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Mobile application (PWA)

Note

This add-on is available starting with CS-Cart Store Builder Ultimate and Multi-Vendor Plus.

Starting with version 4.20.1, a new addon is introduced, allowing to set a progressive web application for each of your storefronts.

A progressive web application (PWA), in fact, is a website, which looks, feels and works like a mobile application: it has a home screen icon, shows badges and supports shortcuts. You don’t need to publish a PWA in an app store (though, you can do it, if you wish), and your customers may only need a browser to use it. Other advantages include:

  • easy configuration and launch: you only need to install an addon and set a few options;
  • a storefront for your customers looks almost like a website storefront; moreover, you can configure a PWA for multiple storefronts;
  • support of any addons (including third-party addons);
  • SEO friendly and easily found by search engines;
  • lightweight and traffic-saving.

For your CS-Cart store, you can also install a native mobile application, which provides deeper integration with the system of the device: it can use all its functions, and is distributed through app stores. The choice of application (PWA or native) depends on your goals:

  • Choose PWA, if you need a lightweight application that can be easily developed and launched in a few clicks.
  • Choose a native application if you need full integration with the device, on which it is be installed.

Note

CS-Cart also supports installation of a native mobile application

Congifuring PWA in Admin panel

  1. Install the Mobile application (PWA) addon.

  2. In the addon menu, go to the Settings tab. Here you can set a name and an icon for your PWA:

    PWA settings

    Mind the following recommendations:

    Field Recommendation
    App name Max. 12 symbols
    App icon
    • Format: PNG
    • Dimension: 512x512 pixels
    • Non-transparent

  3. As soon as you are ready to launch your PWA, activate the Go live button.

Note the following:

  • once your PWA goes live, you will not be able to change the PWA settings for your customers. For example, if you changed the PWA icon, only new customers will see your new icon; the old customers will have to reinstall the PWA icon to see it.
  • if you deactivate the PWA (by setting the Go live button to the Off position), any PWAs, already installed, will still continue to work, and your action will only prevent new installations of the PWA.

Using PWA on desktop computers and mobile devices

Once you have configured and launched your PWA, an install badge or a popup will appear in your browser, which will offer to install the PWA. See the example of a desktop browser:

PWA desktop installation

Press Install to install and use your PWA.

Note

We recommend using Google Chrome and Safari for your PWAs

Configuring PWAs for multiple storefronts

If you use multiple storefronts, you can configure an individual PWA for any of them:

Select a storefront to configure PWA

In case you are planning to use a PWA for a storefront, we recommend using a subdomain or a separate domain for it:

URL for multiple storefronts relating to PWA

  • if a storefront is accessed via a subdomain or a different domain, a PWA is created in a normal way;

    Use a domain to configure PWA

  • if a storefront is accessed via a subdirectory, a PWA is still created, but this can lead to technical issues, as the domain already includes one or several PWAs.

    Use a subdirectory to configure PWA