment, thus directly influencing revenue generation.
The breakthrough occurs when PWAs eliminate common pain points that impede customers and conversion rates. They make user experience so seamless that browsers become buyers.
Engagement is about more than acquiring users; it is about luring them to stay and return for more. This is made achievable through:
- Offline Capabilities: PWAs work with or without Wi-Fi, and users can browse, shop, and read without stoppage. But do progressive web apps work on iOS? Absolutely. They function seamlessly across platforms, including iOS, offering the same offline capabilities.
- App-Like Features: Push notifications, responsive design, and rapid performance all make PWAs a delight for users.
- Greater Customer Loyalty: With reliability and speed comes much better trust between a business and its target audience.
This, in turn, equates to convenience for the user and better retention and customer satisfaction assurance for the businesses.
The Bigger Picture
PWAs solve some of the most pressing issues:
- Long loading times? Eliminated with server-side rendering.
- Intricate mobile experiences? Broken with app-like responsive design.
- Inconsistent performance? No longer a problem with advanced caching and offline accessibility.
By solving this trio of pains, PWAs do not only make metrics better—they redefine the user experience. Every interaction is faster, better, and more rewarding for both customers and businesses.
Progressive Web App Development Costs
Investing in a progressive web app to develop faster, more reliable user experiences ensures improvements in business performance. Here is a quick look at some critical development costs and considerations.
Medium Complexity PWA Development
This option is best for growing businesses with changing dynamic feature enhancements.
- Estimated Cost: $15,000 – $50,000
- Key features include: Dynamic content, login for users, push notifications, connection with the API from other services, and responsive design.
- Ideal for: Medium-sized businesses and e-commerce platforms willing to provide users with some personalization.
- High-End PWA Development
This option is best fitted for companies requiring high-end, fully customized functionalities with strong scalability.
- Estimated cost: $50,000 – $150,000 and more
- Key features: Localization, payment gateways, real-time updates, advanced caching, and integration with third-party systems.
- Ideal for: Enterprises and platforms operating with high volumes of traffic and complicated workflows.
What Affects PWA Costs?
Many key factors can affect cost, from design complexity to ongoing maintenance needs:
- Design Complexity: Custom design & branding means a higher cost.
- Platform Compatibility: Ensuring seamless performance across all devices requires extra effort.
- Additional advanced features: Offline capabilities, push notifications, and back-end integrations will be added to the total cost.
- Developer Location: Again, rates differ according to location, with North America being more expensive than Eastern Europe, for example.
- Development Time: Complex projects involve longer delivery times, increasing the budget.
- Ongoing Maintenance: Post-launch fixes and updates represent additional expenses but are absolutely necessary. However, those are still cheaper than maintaining iOS & Android at once.
Calculating the ROI of a PWA
Let’s examine one very simplified example of a progressive web app and how a PWA could pay back many times its cost.
The Rough Estimate
- PWA Development Cost: $50,000 (one-off cost).
- Monthly Maintenance Cost: $2,000.
- Current Monthly Revenue: $100,000 (before the PWA).
- Impact of the PWA: 20% increase in conversion rates due to improved performance and user experience.
- Average Order Value (AOV): $50.
Step-by-Step ROI Calculation
- Current Monthly Revenue
- Before the PWA: $100,000.
- After the PWA (20% increase): New Monthly Revenue = $100,000 + 20% = $120,000.
- Annual Revenue Increase
- Monthly Revenue Growth: $20,000.
- Annual Growth: $20,000 × 12 = $240,000.
- Annual Costs
- PWA Development: $50,000 (one-time cost).
- Maintenance: $2,000 × 12 = $24,000.
- Total Annual Cost: $50,000 + $24,000 = $74,000.
- ROI Calculation
- ROI = (Additional Revenue – Total Cost) ÷ Total Cost
- ROI = ($240,000 – $74,000) ÷ $74,000
- ROI = 224%
In this case, every $1 spent on the PWA generates $2.24 of incremental revenue generated in the first year. Besides figures, PWAs also improve user experience, increase brand loyalty, and create a fantastic competitive edge. Hence, it is worth the investment for companies of any size.
When making a PWA, what’s the extension of its impact? It’s being able to combine performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency into one seamless solution that will transform the digital experience.
Conclusion
Progressive web applications represent a certain way to renovate a business in the best manner. With advantages like improved performance, increased user experience, and budget-friendly design, PWAs can deliver good ROI and, hence, be worth the investment for businesses of any scale. By embracing a PWA, businesses will notice an improved digital presence, customer experiences, and long-term growth. With customers starting to expect more and more from everything, now is an excellent time to consider what PWAs can do for your business if you want it to stay competitive.
Looking to elevate your business with a PWA?
Let’s chat about how we can bring your vision to life.
Looking to elevate your business with a PWA? Let’s chat about how we can bring your vision to life.
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