Today, there is an emerging solution that leverages the strengths of both to create a better experience: Progressive Web Applications (PWA).

PWAs were introduced in 2015. They use less data than a regular mobile app, and first took off in emerging markets that suffer from poor internet connectivity.

Today, hundreds of global marketers are using them to create smoother mobile user experiences.

It's not hard to see why big brands are embracing PWAs. They recognise the need to provide the best mobile experience for users, regardless of platform.

Aujourd'hui, il existe une solution émergente qui tire parti des atouts des deux pour créer une meilleure expérience: Les applications Web progressives (PWA).

PWA techniques focus on faster and more reliable loading (even in offline mode) and lower data usage. Given that 53% of mobile visits are abandoned if a site takes longer than three seconds to load, and that users will abandon a mobile site if it takes longer than three seconds to load, PWAs are a great option for marketers.

Vue StoreFront is a headless PWA and a backend agnostic solution, designed to connect to any e-commerce platform such as Magento, HCL Commerce, etc. In addition, it is an open source community-powered commerce solution. Its performance-driven design, mobile-first approach, flexible theming and customisation features and offline compatibility make it the preferred front-end solution for businesses.

Built with a PWA and headless approach, using a modern JS stack, Vue Storefront provides shopping experiences like native apps and improves site performance and customisation capabilities. VSF is the world's fastest growing frontend project, supported by an active community of open-source enthusiasts. It works straight out of the box and connects to any backend.

Bridging the mobile divide: Vue Storefront addresses market needs

The percentage of mobile traffic compared to desktop has been increasing for years. Most brands that want to sell online - especially in the beauty, fashion and fitness sectors - already have 70 to 80% mobile traffic. The problem is that conversion on mobile is, on average, half that on desktop. So if the number of site visitors is stable, but the distribution of the devices they use is skewed towards mobile, revenues will be lower. The challenge is to change the paradigm where people browse on mobile devices but still buy on a desktop computer.

For brands, this is a growing problem. PWA technology and a mobile-first approach are solutions to this problem.

Vue Storefront offers retailers the opportunity to increase conversion to mobile by implementing PWA with a modern frontend. Soon, PWA will be a new standard. Today, no one can imagine a modern website that is not responsive.

Vue Storefront and PWA meet the needs of modern shops

The crisis has also accelerated the development and adaptation of PWAs. More and more people are realising that mobile traffic is a problem. Companies are starting to think about what they can do to give the customer a better online experience.

“When you enter a physical store and encounter a mess of scattered products, poor range, and sub-par service, you quickly get annoyed and usually leave. It’s similar in an online store. Customer experience has to be at the highest level; everything has to be arranged well or the customer will leave quickly. Customer experience is the showcase of the store. PWA can deliver it. Providing similar quality customer experience with classic methods is very expensive. Sometimes it’s even impossible.” Patrick Friday 

PWA and Vue Storefront are also strong technologies for companies that have been hit by the crisis and need to quickly integrate the e-commerce landscape to compensate for losses due to physical shop closures and activate new revenue streams. For example, Shopware's new PWA makes it possible to launch a new online shop in about four weeks.

"Vue Storefront is an open-source project. It is free and you do not have to pay for the license. This is a great great option for businesses, especially in a time of crisis, when they can get up and running for minimal budget and start negotiations with potential clients." Krzysztof Podeszwa