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In recent years many businesses transferred or expanded their operations to the web, and the “mobile-first” trend grew big. The current crisis shows that e-commerce businesses have much more possibilities to reach customers and survive. But even some of the prepared ones may not experience the revenue they expect. In this article, we would like to show business owners that no matter what their current situation is, there is a solution to not only survive the crisis, but even increase conversion rates.
In this article, you will learn:
An online presence allows you to reach your target audience and carry on your operations during tough times, like the current coronavirus crisis. But even now, when everything goes to the web and mobile, for some e-commerce businesses conversion rates drop. Why?
When we talk about e-commerce and the virtual world, the most important thing is User Experience: how your customers feel while using your website or app, how well does it work, does it meet their needs. When the experience in your online store is far from excellent, you’ll see the conversion rate drop. For example, if a website loads slowly, users won’t wait. They will look for another store that works better and you will lose them on various stages of the shopping funnel: browsing, adding to cart, finalising the purchase. That is why e-commerce businesses need to provide customers with the best shopping experience possible, regardless of the device they use.
How to achieve it, especially when you’re in a difficult position? By creating a Progressive Web App for your e-commerce business. A reliable, fast experience for users. Time and cost-efficiency for you.
Progressive Web Apps in their core are websites. Developers create them using web technologies, like HTML, normally used to develop websites or web apps. Their superpower is that when a user visits them, they send him a prompt to add them to the home screen. When a user decides to do it, the whole process is fast and smooth – just a few taps and a PWA lands on their home screen, looking no different than any other app’s icon on their device. But there is more – when launched from the home screen, a PWA looks, acts and feels exactly as those mobile apps. It doesn’t display as a website anymore.
The greatest advantage of PWAs is that we need to write only one code that looks and acts perfectly everywhere. One product is adjusted to every platform, device, operating system’s version, screen size. PWAs look perfect on every device because of the responsive design, which fits every screen automatically. They are reliable and fast – they load immediately and act flawlessly. What is more, they can work offline and have the power to send push notifications.
As websites, PWAs are indexed by Google and any marketing techniques that are applied to a website can be applied to a PWA: SEO techniques, Google Ads, remarketing, etc. To download them on a smartphone, users don’t have to go through the app stores. The same with updates – PWAs are updated automatically without the need to download anything.
If you decide to go natively, which means creating two mobile apps in iOS and Android’s programming languages and a website, you need time and resources. What is more, the apps need to be adjusted to every type of device and their screens. With a PWA, developers create only one code and it works perfectly everywhere. Therefore, you save time and money. Costs of further maintenance are also far lower. With PWA development, you can bring your business online even in tough times.
A Progressive Web App works for every user, regardless of what platform and device they’re on. It fits different screen sizes. To make your e-store accessible for a wide audience, you need only one code.
With a PWA, you gain mobile apps, but also an excellent mobile website. Responsive web design (RWD) is an industry standard now. Sites that don’t display properly on mobile devices most probably won’t succeed on the market. PWAs are responsive, reliable, and fast – that is what customers expect.
To access your e-store, users don’t have to download your app from the app store. It’s convenient because, even though mobile apps are so popular, users do not always want to download them. One of the most common issues is connected with free space on their devices. PWAs are light. Example: Twitter Android app – 23.5 MB, Twitter PWA – 600 KB.
Thanks to the fact that PWAs exist as websites, they are easier to access and promote, expanding your reach even more. You can promote them in Google and use simple SEO techniques to make them more visible. What is more, they can be shared by a link.
Since PWAs provide better user experience, they contribute to higher conversion rates. For example, Alibaba noted a 76% increase in conversions after switching to a PWA. AliExpress observed an increase in conversion rates for new users of 104%. A PWA allowed them to generate twice as many page visits per session, and time spent per session increased by 74%.
When we talk about online shopping, security is crucial, especially in case of the check-out process and payment. With a PWA, it’s easy to integrate a payment API and provide fast and secure payments. You can even integrate your PWA with APIs for instant payment, which allows your clients to complete their purchase within seconds, without a check-out form.
One of the key functions of mobile apps is push notifications. PWAs also can send push notifications to your users. They inform users about upcoming promotions, expiring coupons. You can use it to increase engagement and support customer retention. If you also have an offline store, you will be able to use geolocation to attract your app’s users to visit it when they will be nearby.
With a PWA, you can use analytical tools to gather data about your potential clients and analyze their behaviour. It allows you to optimize your store, adjust marketing efforts, use remarketing strategies, and increase conversion rates.
Progressive Web Apps work excellently even with slow internet connections, and most of the functionalities are available offline. It creates a competitive advantage in places where poor internet connection is common. Users from those areas will be able to use your e-store, while others will hang and display slowly. Starbucks created a PWA to enable their customers to place an order on the go or in places with bad internet. They achieved great success with a PWA: reached emerging markets and doubled the number of website orders.
With Progressive Web App development, you can quickly and cost-efficiently start your e-commerce business or seriously improve an existing one. It’s not a temporary solution. A Progressive Web App allows you to create great experiences for your customers and increase conversions with a flawless check-out process.
We can start working on your project immediately. Let’s talk about your goals and expectations and proceed to building a powerful e-commerce PWA for you. We’d like to provide you with the highest quality in the shortest time possible and help you during the crisis.
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