Forget fidget spinners – Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are the next big thing for consumers and brands alike. By taking the best functionality of native apps (those designed for a specific device, platform or operating system and leveraging operating system features and functionality to increase speed and performance) and enabling access via a browser and a URL, PWAs can solve real business challenges.
There’s no doubt as a population we are suffering from ‘app fatigue’. MobiLens reported in September 2016 that 51% of UK adults install no apps at all each month on average. There are currently more than two million apps on the App Store and Google Play, rendering it extremely difficult to be ‘discovered’ by users.
Apps may run our lives today, but PWAs could in fact peel the death knell for the App Store, Google Play etc. – and fast. They look like native apps, they smell like native apps and they work… well, actually they work better than native apps. But, this next disruption in web is set to open up the advantages of having your own app to everyone, and at the same time being better, faster and cheaper.
Here’s why we believe PWAs are going to cause many brands to drop their regular apps in the not-too-distant future: