Push notifications, also called server-push notification, is the supply of information from a software application to a computing device without a specific request from the client. It is a powerful mobile-first communication channel that consists of short messages sent to user devices by a mobile app.
These messages, which appear as small pop-ups, can show up on your desktop browser, phone home screen, or in your device notification center from a mobile app. You can also view them from your device’s lock screen even when an app is not in use.
Where mobile push notifications are sent to smartphone users via a mobile app, web push notifications appear via a web browser from a website to a user’s desktop or mobile device.
Push notifications are used by every successful app in the market today. Unlike other communication channels like email, they are designed to be viewed in real time with the purpose of triggering immediate engagement. They can be used to convey reminders, updates, promotions, and more.
History and Development of Push Notifications
Apple was the first to introduce push notifications in 2009, using the Apple Push Notification service (APNs) to support it on iOS devices. This service enables app developers to transmit information to all devices.
Google launched its own version of the service for Android devices in 2010, called Android Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM). It replaced this with Google Cloud Messaging — now known as Firebase Cloud Messaging — in 2012.
In 2013, Google introduced rich notifications and action buttons, which allowed developers to integrate enhanced features into push notifications for Android devices. These rich notifications fall into four categories:
- Basic notifications: Includes a title, icon, and message for more context.
- Image notifications: Builds upon the above features, and includes an image preview
- Progress notifications: Includes a progress bar
- List notifications: Include a list
Certain action buttons allow users to respond within the notification itself; for example, a user can open an app that requires action or play a song.
Apple followed closely behind this in 2014 by rolling out interactive notifications in iOS 8. These push notifications let users take actions like replying to text messages and deleting emails directly from the lock screen. And in 2015 when Apple released the Apple Watch, it enabled push notifications for that device.
How Do Push Notifications Work?
Unlike pull notifications, where the client must request information from a server, push notifications originate from a server. Normally, the end-user has to opt in to receive alerts; this usually takes place during the installation process. The users can also manage alerts if they change their minds later on.
Different devices and services rely on different methods to deliver push notifications. While Apple uses the APNs to deliver push notifications to iOS devices, another method involves using a mobile backend as a service (mobile BaaS) cloud service to provide a mobile app with push notification functionality.
Push notification services like Firebase Cloud Messaging, Amazon Simple Notification Service and Azure Notification Hubs can integrate notifications across mobile devices. Also, other third-party options like Airship and Pushwoosh can provide more complex data analytics and marketing analysis.
Types of Push Notifications
There are two types of push notifications: app-based and web-based.
App-Based Notifications
These are what most users see as push notifications, even though web push notifications are just as common. It is created in-app from a user’s device, be it on a mobile or desktop device, and a recipient must typically opt-in first.
The notifications or alerts are more typically pops-up on mobile devices. Apps offer them as a means to either generate higher in-app user engagement and open rates, or to compel a lead to take a specific action.
Web-Based Notifications
Also termed “web-push” notifications, these appear on your desktop or mobile device. Any site is able to send them through supported operating systems (OS) and browsers.
Notifications can pop up on different areas of a screen or view, depending on your kind of browser or operating system.
What Are Push Notifications Used For?
Marketing is the main reason why developers and organizations create and use push notifications. However, they can also be used for civic communication and, less often, for security authentication.
Marketing
A push notification in marketing can be a powerful channel to generate sales and increase customer retention. It can also be used to provide data for more insightful marketing metrics.
As a marketing strategy, a notification is a channel that allows end-users to take action in the sales funnel. Messages can help bring a customer back to an abandoned cart with a pop-up text message or in-app message. It can also help re-engage a customer.
A notification can build brand awareness with well-timed, segmented messaging in mobile marketing. Data shows consumers are less likely to opt-in to notifications on social media and retail, with only a 6% opt-in percentage. However, when executed thoughtfully and with data-driven preparation, marketed push notifications can reduce customer churn and increase a site or app’s click-through-rates (CTR).
Civic Communication
In recent years, recipients have engaged with utility push notifications more than any other type. While they might uninstall or opt out of other types of notifications, utility push notifications had the highest amount of engagements, at 37%.
Therefore, local government and utility agencies use these notifications as safety alerts for outages, severe weather, and traffic alerts. They also use them as community drivers, such as missing person alerts, and for local government updates.
Security Authentication
Push notifications can also function as a type of security authentication. They are used as an authentication factor for identity authentication to gain access to data or sites.
Apps and sites with more sensitive information, like online banking or healthcare sites, may utilize them as an identity authenticator.
Benefits of Using Push Notifications
Increase Message Visibility
They ensure that your messages are immediately seen, even when users are inactive. Sending time-sensitive messages creates a seamless user experience.
Increase User Engagement
Engage your users with updates and new content.
Drive Retention
You can use highly visible push alerts to remind your users to come back. Also, boost your website and app retention and combat churn by re-engaging users with push.
Boost Conversions
Increase sales by designing push campaigns around promos, in-app rewards, discounts, or other deals.
Create a Connected User Experience (UX)
They let you reduce friction along the customer journey by sending transactional notifications. These keep users informed and create a seamless cross-channel experience.
Scale With Your Business
As your audience grows, your communication strategy needs to climb accordingly. Push notifications are an efficient and effective way to communicate with your customer base as it grows.
Other reasons why organizations use push notifications include:
- It has higher open-rates than email
- Just like with SMS messaging (short message service), a device, app or browser does not need to be on to send a notification
- It automates marketing campaigns and communication
- Helps enhance user experience and generate increased user satisfaction
- Creates opportunities for more user interactions—and sales
- Enables user-centric customization for opt-ins and opt-outs
- Delivers real-time responsiveness
- Provides behavior analytics that can inform content strategy
However, the most significant benefit for push notification recipients is that the channel is a user-centric medium. Recipients can receive information on their terms — when they want, and in their preferred space. They can also change device notification settings, or choose to unsubscribe if they feel like it.
This latitude of options counteracts notification fatigue. It also compels app publishers and organizations to keep recipients interested by creating the most relevant content.
Moreover, automation remains a key benefit for developers and organizations. This is particularly important in cases where there is a need for immediacy, such as in delivering news or public service information.
Push Notifications Best Practices
Personalization
Personalizing them with the recipient’s name, past behavior, or other relevant information can increase engagement and improve the user experience.
Timing
Be strategic with timing by sending messages at an appropriate time for the recipient’s time zone and behavior. Avoid sending notifications when users are likely to be asleep or busy.
Relevance
Ensure that your push notifications are relevant to the recipient’s behavior and interests. Use data from your CRM or other sources to segment your audience, trigger messages, and send relevant and timely targeted messages.
Frequency
Sending too many notifications can make users unsubscribe or ignore your messages. Be selective and focus on quality over quantity.
Clarity & Conciscion
Keep your messages clear and concise so the recipient can easily understand the purpose of the notification. Use a clear call-to-action to encourage users to engage with your brand.
Rich Media
Employ visuals like images, emojis, GIFs, and videos in your push notifications to make them more memorable and engaging.
Provide Value
Make sure your notifications provide value to the recipient. This can include access to promos, exclusive content, or loyalty rewards.
Where do I Find Push Notifications?
- When you are on your home page (pipeline view), locate the bottom navigation bar and select the Settings tab.
- To adjust settings, use the gear icon in the upper right corner.
- In the Push Notifications section, you can turn your notifications on or off by toggling the switch.
- Click the Allow button.
So there you have it!
What are the Types of Notifications?
There are three main classifications that can be used to categorize the different types of notifications: high, medium, and low attention. The level of urgency and focus that is expected from the user varies according to the severity of the situation.
What is the Difference Between Push Notifications and Notifications?
The primary distinction between a push notification and a notification is that the latter is generated locally on the device by an application that is trying to communicate with the user by displaying some kind of information, whether it is a reminder, some kind of news, or updates, or anything else along those lines.
Which Two Notifications Are Examples of Push Notifications?
#1. User-based Notifications
The number of clicks on push notifications is thought to be 4–8 times higher than the number of clicks on emails. It can only be used with clearance. Notifications will only be sent to subscribers who have chosen to receive them. Because of these things, push notifications are a very powerful way for businesses to get in touch with customers
#2. Time-based Notifications
Send time-based push messages to make users feel like they need to act quickly. You can let them know about a limited-time offer, an expiration date that is coming up soon, limited-time flash sales, and so on. Your users will be eager to take advantage of the offer and take advantage of the chance.
For time-based notifications, you have to set an expiration date for the message once the offer period is over. This way, users who go online after the offer period is over won’t click through to a deal that has already ended.
#3. Rich Push Notifications
Rich push notifications are different from standard push notifications because they let you add up to three clickable links to your message, including the notification itself and two calls to action (CTAs). If you want to send your subscribers to more than one landing page, you can do that with various CTAs. It also lets you know what kind of CTA copy people find most interesting and click on.
In your push notification letter, you can only write so much. You can give your readers more information and make your notifications look better by adding images and videos.
#4. Transactional Notifications
Transactional notifications are a way to let your users know how their deals are going. These could be things like the state of their subscriptions, information about their orders or shipments, payments they’ve made, and so on.
Such messages help users get the necessary and relevant information and make it more likely that a retargeting strategy can be planned. Transactional push messages are the best way to communicate with your target users in a way that is specific and personal.
#5. Reminder Notification
Is a user’s page on your job search site missing something? Did someone put items in your shopping cart but then leave your site without buying anything? Send them a note so that you both don’t miss out on fun things. This makes people happy, so they’ll want to stick around. This type of push notification is great for fitness fans, job sites, education sites, nutrition sites, eCommerce shops, and a lot more.
#6. Abandoned Carts Notifications
Sometimes a customer puts something in their cart but doesn’t buy it. This could be because of unexpected shipping costs, a long delivery time, or a problem with their payment. Customers who didn’t finish their orders can be reached again through cart abandonment notifications in the following ways:
- To get people to finish their purchases after they’ve left their carts, set up a number of automated emails to be sent at the best times until they finish. Set up an entry trigger with a set of rules and conditions for each program.
- Make as many ads as you want: As a retailer, you would like to be able to set up your ads quickly and easily based on the different factors that work best for you. Build as many ads as you want and put your prospects on the lists you want to reach.
- Send messages to the right group of people: Make a list of customers who put an item in their shopping cart but didn’t finish the checkout process. You can make custom groups for each campaign based on different subscriber properties. Sort them by region, platform, devices, and a lot more.
- Use engagement measures to keep track of your success: Get visitors to return to their abandoned carts, but also track how many of them finished their purchases and became customers by keeping track of the number of messages sent, the number of clicks, and the click rate for each campaign.
Conclusion on Push Notifications
Almost every industry and sector now uses push notifications tailored to their customers and audience. Also, organizations that create push notifications with an emotive context, represented with emojis, often receive higher engagement rates than when they send plain text notifications with headlines, even when both contain relevant information.
The effectiveness of the notifications also often depends on the type of app. Ride-sharing mobile apps, such as Uber, have high opt-in rates since users often receive valuable and time-sensitive updates. News content and social media apps, by contrast, often have lower opt-in rates, because they tend to overload users with irrelevant information.
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