Why Consider PWA Development?
Recently, one of our clients has shared with us his idea saying, ‘Why would I develop native apps for my dating startup if I can create a PWA?’
We didn’t think long before agreeing with him as PWAs now have finally provided us with a possibility to build great experiences in a mobile browser. Even such digital giants as Tinder now possess them. Big companies like Twitter, Starbucks, Virgin, etc. have created PWA versions of their native apps and are now benefiting from great results. Furthermore, progressive web apps are perceived as game-changers for new businesses.
We’ve already talked about the main advantages of creating progressive web apps and today we will chew how startups can profit from this emerging technology over.
A few years ago, to reach your customers online you would have needed to create a website and develop one or two native mobile apps spending quite some time on that. Of course, that wouldn’t be cheap and still isn’t.
But today, there’s a great solution to this problem especially beneficial for new businesses that are striving to enter the market, grow their brand awareness and engage customers as soon as possible.
Progressive web apps are now giving startups immediate access to a wider audience allowing to enter data-costly markets with low connectivity.
Undoubtedly, the greatest advantage of PWAs is their incredible affordability for businesses of any size. The hype over PWA suggests there’s only good in them and none of the bad. Let’s go through the main assets and decide ourselves.
One code fits all
A simple PWA can cover all your needs in mobile apps as it works not only on each iOS or Android device but on Windows Phones as well. A hybrid mobile app development that was probably one of the most cost-effective solutions during the past few years is now overtaken by PWAs.
Full control over the publishing process
You and only you oversee the release process without any approvals from the App Store or Google Play side. The release is immediate.
No commission for access to app marketplaces
In addition to significantly shortened time to market, you also save money by not paying the app store commissions (the industry standard is now at 30%) and not spending extra cost on promotion there.
Unified UX/UI on each device
Developed and implemented once, user interface and experience are the same on each device – that increases the conversion rate among omnichannel users that migrate between different devices and lowers design expenses.
Direct and quick ‘installation’
The installation process consists of simply adding the page to the Home screen directly from the mobile web page. It takes just a few seconds and doesn’t require additional steps in the user experience.
Once the users visit your site on their mobile (now it is recommended to encourage users to install a PWA during the second or third visit instead of first. It doesn’t give a feeling of spamming and involves only interested users), they can be prompted to add a shortcut to their home screen in one click.
Fast and comparatively cheap updates
Updating a PWA is an inexpensive and very quick process: you simply update your website and your progressive web apps modernize as well. PWAs are always up to date! This option enables the almost immediate reaction to the market changes which is often crucial for startups.
Easily discoverable by users
Content of the app is searchable, indexable (thanks to SEO) and sharable: you can bookmark and share any page that provides a free engagement.
Minimal storage space
As a startup, you are obliged to care about the free storage space on your users’ smartphones. You cannot expect your target audience to be willing to spend their precious 30-100 MB on your product, and that’s when PWA is a way forward. Usually, PWAs require under 1MB of space. For example, Twitters’ PWA is merely 0.6MB.
Effective re-engagement
Using service workers for controlling pages, the web Push API for sending updates directly from server to app, and the notifications API for generating system notifications PWA can re-engage users by sending push-notifications whenever there’s new content available.
Quick ROI
Although there are some disadvantages, and iOS fans may struggle with them a bit more than Android users, PWA technology is constantly evolving and improving day by day. Сustom progressive web apps are quick, engaging, robust, and secure, easily discoverable and linkable and likely are the way forward for your startup.
To sum up, we can conclude that PWA for a startup can bring quick ROI as they significantly cut the effort, expenses, and time to market. That enables the quick release of the first version and gives you the possibility to focus on reaching bigger business goals while your product is already working.