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But what separates a run-of-the-mill push notification from one that skyrockets conversions and drives business growth? Let’s dive deep into the art and science of push notifications, exploring why they work, the best ways to use them, and real-life examples of killer campaigns.
What are Push Notifications?
You know those little reminders that pop up on your phone, like the gentle nudge from your fitness app to squeeze in that workout? Those are push notifications in action. They’re not just for your favorite apps on your phone, either – websites use them, too!
Push notifications are like digital taps on the shoulder that appear on your desktop or mobile device. These handy little push messages deliver updates, news, and other tidbits right to your fingertips. But they’re more than just a notification – they’re your secret weapon for boosting user engagement, retention, and conversions!
Top Types of Push Notifications
These common push notifications are a great starting point for your business:
Welcome Messages
These are like the digital high-five you get when people sign up for something or make a purchase. They’re the first push messages people see after joining a new app or service. They can also provide info on how to get started or where to find cool resources.
Transactional Updates
Think of these as your digital receipt or order confirmations. These notifications tell customers that an order has successfully gone through. They can also communicate payment failed, account changes, etc.
Event Reminders
These are trusty little sidekicks for keeping track of important dates. They’ll remind people about upcoming events, appointments, or deadlines. Just a friendly nudge to ensure they don’t miss out on anything important.
User Engagement Challenges
Want a little friendly competition? These notifications come with incentives like reward points or discount coupons to get people involved. They’re like virtual game invites, encouraging people to join in the fun and return for more.
Subscription Renewal Reminders
Don’t let your subscribers slip away! These notifications give a heads-up when it’s time to renew. They’ll remind users about pricing, renewal dates, and how to keep the good times rolling.
Personalized Recommendations
Tailored product recommendations based on user preferences and past behavior drive conversion rates by providing users with relevant offers they will likely act upon. This is where data collection and analytics shine!
Time-Sensitive Promotions
Promotional notifications with limited-time offers and flash sales create a sense of urgency, prompting users to take immediate action to avail themselves of exclusive deals. Tapping into FOMO, make these recommendations and offer personal and time-sensitive advice.
Abandoned Carts Reminder
Gentle reminders to complete a purchase by highlighting items left in the cart capitalize on users’ intent to buy, leading to higher conversion rates and reduced cart abandonment.
New Feature Announcements
Informing users about new mobile apps or platform’s latest updates and features keeps them engaged and encourages the exploration of new functionalities.
Social Proof Notifications
Sharing user-generated exclusive content, such as reviews, testimonials, or social media mentions, fosters trust and credibility, influencing others to follow suit.
Once you’ve got all that sorted, it’s time to dive into the world of push notifications! Let’s check out some cool examples to get those creative juices flowing!
14 Unique Push Notification Examples To Inspire You
Here are some great examples to pull from!
As you review these examples, consider how you could adapt these concepts to your own brand. What types of notifications resonate most with your target audience? How can you personalize the content to make it more relevant and engaging?
1. Taxi App: Transactional Notifications
While transactional emails are a must-have for customer communication, transactional messages can play an important role as well. Whenever a user or web visitor makes a purchase, hit them (metaphorically) with a simple transaction push notification. Grab’s example below is great. It includes payment method details, notifies the customer the charge went through, shares the cost, and the booking reference.
2. Money Transfer App: Holiday Promo Code
Holiday push notifications and promo codes motivate people to buy. This notification from XE is a great example. It used emojis to match the holiday mood. The notification details what users must do to take advantage of this promo. It also utilizes FOMO with the wording “Only on the Xe app. Ends 29 February.”
3. Food Delivery App: Subscription Price Drop Reminder
This notification from Food Panda is a great example.. It uses emojis, breaks up text into short statements, and is informal and concise.
4. E-commerce Shopping App: Sale Push Notification
This beautiful example from Lazada combines well-thought-out visuals with concise text. The notification provides a user with a lot of information and a strong image to provide even more info and get potential customers excited. It also taps into FOMO with a time-sensitive offer and its vocabulary choice.
5. Fitness App: Workout Reminder notifications
Simply remind users to engage with your services. This is great for apps that provide video coaching, classes, and meditations. The Fiton example below is simple and short. The app encourages users for daily health and wellness with actionable wording, “tap to start.”
6. Transportation App: Maintain Top Of Mind
Your notifications can be simple reminders that you exist. Uber is an excellent example of this push notification. It aligns with the New Year holiday and provides a simple reminder of Uber’s services. It‘s saying, “Hey, we make it easy to rent a car!” Nothing too fancy or complicated.
Consistent messaging helps your business stay top of mind and positions you as the first choice when a customer is ready to buy!
7. Gaming App: Encourage Community
The Sudoku notification effectively boosts engagement by tapping into our innate desire to help others. Phrases like “Your friend is trapped,” create urgency and empathy, compelling users to act.
The element of mystery adds intrigue, encouraging users to click and solve the puzzle. Overall, it leverages psychological motivators such as altruism, urgency, and curiosity to engage users and prompt interaction with the app.
8. Restaurant App: Return Customer Promo
Re-engagement doesn’t have to stay with just email marketing. Use push notifications to Invite customers to use your service or offering again. Encouraging return customers is a great long-term growth strategy boosting Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). Sushi House sends customers a simple “We miss you” notification with a 20% off promo code.
9. Investment App: Product Recommendations
For investment advisors, banking apps, and transfer apps, timely notifications are essential. Encourage customers to use your services with cross-promotions and partnerships. Cashback and rebate offers can boost engagement and conversions.
Take a look at these Push notification example, users can earn cashback when they purchase food from a local restaurant.
10. Cooking App: Personalized Guides
Curate guides for users based on their purchasing behavior and shown interest. Track and analyze what tabs and products users visit within your app or website. Personalize a push notification with suggestions based on these preferences.
This app provides a personalized recipe guide based on a user’s interest in “high protein breakfast.”
11. Real Estate App: Product Alerts
These notifications can be used to demonstrate the value of your products and scarcity. Alert users when a product is almost sold out. For example, real estate apps notify users when a listing is viewed, pending, or sold. By doing so, they portray scarcity and influence customers’ value perception.
Seeing products being sold out taps into our FOMO and can move a lead through the sales funnel faster. These push notifications are great examples of this type of notification.
12. Pharmacy App: Delivery Notifications
Encourage users to install your app or turn on web push notifications to get timely updates on shipped orders. Most people like to track their orders and expectantly wait for the “successful delivery” notification.
Take a look at a medicine delivery notification below. Customers are notified through the delivery process. A tracking link is provided for each notification giving customers real-time delivery updates.
13. Retail: Abandoned Cart Notifications
Abandoned cart notifications help stop potential sales from slipping away. About 28% of individuals who abandon their cart return and complete their purchase with incentives. Use push notifications to recapture interest and boost conversions.
Take a look at this great example, consider using well-known expressions or phrases from new songs as the example does.
14. Fitness App: Track Your Progress
Gamifying your notifications can boost engagement. One way to do this is by using a progress tracker. For website visitors, this could be a push notification showing a progress bar to purchase an offering or complete signup. For an app, this could be an onboarding progress tracker or tracking the value a user is getting from your app.
The Fitness app demonstrates a simple and effective push notification. Encouraging users to check in on their daily progress.
Benefits of Using Push Notifications
Push notifications offer several compelling benefits for brands looking to enhance their marketing strategies:
Lead Generation
They harness web notifications’ power to capture leads from your website. Prompt visitors to opt into notifications upon arrival, then tailor targeted messages based on their actions.
Maybe offer some juicy content or gently remind them to complete a form. Push notifications are like your personal hype squad, driving sign-ups for newsletters, exclusive deals, and event invites.
User Retention
Don’t you hate it when you forget about a cool website you stumbled upon? Push notifications make sure you don’t. They’re like a friendly tap on the shoulder, reminding users to return for more. Regular nudges keep your brand on their radar, boosting the odds of them hitting that ‘buy’ button.
Improve User Experience
Think of push notifications as your brand’s concierge, always guiding users through their journey. From welcoming newbies to updating pros on their latest orders, these notifications add that extra oomph to keep your users engaged. They’re like a GPS for your brand journey, giving users the right info at the right time.
Customer Insight
Peek behind the curtain and see what your audience really digs with push notifications. Check out who’s clicking on your notifications. Where are they going from that point? Use that intel to fine-tune your marketing game plan and win big across all channels.
Boost Engagement
In a world of endless distractions, they cut through the noise like a pro. Studies show they’re like catnip for app users, keeping them hooked and returning for more. With the perfect mix of timing and content, push notifications give users that extra nudge to dive deeper into your app or site.
Push Notification Compliance
Alright, let’s talk about the flip side of push notifications. They can be your best friend, but if you’re not careful, they might turn against you. So, ensure you’re playing by the rules and keeping things legit with data usage and notification practices.
Remember these laws and regulations, depending on where you’re operating:
- GDPR: This one’s all about data privacy in the EU.
- TCPA: Watch out for telemarketing regulations.
- CCPA: Protecting the data rights of California residents.
- CASL: Canada’s rules for electronic messages.
- ECPA: The federal law in the US for electronic communications.
Why Should You Care About Push Notifications?
In today’s world, we’re glued to our smartphones, spending hours on end scrolling and tapping away. And even when we’re not glued to our screens, we’ve got our phones nearby.
That’s fantastic news for marketers! They give you direct and immediate access to your customers. Imagine being able to reach and sway your leads anytime, anywhere.
Why Push Notifications Work
Push notifications are like the turbo boosters of urgency, scarcity, and social proof. They’re like that friend who texts you last minute about the hottest event in town – you just can’t resist!
FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and the quest for social validation are the magic ingredients here. They’re the reasons why users pounce on push notifications like they’re the last slice of pizza at a party. And when you toss in a dash of personalization, it’s like customizing that pizza with all your favorite toppings.
Personalized notifications aren’t just shots in the dark; they’re backed by behavioral insights. They make users feel like you’re reading their minds (in a good way). And the more spot-on your notification is, the more likely they’ll click that magical “convert” button.
Push Notification Best Practices
Have you ever wondered what makes them irresistible while others go unnoticed? Let’s uncover the secrets behind crafting these notifications that drive engagement and conversions.
DO: Craft an Irresistible Opt-In Offer
- Offer something valuable like an ebook or discount to entice folks to sign up for them.
- Tailor your offer to your audience’s interests and needs.
- Clearly communicate the benefits of opting in to encourage sign-ups.
DO: Keep Your Content Snappy and Slick
- Keep push notification messages short and to the point.
- Cut out unnecessary words and use simple language.
- Incorporate social proof and use descriptive CTAs to drive action.
DO: Segment and Personalize Like A Pro
- Segment your audience based on demographics, location, or past behavior.
- Personalize notifications to make them more relevant and engaging. Businessofapps found that personalized push notifications improved reaction rates by 400%!
- Get creative with personalization beyond just using the recipient’s name.
DO: A/B Test ’til You’re the Best
- Test different versions of your notifications to see what resonates best. Experiment with titles, content, CTAs, and timing to optimize performance.
- Use the best-performing notifications to inform future push campaigns.
DONT: Push, but Don’t Pester
- Don’t overwhelm people! Send notifications sparingly to avoid overwhelming users or website visitors.
- Optimize your push notifications to reach people when they are active on their phones. during lunch or evenings are more likely to be viewed.
- Pay attention to engagement metrics and adjust frequency accordingly.
Honorable Mentions:
- Emojis boost Click Through Rates (CTR) by 5%.
- Businessofapps found the highest reaction rate day to be Tuesday. That being said, A/B test to confirm what timing works best for you.
Wrapping Up
Email marketers really should own all three customer-centric “owned media” channels: Email, SMS, and Push. If your brand offers a mobile app, the time to invest in push notifications was yesterday–the second-best time being now.
Start thinking strategically about when and where in your customer lifecycle push notifications can play a key role. Use these examples here as inspiration, start testing, “shipping,” and iterating or you can get in touch with our email marketing agency, InboxArmy.
