Progressive web apps are a growing trend in UX development, because they offer the benefits of native app experiences through a web browser. In a mobile-first world, they are especially useful for meeting online customers with great experiences wherever they are, whether on a mobile device or a desktop. 

When customers use a PWA, they have the ability to save it to their home screen in order to use it as a standalone app. The app can send them push notifications, and users are even able to access features offline. All of these benefits are available without enterprises needing to distribute the app through online marketplaces like Google Play or the App Store. 

What’s more is that progressive web apps have become more common than you might realize. Here are 10 successful PWAs you’ll recognize and maybe even use. 

1. Twitter Lite

When the social media giant wanted to find a way to engage more mobile users via the web browser in order to increase overall usage of their platform, they found that a progressive web app was the way to go.

Here are a few benefits that Twitter saw from their social media PWA. 

• 65% increase in pages per session
• 75% increase in Tweets sent
• 20% decrease in bounce rate

The reason for these increases is that Twitter Lite optimized data consumption and image loading so that users could have a more responsive experience.

2. Pinterest

Pinterest is another social media site that sought to improve user experience with a mobile web app, which launched in 2018.

A year later, here were the key metrics that show how a PWA helped Pinterest better connect with users.

• 103% increase in mobile web users
• 296% increase in session length
• 401% increase in pins
• 370% increase in logins
• 870% increase in new signups

These kinds of numbers are astounding, and they speak to the importance of having a truly mobile-first UX strategy. 

3. BMW

While BMW was founded in 1916, the luxury car company wanted to freshen up its online presence and optimize their mobile site for speed, performance, usability and design. 

Here are the results from their progressive web app.

• 400% increase in clicks from BMW.com to a BMW sales site
• 400% faster site load times
• 50% growth in mobile users
• 49% more site visits from search engine optimization

While most people don’t purchase a car completely online, that’s where their customer journey often begins. For a brand that’s all about premium experience, BMW was wise to invest in their mobile online strategy. 

4. Starbucks

For a fast-service cafe like Starbucks, online mobile orders are a key aspect of good customer experience. The speed and convenience of intuitive online ordering, as well as built-in perks for return customers drives much of their sales. 

Here’s what Starbucks was able to accomplish with their progressive web app. 

• A web app that was 99.84% smaller than a native app
• A faster experience

When you need your coffee before your morning commute, speed is everything. That’s why a progressive web app was extremely beneficial for Starbucks.

5. Forbes

Before the business magazine implemented their progressive web app, Forbes readers who visited the site on mobile could expect load times of up to 20 seconds. Needless to say, that’s simply untenable. 

With a PWA, Forbes was able to significantly streamline their mobile experience in order to retain readers and get them to their content faster. 

6. Tinder

Tinder is an online dating app that depends on a mobile experience wherein users swipe in different directions to connect with or move on from potential matches. 

With a progressive web app, Tinder was able to increase load times and improve app performance, in order to help people get connected to matches faster.

7. Alibaba

Alibaba is a large e-commerce platform that depends heavily on mobile experiences for sales. While the enterprise had utilized a native mobile app in the past, leadership realized that they were missing an opportunity by not meeting users where they are in the web browser. 

Here’s how a PWA helped Alibaba optimize for mobile. 

• 76% higher conversions across all browsers
• 14% more active users per month on iOS and 30% more on Android
• 400% increase in interaction rate from Add to Homescreen prompt

More users and higher conversions means higher profit. 

8. Washington Post

In order to cut through the noise of a twenty-first century world and deliver stories that matter, Washington Post was looking to provide the fastest mobile news experience on the web. 

With a progressive web app, the news organization was able to provide readers with almost instantaneous loading.

9. Hulu

As a streaming video service, Hulu has been on the forefront of the digital revolution from in-store rental experiences to in-home entertainment delivery. And as part of that continuing revolution, they have sought to optimize their experience for mobile devices.

With a PWA, Hulu streamlined the process of visiting the site by allowing users to quickly and easily add the app to their home screen or desktop. 

10. Lancôme

While Lancôme has a successful history of collaborating with large department stores to promote and sell their products, they have pivoted to more modern means of reaching and retaining customers online. 

Here’s what the luxury cosmetics organization has been able to do with their PWA.

• 17% increase in conversions
• 53% increase in mobile sessions on iOS
• 8% increase in conversion rates on recovered carts via Push Notifications

When users shop for something that Lancôme has to offer, they are expecting a luxury experience. That includes online mobile UX. 

Build progressive web apps on Entando.

When release cycles take months instead of weeks, your business is left unable to deliver modern online experiences. Development bottlenecks slow your ability to make application updates, keeping you from iterating and innovating. And outdated or clunky UX keeps you from winning customers over and retaining them.

So that’s why we created a platform to help you get your ideas to market faster.

Entando is the leading micro frontend platform for building enterprise web apps on Kubernetes. We want to change the way enterprises think about building their apps, sites, and portals in order to innovate more quickly.

With Entando, you can leverage customized blueprints to quickly create micro frontends and assemble them onto a single page. Then reuse UI/UX components across multiple projects via the Entando Component Repository, saving money and increasing development speed. Scale quickly and effectively with Entando’s custom Kubernetes operator, automating the deployment of scalable, self-healing applications.

Entando is open source with available enterprise support and services. Begin developing on the platform today, and get a quote to see how our Professional Services team can help your enterprise build better apps, sites, and portals--faster.