Why building a PWA is important for an eCommerce brand? Do you want an answer? Check our previous blog, “How can eCommerce brands benefit from a PWA ?”
🔥PWA (Progressive web apps) are mainly popular for two reasons: first, it improves the loading speed of a site and the user experience. Mobile web users have become the focus of popular brands. It offers native app features to engage customers.
Also, big brands switched to PWA because they have struggled with poor user experiences and slow websites. They chose powerful PWA technology to deliver the native app-like experience. It makes eCommerce stores more responsive and loads faster. It can be published on Android and iOS app stores.
Table of Contents
Understanding Progressive Web Applications
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are mobile websites built using modern technologies. Users will feel and enjoy the speed, interaction, and engagement level of the native app level. PWAs are four times faster than traditional websites. You do not need to download them for shopping online. It allows brands to deliver the best shopping experiences across different platforms, regardless of mobile devices.
With extensive features, it is easy to adapt and browse PWA stores under a poor internet connection. Although PWA offers many benefits, it still costs much more than a responsive website. The development cost varies depending on the complexities and customer’s expectations.
Other challenges that may hamper the creation of a progressive web application are:
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The team
Creating a PWA app requires a lot of time and effort. It is a complex project that requires real-time communication between vendors and PWA developers. Merchants also need a technical team to work with a developing team. Both parties need to expand their knowledge and expertise to speed up the development process.
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No browser comes with security issues
The browser offers full-screen mode features to enhance the user experience and shopping quality. Somewhere, PWA browser features reduce the browsing time by providing all native app features to your e-commerce store. However, accessing the web application on the browser requires a safety net.
🔥The absence of a browser link with an SSL certificate can attract cyber-attacks and other security issues. Don’t worry! There is a solution to work around the security issues. A better navigation bar can also help you create a safety net for your progressive web app.
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User experience
User experience plays a crucial role in running an eCommerce store. If users have a poor experience with your site, it is a 90% chance they will not return. Better user experience helps in gaining more user engagements. You ensure that the products behave like the average native app.
Challenges of Progressive Web Applications UX:
- Rich-touch interaction is complex to code and corrupt web app user interface.
- Scrolling and clicking are different. Touching a page is not clicking. So, while designing your progressive app, eliminate this issue.
- Use standard mobile fonts to make a similar design to a native app.
- Pay close attention to the input mechanism. It means removing the keyboard hiding input on a mobile device.
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Contents
An eCommerce brand store should display content to compete with native applications. Content is placed at specific locations before loading any mobile app. Use the placeholders for downloading content in your PWA.
Also, your PWA store provides a content-sharing feature for mobile users to share products and services on other platforms.
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Cache
Caching is a major challenge with a progressive web application. Service workers add features to PWA, which are accessible offline. Customers must use PWA for up to 30 minutes with no Internet.
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Payment challenges
Cart Abandonment is a real issue for eCommerce PWA stores. Every time a user makes a purchase, they have to enter their credit card information. Google offers a Payment Requests API to eliminate the need for long payment forms. A single API call also allows sellers to accept payments quickly. Users can easily pay when they make any purchase.
The Final Thought
The solution mentioned in this article will help you solve these challenges. Progressive web applications are affordable solutions for small eCommerce stores. They can gain web and mobile users by creating web apps for their brands. Unlike native apps, it can work on any browser regardless of the operating system. Also, look at the best PWA examples to get some inspiration for your stores.
