Push notification is the delivery of information from an application to a computing device without a specific request from the client. Push notifications are messages passed to the user by mobile apps on the device.
Push notifications are delivered faster and read more often than e-mails. What’s more, they are also faster and more often clicked. The biggest advantage of this technology is the fact that it is new, so the space in which we use it is still free from the multitude of information. Push notifications are an effective marketing tool, which in many aspects is more effective than traditional e-mail.
How did push notifications arise?
For the first time, Apple introduce in 2009 push notifications on iOSdevice devices. They allowed application developers to send information to all Apple devices. In 2010, Google launched its own version of the service for Android devices, called Google Cloud to Device Messaging (C2DM).
Google introduced Advanced Notifications and Action Buttons in 2013, allowing developers to integrate advanced features with push notifications for Android devices. Rich Android notifications are divided into categories such as: basic, image, progress and list. Basic notifications contain title, icon and message to get more context. Graphic notifications are based on these functions and also include a preview of the image.
Progress notifications also include a progress bar, and notifications in the list include a list. Action buttons allow users to react within the notification itself; for example, a user can open an application that requires action or play a song.
Recently, there are also so-called web push notifications, operating in browsers on desktops
What are push notifications?
Push notification is a text or multimedia message, similar to an text message, sent to a mobile device from third-party applications when the user decides to pick them up.
The mobile strategy related to push notifications is about offering value, regardless of whether they are content, coupons or time alerts, which allows the user to re-engage in the application.
Push notifications are characterized by:
- low unit cost of reaching the recipient;
- high delivery rate;
- high opening coefficient;
- the possibility of communication here and now;
- the possibility of combining with other technologies, eg geolocation
How do they work?
Unlike pull notifications, in which the client must request information from the server, push notifications come from the server. Usually, the end-user must agree to receive notifications. End users get the option to manage alerts if they change their mind later. Different devices and services rely on various methods of delivering push notifications. For example, Apple developers can use the APNs Developers API (Application Programming Interface) to let applications deliver push notifications to iOS devices. Another approach is to use mobile back-up as cloud services in a service cloud (mobile BaaS) to provide a push notification function for a mobile application. Push notification services such as Google Firebase Cloud Messaging, the Amazon Simple Notification Service and the Azure
Notification Hub can integrate notifications on mobile devices.
When the mobile application is downloaded to the device (iPhone or Android) the pop-up window must be accepted or rejected. This pop-up window asks you to allow you to send alerts and notifications directly to your phone’s home screen.
Users who receive push notifications still have the option to ignore this message, but if the message catches the user’s attention, they can re-engage with the app and achieve the conversion goal.
Types of push notifications
There are two main types of notifications: local notifications and remote notifications. Developers create and configure local notifications in the application. Remote notifications, also known as push notifications, allow IT professionals, marketers and programmers to send notifications at a specific time to a specific demographic group of their users.
There are many types of push notifications that suit different applications and needs. A standard push notification sends a single notification to the user’s device. Geolocation-based notifications allow the application to access user location settings; developers, marketers and IT specialists can send notifications based on this information. For example, a mobile application can inform users about new places in their area. You can also schedule recurring push notifications based on your specific business needs.
Why is it worth using push notifications?
The data shows a sharp drop in engagement after the initial download – in fact, the average mobile application loses about ¾ of users within 48 hours of download. That is why retention is the engine of growth and one of the most important methods of tracking teams of mobile applications. It has been found that push notifications increase the retention rate by almost 25 percent after three months, compared to users who have disabled push notifications.
Web push notifications are a new channel of communication with users of the site, which is intended to encourage them to visit the site more frequently. So it is not a way to acquire completely new users. This tool is similar to traditional mailing, but in the case of notifications you do not need to have e-mail addresses of users to get to them with information on a regular basis (you only need to consent to their transmission, which is easy to obtain). Notifications work on all popular browsers, also in the mobile version. Their effectiveness is high. However, it is also of great importance that the notifications are very short and they are difficult to overlook, so there is no risk, as in the case of newsletters, that the information sent will not reach the recipient at all. The user’s reaction to the notification depends to a large extent on the message itself.
The difference between push notifications and text messages
Although there are many similarities, push notifications are not identical to text messages. Both types of messages go directly to the user’s phone and look similar on the lock screen, but they are still very different.
You must have a limited character limit in order for your push notification to appear correctly on the lock screen.
Text messages can be longer because the user can open them to read the entire message. But if the push notification is cut off on the lock screen, it can hurt your conversions.
Therefore, push notifications with fewer words have a higher clickthrough rate.
Key conclusions
Using push notifications is not necessary, but it’s worth taking them for it.
Push notifications is a winning marketing strategy for companies. Thoughtful, relevant and timely notifications to people who are already interested in your company is a great marketing tactic. By carefully planning and focusing on your business goals, you can use push notifications to develop and maintain your customer base. They can really help your application and your business. It is much better to use push notifications than text messages to get in touch with clients. Make sure you do not send them too often, otherwise users will stop receiving them. Send push notifications based on user’s location to increase their impressions and add value.