These new sites are the ‘lite’ editions of the brands’ mobile-optimised websites. They allow customers to choose between either the lite or regular mobile versions of LifestyleStores.com and MaxFashion.com, based on their preferences and the strength of their internet connections.

After rigorous testing on 2G and 3G connections in India, the Landmark Web Team have calculated that the lite sites are 5 times faster, the initial page load speed is 10 times faster and that they consume 3 times less data when compared to the regular mobile-optimised sites.

Savitar Jagtiani, Business Head - E-Commerce, Landmark Group said: “After 8 months of research, design, development and testing, we are thrilled to launched our lite versions of the Lifestyle and Max mobile shopping experiences. We recognize the challenges of India’s developing cellular infrastructure but remain fully committed to delivering a great smartphone shopping experience for our millions of customers, regardless of any constraints.”

A new mobile web development technology, Progressive Web Applications (PWA), was deployed to fully optimise the experience for all sorts of mobile connections and devices.

India’s mobile landscape includes over 300 million smartphone users (source: CNET), and the PWA technology is designed to work seamlessly with 2G and 3G connections, which are still being used by the majority of people in the country.

As a result, the lite sites provide a more reliable mobile experience that loads instantly, even in less than optimal network conditions. The sites respond faster to user interactions with smooth animations and quick tap feedback. They also engage the customer with an immersive user experience that feels more like an app.

Even though the lighter and faster sites look and feel different, customers will still enjoy all the great features of the regular sites, like Favourites, FastPay, Landmark Rewards and Wallets including Paytm, MobiKwik and JioMoney, the company said.

The home page, category and product pages have undergone major speed and weight improvements, making them 75%, 70% and 75% lighter respectively. In later phases, more improvements such as optimising the checkout journey, My Account pages, store locator and other sections will also be rolled out, it said.