Do you know that reducing your website loading speed from 8 seconds to 2 seconds can increase your conversion rate by as much as 74%? But how is it possible to create a website or a platform that drives traffic and doubles conversions?
By and large, there are many options, but we recommend paying attention to JAMStack and Progressive Web Apps (PWA). Both methodologies have their strong sides for making web applications, especially in the field of custom eCommerce web development.
However, trends show that JAMstack may offer a more flexible, scalable solution for today’s eCommerce business needs. But why?
What Are Progressive Web Apps?
Progressive web apps form a modern web development approach that makes the best out of two directions — websites and native mobile applications. In particular, this web development architecture provides users with a seamless and speedy experience regardless of what device they use or how good the Internet connection they own:
- PWAs adhere to responsive design. That is, they are adaptable and appear good on different devices, such as desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.
- PWAs provide users with an app-like experience, including gestures, animations, and user interactions that are comparable to native mobile apps.
- Perhaps, one of the most incredible features of PWAs is the ability to provide offline access via service workers that cache HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and other resources.
- PWAs can be installed on a user’s device like regular apps. When the user keeps coming back to visit a PWA, they’ll be invited to add it to their home screen without downloading or installing the application from the application store.
- PWAs can quickly load via the use of caching, resource optimization, and preloading of content techniques.
- Just like native apps, PWAs can also send push notifications to users’ devices to interact with users even when they’re using the app passively.
- PWAs are easily read by search engines, thereby making them more visible and accessible to users.
- In contrast to native mobile apps, PWAs do not go through the app store submission process, which is usually time-consuming and approval-dependent.
What Is JAMStack Architecture?
Essentially, JAMstack stands for JavaScript, API, and Markup. It’s a modern web development architecture designed to improve speed, safety, and scalability by decoupling the frontend and backend.
This means the user interface (what users interact with) is built separately from the data and logic layers.
JavaScript is the primary coding language used in making dynamic client-side code. APIs connect to various services (like payments or content management systems) instead of relying on a monolithic backend. Markup refers to the pre-computed HTML files generated during the construction of the website.
- JAMStack focuses on pre-generating static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files before users request them. They are served to users, accelerating by not doing much work on the server.
- A JAMstack website stores its content on servers around the world and not locally. That is, when an individual visits the website they get the content from a server near them, thereby it loads faster with minimal waiting.
- JAMStack promotes microservices, where different parts of an application are split into smaller independent services. This allows web developers to use specific tools for each task and easily replace or update elements without touching the entire application.
- By separating the frontend and backend, JAMStack allows different parts of a website to be scaled more easily.
- JAMstack eCommerce sites are also more secure since they utilize pre-built pages instead of relying on servers to create them dynamically. That provides less for hackers to attack and minimizes typical server problems.
- JAMstack makes it easier to build websites for teams because frontend and backend developers can build their parts separately. It makes testing, debugging, and even tracking changes easier too.
Differences between JAMStack and PWA
If you think about it, both JAMStack and PWA are aimed at improving the user experience, although they approach this goal from different angles. In the context of an eCommerce business, these differences between the approaches can be crucial.
How They Work
PWAs (Progressive Web Apps) make sites feel more app-like. They use tools like service workers to cache parts of the site so that users can keep browsing even without an internet connection.
JAMstack sites are built differently. They keep the front end (what users can interact with) separate from the back end (where data lives), which is why sites will load faster, scale better, and stay safer.
Working Offline
PWAs shine here, offering full offline support through service workers. JAMstack sites can work offline too—though only for the pre-rendered content. Dynamic data from APIs may not load until the connection is restored.
Building the Site
PWAs can be trickier to build due to their reliance on server-side rendering, caching, and handling many types of devices and network speeds. Developers have to think about all kinds of devices, slow networks, and smart ways to save content.
JAMstack is usually easier to develop. It uses static site generators and APIs to keep things clean, simple, and quick to update.
How Content Loads
PWAs load dynamic content (like new products or updates) on the fly using JavaScript. JAMstack sites try to pre-build as much as they can ahead of time. This makes them load faster and work more smoothly.
Security
JAMstack is more secure because there’s less backend server work that hackers can attack. PWAs use both server-side and client-side code, which gives hackers more possible ways to sneak in.
Why Choose JAMStack eCommerce Platforms?
The JAMstack approach is becoming a very common way to build eCommerce stores, and it’s easy to see why.
First of all, JAMstack eCommerce platforms are quick. Since much of the content already exists and simply needs to go live, the load times of pages are reduced to a second.
Second, any JAMstack eCommerce solution is also easy to scale. Because the frontend and the backend are separate, you can grow each part as needed. So if you suddenly get a lot of visitors, your site can resist it without slowing down.
Security is another undeniable advantage when using JAMstack. JAMstack doesn’t rely on as much server-side code, which means there are fewer ways for hackers to break in.
Keeping the eCommerce website up to date is simpler too, because developers can make changes to one part without messing up the other, test updates, and fix bugs.
Finally, JAMstack sites are often cheaper to host. They can use a CDN (content delivery network), which is fast and costs less than traditional servers. That makes it a decent choice, especially for smaller online stores.
Overall, using JAMstack also means you can integrate with platforms like Snipcart, Shopify, headless CMS tools, and custom APIs for product catalogs, payment gateways, and more.
Want to transform your eCommerce platform with JAMStack? Reach out to SCAND now and harness the potential of this game-changing technology for your business. Contact us today to get started!