As the online market grows, developers and businesses look for ways to make their products and applications reach their customers and target audience faster and efficiently. And building progressive web apps offer several benefits like speed, offline navigation, and low development cost. PWAs are a huge help when engaging your audience and reaching for a wider user base.

One interesting fact is that this technology is already being used by top players. Google, AliExpress, and Flipkart reached a 50-100% increase in retention and conversion rates.

Let’s now look at what these progressive web apps are and how your business can benefit from them.

• What is a Progressive Web App?
• What is The Benefit of a Progressive Web App to Your Business?
• What Are Some Examples of Progressive Web Apps?
• How Does Progressive Web App Benefit Developers?
• How Progressive Web Apps Can Drive Business Success?
• What is PWA’s Advantages And Disadvantages?
• What Exactly Makes Something a Progressive Web App?
• What Are The Benefits of Web Applications For Businesses?
• What Are The Benefits and Advantages of Web-based Information Systems?
• What Are The Advantages of Using Apps?

What is a Progressive Web App?

In 2015, Designer Frances Berriman and Google engineer Alex Russell were the first to coin the term progressive web application. The term defines apps that take advantage of cutting-edge features supported by modern browsers, allowing developers to have web applications that look just like native applications.

Read Also: Wearable App Development Company in New York

PWAs use manifests, service workers, and web-based features combined with progressive technology to enhance user experience and provide a product that resembles native mobile applications.

Progressive Web Apps are web applications based on standard web technologies with the addition of the newest javascript features. With such a combination, it is possible to create ultra-fast web pages with PWA, that provide improved user experience, better visitor engagement, and increased conversion rates.

In addition, they bridge the gap between responsive web pages and mobile apps. PWA technology expands the common understanding of web pages. Progressive Web Apps can be saved on desktops like native Android or iOS app.

The developer community has already noticed the great potential of Progressive Web Apps. We observe launches of new web stores each week that bring significant benefits for business owners.

What is The Benefit of a Progressive Web App to Your Business?

Progressive web apps aim to combine features found both in websites and native apps. They mimic the looks and feel of native applications while being much lighter. A well-built PWA is so similar to native apps that users have difficulty identifying it as a PWA.

So let’s take a look at some of the key benefits of building progressive web apps to understand how it works.

Light on Data Usage and Storage

While native applications require users to go to an app store, download, install, and give the application all the required permissions to run, these steps give users plenty of time to reconsider. Additionally, users might avoid it entirely when applications are too big or use too much data.

Progressive web applications are like websites, loading everything on the spot. As a result, data usage and size become a non-issue, significantly increasing the user’s chance to stick with the PWA.

PWA Apps Work Offline

Offline navigation is one of the most desired features for users. It avoids losing access to critical data and services if your connection drops.

PWA allows offline navigation by caching and storing part of the data displayed in the app. They utilize service worker capabilities to provide data while also enhancing performance by dealing with cached resources, managing networks, and enabling push notifications, even offline.

Great Performance

PWA loads faster by using service workers running in the background to do the heavy lifting. These scripts run separately from the web page and prefetch all the necessary data to keep navigation fast and seamless. And since the scripts aren’t running on the page, they do not contribute to page load times.

After the data is cached, app navigation becomes almost instantaneous. Users can even add the app to their home screen and have it ready to go without loading any resources.

Platform and Device Agnostic

Native development ensures the best performance and a tailor-made experience for the developed platform. However, the downside is requiring the project to be developed twice and fine-tuned to each device.

Building progressive web apps focus on looks, feel, cross-platform support, and total device support. Even big names like Starbucks, Twitter, TikTok, and Forbes have opted to use progressive web applications due to their reduced cost and full compatibility.

Issues like device incompatibility and unsupported resolutions are gone when using PWAs, as modern web browser technologies ensure the app correctly fits any device.

Smaller Development Cost

Developing a genuinely native application requires two completely different codebases. For instance, native projects need devs versed in Kotlin or JAVA for Android and Swift or Objective-C for iOS development. In addition, developing and maintaining two separate code bases becomes costly very fast.

On the other hand, progressive web applications use common programming languages like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, and maintenance requires a single team focusing exclusively on web development. Moreover, finding a team experienced in web development is easier and cheaper since web technologies have been around for a long time.

Looks, Feel and Performs Like Native Apps

Progressive web applications have the looks, flair, and sophistication you expect from native apps. From shadows, buttons, round corners, and characteristic fonts without any hassles from native apps. No need to make an account, install anything or mess with permissions.

Progressive apps can even interact with systems like sharing, audio recording, camera, push notifications, and geolocation. And features like reading QR codes or user location for promotions and alerts near the user are still well within the capabilities of a well-built PWA.

Removes The Need for Third-party App Distribution

Publishing your application on an app store adds another cost to the project. Some stores demand a fee and require the project to go through a bureaucratic and lengthy publishing and validation process before the app can reach your final customer. This process adds expenses and increases your average market time, sometimes leading to lost opportunity windows for commercial holidays or publishing untested builds to meet a deadline.

However, you can skip the entire app store issue when working with a PWA. As long as the user has a modern browser like Chrome or Firefox, they can access your app and receive updates without downloading different versions or waiting for another verification round, making PWAs convenient for consumers and businesses alike.

More Benefits of PWAs for businesses:

• no middleman is involved in the app download & installation
• independence in the app update process
• undisturbed digital journey with weak or non-existent connectivity
• short loading time, even in traffic peaks
• higher user engagement and conversion rates
• support in search results (thanks to mobile-first approach)
• seamless onboarding from social channels (Instagram, etc). and higher marketing ROI
• decreased Cost of User Acquisition (CAC)
• increased cross-platform conversion
• all-in-one processes of development, updates and product information

What Are Some Examples of Progressive Web Apps?

There are several practical applications of progressive web applications we use daily. Here are some examples of large companies that managed to turn failure into growth by leveraging the advantages of PWA development.

Pinterest

When Pinterest released its app, the social network aimed to increase its international reach. However, the app had low user conversion rates, as most users would not install their native application, and those that installed would quickly uninstall it. Furthermore, after releasing their app, internal data revealed that only about 1% of the app users would register in the social network or keep the app.

After investigating the problem, Pinterest discovered that the app performance was suboptimal on mobile devices. They used this information to invest in the cheaper and lightweight PWA, rebuilding their app from the ground up. After the move to PWA, the faster load times increased app usage, user engagement, and ad-generated revenue.

Twitter

For a long time, Twitter struggled to create a captivating mobile experience. Users frequently complained about long load times, poor performance, and unresponsiveness while using the app. To solve this issue, they released Twitter Lite made with PWA. It was a huge success and significantly increased user engagement, propelling Twitter as one of the largest social networks.

OnlyFans

OnlyFans is a bastion of diverse content and is mainly known for its mature content. Unfortunately, companies like Google and Apple avoid allowing OnlyFans and similar apps into their store because of their policies against explicit content.

However, they managed to rise above the rest and thrive by using PWA. The technology allows users to install their app directly from their website, bypassing store policies. This allows OnlyFans total control of payment options and published content while being lightweight and intuitive.

TikTok

TikTok is incredibly lightweight, but when their PWA was first released, TikTok didn’t intend to use it for optimization or to get a bigger piece of the social network market. Instead, they took advantage of the much lower costs and fast development of PWAs to deal with a legal situation.

In 2020, the social network needed a quick and cheap way to dodge the App Store ban in the United States. Building a PWA was TikTok’s affordable and efficient way of keeping a presence while they fought the Trump administration to keep operating in the USA.

TikTok is one of the best PWAs on the market for its simplicity and accessibility. You could add it to your phone right now with no hassle by visiting tiktok.com on your mobile web browser, navigating to the bottom of the page, and tapping on “Add app to Home Screen.” While it might seem like an installed app, it’s simply a great PWA that perfectly showcases the future direction other apps might take.

Uber

Many users on slower 2G connections had issues using Uber’s app. It has a large size and intensive data usage, which pushes away users with slower network connections.

Embracing PWA helped users with slow network connections and older hardware, increasing Uber’s customer base and pleasing riders with low-end devices. With it, users can load up Uber’s PWA within a few seconds, even on 2G.

After the app loads, it updates only vital information like prices and available drivers while still sending push notifications to keep users informed.

The Washington Post

Since 2016, the popular news website had considerably faster page loading times when compared to its mobile website, which led to superior conversion rates and an expressive increase in the number of users who would return within seven days.

They used Progressive Web Application technology, together with Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages and some in-house technology to produce one of the fastest news websites to date, with an average page load time of less than one second.

Starbucks

Starbucks rolled out the first version of its PWA in 2017. It has increased responsiveness, faster page load times, and a customized user experience.

Essential feature implementations that improved quality of life were possible due to PWA. Features like changing orders, checking nutritional product information, and browsing the catalog, all while offline. According to Google, the implementation of PWA doubled the number of daily users for Starbucks.

How Does Progressive Web App Benefit Developers?

Progressive Web Apps are based on common web standards like JavaScript, CSS, and HTML, and so, compared to native apps, they seem to be easy to build. In some, not very sophisticated, projects, it is true; that a PWA can be built from scratch by an internal team of front-end developers relatively easily.

However, in the case of more complicated sites, stores, or marketplaces, it could be tricky. When a company has plenty of different systems that are linked with one another very tightly, any changes – PWAs included – need to be made with extra caution.

That is the “dirty work” that rests on the shoulders of techies. They must find a way to implement the marketers’ idea about seamless UX and make sure everything works. It is an issue in most eCommerce platforms, often due to old, outdated technology stacks.

However, with microservices and headless architecture, it is a breeze. The newest PWA frameworks and ready-to-use solutions enable developers to turn a site into a Progressive Web App without any interference with the eCommerce engine. They can separate the front-end from the platform’s back-end while supporting sales and marketing teams with a new, agile way of doing UX.

Thanks to working with e.g. Vue Storefront, developers are building strong frontend and JavaScript competencies and gaining experience valuable in more than just eCommerce projects. Moreover, they don’t have to wait an eternity to see the effects of their efforts.

The time-to-market of products based on PWA frameworks is about several months, but it takes just 160 working hours to test out a fully-featured Vue Storefront proof of concept for eCommerce PWA.

Benefits of PWAs for developers:

• modern development approach
• positive developer experience
• possibility to work with headless architecture
• no need for separate app development for iOS and Android OS
• no need for paid developer accounts on App Store or Google Play
• short time to market (it is possible to launch a PWA in 160Wh)
• independence of the backend with PWA platform-agnostic solutions

How Progressive Web Apps Can Drive Business Success?

Being a business owner who is just starting a business can be difficult. The number one objective of why you own the business – to earn money – itself can become difficult to achieve when all you have is a website that your HTML expert friend started and now has fallen behind in the trends department.

And while on one side there’s an outdated website on the other there is this conscious and costly need of the hour to go mobile if you wish to stay in the business. Posing as the solution of the founder’s dilemma is Progressive Web App Development.

While we have already seen what is a Progressive Web App, it is time to see what it can do for startups and small and medium enterprises.

1. Get More Returning Visitors

Getting people to remember that you exist can be one of the most difficult tasks on the planet. But the fact that the users only add your PWA after ensuring that your website has everything that they demand, brings you one step closer to becoming frequent. Also, the fact that PWA gets placed in the Home Screen of the devices makes it super easy for the users to be reminded of you every time they unlock their device.

2. Capture New Leads

Business cannot run on thin air. This is something everyone knows. But, what businesses find difficult is getting their hands on the exact insights into the customer’s psyche.

With PWA however, the moment users install your app you know how they will interact with the app next. Once in, you can send them info on the latest products and services with an instantaneous pop-up on the basis of the count of their visits, pages visited, and the location to which they belong to.

In short, unlike native apps or websites, the lead refining process which results from progressive web app development is much easier and direct, making it convenient for the sales and marketing team to direct their efforts.

3. Keep Visitors Hooked Even with no Network

Unlike the Native Apps, PWAs give you the ability to be operational even in the absence of network connectivity.

This way, users are able to remain hooked within the app even when the internet connection is missing and are able to experience the same native app experience under all network conditions.

4. To Combine the Best of Websites and Mobile Apps

PWA offers the best of Websites and Mobile Apps. The technology takes what’s best in both mobile apps and websites and offers one solution on the startups to base and flourish their business on.

Progressive Web Apps Features that it Gets from Websites –

• Instant Browser Access
• Real-Time Loading
• Google Indexing and Link Redirection

Features of Progressive Web Apps that it gets from Mobile Apps –

• Push Notifications
• The start screen of that of an app
• Offline Content access provision
• Full-Screen Ability

5. For Automatic Content Update

One of the main benefits of Progressive Web Apps for businesses lies in offering real-time updated content to the end-users. By being in sync with the databases in real-time, it becomes very easy for businesses to offer real-time information updates every time they launch the application.

The functionality comes in very handy for businesses who rely on constant content change like restaurant or eCommerce platforms.

6. For Boosting Branding Awareness

With the Native apps from big brands taking up space on the side screens of the users, Progressive Web App Development enables SMEs to place their logo on the home screens of the million users thus helping in securing the visibility of the brand and boosting the top-of-mind awareness program for the consumers.

In addition to this, PWAs also enable a specific splash screen and full-screen experience with more than 78.25% long user sessions as compared to websites and apps, showing a picture that the SMEs can definitely expect a much higher engagement from customers when they use PWA.

7. For Affordable Mobile Presence

PWAs offer SMEs an affordable alternative to a native mobile app to the end-users.

With over 50% of search queries coming in from mobile, Google has shifted its focus on mobile-first websites. In a scenario like this, PWAs can help startups drive greater mobile traffic by offering users facilities like less data usage, less storage spending, and much faster load time.

All the benefits mentioned here are hinting toward a time when PWA is getting prepared to replace Native apps in the mobility world.

What is PWA’s Advantages And Disadvantages?

All main advantages and disadvantages of Progressive Web Apps stem from the fact that PWAs merge the convenience and reach of the web with the functionality of native mobile apps.

Advantages

Offline mode

PWAs can be cached by the web browser and used even when offline. That’s great news for businesses with product catalogs because it allows their customers to browse products even when not connected to the internet, increasing user engagement rates and potentially leading to higher revenue.

Improved performance

“53% of users will abandon a site if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load! And once loaded, users expect them to be fast—no janky scrolling or slow-to-respond interfaces,” states Google on its website.

Because PWAs utilize the so-called service workers, which are JavaScript files that run separately from the main browser thread and proactively control the caching of assets, they can deliver much better performance than traditional web apps.

No installation or manual updates required

To use Twitter’s progressive web app, there’s no need to visit the Play Store or App Store to install it. Users can simply visit mobile.twitter.com and log in without any delays. When Twitter updates its PWA, users don’t have to install it manually – all new features and bug fixes are available without any manual action required.

Of course, users are not the only ones who benefit from seamless updates. A company that releases and maintains a PWA can expect to receive less customer support requests from users who still have an outdated version of the app, and the company can release updates as often as it wants without angering its users.

Platform-specific features

No list of the main advantages and disadvantages of Progressive Web Apps can be complete without mentioning the fact that PWAs can take advantage of many platform-specific features. For example, PWAs can live on the user’s home screen and deliver web push notifications that appear just like regular push notifications. They can run in full screen, change display orientation, start with a custom splash screen, access locational data, and much more.

Low on data

In emerging markets like India, Columbia, Pakistan, or South Africa, mobile data is much more expensive than in developed countries. PWAs are much smaller than mobile apps, and they require a lot less bandwidth than traditional web apps because they can take much better advantage of caching.

Tinder’s PWA, for example, is just 2.8 MB large, whereas its Android app is whooping 30 MB in size. That’s a massive difference for someone who doesn’t have unlimited mobile data and can’t readily connect to a reliable Wi-Fi network.

App store independent

PWAs are app store-independent, which is great news for smaller businesses and independent app developers that don’t want to pay Apple’s annual fee of $99 or Google’s lifetime fee of $25 just to get their app published. Of course, not depending on an app store also frees app developers to create any app they want without being shackled by Google’s and Apple’s app store policies and restrictions.

Disadvantages

Compatibility with iOS

Since iOS 11.3, it’s been possible to run PWAs on Apple devices, but you can forget about compatibility with older devices. What’s more, Apple doesn’t allow PWAs to access many important features, including Touch ID, Face ID, ARKit, Bluetooth, serial, Beacons, altimeter sensor, and even battery information.

Issues with legacy devices

PWAs have been around for just a few years, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that older mobile devices with outdated web browsers don’t support them too well. While this problem will inevitably solve itself in the future, it may be a source of customer complaints for some companies.

PWAs can’t do everything

As capable as PWAs are compared to traditional web apps, they can’t do everything mobile apps can do. Because they are written in JavaScript, they are not as battery efficient as apps written in native languages, such as Kotlin or Swift.

Their performance is also not as good as the performance of native apps, which has a lot to do with the fact that JavaScript is a single-threaded programming language. At the moment, access to certain important device features is still missing, including Bluetooth, proximity sensors, ambient light, advanced camera controls, and others.

What Exactly Makes Something a Progressive Web App?

A Progressive Web App is functionally defined by the technical properties that allow the browser to detect that the site meets certain criteria and is worthy of being added to the homescreen. These criteria are motivated by user-experience concerns. Apps on the homescreen:

• Should load instantly, regardless of the network state. This isn’t to say that they need to function fully offline, but they must put their own UI on screen without requiring a network round trip.
• Should be tied in the user’s mind to where they came from. The brand or site behind the app shouldn’t be a mystery.
• Can run without extra browser chrome (e.g., the URL bar). This is a potentially dangerous permission. To prevent hijacking by captive portals (and worse), apps must be loaded over TLS connections.

These concerns give rise to today’s Baseline Criteria. To be a Progressive Web App, a site must:

• Originate from a Secure Origin. Served over TLS and green padlock displays (no active mixed content).
• Load while offline (even if only a custom offline page). By implication, this means that Progressive Web Apps require Service Workers.
• Reference a Web App Manifest with at least the following properties:
  • name
  • short_name
  • start_url
  • display with a value of standalone or fullscreen
  • An icon at least 144×144 large in png format. E.g.: "icons": [ { "src": "https://i0.wp.com/megaincomestream.com/images/icon-144.png", "sizes": "144x144", "type": "image/png" } ]

Browsers do not enforce these requirements uniformly but if a browser does prompt for installation, sites that do these things will be installable today.

Plugged-in readers may note that no browser enforces the requirements about loading quickly on flaky connections or loading while offline. Enforcement is coming shortly; at least to Chrome.

Good-to-Haves

Some criteria are situational or specific to particular form factors. For example, an immersive game may need to run full-screen and may only want to work in a single orientation. That set of choices is an anti-pattern for a news app. Similarly, not every app needs to send users Push Notifications.

This means that the following should be thought of as a score over-and-above the lowest passing grade. In US educational terms, doing well in these criteria will be the difference between a C- and an A-:

• Mobile-friendly design.
  • From correct viewport specification to tap-target size, it’s important that PWAs work well across form factors and screen sizes. Responsive Design can reduce the time and effort required to achieve this.
• Near-instant loading.
  • Progressive Web Apps should be interactive (loaded and free of long-running scripts) in less than 5 seconds on a representative connection on a representative device (see below) before a Service Worker is installed.
  • Once the Service Worker is active, apps should load (be interactive) in less than a 2 seconds. This should not vary with network state.
• Work across devices & browsers.
  • A well-built site must work for 90+% of all users in its market.
  • While Progressive Enhancement is ideal, it’s possible to meet this requirement with multiple versions, although having multiple domains (e.g. “m.*”) is something to avoid if possible.
• Fluid animations.
  • Visual transitions should not stutter or jank.

A+ Progressive Web Apps

A+ apps need to meet the highest experience bar. To hit this bar, A+ Progressive Web Apps (in addition to the above) should:

• Be mobile-friendly, not mobile-only.
  • For most sites Responsive Design is appropriate. Teams that do not build multiple versions of their site should ensure their apps work equally well in desktop, mobile, and all form factors in between.
• Implement high-quality UI/UX that makes the experience feel highly interactive.
  • Some useful tips for this are explored in the Medium post ‘*Designing Great UIs for Progressive Web App*s’
• Communicate offline state appropriately.
  • Users should be able to understand what actions they can take while offline. They should not get “stranded” tapping on links to sections of an app that can’t work.
• Be thoughtful about use of Push Notifications and Background Sync.
  • Web Push Notifications and Background Sync can enable timely experiences and thoughtful “outbox” functionality provide a delightful improvement on the status quo.
• Use Contextual introduction of permission requests.

Great UIs take effort to build and polish, but the results can be incredible both for users and businesses. Frameworks are starting to adapt to these demands, e.g. the PRPL pattern and similar architectures for high-performance app loading, making it easier than ever to deliver amazing experiences on the web that hit all of the PWA high notes.

What Are The Benefits of Web Applications For Businesses?

A web application is a computer program that allows you to log in to a web address in order to submit and retrieve data to/from a database over the internet, these programs are developed using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, JS, etc and can be accessed using your preferred web browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, etc.).

Below are some of the benefits your business can derive from web applications;

Improved Efficiency

Having multiple versions of spreadsheets or shuffling around piles of paperwork is not only time-consuming but can also leave your business vulnerable to human errors that are not easily spotted until it’s too late.

What’s more, with no integration between these multiple sources of data, time-consuming and laborious replication of data may be required in order to get a holistic overview of business performance.

Web applications help you streamline your business processes so that you can get more done in less time and with greater accuracy. What’s more, having all your data integrated in one place gives you greater visibility of your business, freeing up staff time and allowing you to run reports that are updated with real-time information.

24 / 7 Accessibility

Given that business systems created by web applications are web-based, they can be accessed 24/7 provided that you have an internet connection. What’s more, they are totally flexible, offering access from almost any device or browser.

When desktop-based software need updating, every single device in which the application is installed will need individually updating. This task usually falls to staff and may be ignored if they are pushed for time, leaving your business vulnerable to security breaches.

Compare this with a web-based application, where a security or functionality update can be rolled out to every version of the web application with zero downtime, giving users instant access to the updated version of the app.

Higher Levels of Security

With desktop-based software, a stolen or damaged computer can be a very costly and time-consuming situation; leaving your data at risk and requiring you to contact your software provider and request for the software to be re-installed on a new device.

With a web-based application (with data stored in the cloud), you have the peace of that should your computer equipment be damaged or stolen, it can very quickly be back to ‘business as usual’.

This is because web applications store information on remote services, so as long as you know your URL (web address), user name and password, you can log-in securely to any computer or mobile device connected to the internet and your business can be up and running again in no time.

Finally, in the event of loss of data through human or program error, data can be quickly restored from the cloud.

Easy Customizable and Scalable

One of the biggest problems clients that comes to us face with off-the-shelf software is that it cannot grow or integrate with their business, or not without expensive upgrades at least.

As a custom web application is made specifically to your business needs, it’s completely flexible and scalable to your business’s demands and growth.

Customizations to the application may include your own branding and having different user permission access levels. By only having features and functions which are relevant to your business,
you’ll reduce training time and can add functionality as your business grows.

Easy Installation and Maintenance

By using a web application, you avoid the hassle and memory usage of installation software on every device, you’ll also find web applications less punishing on older or low spec devices.

As every PC has a browser, installation time is extremely fast and can run in the background whilst staff get on with their other work. Maintenance requirements are generally much lower, with updates and patches rolled out remotely to every device.

What Are The Benefits and Advantages of Web-based Information Systems?

Web-based applications used to be very limited in functionality. However, advances in technology, security, and internet speeds have greatly increased the potential scope of web-based systems.

Today, we have web-based business accounting systems, web-based CRM systems, a web-based Microsoft Office, and more. Web-based applications offer some significant advantages over native, client-based software. Here are just some of the benefits of web-based apps for business.

A web-based system is an application that is accessed via HTTP. The term web-based is usually used to describe applications that run in a web browser. It can, though, also be used to describe applications that have a very small component of the solution loaded on the client PC. The host server for a web-based system could be a local server, or it could be accessed via the internet.

Lower Development Costs

A web-based application runs in a web browser. That means that a single, responsive web application can be used across multiple device types. Although web apps will need to be tested on different browsers, there is no need to test them on different operating systems. This makes development and testing much easier. It cuts development costs and reduces development time.

Easy Installation and Maintenance

Unlike traditional software that is loaded on each device, web applications run from a host server. There is no installation on local machines. Software upgrades are all completed centrally. That reduces the costs of installing and upgrading software. It also ensures that all users are always using the same version of the software.

Accessible Anywhere

Users can access a web-based system anywhere. So long as they have an internet connection, a web browser, and the appropriate login details. This means that users can access the data they need when they are away from the office. It also brings the possibility of staff working from home.

Easy Data Sharing and Collaboration

The sharing of data and collaborating on projects is made much easier with web-based systems. Data is stored in one central location, so users can share data and work together on projects. It is also easier to integrate web-based systems than isolated desktop applications.

Centralized Security

As web apps are installed on web servers, security is controlled by an IT professional. That avoids sensitive corporate information being held on many local client PCs, which are not as secure. Employees can access data when they are away from the office via a web application. So, it is not necessary for data to be held anywhere other than the secure central location.

Reduced Hardware Costs

Web-based systems can eliminate the need for powerful client PCs. Processing is carried out on the host server. The host server can be engineered to efficiently service simultaneous, peak demand. So, the storage, processor, and memory requirements for client PCs can be reduced. Taken across an entire organization, this can represent a large cost saving for some businesses.

Increased Efficiency

In most businesses, the deployment of web-based solutions leads to the streamlining of business processes. Often, paper-based processes can be replaced by workflow-based solutions. The business process improvements can lead to higher employee productivity and lower costs.

Adaptable to Changing Workloads

The deployment of web-based applications requires no software loading on the client PC. All that is needed is the setting up of a new user and the relevant secure access controls. This can be a major benefit for growing businesses, or for seasonal businesses. Users can be added or removed very quickly.

Greater Availability of Information

Web-based systems make it easier to provide access to real-time information. The paper reports that might take days to prepare and distribute can be replaced on online reports and digital dashboards. That can improve the quality and the speed of decision-making, right across an organization.

Web-based custom application development can provide businesses with significant cost savings and productivity improvements. Now that internet access is almost universally available and internet speeds have significantly improved, applications that previously had to be client-based can now be deployed on the web.

Although this is the case in developed Western countries, it is not the case worldwide. In some countries, internet access is unreliable. So, major deployment of web-based applications may still not be possible. International organizations with overseas offices may not yet be able to take full advantage of web-based solutions.

For domestic organizations, though, web-based systems have a promising future. From web-based office applications, like content management systems and productivity applications, to custom web-based software developed specifically for your organization, the foundation of many future software solutions is likely to be web-based.

What Are The Advantages of Using Apps?

1. Mobile Apps are faster

Applications are usually 1.5 times faster than mobile websites and they perform actions much faster too. Applications store their data locally on your device. Allor, data retrieval happens in the blink of an eye. In the case of mobi-sites, data needs to be fetched from the web servers which can take from few seconds to a minute depending upon the network speed and packet sizes.

Another reason is, mobi-sites use JavaScript to run functions and apps run on frameworks that can be five times faster. As all of this happens in the back-end, your users get to perform actions much faster on the front-end delighting them with a seamless experience.

2. Personalized content

Users love highly tailored content according to their preferences. It’s like offering them tailored communication in the language they speak and understand. User-centric personalization is critical in making their experience delightful. Personalization can be based on a user’s interest, behaviors, location, culture etc. And mobile apps make it easy to cater to personalized experiences.

Your mobile app can let users clearly define and set their preferences from the beginning, based on which they can be served customized content. The app will observe their engagement and behavior to offer custom recommendations and filter updates for them depending upon their actual location in real-time. Isn’t that just awesome! It will wow your customers, as having an app is not only about personalization, it’s also to sell your products and services. Right!

3. Instant Online and Offline access

All mobile apps offer instant access by a tap. They allow users to consume their content quickly offering a seamless experience via storing vital data that can be accessed offline too. Some apps like banking, storefronts, retail, finance, games and news work both online and offline. i.e. loading a news item or a game that can be read or played without an internet connection is just wonderful.

Ability to work offline is the most fundamental difference between an application and a mobile website. While apps need an active internet connection to perform critical tasks like payments and notifications, but they still offer basic content and functionality to users even in offline mode. And that’s what makes all the difference between a sale and a bounce.

4. Using device features

Mobile apps have an added advantage where you can code an app into utilizing various features of a native device. So, once downloaded they can use features like a Camera that can scan PFDs, QR and Bar codes, and NFC to use for payments, GPS to connect with maps and other services and an accelerometer, gyro meter and compass that can be utilized for thousands of different purposes.

We are seeing the rise of fingerprint scanned on devices which are yet to be explored and exploited for various apps and solutions.

Read Also: How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Wearable Device?

Another added advantage is that device features can significantly shorten the time users take to initiate and perform an action and fundamentally change the way a user interacts with the device and your applications. Also, iOS, Android, Xamarin and Hybrid app coding platforms all have distinct features and standards that mobile application developers utilize to beautify a user’s experience.

5. Push Notifications and instant updates

In-App notifications are received when a user opens an application on their devices. Push notifications are received on devices regardless a user opens an app or not. Basically, the update and promotional notifications that you receive on your devices on a daily basis are Push Notifications.

Moreover, you can send regular updates via Play store, iTunes, and windows store to your app via OTA, keeping it updated at all times with all the latest features and images, and product listings. It will also allow you to promote products and services regularly increasing your sales and profits.