It’s not uncommon when you’re just about to leave for work and the phone buzzes—it’s not an urgent call or a message but a notification from your favorite app, reminding you about the flash sale or the latest blog you’ve been waiting to read.
And now, even without opening the app, you’re already thinking about the deal.
The fact is—whether it’s appeasing or distracting, push notifications are undeniably effective. To add more, it has the power to connect, engage, and drive actions from users almost instantly.
So what exactly makes them work so well? The other question that arises is: how can businesses incorporate the perfect push notification strategy that will actually boost engagement and retention, besides grabbing users’ attention?
Read this blog to explore the secret behind push notifications strategies and how businesses can make the most of it and create an ever-lasting impact on users.
What Are Push Notifications And How Do They Work?
Push notifications are the attention-grabbing messages that pop up on your devices, such as mobile phones, desktops, or browsers, to alert you about something new—sales, news, reminders, or new messages. In short, push notification is a great communication approach for websites and applications to connect with users directly without the need to be opened.
How Do Push Notifications Actually Work On Different Platforms?
There are three approaches to push notifications: mobile push, web push, and desktop notifications. Here is a gist of how push notifications work on different platforms.
Mobile Push Notifications
Mobile push notifications are the updates you receive on your notification panel of your mobile, from any downloaded app, even though it’s not open.
Did you know that mobile push notifications increase app retention by almost 3–10 times if implemented correctly?
These notifications are received directly from the app server and are pushed onto your device’s screen via the operating system.
Web Push Notifications
Ever received a notification that nudged you to look into your abandoned shopping cart? Such notifications that you receive directly to your browser are referred to as web push notifications. What’s more? It works even when you’re not actively browsing the site.
Reportedly, web push notifications have a higher click-through rate (CTR) of around 4–7 percent, which is far higher than email CTR.
Desktop Notifications
While it functions exactly the same as web push notifications, the only difference is that it appears on desktop operating systems.
Businesses featuring desktop applications are at an advantage since desktop notifications play a significant role in bringing the users back to the app for updates or engagement. These notifications are also beneficial for software updates or reminders in productivity applications.
The Mechanics Behind Push Notifications
Read below to find out what exactly happens when a push notification is sent.
Website/Application Server
Based on certain triggers, such as sale, time, or user behavior, the server sends out a notification message through an application programming interface (API).
Operating System/Browser
The notification gets routed through the device’s operating system, i.e., either through the mobile OS (iOS or Android) or web browser to reach the user.
User’s Device
The notification directly pops up on the device’s screen even when the app or website is not open.
How Push Notifications Can Increase Engagement and Retention
It’s no secret that engagement is the holy grail for any website or app. Especially when it took so much effort to bring the users on board, the question that comes up is—how do you keep them coming back? Here comes the role of push notifications—an effective re-engagement tool.
Driving User Engagement
When your main focus is providing a great user experience to existing users to keep them engaged with the platform, besides wanting more users to your platform, push notifications are what you really need.
According to a study, push notifications can increase user engagement by a whopping 88 percent if they’re personalized. This happens because the user feels the message is meant just for them and not the masses. This way there are higher chances of interaction since they feel they’re communicating directly with the user.
Higher User Retention
Retention is that aspect where push notifications overshadow almost every other marketing strategy. Timely and personalized notifications from time to time remind the users about your platform and keep them engaged, deliberately reducing the chances of your site or application being forgotten.
In fact, apps that implement push notifications have a 20 percent higher retention rate than apps that don’t.
The possibility is—if you’re not using push notifications still, you’re missing out on some serious engagement.
Real-Life Push Notification Campaign Examples That Actually Worked
One of the most successful push notification campaigns that shockingly worked is Duolingo, a renowned language learning app. Their strategy included mastering some humor and motivation-infused notifications that played a significant part in nudging users to practice their language lessons.
Another notable example is Starbucks, where all their notifications are about captivating users with enticing personalized offers based on their past orders. More importantly, they send notifications at times when the users are more likely to grab a cup of coffee, such as during the morning commute—simple yet effective.
4 Key Elements of a Winning Push Notification Strategy
Looking for a push notification strategy that actually works? It is not rocket science; just proper planning and execution is what is needed. Here are the four key elements of a successful push notifications strategies for businesses.
Personalization: Customizing Based on User Behavior
Personalization is the real game-changer. This is because when users feel the messages are crafted just for them, the chances are they’ll want to engage more with your website or app. According to Leanplum, personalized notifications get 4X higher open rates compared to generic ones.
For example, if you run an e-commerce site, instead of sending the same boring sale alert to every user, personalized messages, such as
“Hey <name>, We’ve got something special just for you—get 20% off on all your purchases. Use Code.’’ The fact is, the more customized the notification, the better the engagement is!
Timing: Sending Notifications At The Right Time
There’s no point sending a push notification at 3 am when your users are fast asleep! Therefore, timing plays an essential role when it comes to ensuring optimal engagement. According to Localytics, sending push notifications at the right time increases user engagement by almost 40 percent.
The secret to perfect timing is indeed the user analytics that reveal the time when your users are most active. For meal delivery apps, the best bet would be sending notifications around meal times. For productivity apps, mid-morning reminders are the way to go.
Content: Concise, Clean, and Action-Driven Messages
Confused about how the content should be? Well, brevity is what you need to follow. By brevity, we mean, the content must be concise, clean, and something that gives immediate value. After all, you only get a few seconds to capture attention. So, make every second count.
Let’s take the example of Starbucks—they often send notifications with just enough information. For example, ‘Happy Hours! Get Flat 50% Off From 3-5 PM Today.’ This message is clear and concise while offering immediate value to the users.
Frequency: Balancing Between Just Enough and Overwhelming
Of course, no user likes getting bombarded with notifications. Sending too many notifications can annoy the users and there is a high chance that they disable the notifications altogether. Therefore, the key is to strike the perfect balance—just between what is enough to stay on top and becoming trouble.
The good rule is to limit the notification to 3-4 per week unless there’s an ongoing promotion or a special event. It is also recommended to keep track of the unsubscribed rates to ensure the notification frequency isn’t the reason.
Conclusion
Crafting a perfect push notifications strategies is the combined effort of personalization, timing, frequency, and content to keep the users engaged without feeling too overwhelmed. The push notification market has witnessed significant growth at a CAGR rate of 18% annually over the last few years, which proves its effectiveness in driving user engagement and retention. While you draft a push notification strategies, continuous optimization, monitoring analytics, and A/B testing your messages are some other approaches to take your game ahead.
The long-term impact of push notifications on your business is undeniable. This is because if the users feel connected, they will certainly come back and engage often. A well-crafted and timely message can make all the difference in the end.
Unlock the power of push notifications and keep your audience engaged with timely, personalized messages. Start optimizing your strategy today!
