# What is PWA – Progressive Web App?

What is PWA – Progressive Web App? A website that behaves like an app — fast, works offline, and can be added to the home screen.

## How it works in practice

A PWA offers the best of both worlds — app-like speed without an app-store download. A customer adds it to their home screen and gets an app-like experience. Especially valuable for stores with high mobile traffic.

## Related metrics

- Mobile Commerce — a PWA improves the mobile experience
- Core Web Vitals — a PWA improves Core Web Vitals
- Headless Commerce — a PWA is usually the front end
- Push Notifications — a PWA enables app-like push notifications

## Common misconception

'A PWA is an app.' A PWA is a website, not an app. No app store, no Apple/Google approval needed. Advantage: instant deployment and seamless updates. Downside: not all device APIs are accessible (camera, NFC), and iOS support is limited.

## How to fix it

PWA not working? (1) Check HTTPS — mandatory for a PWA, (2) check the service worker — the technical foundation of a PWA, (3) check manifest.json — defines the home-screen experience, (4) run a Lighthouse audit in Chrome DevTools.

## Real-world example

A gadgets store: 70% mobile traffic, mobile CR 0.9% vs. desktop 2.8%. Switching to a PWA raised mobile CR to 1.8%. Load time went from 4.2s to 1.8s — an extra $12,500/month in revenue.

## Where to start

Consider a PWA if: (1) mobile traffic exceeds 60%, (2) mobile LCP exceeds 3s, (3) mobile CR is much lower than desktop. Tools: Shopify PWA apps, Magento PWA Studio.

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Category: Technology · From the [Jimmy OS KPI Glossary](https://jimmy-os.com/glossary/kpi.md) · Source page: https://jimmy-os.com/glossary/kpi/pwa-progressive-web-app