Top 7 benefits of progressive web apps for your business
Published: 2020-10-01 14:28:14

Today having a website is a must-have for any business, whether it operates online or offline. Many organizations also develop a separate mobile app or mobile site version to attract customers, reach the audience via smartphones, improve client service, and boost sales. 

However, it may be too expensive to build two software projects, especially when there are cost-efficient options that allow you to not only reduce the price but also increase user engagement.

Helping companies achieve these objectives, [progressive web apps (PWAs)](https://smartym.pro/pwa/) have gained high popularity recently. AliExpress, Forbes, Twitter, Ele.me, the Washington Post, and many other famous market players have already created a PWA.


<h2>What is a progressive web app?</h2>

A PWA is a web application that looks and behaves like a native mobile solution but is developed with web technologies such as JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. 

Providing in-app like experience, a PWA serves as a mobile-friendly website that can be downloaded on your smartphone’s home screen. 

Therefore, you don’t have to install it directly from the App Store or Google Play—just click on “Add to the home screen” button—which is much more convenient. 

Thanks to a PWA, you will have access to the site functionality even when there is no Internet connection. 

Here you can explore [the main features of progressive web apps](https://smartym.pro/blog/progressive-web-apps-the-future-of-web-application-development/). 


<h2>Why should you create a progressive web app?</h2> 

According to the [report by Statista](https://www.statista.com/statistics/277125/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices/), mobile users consume approximately 50% of web traffic globally. In the first quarter of 2020, smartphones generated almost 52% of the worldwide website traffic, continuously hovering around 50% since 2017.

At the moment, mobile devices can not be ignored since most customers use them for making purchases, browsing goods, looking through services, searching for information, and reading news.

Brands need to understand the current technology trends in order to better approach customers and increase revenue.

"One of the reasons we built a progressive web app was to be able to invest in the web experience across all browsers. 

Not only did we see huge benefits on browsers that support the latest features, but we also got to see a bump across the board.

That is the sign of a great investment, and one that will keep paying for itself as browsers evolve." —[said Lijun Chen](https://developers.google.com/web/showcase/2016/aliexpress), director of AliExpress Mobile Team.


<h2>Top 7 benefits of progressive web apps</h2>

A PWA offers in-app like experience, enables a more secure way of interacting with a product, and doesn’t oblige users to go to the App Store and Google Play. Combining mobile and web, progressive web apps provide companies with a variety of benefits.


<h3>1. Improved customer experience</h3>

As we mentioned above, users don’t need to search for a certain app in stores. When interacting with the website, they can just click on the “Add to home screen” button and the app icon will appear on a smartphone. 

Therefore, customers won’t have to search for a web platform in Google or save a page in the tab. What’s more, they can allow the site to send them push notifications and automatically receive the desired information.

In our [web app development company](https://smartym.pro/web-application-development/) from Belarus, we increased user engagement, raised the number of daily visits, and reduced the bounce rate by creating our own PWA. 


<h3>2. Offline access</h3>

With a Service Worker under the hood, progressive web apps allow people to use the product offline. Thanks to this feature, a PWA enables background synchronization and content updating. 

Having access to the application 24/7 regardless of Internet connectivity, customers will spend more time with your content and digital services. As a result, the conversion rate will increase.


<h3>3. Faster page load speed</h3>

Reduced page load time is another advantage of PWAs that improves customer engagement and brings companies more users. 

Even when there is a slow Internet connection, the content is quickly loaded. Additionally, mobile native applications occupy more space and memory.


<h3>4. Increased security</h3>

By employing HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), a PWA increases the security of the transmitted data. 

The use of HTTPS helps companies protect from various threats such as eavesdropping, content tampering, and [man-in-the-middle attacks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man-in-the-middle_attack). As a consequence, progressive web apps provide improved safety compared with other digital solutions.


<h3>5. SEO-friendly</h3>

Progressive web apps are accessible by search engines as their URLs are similar to URLs of their websites. This allows a company to analyze user data and monitor their behavior. 


<h3>6. Lower software development costs</h3>

Making a PWA is much faster and easier than building a native app for iOS and Android. As this option is cost-efficient while also providing a better user experience and an offline mode, both SMEs and large corporations are investing in PWAs.


<h3>7. Responsiveness</h3>

With a progressive web app, it is much easier to create a responsive design. This means that the product looks great on all screens, although different devices have different sizes.

The uniform customer experience is an important standard of software quality. Using a PWA, you can provide it for various operating systems.


<h2>How does a PWA help resolve business challenges?</h2>

Let’s take a look at how different companies resolved their business-specific challenges by creating a progressive web app.
 

<h3>1. Housing.com, a real estate search platform</h3>

Housing.com is a Mumbai-based real estate platform that enables customers to search for housing using numerous filters such as price, location, number of rooms, etc. 

Founded in 2012, now the organization employs 6,000 brokers and operates in 40 Indian cities. 

Aiming to increase customer engagement and generate revenue, Housing.com created a native application to make mobile users able to work offline. 

However, many consumers were unlikely to use sensitive data or space to install a smartphone solution. Poor connectivity, costly Internet access, and a high number of low-end devices also impeded the company’s growth.

Understanding that slow content load times negatively affect the conversion rate, Housing.com revealed that even a 1-second enhancement would provide a better outcome. 

To address these challenges, it decided to launch a progressive web app, called Housing Go. With the view of reducing the load time, developers added Service Workers and improved the website to allow visitors to quickly find the required information.


<b2>Thanks to a PWA, the company achieved the following results:</b>

- the conversion rate raised by 38%
- bounce rate dropped by over 40%
- page-load performance improved by over 30%
- an average session length increased by 10% across all browsers. 


Enjoying an amazing user experience and faster load times, customers retain to Housing.com more often. Now, they can use the platform even when there is no Internet connection.


<h3>2. George.com, a leading clothing brand in the UK</h3>

Being a part of Asda Walmart, George.com is one of the most popular clothing brands in the United Kingdom. Established in 1989, today the company delivers goods to 580 retail stores with more than 2 million weekly transactions. 

When George.com decided to develop a PWA, it had an outdated mobile application that was not able to provide a seamless user experience. 

As the market was too competitive, the organization needed to increase customer satisfaction and boost sales. To improve digital offerings, it leveraged a mobile-first approach, focusing on intuitive design and page load speed.


<b>With a progressive web app, George.com accomplished the following results:</b>

- the load time was reduced by 3.8 times
- the conversion rate jumped by 31%
- the number of page views per session raised by 20%
-bounce rate dropped by 2 times.


Furthermore, software engineers incorporated an “Add to home screen” button, which allowed the company to increase the average time on site by 28%. 

Employing HTTPS and modern browser capabilities, George.com provided customers with a more safe shopping experience.


<h3>3. Nikkei, a media company in Japan</h3>

Nikkei is a famous Japan-based media company with a publishing history of over 140 years. The organization has more than 450 million users per month, including a web platform and print newspaper. 

As Nikkei had an outdated website, it was difficult to handle high loads arising due to an increasing number of smartphone users. 

Employing Lighthouse to audit web pages, the team at Nikkei found they needed to optimize the website by improving the mobile experience and reducing the load time. 

At that moment, it was on average 10 seconds and 20 — for the site to become fully and consistently interactive.

To increase customer engagement and streamline digital services, the firm built a multi-page PWA using JavaScript and creating a responsive user-friendly design. 

With Cache Storage and modern APIs, web developers enabled a faster content load speed. Providing offline support and placing an “Add to home screen” prompt, the company significantly enhanced UX (user experience). 


<b>The use of a PWA allowed Nikkei to achieve great results:</b>

- the website organic traffic jumped by 2.3 times
- currently, there are 58% more conversions (user subscriptions)
- the load time of interactive content was reduced from 20 to 6 seconds
- the overall speed index improved by 2 times
- now the website has 49% more daily users, who visit more pages per session


“The value of speed is indisputable, especially for financial news. We made speed one of our core metrics, and our customers have appreciated the change.” —Taihei Shigemori, a general manager of digital business development at Nikkei America, Inc.


<h2>Summing it up</h2>

Progressive web apps have gained huge popularity among businesses of all types. Allowing companies to improve customer satisfaction, boost loyalty, and increase the conversion rate, PWAs help them take competitive advantage and generate profit. 

Furthermore, a PWA offers a more secure way to interact with the product and exchange data. You also get the ability to re-engage consumers by sending them push notifications. 

Being responsive, PWAs fit any device, whether it is a smartphone, laptop, PC, or tablet. 

If you have questions about this topic or want to share your thoughts, you are welcome to leave your comments or contact me via chat.