An Insight into Google Progressive Web Apps

Google Progressive web apps (PWA) are basically mobile websites that offer the high performance of mobile applications. In short, they are websites that function like native apps.

The pages can be copied to the home screen and user can continue working on it as they do on an app. This eliminates the need for downloading an application.

Google’s Introduction

The concept was introduced by Google at the I/O Conference recently and is set to be a game-changer in the app development market.

This form of web apps that combine the best of web and applications are useful to users who can directly make a visit to the browser tab without the formality of having to install the app on their device. Their key features are that they download quickly, independent of network speed, and send relevant push notifications.

Further, they are present on the home screen for quick access via an icon and offer a full-screen experience. Google uses, what is called the “app-shell” method to build these websites and they can be made available to the user in the offline mode too.

Why PWA – Myntra- Flipkart Case Study?

A leading Indian e-Commerce brand, Myntra took the bold step of launching a mobile app only store and watched its profits plummet for the duration it stayed app-only.

Its parent company, Flipkart, another leading e-Commerce company tried following the footsteps and even launched extensive marketing campaigns with heavy discounts but struggled to hold the market.

Customers only kept the app for the duration of the purchase and uninstalled the app once they were through making the purchase. They were the first to make the app u-turn and were soon followed by Myntra.

Though mobile browsing has increased across the country with Flipkart witnessing 70% orders from mobile, they uninstall rate of their mobile apps is also equally high.

Flipkart Lite

The new Flipkart Lite, a PWA, adheres to the mobile-first experience and is a technically-advanced app that delivers the native app performance. Its key features are –

• Fast loading – apps load instantly and are highly reliable, even in a slow network. The animation, scrolling and navigation are all seamless
• Home screen Icon – with the web app install banner, user can quickly add the app to the banner and is easy to launch
• Push Notifications – regular and relevant push notifications can be sent to user even when the browser is closed
• Security – User information remains secure with HTTPS connection
• Responsive – the app can be made responsive to apt codes and structure provided in the Google SDK

PWA presents an answer for businesses looking to deliver app-like performance to their users on their websites. It is also apt for users who want to use the services of a company without downloading their mobile application development to maintain free space on their device.

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