We all love mobile apps. They are easy to use owing to their great design; they are fast and provide a level of accessibility that neither the business nor the consumer can have with a conventional website.

However, despite all the benefits that it presents to the business, the mobile app has its own limitations – some of which call for a new better way of generating sales leads.

A study seeking to understand the effect of the sign up process to mobile app usage (i.e. consumer app funnel) found that an app will lose up to 20% of its potential users on each step from the moment a user first comes into contact with it to when they start using the app. While 20% looks like a large drop-off rate, it’s hard to imagine that the accurate number lies far outside. I mean, the sign up step alone just makes you want to quit it.

Of course, it’s far from frustrating when you’re downloading Candy Crush or a crossword puzzle. But consider a business app. How much patience are you willing to give a business app and how many business apps would you actually consider having on your smartphone? I’m guessing: Not many.

Enter Progressive Web Apps

Progressive web apps bring in the good features of a native mobile app and the website in a single easy-to-use solution, presenting an instant win for your business.

A progressive web app is basically a website that’s built using the best web technology but also behaves and feels like a native mobile app. This is new technology, having been first proposed by Google in 2015, but it has grown into popularity and is now a seriously considered shift.

Use cases include Flipkart’s popular e-commerce store, Flipkart Lite and Air Berlin which uses a progressive web app for its check-in process. This allows users to access their tickets even without internet connection.

Progressive web apps are convenient for users as they initially eliminate the download and installation process. Once a user finds your app, they can start using it instantly. If they return, they will be asked to install it and get to enjoy more features in the full screen experience. This increases the installation rate as a return user is more likely to install and open it than a first-time user.

Remember push notifications that are so popular with native mobile apps? Well, a progressive mobile app will come with that too, allowing you to enjoy the high retention rates recorded in mobile apps with push notifications.

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