PWA or native app? Why prefer a progressive web app for your business

Every day, almost 45 million people are online in Italy alone – source Audiweb – and more than 75 percent of them connect to the Web via mobile devices; in particular, the online audience from smartphones is represented by 39,3 million users, or 90 percent of the adult population. If we add that some studies find that today 40 percent of purchases are influenced by mobile devices, we understand well that ensuring a smooth user experience on the mobile site is a crucial goal that can really make a difference. And that’s (also) why Pwas are becoming more and more important in a wise business strategy, making themselves preferred to native apps.

What PWAs are and why they are useful

The Progressive Web Apps are a hybrid between mobile app and website: it is a technology that works on the browser and does not require downloads from the app store, which contains Web pages just like a site, but at the same time mimics the functionality of a mobile app, feature that makes it desirable for companies.

These apps are designed for the daily user of the site, to which it also provides many unique features of native apps: thereby exceeding the limits of sites that lack mobile features that allow them to market correctly and directly interact with customers.

In concrete – as explained in a recent article on thinkwithgoogle by Google, which is pushing a lot on the spread of this technology – PWA are “a web application that behaves in a similar way to a native application when used by mobile” and allow the user to “live a faster and smoother experience, just as if you were browsing an app, but without the need to download an app”.

This means, therefore, that thanks to a progressive web app you can “load the contents of the site in advance in order to make it load faster, allow the user to add the site to the home of the phone and make the content also available offline“.

Positive aspects of PWAs for the business

In many cases, making a PWA is a more immediate and convenient choice than creating a native app, which requires a higher effort in terms of development and control: in addition to the production process itself (including use by various devices and operating systems), there is also the need to provide periodic updates, manage reviews, attract downloads and so on.

The presence in an app web store – not only the Play Store on Android or the Apple App Store on ios, but also Windows Store, Amazon App Store and, depending on the purpose of the app and platform, Samsung Galaxy Store, Apptoid and F-Droid – does not only give disadvantages, in fact, because it also offers added value from different points of view. For example, access to these stores is regulated by strict requirements that prevent the publication of many malicious or poor quality applications, and therefore having an app published on these showcases can increase the overall reliability of a brand in the eyes of customers. In addition, it is possible that the Web Stores promote our app “automatically” and therefore being present in an app store can give a boost to sales and a quick way to increase brand awareness.

A less positive aspect, thinking also on economic aspects, is that the main app stores provide a commission on each sale (including paid apps and in-app purchases) that can reach up to 30 percent: To follow Nick Chasinov’s example on Searchenginewatch, in 2020 Apple grossed $64 billion from the App Store.

Apple and Google, different approach to PWAs and apps

This explains the different approach that the two giants of the Web – and mobile operating systems – have regarding native applications and progressive web apps.

On the one hand there is Apple, which prefers to have a granular control over the applications and, no less important, on the possible collections that derive from it (also confirmed by the recent query with Fortnite), while – on the contrary – Google supports PWAs and encourages developers to create and distribute them.

The reason is technical and practical: this technology runs directly on the browser used on the mobile device, and even in this area Google dominates the market thanks to Chrome, used by over 63 percent of mobile Internet users, and also its open source base Chromium allows other browsers to use Pwas.

Just with Chromium the colossus of Mountain View – along with Microsoft, Intel, Samsung, among others – has also launched the Fugu project which aims to expand the capabilities of the browser and help web apps to “do everything native apps can do”, preserving the main benefits of the Web in terms of security, low friction and cross-platform deployment.

PWA or native app, which to choose?

In the last year we have been online more than ever and even the least digitized part of the population has experienced the services offered via the Web: we have “worked, studied, made purchases and even opened online bank accounts and now people are more demanding than ever when surfing online”, and the user experience is one of the key themes of this 2021 and the near future.

If we are looking for a tool to reach mobile users and, at the same time, to stand out and gain an advantage over the competition, You have to study the features of PWAs and native apps to understand which is the best way to go and which solution offers the greatest benefits.

Why prefer Progressive Web Apps

Many observers, as in this article by Teknicks, invite to consider the advantages of PWAs, which first of all require a lower commitment (in terms of time and cost) than native apps.

From the development point of view, native apps are encoded to be installed on smartphones, tablets and other smart devices based on the operating system and hardware associated with the device, using a specific programming language for individual platforms, including Java which is the most common language for Android and Swift or Objective-C for iOS. Pwas, on the other hand, are basically app-style websites that can be run within a website’s browser or installed directly on your device and accessible as a native app, using CSS, Javascript and HTML just like a website.

This makes the development of a PWA much faster and simpler, because the code base is generally suitable for multiple platforms and devices (which makes development and maintenance easier and less expensive) and thus the same version that can be viewed smoothly on almost all web browsers on mobile devices.

Thanks to this scalability, developing a PWA is much cheaper than a native app, which usually involves creating versions suitable for each device we plan to support (by device type, operating system, screen size, etc.). Also, app updates can be confusing or problematic, because you need to get every update approved in advance from the store, and then check that users actually download and update the app.

With PWA, however, it is sufficient that users have a browser and know the URL of the site; therefore, it is much easier to reach a wider audience, with changes and updates that do not require approval or additional installations from users.

The characteristics of progressive web apps for users

Due to their characteristics, PWAs can therefore be very advantageous especially for a small company or a startup, because as said require a lower development both for time and cost.

It is also important to evaluate their effect on users, which can have positive aspects and others less than native apps.

For example, it is definitely an advantage that Pwas are smaller than native ones, and therefore weigh less on the memory of users’ devices; moreover, being accessible directly from browser or link, People can reach the PWA by typing its URL, but also add the bookmark link, add it to the home screen and easily share it.

Pwas also have offline accessibility, as they can cache information for later use, and serve users with text style sheets, images and other web content even before a web page is fully loaded, as noted in this article by Richa Pokhriyal. It is also important to complyt with security parameters, because – in addition to moving in an environment regulated by the HTTPS protocol – compared to traditional sites for mobile devices “progressive Web apps provide additional levels of security, using only HTTP cookies / Javascript readable cookies along with authentication tokens / CSRF”.

There are, however, other less advantageous elements, including the inability of a PWA to access certain features of the device such as proximity sensor, ambient light detection or smart lock – while supporting features such as GPS, mobile payment, push notification, access to the camera.

The characteristics of native apps and why to choose them

Developing specific apps is a good choice when it comes to attract mobile users only. These applications are called native because they are written in the language of the operating system of the device on which the app is installed and do not offer access from a browser.

Compared to mobile sites, an app has fewer limits and provides a native user experience, allowing a brand to reach more customers, improve their experience and increase the brand’s reputation in online space.

Investing in a native app means creating a complex product with more control over user operations – and in fact they are widely used for home banking, social media or dating platforms; This technology must offer a deeper level of consistency across the board and is preferable when creating high-security apps that need to handle aspects such as sensitive customer data in areas such as finance, health or banks.

In addition, a native app improves the management of speed and user interface: the loading time, for example, is much faster, because it directly uses the operating system of the device and is not at all limited by the quality of the Internet connection or by the operating system of the device. And apps make more effective use of the latest smartphone features, such as geofencing, sensor detection, and more.

At the same time, this solution allows you to increase brand credibility, because having a high quality app published on one of Apple’s top stores, Google or others will help us to increase the reliability perceived by customers.

Some reasons to develop a PWA and not a native app

From what has been written, it seems clear that betting on a Progressive Web App is an advantageous choice for those who do business online, because it can help to achieve some business goals and better profits in a faster and less tiring way than the main alternative.

In particular, there are at least 4 reasons that can convince you to work on developing a PWA instead of a native app.

1. Connection speed with users

Consumers have several options to “browse news, buy clothes and watch videos”: if our site does not keep up, users will bring their attention and their spending power elsewhere.

Studies indicate that the attention span is of 2-3 seconds and so it is important to have a fast loading solution, which usually a web page for mobile devices fails to guarantee. In contrast, Pwas use cache data in the background and offer higher loading speed, which enhances the customer experience every time they visit the page and also welcomes Google’s algorithms.

Just to give some examples, in past years the Forbes site took from three to 12 seconds to fully load: these delays caused a user dropout rate of 53 percent, but when the company moved to a PWA, Navigation sessions are up 43 percent.

2.  SEO detectability
   

In addition to ensuring speed (which affects the positioning of pages), PWAs are also SEO-friendly: being hosted on the Web, their content is in fact visible to search engines and can be indexed directly on a search engine, just like any website.

Native apps, on the other hand, are published in multiple app stores and must try to become more visible, so that they can be installed more by users; to improve app detection, owners should have an effective app store optimization strategy, but they are still bound by store requirements and rules. Typically, only the app’s profile page is listed in Google search results, and that companies rely on the description, images and positive reviews to improve visibility and get more downloads.

With a PWA, we therefore have the same unlimited flexibility as a site to create customized user experiences and resource-filled optimized content that you can rank on Google and take advantage of all SEO strategies.

In concrete, this can increase our ability to generate traffic and leads. For example, when Alibaba turned its website into a PWA, it recorded 76 percent more conversions.

3. More engagement opportunities
   

PWAs support push notifications, creating opportunities for companies to reach customers with personalized product advice, news updates and other relevant communications, all factors that can improve customer engagement and increase brand loyalty.

Recent studies indicate that, despite the continuous increase in the use of mobile devices for navigation, users are not very involved on mobile websites, and who has a PWA gets better results in this regard. In particular, the average bounce rate for a PWA is 42 percent lower than for a responsive website, while mobile sessions are up to 80 percent higher, loading time reduced by 85 percent and engagement higher than 154 percent.

This translates into better customer engagement and more sales opportunities for a company that develops a progressive web app.

4. Increase of conversions
   

Closely linked to the increase of engagement there is also a maximization of conversions: through a PWA, as mentioned, we can send notifications in-app/push, custom emails and create engagement on social platforms with mobile marketing tools that increase the conversion rate.

The data show that the development of such technology helps to significantly improve the site’s sales rates and, according to Google, an average PWA increases conversions by 52 percent. Even better the results of Crédit Agricole Italy: in just three months after the development of a PWA, comparing the browsing data between “who installs the PWA on their smartphone compared to who navigates the site normally”an increase of 33 per cent of sessions per user, an increase of 143 per cent of the average session duration and a reduction of 25 per cent of the bounce rate, but above all a conversion rate greater than 99 percent for users with the PWA installed”.

When to bet on a PWA

Now that we know (even better) what are the main features and functions of a PWA, we can also understand when you can take on the advantage of choosing this technology and when, instead, it might be better to develop a native app.

This choice should be based on our business goals (improve conversions, traffic and user experience), target audience, budget and recommendations of a web application development company, always within an effective overall mobile marketing strategy.

PWA can become the ideal solution, in particular:

• If we have an e-commerce site and want to be able to better engage customers or get new ones, but we don’t have the resources to develop and maintain more applications on different windows.
• If we want our app to reach many people in a very short amount of time, in addition to the distribution channels we already use, because it’s easy to share a URL link or even gain a feature in Google search results.
• If we are a young company that wants to stimulate the engagement of users, because it does not require any download or installation, but at the same time allows you to interact with customers through functions such as push notifications.
• If we want to integrate and increase website traffic.

More generally, a PWA is a faster and more convenient choice than creating an app from scratch, and it’s no coincidence that many big brands, including Starbucks, Twitter and Uber, have focused on Pwas within their web strategy, in addition to native apps, to meet the needs of their users in a holistic way.

Ultimately, if we need an app that is easy to configure and update, versatile and works on a wide range of devices, then a PWA is probably the right choice thanks to its scalability and lower input cost, because it will allow us to focus our efforts on a single front that prioritizes user experience, instead of wasting energy on multiple native apps designed for different operating systems, with limited visibility on search engines.