“Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are the future of mobile shopping,” said everyone, while it’s not really clear. If you are a Magento merchant wondering whether it makes sense to invest in upgrading your website to a Magento, read this article since it will reveal notable things about PWA for Magento 2.
Table of Contents
1. PWA Changes your Magento Website Comprehensively
A lot of merchants thought that upgrading to Magento Progressive Web App is the process of developing and integrating new functions into the current website. This viewpoint is completely wrong. The frontend is entirely replaced by the PWA storefront which is connected to the backend through a gate called API.
The new storefront can be designed to have the exact same appearance as the old frontend design. However, the underlying codebase is entirely different.
There are major advantages of the new PWA storefront compared to the old frontend.
Firstly, the new storefront is easily added to the device’s home screen, making your users feel like an app thus increasing mobile-friendliness.
Secondly, it comes with a faster loading page speed which is one of the most important factors for ranking your store in Google searches.
Thirdly, it will automatically cache the preloaded content in your store for offline usage, so your customers can still access visited pages when they do not connect to the Internet.
2. It is not Only for Mobile Devices
The second thinking mistake is the purpose of converting Magento websites into PWAs only to serve mobile users, making the website more mobile-friendly or simply an alternative to native app development. But Magento PWA is more than that. It brings many benefits not only for mobile devices but also for desktops or other large-screen devices.
For example, your users can still add PWA to the desktop home screen for easy access. Then, they can receive push notifications in the right corner of the screen, access your site when in offline mode, enjoy fast page loading speed, etc.
3. Magento PWA Extensions is not Recommended
There are many solutions to convert your website to a Magento PWA, in which the way to use the Magento 2 PWA extension is widely known because it is often free or cheap (less than $300).
Moreover, lots of people fall in love with this PWA integration solution because Magento PWA extensions are as easy to install as any other Magento extension.
However, everything has its two sides, sometimes it’s not wise to just follow the crowd. You should take into consideration its disadvantages and may not use PWA extensions because:
- Those extensions offer very little PWA functionality. Only simple functions will be added although most Magento extension development companies advertise that their products are fully provided with PWA features. Check the extension demos and you will see it.
- Most of the PWA extensions have unstable performance because they often depend on Google API.
Therefore, instead of using PWA extensions, merchants should find more optimal solutions such as using Magento Progressive Web App Theme.
4. Magento PWA Theme is Totally Different from Regular Magento Themes
Normal Magento themes only focus on changing the website design. Most of them are easy to install and configure.
In comparison, for Magento PWA templates, website design is just a non-essential factor. You can use a new design of the PWA theme or customize the theme to make it similar to your old website.
In other words, apart from the design, PWA themes for Magento websites give prominence to special features of PWA.
Installing the PWA theme is quite complicated, which must be implemented by a developer to have a lot of experience in Magento PWA development. Therefore, Magento frontend developers without understanding about PWA cannot help you with the theme.
Another difference between a Magento theme and a PWA theme is about the change of website structure after using the themes.
If you install the regular theme, the frontend website remains the same, only the design changes. However, if you install the PWA theme, the frontend will be replaced by the PWA storefront (as mentioned in the previous section).
Among the Magento 2 PWA themes on the market, TigrenPWA theme is one of the best choices.
Tigren’s Magento PWA theme offers full PWA features, which will take your customer experience to the next level and guarantee more online orders from them in the future. Additionally, this theme is based on Magento PWA Studio so it totally follows strict Magento coding standards.
5. Most Magento Extensions are Incompatible with PWA Storefront
When converting a Magento website to PWA, merchants need to know that most of the extensions they are installing on the website might not be able to run on the PWA. Only extensions that work in the backend only are not affected by the PWA development process.
There are two solutions proposed to help you maintain the functions of your existing extensions.
- You will need to develop APIs to connect those extensions with the new PWA storefront.
- You will dismiss incompatible extensions and develop the same features directly on PWA.
6. Converting Magento Website to PWA is cheaper than Developing a Native App
PWA for Magento 2 runs on a single codebase thus it can be launched on both Android and iOS operating systems.
On the contrary, each native app runs on only one operating system (Android or iOS).
Consequently, PWAs take less time and effort to develop than native apps. As a result, it will require a lower cost.
Not only the app development costs but the maintenance costs (in the long term) are also cheaper.
Moreover, to develop PWA for Magento we can use ready-made themes, which makes the cost of acquiring a PWA more affordable.
All things considered, if you want to improve user experience by offering the app-like experience while having a tight budget, you should consider Magento PWA development.
7. PWA is Still New for Magento Stores
Although PWA has been first introduced for a long time (since 2015), only a small number of Magento stores have integrated this technology. It’s high time to seize opportunities and create your competitive advantage.
On top of that, if you integrate PWA when it is still strange for many people, the cost you have to pay might be more rational than in the future when every store races against each other to implement PWA.
Final Words
Hope that you have gained new perspectives on both opportunities and risks in developing PWA for Magento; and more importantly, come up with a suitable plan to transform your site.
Last but not least, PWA is vital for any business that wants to enhance the user experience and keep ahead of the competition. If you want to create your PWA, do it now!