Learn More About Push Notification Software
What is Push Notification Software?
Push notifications are messages sent directly to a user’s mobile device, computer, or web browser. There are a variety of ways for companies to communicate with their customers through push notifications. Most people are familiar with the push notifications they receive from apps on their mobile phones that alert them when they receive a new email or engagement on a social media post. Businesses with their own mobile apps use push notification software to create and schedule messages as well as analyze the performance of these messages. App push notifications are delivered to a user’s device regardless of what the user is doing.
There is a second type of push notification known as web push notifications. These differ from mobile app push notifications in a few ways. First, web push notifications work within web browsers instead of applications. Users do not need to download and install an app to receive the notifications. Second, because they work on browsers, web push notifications can be delivered to all devices, including laptops, mobile phones, and tablets. Web push messages typically appear in the right-hand corner of the browser or in a notification center, depending on the user’s device and browser.
For a user to receive a web push notification, they must first opt in. Once a user subscribes, they will receive push notifications as long as they have a browser running—even when they are not actually on the site.
Marketing teams use push notifications to grow, engage, and retain their subscriber base. Push notifications can be used to deliver marketing messages about new content, products, events, or promotions, as well as informational messages like traffic or weather alerts, flight changes, breaking news, and more.
Key Benefits of Push Notification Software
- Send messages to customers even when they aren’t using your app or website
- Reengage customers who haven’t visited your app or website recently
- Personalize messages and target users based on their location or previous behavior
- Analyze the performance of push notification campaigns
Why Use Push Notification Software?
User engagement — Push notifications are highly valued for their ability to reengage customers. These tools are designed to reach lapsed customers and bring them back to a company’s website or app. Unlike emails or social media messages, users receive these notifications in real time, which can help improve conversion rates.
Targeted messages — Push notifications can be used to target users with personalized messages based on the user’s previous behavior. For example, a marketer may send a discount alert to a group of customers who have viewed a particular product that has dropped in price. Notifications can also be used to target and reengage users who haven’t visited the website recently.
Easy to implement — While it is possible for a company to build their own push notification service, the platform’s development would require a significant amount of time and resources. Push notification software makes it easy for non-developers to implement these tools and align them with a broader digital marketing strategy.
No app required — Before the development of web push technology, a company would need to build a mobile app to deliver push notifications. However, developing and maintaining a mobile application is cost-prohibitive for many companies. Web push notification software allows businesses to harness the power of this notification service without the costly investment of a mobile application. Web push notifications also have the added benefit of delivering alerts directly to a user’s browser on any device, including desktops.
Data privacy — An additional benefit of web push notifications is that no personally identifiable information (PII) is required to opt in, so anonymous visitors who don’t wish to give away their email address or phone number are more likely to become subscribers. This makes web push notifications a useful tool for marketers seeking to combat data privacy concerns.
Who Uses Push Notification Software?
Businesses use push notification software to build and engage their online or mobile audiences. Since these messages can easily be customized to suit a company’s specific industry and marketing goals, push notifications are considered an efficient and flexible tool for converting customers, boosting traffic, and increasing sales.
B2C marketing — Business-to-consumer (B2C) marketers primarily use push notification software to improve customer engagement and conversion rates. Push notifications can be used to create an ongoing channel of communication with customers in order to increase repeat traffic, encourage purchases, and engage users at the top and middle of the marketing funnel.
E-commerce — E-commerce companies use push notifications to send customers sales alerts, reminders, and incentives. If a user has abandoned their shopping cart, a push notification can be delivered to draw the user back to the app or website to complete their purchase. E-commerce sites can also use push notifications to send their customers order confirmations, shipping updates, and limited-time special offers.
Digital publishers — Publishers of digital content such as news sites, blogs, and online magazines use push notifications to alert their subscribers when new content is available. Push notifications allow publishers to build their audience, boost traffic, and deliver important or breaking news directly to their followers’ devices.
Travel and hospitality — Companies in the travel and hospitality industry can use push notifications to send their subscribers deal alerts, booking reminders, flight updates, travel tips, and more. Push notifications help these businesses improve their conversion rates and boost customer satisfaction.
Kinds of Push Notification Software
There are two kinds of push notifications: messages sent through an application on a user’s desktop or mobile phone, and notifications delivered through a user’s web browser.
App push notifications — App push notifications are the messages users receive from apps on their computers or mobile devices, although mobile app push notifications are more commonly used. On iOS, users must grant permission for an app to send them push notifications. On other mobile operating systems such as Android, users are automatically opted in to receive push notifications.
App push notifications support rich media and interactivity, which means companies can include content such as animated gifs, videos, and audio in their messages. Messages are delivered to a user’s device whether or not the customer is using it. Unread messages will appear on the user’s lock screen or in a notification center, increasing the likelihood the user will engage with the notification.
Web push notifications — Web push notifications are messages sent directly to a user via their desktop or mobile web browser. Users do not have to download a special app to receive these notifications. Instead, they are prompted to opt in when they visit a company’s website. Web push notifications will be delivered to the user’s browser even if they do not have the company’s website open. These kinds of push notifications are ideal for companies that don’t need a mobile app or do not have the resources to develop one.
Push Notification Software Features
Push notification solutions provide different combinations of features at varying price points. When selecting push notification software, you should consider which features will most benefit your business and marketing goals.
Personalization — Marketing messages are more effective when they’re tailored to specific users. Personalization features allow marketers to send customers push notifications about products, sales, or content that will interest them most.
Scheduling — Scheduling enables marketers to create a push notification and schedule it to be delivered at a later date. This feature can be used to schedule multiple or recurring notifications so you do not have to be present to send the messages in real time.
Segmentation — The segmentation feature provided by push notification software enables marketers to segment their audience based on certain criteria, such as device type, location, time zone, site actions, and subscription date. With segmentation, companies can develop targeted marketing campaigns and increase click-through rates by delivering the most relevant messages to subscribers.
A/B testing — A/B testing allows marketers to test different push notifications and determine which message was the most effective. Variables that can be tested include the notification title, the content of the message, emojis, images, and the call to action.
Analytics — Analytics features provide marketers with the ability to measure and analyze the performance of their push notification campaigns. Analytics and reporting tools can track metrics such as opt-in rates, delivery rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates.
Browser support — As of 2019, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari web browsers all support web push notifications. Most web push notification software should support these browsers. However, buyers should confirm browser support before purchasing a product for web push notifications.
Potential Issues with Push Notification Software
Oversending — Because push notifications are so quick and easy to send, some companies may overdo it by sending too many messages. However, push notifications work best when they are used in moderation. Users who are annoyed by multiple push notifications every day will inevitably opt out of the service or even uninstall the app altogether. To maintain high opt-in rates, businesses should make sure they are only sending relevant and timely messages that provide real value to their customers.
Opt-in rates — For app push notifications on iOS and for web push notifications, users must opt in to receive messages. Some companies use a generic request for permission, which can discourage users who don’t understand the request or do not immediately see the value in subscribing to a business’ push notifications. To avoid this drawback, companies can use messaging that explains what push notifications are and what kinds of benefits they will provide the user.
Rich media — Although some app push notifications support rich media like videos, animated gifs, and audio, web push notifications do not yet support this interactive content. Web push notifications can display icons, large images, and badges, although the level of support varies depending on the user’s device and browser. As web push gains popularity, however, browsers may expand support for rich media.
