Let’s say you’re running a streetwear ecommerce store for Gen Z shoppers. You decide to build buzz by dropping an exclusive sneaker line. You already have a robust social media plan but don’t want to rely exclusively on TikTok and Instagram campaigns. Your target demographic isn’t opening emails, so where can you turn?
Enter push notifications.
The week before the new sneakers drop, your brand uses targeted mobile push notifications that are personalized and scheduled across user time zones and preferences. Your fanbase gets hyped about the release. On launch day, another push lets them know the sneaker line has dropped, and traffic to your site skyrockets—as do sales.
This is the dream scenario—and one you can work to achieve by following a few best practices.
What is a push notification?
A push notification is a pop-up message or alert that appears on desktop and/or mobile devices. Push messages are brief, informational text notes that users opt-in to receive.
Traditionally, push alerts appear on a user’s device with a title, message, and URL, which may include a call to action that prompts the user to click on the message. Depending on your specific push notification campaign and strategy, these push notifications could include rich media like emojis, GIFs, images, or videos.
Benefits of push notifications
Push notifications can offer myriad benefits to your business. They can be:
- Engaging. Depending on your audience, you might see higher open rates over other text-based forms of marketing like email.
- Highly visible. Thanks to advanced scheduling capabilities, a user can see your targeted messages when they’re actively using their mobile device.
- Personalized. When you send push notifications tailored to specific audiences, you increase the likelihood they’ll stick around and make a purchase they’ve been considering.
How push notifications work
Your business can use push servers to enable push notifications and schedule, automate, and send them en masse. The notifications can be cloud- or app-based and work together with specific application programming interfaces (APIs) and servers to deliver messages based on your business needs.
Once your push notification is ready to send, you can schedule and automate it using an API. Delivery varies across devices, internet browsers, and operating systems. Push notifications on Apple iOS devices using the Apple push notification service technology may look different from notifications on Android devices. Similarly, desktop push notifications may show up with separate formatting on a Chrome browser versus a Safari browser.
Types of push notifications
There are two types of push notifications: web-based and app-based. Here’s how they differ:
Web push notifications
Web-based push notifications appear on desktop or mobile devices and are sent through operating systems and browsers. Most websites can send web push notifications on almost all operating systems, and the alerts will appear at different positions on a web page based on specific browser settings.
Mobile app push notifications
App-based push notifications are the most commonly used alerts. Individual app publishers create them, and app users opt-in on their mobile devices. On mobile, alerts appear as pop-up windows and often prompt further action, such as clicking a URL or making a purchase. Users can adjust their settings to view notifications right away or later in their notification center and lock screen.
How ecommerce brands use push notifications
Push notifications have many uses, depending on your business type, from providing tracking info to delivering time-sensitive offers. Here are some ways you can use push notifications:
- Reminders. Reminder notifications prompt users to complete a particular task, like providing product feedback in exchange for a discount.
- Updates. Updates provide real-time information on everything from order tracking to a new product launch.
- Deals. Your brand can use push notifications to inform users of deals and promotions, helping drive traffic to your website and boost sales.
- Time-bound notifications. Time-bound notifications generate a sense of urgency around a promotional period or limited-time offer.
- Authentications. Authentications are security-focused push notifications that confirm user identity when logging in to a service or making a purchase. They often involve one-time passcodes or a two-factor authentication (2FA) prompt.
- Abandoned cart. Abandoned cart notifications can help drive conversions by reminding shoppers to complete a transaction.
- Transactional push notifications. Transactional push notifications provide customers with updates on their purchases, including shipping status, timing, payment confirmation, and subscription information.
- PSAs. PSAs can include informational alerts like traffic and weather updates. Some of these alerts may include opportunities for brand integrations.
Best practices for using push notifications
- Personalize your alerts
- Be mindful of timing and cadence
- Be concise
- Use GIFs, emojis, and videos
- Experiment with the messaging
While there are many ways to use push notifications, consider sticking to these best practices as you begin to understand what works best for your brand:
Personalize your alerts
Push notifications are most likely to engage users if they include targeted messages customized to personal information, such as the recipient’s name, preferences, or past shopping behavior. By utilizing shopper data with a service like Shopney or PushOwl, you can increase purchase motivation by creating deal notifications tailored to individual shoppers.
Be mindful of timing and cadence
Choosing the right time of day to send an alert is key. Consult data and performance logs to see which time of day yields the highest open rates. Work within users’ time zones and preferences to avoid annoying your target audience.
The ability to send a push notification doesn’t always mean you should. Identify an appropriate cadence that helps the user without overloading them. You may want to start with no more than three weekly notifications and adjust once you understand your target demographic’s engagement.
Be concise
The shorter the push notification, the better. A user is more likely to engage with a concise and clear message. Long messages may also get cut off, so consider other mediums—such as emails or social posts—if you need to share more information.
Standard industry practice for app-based push notifications is from 25 to50 characters for the push title and up to 150 characters for the message, but exact counts vary per device.
Use GIFs, emojis, and videos
Make your push notification more aesthetically pleasing and engaging by using visuals in the form of GIFs, emojis, and videos. These pops of color and movement grab attention and add brand personality.
Experiment with the messaging
Not all push notifications perform equally; what works for one demographic may not work for another. A/B testing is the practice of sending out two different versions to a small group and seeing which message performs better before sending the winner out to the rest of your list. It can help determine the most effective pushes.
Push notifications FAQ
What are the advantages of using push notifications?
Push notifications allow you to communicate directly with users, prompting ongoing engagement and visibility.
How do push notifications work?
A business uses push servers to send push notifications at scale. A user opts in to receive notifications, and an API connects the server with the user’s device. Desktop devices or app-based mobile programs use different formats and API systems to connect to the business server.
What is the difference between a text message and a push notification?
A text message is an electronic communication sent to a mobile phone through SMS services. A push notification comes in two forms: web-based or app-based. Web-based notifications are sent to users through operating systems or browsers, while app-based notifications are sent in-app.
