Mobile phones are one of the most extensively used devices by online buyers. Smartphones influence the majority of online sales and, therefore, to thrive in the eCommerce marketplace, improving the mCommerce experience of the buyers is a must. However, the majority of merchants are still hung up on old ways of operating an online store. As a result, they experience an increase in bounce rates and abandoned cart rates.
To convert mobile device users into long-term buyers, merchants must include solutions that make navigation through mobile devices easier. And one of the most effective ways to achieve this is to create a Progressive Web Application for their business. These are affordable solutions to Native android and IOS applications and are known to provide users better navigation experience in their mobile browsers.
What is PWA?
A PWA is basically a web application that runs on mobile browsers and delivers an app-like navigation experience. Unlike native mobile apps, PWA doesn’t have to be installed on the user’s smartphone, and can easily be accessed through the browser. It is a pocket-friendly alternative to traditional mobile application development.
Moreover, eCommerce stores like Magento provide users with specialized tools and libraries to implement PWA on their websites. This can significantly assist merchants in improving their M-commerce conversion rate and user experience.
How to implement PWA in Magento?
In Magento, there are basically two ways through which merchants can efficiently implement a personalized Progressive web app in their online store. Either merchants can use Magento PWA Studio to build a custom PWA or they can use a Vue storefront as well.
Choosing the best PWA platform for Magento always boils down to the business requirement and availability of resources. Let’s take a look into both of these alternatives for creating PWA in the Magento eCommerce store:
Magento PWA Studio
Magento PWA studio provides merchants a set of PWA tools based upon React.js that enables them to apply the elements of Progressive web apps in their online stores. It provides merchants with the latest frontend architecture and open web APIs for enhancing store performance. It has the following features:
Magento PWA sports an easy setup with the Magento backend. And Magento development services can get started with the PWA development in an instant with it.
Magento PWA Studio comes with the tools that enable eCommerce developers to use GraphQL APIs. This helps merchants in avoiding the over-fetching of data.
With Magento PWA, merchants also access 24/7 assistance from Magento during the development process. This also plays a key role in
Vue.js Storefront
Vue Storefront is a platform-agnostic and open-source Progressive Web Application built on Vue.js. It can work with any eCommerce platform backend as it is designed with a headless structure. It offers the following amazing features to merchants:
Vue storefront enhances the data synchronization process for merchants. As it allows developers to write JS code on both server and client-side.
Vue storefront also sports offline browser storage and allows native API caching for better performance.
From the discussion above, we can say that both Vue storefront and Magento PWA Studio offer merchants great facilities for setting up their PWA. However, for merchants who need more customization, choosing Magento PWA studio which enables them to design their PWA from scratch would be a perfect choice. Whereas for merchants who can’t afford to hire eCommerce developers adapting to Vue Storefront would be a wiser option.
Potential benefits of implementing PWA in eCommerce stores
Magento merchants can either choose the Vue.js Storefront or they can make use of Magento PWA studio for implementing the concept of Progressive Web App. The final choice amongst these two would always boil down to factors such as expertise and future vision for the store. However, implementing PWA in any suitable method can provide merchants amazing benefits such as:
Improved Load Time
With the help of a PWA, merchants can easily improve their eCommerce store’s performance. As it is specifically designed to provide mobile and desktop users seamless performance by providing improved load speed and fast interactions.
Enhanced Mobile Navigation Experience
PWAs are designed to provide mobile device users a native app-like experience while browsing an eCommerce store online. Further, it can also be installed on a device by the user to provide a native app presence without taking much space. Hence, its use helps merchants in improving the mobile navigation experience of their users.
Offline Access
PWA stores also enable users to browse offline as well. This makes the sudden interruptions in the buyer’s navigation minimum and improves their overall experience.
Conclusion
PWAs can aid merchants in providing their users better navigation experience on both desktop and mobile devices. Further, its app-like presence and offline access can aid businesses in showcasing their products to a larger range of target users without the complication of native applications. Hence, we can say that by implementing Progressive web apps, merchants can easily enhance their user’s experience and achieve better conversions as well.
Author Bio:
Adity Chakraborty is a Passionate content creator working with The Brihaspati Infotech. She has 2 years of experience in creating content about potent software solutions that can aid merchants in transforming their online business.