As we race headlong towards 2019 America, we see more and more commerce moving online (aka e-commerce). And we also notice more and more e-commerce becoming almost entirely…mobile (aka m-commerce).
When it comes to m-commerce, just as in all things mobile (and in fact, all things online), delays are not good. In fact, anything like an extended delay can be downright deadly to online merchants, sellers, businesses, brands and stores.
The name of the game is speed. And if you don’t keep things moving when people visit you via their smartphone, tablet or other mobile device…well, then they’ll be the ones moving right along. And you’ll miss out on real revenue and retention opportunities.
Nobody wants to see any of this happen. But what to do when you encounter issues related to slow or erratic performance via your online store on a mobile device?
Enter PWAs…
If you want to up your ETA, maybe it’s best to immediately incorporate PWAs – shorthand for Progressive Web Apps.
Essentially a website modeling the features, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of an app, a PWA sure looks like an app (often right down to the push buttons and notifications). But it operates entirely from a user’s browser – and offers the same exact usability on mobile as on desktop devices.
PWAs also tend to be far simpler to build when compared to native apps. They don’t rely on anything like complicated coding, and can even be built using the same code as your site. They also work in an identical manner across both iOS- and Android-driven smartphones.
But those are just a few advantages that can be almost immediately afforded to e-commerce providers who decide to go the way of PWA. Here are a few more.
Boost Your Conversions!
Online success today is largely about conversions. And achieving successful online conversions is a lot more realistic once you have managed to streamline your customers’ online purchase journey.
Many times, a brand or e-commerce site offers a fairly smooth desktop online purchase path – but when it comes to the experience via mobile device, things are less than idea. It only makes sense, then, to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile usage.
Similarly, implementing PWAs make it faster and easier for your customers to navigate the online purchase path. And the smoother the path, the more likely the sale.
Push It. Push It REAL GOOD.
In addition to offering a faster and smoother online experience, PWAs can offer your mobile customers the benefit of push notifications – which can easily alert them to new available products, current sales and any new updates.
Even if these push notifications don’t lead to immediate conversions and a big surge in online (especially mobile) sales, you’ll stay top-of-mind with your consumer – a consumer who today uses an average of eight social media apps each and every day, according to some recent reports.
Avoid App Fatigue
As much as Americans clearly love their apps (as evidenced by that Magic 8 figure above), there’s also no doubt that we have reached a point of pure saturation on the app market – to the tune of close to 4 million apps now available on Android phones and nearly 2 million on iPhones. With such saturation comes user fatigue…or possibly even complete burnout and abandonment.
If all this might conspire to make your customers less likely to add an app for your store onto their too-crowded smartphone or tablet, doesn’t it make more sense to go the way of the PWA? Once again, you’ll also reap the many benefits of working across all devices – all for less of an upfront operating cost.
IMG Knows PWAs
Here at Imagination Media, we offer a wide range of ever-expanding development services and solutions – both for e-commerce and m-commerce. We’re big believers in the fast-surging popularity and power of PWAs, and we know how to put all that power at the fingertips of your business principals and customers.
Contact us today to see how we can help your business get to work with PWAs!
