Web Apps Are Fast Enough for E-Commerce. Is it Time to Discard Native Apps?

  • By Varun Bhagat
  • 12-02-2020
  • Web Apps
web app development

Do you remember the days when you used to open a website on a browser in order to shop and an app icon used to appear requesting you to ‘install’ to have a better experience? Well, that time has transformed as now Web apps have become fast enough for eCommerce and other sites.

Now you must have seen people removing unnecessary apps as all popular browsers like Chrome, Safari, etc are providing better speed and there is not that much need to install an app like previous days, especially for eCommerce sites which used to ask to install an app.

All famous eCommerce sites like Amazon, Walmart, or Dollar Shave Club have high-class mobile apps. However, the shopping experience on the browser has become more relaxing and better. However, it does not mean that eCommerce businesses should stop making use of Mobile apps and go only for web apps. Mobile apps have become an important part of the eCommerce businesses and are going to generate revenues in the coming time.

According to Mind sea In 2016, the total revenue from mobile app downloads, advertising, and in-app purchases was $88 billion—this number is projected to pass $188 billion in 2020.

revenue from mobile app downloads

The reason behind this growth is that mobile apps look more attractive as well as provide multiple features that cannot be provided by the browser-based counterparts. So, it is really necessary to have a mobile app for your eCommerce business.

Reasons why e-commerce store still needs a mobile application

Let’s have a quick look at some of the highlights which clearly shows the need for a mobile app for eCommerce business:

1. Flexibility

flexibility

One of the major advantages of mobile apps is that they provide great flexibility and can be customized according to the user’s needs. For example, it can be customized according to the brands, design, requirements, interest, push notifications, and personalization.

On the other hand, the web app is not that much flexible as it has to remain in the browser limits and is unable to solve complex data instantly. But mobile apps can perform all processes easily in a shorter span of time with good results.

2. Mobile apps access device features

Another advantage of having a mobile app is that they can access device features as they can interact with sensors, fingerprint scanner-based eCommerce, camera for AR, QR code, NFC for payments, contacts, etc. Talking about a web app, it could be said that they do not usually connect with device features.

3. Mobile apps remain active even when there is no internet

mobile apps remain active
There is one more advantage of a mobile app which is that it does not require an instant internet connection to remain active. But something that is opened in a browser needs a strong internet connection.

An app has the capability to store data on a local device and this helps it to continue working even without internet connectivity.

4. Mobile apps are faster than web apps

apps are faster than web apps
This is one of the most basic factors that Mobile apps are faster than web apps. Apart from this, mobile apps are really helpful to make customer interactions easy and seamless. This is the major reason why consumers spend more time on apps than websites.

On the other hand, if mobile apps are helpful and useful in so many ways, then what is the reason that some brands prefer to be on web applications?

The reason behind this is that. Both mobile apps and web apps have their own pros and cons. Consider these facts:

Yes, it is one of the biggest factors that regular or loyal customers like to use mobile apps for shopping. But it is the duty of the businesses to keep in consideration the seasonal shoppers too. There are some customers who sometimes visit your brand just by searching it on google. So it is highly needed that those customers who sometimes visit, should also be entertained with proper speed and performance. This is the reason why eCommerce brands should also focus on their web application.

Web application is cheaper than mobile application development.

A website is the first identification for the eCommerce platform. Just suppose, if you visit a website and you do not get any information and you are asked to install an app directly. This is obvious you will not like to do that without gaining any information.
Therefore, it is very important for the eCommerce platforms to have both web app and mobile app as both are having their pros and cons.

We admit that web apps are not that much feature-packed like mobile apps but still web apps are having their own importance and none of them is going to help users individually.

Still, we can not make any judgment about what is going to happen in the coming future like if browser-only web apps would make the installable apps obsolete. They would be able to access hardware functionalities and process complicated data, just like the native apps or not.

Technologies change very rapidly. What we believe today might not hold true in the future. Let’s wait and see for ourselves how mobile technology progresses in the future.

The reason behind this is that with the passage of time, technologies are changing very rapidly. So keeping into consideration this factor, it cannot be properly imagined which is going to be better in the future. But for now, the importance of both web apps and mobile apps cannot be neglected on their own.

Final words

So, these were some of the facts which clearly made us clear why mobile apps are necessary for eCommerce business along with the importance of web applications. After going through the whole article, you came to know that both are important in their own part. Now keeping in consideration this fact, you can contact the best mobile app company and android app development company in order to build your eCommerce mobile app. If you found this blog really helpful, please let me know in the comment section in order to help others too.

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Author

Varun Bhagat

Varun Bhagat is a technology geek and works with PixelCrayons as a Sr. Technology Consultant and writer. He possesses in-depth knowledge of latest development technologies and helps clients to choose the best technology as per their needs.

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