With the web traffic consistently shifting to the mobile, e-commerce merchants cannot imagine sustenance and growth unless they have a robust presence on this channel. The idea is to be present on this channel and deliver seamless shopping experiences to your customers. While responsive websites and mobile apps are seen as the key investments, you can explore a new technology with Progressive Web Applications (PWAs).
Magento, as a platform, has been particularly quick in providing this technology to the users with the integration of PWA Studio in 2.3 release. This is the suite of tools which enable the creation of online stores that render app-like experiences. Before seeing how this suite unlocks new opportunities for e-commerce store development, let us understand the concept of Progressive Web Applications first.
How are PWAs better than responsive websites and native apps?
The concept of Progressive Web Application was introduced by Google in 2015 as a hybrid of conventional web pages and mobile apps. It brings together the best of both the worlds by combining the features offered by modern web browsers with the amazing benefits of mobile experience. Essentially, a PWA is a native-like application which has a range of benefits though it cannot mimic the entire native apps features. Here are some advantages that PWAs pack:
- Quicker to deploy and cost effective as compared to native apps
- Need not go through the lengthy approval processes
- App updates done on the single instance for all platforms
- Users need not download the app as it can be added to the Home screen from the browser
- Run in the offline mode as well
- Overall improvement in UX can boost the customer conversion rates
Here is a detailed overview of the advantages of PWAs vis-a-vis responsive websites and native apps.
With such extensive benefits over responsive websites and apps, PWAs are revered for their holistic approach that aims to make mobile shopping experiences faster and smoother than ever. Implementing them as a part of your e-commerce strategy can take your brand to the next level as they give customers several good reasons to come back to your website. The adoption of this concept by big brands like Pinterest, Instagram, Tinder, Twitter, Uber, Starbucks, Forbes, and the Washington Post says it all about the potential they have. (suggested ref: https://amasty.com/blog/magento-pwa-the-whys-and-wherefores/ )These reasons are enough to motivate a move to PWA approach rather than spending bucks on responsive websites and magento mobile app development for your e-commerce business.
PWA Implementation with Magento 2.3
Now that you know that a PWA can be a valuable asset for your business, the next obvious step would to visualize a move. Magento comes with a range of tools that enable the implementation of PWA for the stores. The release of Magento 2.3 version is one major step in this direction as it brings the innovative PWA Studio for businesses looking to unlock the exciting m-commerce opportunity. Magento 2 PWA Studio brings a set of modern tools for developers. These include:
- PWA-builderpack that comprises the main development tools for creating a PWA.
- Peregrine which renders UI components to design a Magento PWA.
- Venia Storefront which facilitates the creation of a Magento storefront.
- Powerful libraries including React, Redux, Webpack, and GraphQL.
The key objective behind including PWA Studio in Magento Commerce is to facilitate innovative and engaging experiences for the shoppers. Here are the features that this amazing suite of tools offers.
- Extensive developer tools for fast prototyping, rich feedback, and reliable debugging that enhance the productivity of Magento 2 developer.
- Useful tools for content personalization and the addition of local preferences in the Magento store.
- Creation and handling of the entire channels and user experiences via single code base, app, and deployment.
- Delivery of intuitive user experiences with CMS theming in addition to innovative commerce.
- Bringing opportunities for extension resellers by facilitating modularized component architecture.
- Being an open source initiative, it is expected to bring regular updates, with new features, reference theme enhancements, and improvements.
Why use Magento 2.3 for PWA implementation for your business?
A forward-thinking magento development company would recommend an upgrade to Magento 2.3 for PWA implementation. Beyond the ultimate set of tools that it offers for PWA development, there are several good reasons to embrace this innovative version for giving a new direction to your mobile initiative. Here are a few of them.
Enhanced performance: The adoption of Magento PWA delivers enhanced performance with faster browsing that improves user experiences and increases the conversion rates to a considerable extent.
Instant gratification: Another factor that improves the UX is that users need not install or download the app before use but can access or use it directly via the browser.
Cross-platform compatibility: PWA in Magento 2.3 renders a wider reach for the store as these are capable of running on multiple mobile platforms and browsers. A single code base, therefore, is enough to reach diverse mobile platforms and desktops as well.
Responsive design: PWAs are synonymous with responsiveness, which gives the store dual benefits. Not only does it become capable of running seamlessly across diverse devices but also can rank higher in Google searches.
Installable on the home screen:Just like a native app icon, a Magento 2.3 PWA can be added to the home screen of a device. The users simply need to click the icon to access website directly, which reduces the effort and increases the time spent.
Offline support: PWA implementation provides offline support that enables allow customers to browse the shop even without Internet connectivity, provided that they have accessed a page before.
Conclusion
PWAs are undoubtedly the future of e-commerce and you must absolutely embrace this technology to keep your Magento store in the race. However, before you hire Magento 2 developers for PWA implementation with Magento 2.3, you should know your options well enough. There are alternatives that you should study and compare with this one to understand how it would be better than the rest.
Additionally, you need to engage a trusted web development company that knows the ins and outs of e-commerce development with Magento CMS. When looking for an expert, orangemantra is a name that you can trust. With years of experience in Magento development and an expertise that extends to that latest versions of the platform, we make an ideal partner to assist you with your PWA journey. Connect with us and share your requirements with us today.
