Lightweight apps are a need for almost every industry, especially eCommerce; whether they are an established organization or a startup. Irrespective of the demographics of consumers/ audiences they are targeting, lightweight apps are a boom. This article focuses mainly on building a PrestaShop PWA Mobile App while introducing you to the more benefits of Progressive Web Apps.
You must be aware of the basic nature of a lightweight app that consumes less space on app users’ devices without compromising on the quality & functionality of the app. Also, lightweight apps load the content faster, & in general perform all the tasks faster, when compared to native apps. These two factors help the lightweight apps thrive even in the areas which don’t have a very high-speed internet connection.
Progressive Web Apps or PWAs are a great solution to that. PWAs are not only faster & less space-consuming but also offer a wider array of benefits to both the store owners & the app users. Having a PrestaShop PWA (web app) can do wonders for a business. And building one for your business is now as easy as a pie using a ready-made extension i.e. a PrestaShop PWA Builder module. Before you dive into that, you must skim through the benefits that come with a PWA (web app) for your PrestaShop Store.
Building A Lightweight App Using The PrestaShop PWA Builder:
Step 1: Purchase PrestaShop PWA Mobile App Builder from the KnowBand. Install this module on your PrestaShop website.
Step 2: Fill the app pre-requisite form provided by KnowBand.
Step 3: Review your developed PrestaShop web-app & confirm to make it live.
This PWA Mobile App for PrestaShop easily builds a Progressive Web App derived from your own PrestaShop eCommerce website. No sort of coding is required with this extension. The friendly admin panel allows the store admin to make changes and manage Progressive Web Application. Even the home page of the PWA app can be designed via various layouts. The layouts can be crafted and designed using intuitive color schemes, attractive banners, images, etc.
Features Of PrestaShop PWA Mobile App:
Because of its rich features & possibility for customizations, Progressive Apps are gaining more popularity among businesses every year. PWAs & its hybrid versions have in fact been labeled as the future of apps & eCommerce businesses can thrive the most out of it.
Other Advantages Of A PrestaShop PWA App:
- Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are less space-consuming & faster than traditional mobile apps (native apps). PWAs are faster, even for eCommerce sites like on PrestaShop, because the content of the page progressively downloads as the user keeps browsing. Also, note that PWAs are web-based applications coded in HTML, CSS & javascript, hence the name ‘Progressive Web App’.
- A single PrestaShop PWA app can run on every operating system i.e. on Android, iOS, Windows, etc. This is because PWAs run on internet browsers. The same is not possible with Native Apps because you would need to build 2 native apps- one for android & another for iOS, both in different programming languages.
- PWAs appear exactly like a native mobile app once the visitors browsing your PrestaShop site add the PWA to their home screen.
- Because PWAs are web applications, you do not need to publish your PrestaShop PWA on play store or app store in order to make it available to your audience. Hence, there is no dependency on mobile app stores with PWAs.
- Progressive Web Apps can be easily shared by your site/ app users using just a URL. New users do not need to download & install your app before using it. They can directly access your PrestaShop web app from their browsers & then choose to directly add it to their home screen. And that’s when it would start to act like a native app with the app icon on their devices home screen & in their menu.
- Progressive Web Apps can also use most of the features of the device (smartphones/ tablets) like cameras, microphones, etc. Although, the use of geofencing & NFC in PWAs is still to come in near the future.
- PWAs also allows you to send Push Notifications to your app users just like a native app would.
- PWAs use secure URLs (https://) hence you do not need to worry about the security concerns.
- Progressive web apps are easier to update & maintain. Your PrestaShop web app users won’t need to manually update their PWAs. That’s a task involved with native apps, not with PWAs.
Conclusion:
As owning a PWA app for your PrestaShop store has become easier & affordable, it’s a great time to go for these web apps. Utilizing the PrestaShop PWA Builder module is a smart way to build your web app. We, at KnowBand also offer native (Android and iOS) apps for PrestaShop. Check them out from below:
PrestaShop Advanced Marketplace With Mobile App
If you have any queries related to this app maker module, feel free to email us at support@knowband.com. We would love to hear your valuable comments!!