PWA or Native App? What’s best for your PrestaShop Store?

Running an eCommerce business comes with many challenges and hurdles. The most important one is finding the right app solution these days. There is a pool of technologies you could choose from, each one claiming to be the best. But, the majority of eCommerce store owners are under doubt about the right mobile app solution for their business.  The need for shopping apps has emerged for every PrestaShop store owner because of the popularity of apps and the audience shifting to mobile instead of desktop websites. 

Moreover, with the rise of mobile phone usage, the PrestaShop store owners have begun to wander and get confused between choosing Progressive Web App and Native Apps. Some businesses prefer PWA Mobile Apps and some prefer native android and iOS apps. But the question arises which mobile app is more suitable for your eCommerce business?  

What is a Native App?

Native apps are particularly developed for specific mobile operating systems, whether it is iOS and Android. This Platform-specific language is used to build shopping apps. Prestashop Mobile App is the first choice of many eCommerce websites the reason being it has very fast, gives an accurate performance, and passes the security parameters. The Prestashop eCommerce Mobile App seamlessly integrates with your eCommerce store and gets synchronized properly. The app can be launched on the play store or app store. As a result, It is trusted by many of the developers. 

Build Native Android & iOS Shopping App for PrestaShop with: 

https://www.knowband.com/prestashop-mobile-app-builder

What is a Progressive App (PWA)?

A Prestashop PWA Mobile App gives the look and feel of shopping apps to the customers with web browser capabilities. The PWA mobile apps for Prestashop  are highly optimized, reliable, and it can be accessed completely on the web browser itself. It is platform-independent and can reach all of the devices without getting launched on the play store or app store. 

Launch Progressive Web App for your PrestaShop Store with: 

https://www.knowband.com/prestashop-pwa-mobile-app

What is the difference between a PWA and a Native App?

Mobile apps are always considered to be a great tool for eCommerce business success. Now, Prestashop eCommerce PWA Mobile App Builder comes into existence that combines the functions of the native app and gives the smooth accessibility of an eCommerce website. Many of the eCommerce companies could be in a dilemma that can Prestashop PWA Mobile App replace the native Android and iOS apps.  Here are some major aspects to understand how PWA apps differ from Android and iOS apps.

1.Development cost:

The development cost of the progressive web app is cheaper than a native app. For native apps, you need to hire a developer and build a version for each platform and device. This means the store admin needs to develop two versions for iOS and Android. The maintenance and update cost is also higher depending upon the complexity of the Android and iOS apps. 

Note: Here, at Knowband, we have simplified the native app development as well with readymade apps for PrestaShop.

Prestashop PWA Mobile App Creator is easier & faster to develop and launch. Developers do not need to develop the app for two platforms. Once the mobile app is finished, it works seamlessly on every platform, whether it is android and iOS. The PWA app actually gets live on the webstore URL itself. 

2. Easy SEO:

The Mobile App for Prestashop pages cannot be indexed and listed in the search engine. Customers can only find your app through the Play and App store. Many other factors are also impacting the Android app and people can easily find the app with better optimization. App Store Optimization (ASO) is the process to increase your rank in app store search results. The Prestashop Android & iOS Mobile App Builder involves keyword research, meta title, and meta description, screenshots, using relevant categorization, etc. Usually, it takes much time to capture the market. 

The Mobile App for Prestashop PWA works like any eCommerce website so it can be easily indexed and boost the ranking in the SERP as compared to native apps. The progressive web app consists of various helpful factors in making the eCommerce website rank better in search results.

3. Large audience:

The Prestashop Android App Builder prevents slow and bad quality apps to be published in the App and Play store. The live Android and iOS app help in improving reliability and trust factor. The shopping app helps in increasing user confidence which seems to be more authentic to front-end shoppers. The eCommerce mobile app launched in the Play Store and Apple store can give your business a quick branding and sales boost.

The Prestashop PWA App Maker is a lightweight and easier medium to target a large mobile audience. The store admin can integrate the progressive web app without any involvement of Google Play Store & Apple App store permission. It is a convenient and easy option for both store admin and users. The mobile app supports all the browsers and platforms such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, etc

4. Security: 

Prestashop Progressive Web App is more secure than normal web apps because they have to run under HTTPS. If the security protocols are not taken seriously, then personal details and credit card information can be stolen. The PrestaShop PWA Mobile App offers prominent security and offers hassle-free shopping channel. 

The Prestashop Android & iOS App Maker also provides many security options to users. The mobile app includes login with Phone no and fingerprint Authentication. The store admin will get all security parameters checked with the app file before getting published.

5. Download & Installation:

The Prestashop eCommerce Mobile App can publish in the Apple App Store and Google Play store. That allows users to search the mobile app from the App Store and Play store and easily install it on their mobile phones.

The Prestashop PWA Mobile App Builder has an easy installation option without the need of downloading it from the Apple Store or Play store. It is easy to install and consume less storage space than native apps. It can directly be added to the user’s device while accessing the eCommerce website on the store URL itself.

6. Performance:

The Prestashop Mobile App Builder is faster and more powerful but it requires a lot of coding knowledge to make it appropriate for the expectations. If we compare Prestashop PWA Mobile App Builder to native apps, then the PWA Mobile apps load faster and offer a more enhanced shopping experience. The Progressive Web Apps run smoothly even with a slow or no internet connection. So, it is easy for the customers to fetch the eCommerce mobile app even when they are facing problems with internet connectivity. 

7. Enhanced Features: 

The Android and iOS Mobile App for Prestashop consists of more functions than Progressive Web Apps. The features like push notifications, geofencing, mobile payments interaction with other apps are some of the top features of native apps. The security of the shopping apps can also be enhanced by integrating the fingerprint and login option with the mobile app.

If we compare it with progressive apps, then the Prestashop PWA Mobile App Creator only consists of some features like push notifications, offline access, etc. 

Conclusion –

Both native Android & iOS Mobile App and Progressive Web App give a smooth and seamless shopping experience to the users. Both have separate strengths and weaknesses when it comes to improving shopping experience and conversions. We hope with the above-listed points and explanation, all answers must have been clear.

The eCommerce business should choose between native and PWA apps according to the requirements. At Knowband, we provide both Prestashop Progressive Web App Maker and Prestashop Android & iOS Mobile App Builder plugins. The store admin can use these to launch full-fledged mobile apps for his store. 

Drop us an email for more details at support@knowband.com.

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