Can Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) Take Over Web Development?

 

“If you are to develop a web app today, you are already on your way to building a Progressive Web App.”

While browsing websites on the web, there was a time when people imagined witnessing the same experience on their phone with enhanced usability, flexibility, and accessibility. And, this wish was granted to people by Google at the end of 2015 by releasing a new approach to application development.

Progressive Web Apps!
These are web apps featuring progressive enhancement and leveraging contemporary web techniques to deliver a native and rich app-like seamless experience to users. 

“PWA’s bring native app-like experiences and functionality to the mobile web and proves to be an extremely efficient way to deliver digital experiences.”

Progressive web apps feel more like native mobile applications and act as a bridge between web and mobile that offers a superior web experience on mobile devices. PWA is not a new framework or technology rather is a method that has leveraged web app development and has transformed the shape of typical mobile websites.

Nevertheless, there have been many questions arising about the PWAs replacing native apps as they are efficient in solving problems that exist in native applications and responsive web design.

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It’s true that PWA offers less functionality than its native counterpart, but in the context of usability, it outperforms a native application. However, if the focus is on customer experiences even native apps can raise the bar, meet expectations, and continue to exist.

With all that said, let’s highlight some of the best features of progressive web apps:

Progressive Web Apps Differential Features

“PWAs are just websites that took all the Right Vitamins!”

-Alex Russell & Frances Berriman

PWAs is a set of best practices that accommodates the following features to make a web app function similar to a desktop or mobile application.

-Connectivity Independent
PWAs work smoothly offline with the help of service workers even if the internet connection is unstable.

-Responsive
Progressive web apps work effectively on any e-device be it smartphones, tablets, desktops, or even laptops.

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-App-like Experience
They offer the same look and feel as that of native mobile apps and deliver the same level of user experience with app-like navigation and navigation.

-Shareable
PWAs can be shared easily with a link or a URL and can be accessed then and there. (easy to install)

-Re-engageable
As such apps render an app-like experience, they are capable of maintaining high-level user-engagement and app retention.

-Fast Speed
Such apps are developed to empower the faster loading speed of the web pages. Users can witness high-speed load time with content displayed in no time.

-Always Up-to-Date
Progressive web apps are always fresh as they are bolstered by service worker update processes and need no updating.

PWAs occupy tangible potential for businesses to scale their digital transformation, highlighting significant performance improvements in responsive apps.

[Prefer Reading: “Multi-Experience Evolution: New Experiment in Mobile App Development.”]

Key Components of Progressive Web Apps

Apart from features, there are some vital components that surge the importance of PWAs.

#1 Service Worker
Service worker has a major role play in making progressive web apps a considerable and favorable choice to build. This segment enables websites allows to download or cache certain files locally on the device.

While accessing a PWA for the first time, the service worker downloads the content/files and retains it and with those files already cached, require nano-seconds to load the page to be viewed. PWAs enable users to have access to the content/files even in offline mode or in case of limited connectivity and also enables websites to send push notifications.  

#2 HTTPS
With service workers in action, they intend to deliver a website over a secure connection. PWAs enhance Transport Layer Security that sets standards for data exchange between two applications where data integrity in a website is served via embedding HTTPS and installing an SSL certificate on a server.

#3 Background Synchronization
The service worker also influences this trait where it halts the action and delays them until it receives a stable internet connection. Say a message sent before the connection vanishes is marked as sent and is delivered as soon as the service is restored.

Servers can send updates to applications at regular intervals for self-updating when the connection gets restored.

#4 Web Manifest

It’s a JASON file that gives the progressive its native app interface appearance where the manifest allows a developer to control the app display and how it can be launched. 

[Prefer Reading: “Latest Trends in Web App Development Dominating 2020 & Beyond.”]

The Native, Web & PWA Comparison

Progressive applications are based on open web standards and are written primarily, like a conventional web application, in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. In addition, they are extremely flexible and adapt their functions to the framework of their execution. 

The exact capacity of a PWA always depends on the browser and terminal on which it is run, but also partly on the operating system.

Are Progressive Web Apps the Future?

With developers entering the uncharted technical territory, web applications have been reformed with a complete revolutionary potential where the progressive component refers to the app’s ability to adapt itself to the context in which it is to be used.

The benefits of PWAs are obvious and promising:

• They do not require downloading & installation
• They are automatically updated every time they are opened
• They save resources and do not necessarily depend on internet connectivity 
• Their multiplatform nature allows them to be tested online before actual rooting into the device

The list can be counted for more advantages where progressive web apps are already prepared to show comparable performance.

From a development perspective and given that only one application has to be programmed that can act as a website and multiplatform application, the labor and cost savings involved in creating a PWA is another component in favor that benefits both providers and users. However, what is still lacking is the support of all native mobile device features.

At the level of functionality, PWAs can only seriously compete with native applications if they can use the capabilities of a device in a similar way, even if they cannot match the native ones in terms of use options.

[Prefer Reading: “How Much Will it Cost to Develop an Ecommerce Website with its Native App?”]

Business Growth Tactics to Keep Up the Pace in 2021 [100% Proven]

 

2020 has been a challenging year for all humanity, and of course for companies in most industries, as it has forced them to work on sustainability plans to face the different challenges left by the pandemic. Companies are planning what 2021 and the years to come will be like when they expect profitable and sustainable growth to be more and more competitive, but how to make it possible?

There is a need to compile all the previous year’s experiences and identify opportunities for growth, development, and competitiveness and make counterintuitive choices at the right times and thus obtain profitable growth.

2021 is straight around the corner and if you haven’t crafted the game plan for the year ahead, better initiate it, taking into consideration the peaks and valleys of the previous year’s plan and schemes.

Now, let’s take a rundown at some proven techniques to be applied:

Business Growth Trends to Look Out for in 2021

#Revisit the Fundamentals

Whichever business type you delve into, there are a few elements that you as a brand/identity need to focus on. 

What you offer, how you want to outreach, what you will do, what you used to do, and many other interrogatives will surround you while you step into creating a growth plan for your business.

And then it’s time to re-examine the following sensitive segments that have a direct influence on business progression:

-An Ideal Customer
Ideal Customer.
Besides having the list of buyer personas and target audience, rethink the ideal customer of today and tomorrow. 

Make a comparison list and pen down the features, patterns, behavior, elements, needs, etc. of the present and future customers/clients that best describe them and drive them by putting an impact.

This will help you build a robust base for customer acquisition.

-Unique Selling Proposition/Points (USP)
If you think your business is unique and no one has ever done it before, you might be mistaken as the idea or concept might be in construction or would have already been used by someone.

So again, get down to reform your unique selling points, simultaneously not keeping this misconception that you have no competition around or across the globe. Even if you are different, work on how you can be better than the rest. 

Your product/service must be a revolutionary asset to promote where there is a great need for you to work on keywords so that customers can easily find you on search engines. And you are wise enough to know how Google rankings can be laddered.

-Mission Statement
Once the above crucial milestones are achieved, get set to forge a mission statement that requires you to do a ground-up on your work training, good-bad business experiences, and the real value you ought to provide to the end-users.

Well, this might consume very little time and effort as you would hardly see very little changes to make in this segment.

-Target Platform
The means of marketing and the mode of doing it are plenty and extensive both online and offline. Business marketing has a significant roleplay in accomplishing business tasks and, thus, pre-planning is what will lead you to the road of success.

Draft a listicle of 5-8 different platforms that have generated potential prospects and leads for you and act as the essential need for future business targeting.

#Customer Experience be the Utmost Priority

What actually we understand by customer experience?

If I were a layman, I would simply infer customer experience as:
An individual’s experience during his overall journey with a business or a brand (with all points of contact) matches the levels of the individual’s expectations.

You show love to customers by developing customized mobile apps, personalized beauty products, feature-rich websites, awe-inspiring sports shoes, and many others as per the different niche.

But is your love for customers reciprocal?
From many, the answer comes No.

It’s surprising and hard to believe that SaaS companies, running with a subscription-based model, generates between 70%-90% revenue from renewals and upsells bolstered by existing customers.

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The health of a business is directly proportional to its ability to retain its customers and acquire new ones and to raise the banner of health it’s necessary to ensure that your customers are happy and contented.

What makes a happy customer?
Now it’s a simple thing to understand. 

Customers bought a product/service from you, they showed their trust in you and expect to get a clear business benefit from you. Now, to make them happy and delighted you need to make sure that they get the business benefits they hoped for.

“77% of customers would recommend a brand to others even after having a single positive customer experience.”

Thus, to achieve enhanced customer experience, make sure that the people who gave you their vote of trust must get those advantages that caused them to sign up in the first place. 

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Furthermore, good customer service also adds to bringing up a high-level customer experience where a short response time helps to increase sales, improve customer satisfaction, and prevents losing your customer(s) to a competitor.

[Prefer Reading: ‘How to Create a Customer Journey Map that Improves Customer Success?’]

#Personalization is the Key

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Earlier personalization had results like

‘Wow, they know my name!’

Now it’s more like:
‘How do they know about my last purchase?’

Personalization is no new but still is an effective technique to be necessarily applied in the new normal of doing business. It’s true that Facebook and Google kind of spy on us but that’s merely to predict our online behavior so that they can deliver the most relevant search results to the users.

And another for a cold one:

“69% of the buyers can willingly pay more to witness a more personalized experience in their purchases.”

And, that’s no harm, as it’s we who feel privileged at the moment when we get the right thing at the right time when we need it the most.

And this is exactly what your buyers and customers desire.

Personalization is an effective marketing technique that can do wonders in acquiring new customers while retaining the existing ones.

Tricks to Leverage Personalization Meter:

• Recommend products/services based on user interest
• Promote exclusive one-to-one offers, targeting individual personalities 
• Allow customers to choose the mode of communication, the type of service to avail, the time intervals of delivery, and much more falling into the category
• Be aware of the customer history & intent each time they engage with you

[Prefer Reading: “B2Me: Marketing where Brands Get More Personal.”]

#Align & Streamline Sales-Marketing

Did you know?

Sales and marketing teams when alined together for work can output powerful results:

• 38% higher win rate
• 3x times growth in customer acquisition
• 32% higher revenue
• 67% hike in closing deals
• 19% faster revenue growth

This is because the right prospects are being streamlined through the sales/marketing funnel where their alignment is worth the effort. ‘Lead Quality’ is a topic for a long debate, nevertheless, the duo of both the teams working hard generate high-quality leads with more improvements in the conversion rates.

Benefits Falling Under:

• Crystal clear understanding of customer
• Better engagement between teams
• Clear mapping of the customer journey
• More feedback from the customer and better implementation of the same
• Development of a more defined and targeted strategy

#Kingpin Data-Driven Decision Making

Instincts work, but data-driven decisions are the ones that derive as expected results in real-time. 

One must be relying on data today to make smart business decisions!

Suggestions, ideas, and opinions do add up so why not take them up by real people who will render real insights in the form of data which can help you make a data-driven decision that would be fast and based on practical thoughts and customer feedback.

Data-driven decision-making (DDDM) forms a base over facts, metrics, an analysis that guides business decisions that well-aligns with defined objectives, and undertaken initiatives. 

[Prefer Reading: “Data-Driven Decision Making: How to Make Smarter Decisions to Fuel Business Growth.”]

Afterwords

Defining objectives and goals are old schools as at this point in time we know what we have gone through and are very clear with the business motive. The change of scenery requires the adoption of new norms more than ever as the speed of customer/consumer reaction becomes decisive.

It’s true that we are facing a 2021 scenario paradoxically of ‘stable uncertainty’ but there is a ray of hope for all types of businesses that can broaden the horizons of the road leading to success and achievements.

Companies should never stop and draw proactive strategies for the year ahead as there is always excessive hope of growth in the crisis time which only needs to be explored aggressively.

How Much An App Costs? Attributes, Estimates & Costs

 

Believe it or Not!

“A User possessing a Smartphone spends 90% of the Time on Apps!” 

It all starts with an idea, which when practically implemented brings innovation in the lives of people. Today, almost every business type desires to build a mobile application that can help them expand their business reach seamlessly.

But do you know where exactly they fail in their implementing their concept into a reality?

It’s merely a lack of planning and an unorganized project budget.

Thus, it’s imperative to determine the cost that an app incurs as per the business requirements.

How Much May An App Cost You?

There is a wide price range of building an application and could be closely compared with the price of a car. This is because an app cost varies widely depending upon a number of factors:

App Type, Platforms, Features, Integrations, Functionality & Design, among others.

Available app cost calculators state a price range that might not be affordable for majorly fresh business startups or newly established enterprises and ranges from $267,000 to $360,000 for complex, multi-feature mobile apps.

The array merely showcases the hype of mobile app development in the IT sector. While looking at this NetSet has designed a comprehensive range of App costs depending on the size and complexity of building an enterprise-ready application.

To know more get the estimate of your app cost precisely or schedule a call with the experts that will provide you the best assistance ad recommendations as per your business demands. 

The cost of an app correlates to the number of features added to it and the frequency of the app complexity. These factors form a direct equation with the app development cost irrespective of any business industry. 

The fundamental rule expressed in symbols that give an estimated cost is:

A Quick and fairly Accurate Cost 

Prior to proceeding towards the development phase, we usually provide you with a rough mobile app development cost estimate that projects attributes involving project description, project requirements, delivery, etc.

Our evaluation proceeds by exercising the following two steps:

#1 Create a Rough Cost Estimate
We calculate an approximate cost and give you an idea of the investment you need to develop an app. It’s done before you sign any contracts, within 1-2 days.

#2 Create Exact Cost Estimate
Then we make an accurate estimation supported by the contract that cites the terms and stages of the process and a detailed description of the final result.

[Prefer Reading: “Multi-Experience Evolution: New Experiment in Mobile App Development.”]

Insightful Frequently Asked Questions Highlighting App Development

Here are a few questions that help the development team to build an ideal application that perfectly streamlines with the app requirements. (Many more may be included varying from company to company.)

#What Application Do you want to develop?

Choose the operating system that suits you best according to your audience. If you don’t know which platform your potential customers use the most, we recommend that you choose multiplatform.

#How would you like to design your app to be?

Appearance does matter. An attractive design conveys more confidence and is one of the necessary security elements in any sales process.

#Do you need users to register?

Currently, the preferred form of registration for many companies is through one or more social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google +). This type of registration is usually faster because it does not require validation.

#Can users create a profile?

Profiles can be very interesting to gather information about the interests of your users. This will allow you to create offers tailored to your needs and increase your sales.

#How will you generate money with your app?

If you accommodate a very active user database, an in-app purchase is the best option.

#Do you need your website and application to share data?

This means that you will have to make an API (or application programming interface) that is the friendliest way to connect between applications or some other custom solution.

#How many languages do you need the application to have?

Having multiple languages ​​available will allow you to reach a larger audience. In some cases, it can make a difference if your competition doesn’t offer this option.

#Do you need an Icon?

An icon allows a brand to differentiate itself quickly and also improves relevance in different marketplaces.

[Prefer Reading: “10 Unforgivable Mobile App Development Basics Mistakes Everyone Makes.”]

Essential Factors Influencing App Development Cost

# Targeted Platform

Whether you wish to go for native or cross-platform, the development time and cost would start getting hefty the more platforms you target at once. 

Make a decision of choosing one out of Android and iOS probably which is most famous in your target geography and think of the other as the next enhancement.

# Count of Features

Features are no less than enhancements for an application. The more you add them to an app, the more time consuming and heavy on cost it becomes.

“The more you delve deeper into personalized app features, the wider is the investment spread.” 

Regular and basic features are easy to include but customization and modification in the general features may indicate price add-ups. It’s wise and recommended to make a list of features to be added version-wise which would help eliminate cost enhancements in the headstart, thereby, releasing the app in corresponding versions.

Next, the crowd-driving feature(s) further ascend the cost as per their complexity where even a single significant feature can be equivalent to ten regular features in the cost comparison.

# No. of Screens

When the idea of the app becomes final after refinement, make sure you have finalized the functionality. Adding unique screens or the ones less required would raise the cost bar, especially the ones which are user-specific and require their intervention.

Unique screens may affect proportionately while determining app cost.

# UI/UX, Animations, Special Effects 

It’s true and proven that today apps are built with a single motive of delivering an amplified user experience, improving the quality of the app. Adding special effects, unique gestures and animations certainly work in fulfilling the motive and is a plus from the marketing point of view as well.

Designing and development are time-stretching phases which extend the cost along with it, especially, with bespoke business requirements. Gaming apps set a good example for the same, however, many other app niches may involve a huge investment of time and money where customization gets involved.

[Prefer Reading: “Can Design-Development Phases be Leveled with Prototypes?”]

# Offline/Online

In a general sense, online applications are more useful and high in demand, nevertheless, this category is the one that derives tremendous development hours and cost.

While the offline apps are static and much ordinary, cheaper, and quicker to build as they aren’t internet-driven and do not exchange data from the internet.

(Embedding modern technologies like firebase can help you be light on the pocket of data-driven apps.)

# Backend Processing

“App Development Cost is majorly influenced by App Design Cost, Frontend Cost, Backend Cost & Server Management Cost.”

Backend is the support of an application. Where some applications require simple backend data processing and storage, others involve backend complexities which surely consume time along with money as per the modern technologies used.

Say, X-purpose mobile apps may seem easy with the frontend, but surprisingly the backend is what eats the cost of development. 

# API Integrations

App login via Google, Facebook, LinkedIn is a common play now but ever analyzed that how much effort it requires to integrate the functioning at frontend and backend both.

Things that appear simple and easy are made so while running various codes and test-runs before they are actually applied. From the frontend appearance to the backend data handling, API integrations take time and cost too.

With the advent of modern APIs brought up by third parties, though the efforts get reduced at some point, the cost correspondingly ladders if the count of third-party integrations gets increasing.

Some of the requisite app third party integrations include:

• Social media login
• Payment gateway integration
• Integration for data sharing
• Integration with Google maps
• And much more

[Prefer Reading: “How Much Will it Cost to Develop an Ecommerce Website with its Native App?”]

Secondary Factors that Rollover the App Development Cost

#Time
Depending on the deadlines, the cost may or may not increase. If you need the app before a specific date and the developer does over time, the price will go up a bit.

On the other hand, if you are more flexible and are not in any rush, you can adjust a delivery time and the development cost will be adjusted more.

#Quality:
Think that the more details the app has, the more development work it will need. All the details will end up as you want, but logically the cost will go up if the design requires much more effort.

#Launch costs:
If your application has a B2C model (that is, it is not an internal app) you will have to make sure your users find it. This usually involves an initial investment in marketing to give visibility to the application and to position it well in the app stores using ASO techniques. 

Although this point is not directly related to the development of your application, it is essential that you take it into account.

#Additional costs:
Did you know that uploading an application to the app store has a cost?

In the case of the Play Store, it is a single payment while in the iOS App Store it is an annual payment that you must pay to register as a developer and be able to upload your application.

#Maintenance: 

Your application cannot remain frozen in time. Mobile technology advances very fast with new devices, screen sizes, hardware functionalities…

To make sure that your application remains up to date, and to resolve any bugs that may appear, you will have to continue collaborating with a development team. You can do it with a bag of hours dedicated to this maintenance.

5 Secrets to Reduce Mobile App Development Costs

• Be Clear with your Business Requirements and App Goals
• Choose the Right & Reliable Firm (NetSet Software is a genuine recommendation)
• Monitor App Development on Regular Intervals
• Prefer to Choose Cross-Platform App Development
• Opt for Building an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) First 

[Prefer Reading: “Top 10 Trends that Define the Future of Mobile Applications in 2020 & Beyond”]

Mobile App Development with PHP?

 

When we hear about technological advancements, the concepts that first trigger in our mind are that of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, IoT, AR/VR, etc. but we tend to miss the backend languages being modified which actually pave the path for new innovations and worldly inventions.

Think of any modern device and there’s a robust technology behind it. And what’s running behind that technology are the complex languages embedded with algorithms, codes, and vigorous programs.

The world of programming is synonymous with that of the universe which has no end and even if it has somewhere, we can’t see it yet. The craze of learning software development languages and creating some unique inventions is heavily expanding.

Undoubtedly, languages like Python, PHP, Java, .Net, C, C# have gained enormous popularity ever since their inception, say, PHP, invented in 1994 by Rasmus Lerdorf, is the most favored language presently because of its server-side scripting nature.  

PHP is the most favored language for web development and is a frequent choice of developers for the backend of cloud applications as it aids them to develop software/apps comparatively faster than others.

“PHP is the easiest choice for Cloud App Development.”

With all the new languages coming into the market, PHP still remains calm at the center of the storm and is considered a forever young programming language that offers a myriad of advantages.

The technology can be used in most of the areas of IT custom software development with its open-source tools that have ultimately enhanced the scope of the language. Some of its applications include:

• PHP Websites
• Web Database Applications
• Ecommerce Applications
• PHP Enterprise Software (like CRMs, CMs)
• Mobile Applications

Do You Know?

78.9% of all websites use PHP as a server-side language.
So one can deduce that 8 out of 10 websites surfed on the Internet use PHP in some way.

WordPress, Wikipedia, Facebook, Yahoo are built with PHP, and surprisingly Drupal and Joomla use it too. 

How PHP Empowers Programmers to Develop Mobile Apps?

Zend’s View of Mobile App

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The PHP language has the ability to provide a platform that helps a developer to create an application, test it, and finally deploy it with the help of its free open-source technology that cuts the hard nut and makes it as simple as a cakewalk.

PHP for Mobile App Development Offers Great Advantages

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-App maintenance of PHP-powered applications is not a hard nut to crack until the market is updated with the latest version.

–PHP mobile app development is cost-effective as the PHP tools used are made open-source.

-App deployment is easy which only requires uploading files on the webserver without any hassles.

-As it can be accessed globally free of cost it becomes the preferred choice of many that additionally offers the best development quality

-PHP mobile apps are made compatible to support all types of e-devices, taking care of resolution, screen size, input methods, operating systems, color, etc.

-The language has a secured architecture that serves to be the best choice for web development as well as mobile app development.

[Prefer Reading: “Multi-Experience Evolution: New Experiment in Mobile App Development”]

Zend PHP Framework

For creating distinct types of applications in PHP, Zend becomes the preferred option and is the forerunner PHP platform which is an essential element in mobile app creation. Zend Server and Zend Studio are used as the frontends while developing an application.

Earlier it was tough to build apps in PHP as iPhone and Ipad were encoded in Objective-C and Android was coded in Java. Nevertheless with Zend Framework PHP developers can build the backend and the interface at the same time. (create the front-end with a WYSIWYG interface builder, and connect it all on the backend.)

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The task of building applications with many different services (like CRM systems, Cloud services, or social networks) at different places can be devised as a complicated task, however, with Zend, this complexity gets eradicated while connecting the entire backend and interface simultaneously.

Benefits to Reap Out of Zend

Zend framework offers great flexibility to the developers where they can code and build intuitive and usable custom mobile applications satisfying the business needs.

-Cloud service authentication
-Zend 10 offers usable drag/drop functionality
-Offers best in-app advertising techniques
-Provides easy filtering techniques for enhanced web development
-Uses custom HTML5 and jQuery for mobile outputs (suits enterprise needs)
-Supreme Apache Cordova for device accessing
-Zend Server Gateway provides necessary techniques for programming

What More You Can Accomplish with PHP?

• Write your own script code
• Use Ming library
• Integrate Cloud technology to the website
• Image processing and generations
• Create Instagram like filters for images
• Integrate AMP (Accelerated Mobile Page)
• Add Cyber Security to website
• And much more…

[Prefer Reading: “10 Unforgivable Mobile App Development Basics Mistakes Everyone Makes”]