The eCommerce Business Owner’s Guide to Mobile Push Notifications

The era of digital transformation has completely changed the face of eCommerce business. With the rise of smartphones, businesses can easily convert their websites into mobile apps (APKs), offering users seamless access to products and services. However, in today’s competitive market, it’s important to keep attracting new customers and retaining the existing ones. One effective way to do this is through mobile push notifications. Mobile push notifications are a new-age marketing tool that empowers businesses to make products and services easily accessible to potential customers.

So, let’s explore the concept of mobile push notifications to see how it benefits business owners by helping them stay ahead of their competitors!

What is a Push Notification

Mobile push notifications are pop-up messages an application sends to a mobile device. These usually appear on the device’s lock screen or the notification center. These notifications can be in the form of video, audio, image, or text presented as a message. The primary purpose of such notifications is to make the user interact with the business app by sharing information relating to product alerts, time-linked promotions, and reminders.

However, to benefit from such notifications, users need to install your business app and give express consent to receive such push notifications.  

Anatomy of a Mobile Push Notification

To craft effective push notifications, it’s important to understand their key components:

• Title: A concise headline that grabs the user’s attention.
• Message Body: The main text conveying your message or offer.
• Call-to-Action (CTA): A prompt encouraging the user to take a specific action, such as “Shop Now” or “Learn More”.
• Icon: A small image or logo representing your brand.
• Image (Optional): A larger image to enhance visual appeal and engagement.
• Deep Link: A link that directs the user to a specific page within your app or website.

By optimizing each element, you can increase engagement and drive conversions through your push notifications.

How Mobile Push Notifications Work

Understanding the mechanics of push notifications can help you leverage them more effectively:

1. User Opt-In: Users download your app and opt-in to receive push notifications, granting the necessary permissions.
2. Message Creation: You compose a notification tailored to your audience, using personalization strategies.
3. Sending the Notification: The message is dispatched through a push notification service, such as Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) for iOS or Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for Android.
4. Delivery to Device: The push service delivers the notification to the user’s device, even if the app is inactive.
5. Display on Device: The notification appears on the user’s lock screen or notification center.
6. User Interaction: The user engages with the notification, which leads them to your app or a specific in-app page.

This process enables real-time communication with your users, enhancing engagement and driving conversions.

The Advantages of Mobile Push Notifications for Your Business

Mobile push notifications offer several benefits to businesses engaged in eCommerce activity. Some of the benefits are as follows :

Stimulate engagement with customers

Mobile web push notifications, incorporated into the messaging service, enhance customer engagement by bringing them back into the app. Push notifications have an open rate of 90%, compared to 17% for email marketing. This service helps businesses establish stronger connections with their target audience, opening new lines of communication more effectively than other technology-driven methods.

Develop customer retention

Statistical data reveal that almost 90% of apps downloaded on a mobile device are opened only once, with only 16% of users trying an app more than twice. By introducing a push notification strategy, you can encourage your trial users to explore your service, improving app retention and customer engagement. This strategy can also help reactivate dormant users by reminding them of your app’s value and features.

Enhance conversion

Real-time push messages can specifically retarget customers and encourage them to make instant purchases. However, there is a misconception that push notifications are for user acquisition. In fact, they are for users who have already downloaded the app. Push notifications help businesses target different users based on intent and interest.

The Opt-in Process: What You Need to Know

The mobile push-notification opt-in process differs from other SMS and email marketing process. The opt-in rates for various devices vary due to the different opt-in processes they follow.

Android vs. iOS Opt-in Models

For iOS users, apps cannot send push messages until the user has agreed to receive them. On the other hand, such consent is not mandatory for Android users; apps can start sending notifications once the app is downloaded.

According to data, Android users have a higher opt-in rate of 81% than their iOS counterparts, with a lower rate of 51%. This means that more Android users choose to opt in or receive push notifications. 

Such variations in the opt-in models significantly influence the business generation from your eCommerce activity. 

What Makes a Good Push Notification? Here Are the 3 Things

Irrespective of the type of push notification message that you send, you must keep the following tips in mind to make a good mobile push notification –

Maintain a low word count

Instead of exaggerating your push message, you should keep it short and to the point. Past data reveals that messages with a lower word count have a higher click rate. So, regardless of whether the user is Android or iOS, keep the message short and crisp.

Identify the right send frequency

It is ideal not to send one push notification per week. More than half of app users will likely opt out of the push message if they receive 2-5 notifications per week from the same application. So, staying selective and finding the right frequency is the key to gaining audience attention.

Targeted messaging based on user behaviour

Sending messages based on a user’s usage history is an excellent way to ensure that your push notifications are received. Segregate your audience into specific segments and send personalised messages that add value.

What to Send: Types of Push Notifications for eCommerce 

The type of message to be sent through mobile push notifications varies based on the users’ utilities, styles, and objectives. Some of the different types of push notifications to be sent to eCommerce businesses are as follows –

Based on purpose

Depending on the purpose of your notification, here are:

Reminder push notifications

These notifications are sent via email or messages to remind users of any incomplete actions. Some examples include items added to the cart but not completed purchases and incomplete in-app subscriptions.

Transactional notifications

These convey information about any specific event, like any eCommerce transaction, a shopping update, etc.

Marketing push notifications

Such a service communicates notifications, such as holiday discounts, special offers, or new product introductions.

Geo-targeted notifications

These are triggered based on the user’s movement or location. For example, if the user has moved to a new city, they may receive notifications about outlets, weather, events, trends, etc.

Based on device

Notifications based on device includes the following –

Desktop

This notification is displayed on the desktop screen even when the internet browser is closed, inactive, or not launched.

Web

When the user browses various websites, this notification is displayed, asking for a subscription.

Mobile

This is further segregated into iOS and Android device users.

How to Make Your Push Notification Strategy Work

Today, an average user has around 35 apps installed on their smartphones. With so many apps being used, Android and iOS push notifications can encourage users to concentrate on a specific app. This is mainly triggered based on the user’s personalised behaviour, encouraging them to log in to an app that delivers value.

To succeed in your push notification campaign, you must proceed with a planned strategy. So, let’s examine what makes a good push notification.

Develop an execution strategy

Follow a defined blueprint and plan for your push message before executing your strategy. Conduct thorough research and determine all trigger conditions to avoid any last-minute changes. Also, conduct some market research to learn about ongoing practices and trends.

Schedule your notification

Consider the time when your target user is most likely to check their messages. Analyzing user behavior patterns, such as peak activity hours or specific engagement trends, can help you determine the best time to send notifications. This increases the possibility of your user engaging with your message.

Target the right audience

Not every push notification works for all users. Instead of sending a general push notification to your target audience, you need to assess them and classify them into distinct categories. Such classification can be based on shopping preferences, gender orientation, buying preferences, age, etc. This will help generate a productive output from your business push notification.

Conduct A/B Testing for your notification

One of the primary rules of a push notification is to give your user the choice of opting in or out. Conduct a detailed study into what works for you and what doesn’t. Respecting your users’ choices should be your priority. Once your target audience has opted in, add them to the subscriber list and send them push messages.

Challenges in Implementing Mobile Push Notifications

While push notifications are powerful tools, several challenges may arise:

• User Privacy and Compliance: Navigating privacy laws and regulations requires careful attention to user consent and data handling practices.
• Notification Fatigue: Overloading users with notifications can lead to opt-outs or app uninstalls. Balancing frequency is crucial.
• Cross-Platform Differences: Variations between iOS and Android notification systems necessitate tailored strategies.
• Content Relevance: Irrelevant or generic messages can decrease engagement. Personalization is key to maintaining user interest.
• Measuring Effectiveness: Tracking metrics and analyzing performance can be complex but is essential for refining your strategy.

By anticipating these challenges, you can develop more effective push notification campaigns.

Conclusion

The outreach and role of push notifications are much more significant than they appear. In fact, your decision on push messages related to your eCommerce activity can make or break your business. So, proceed cautiously, identify your needs and target audience, devise a proper strategy, and execute your plan to succeed. Now that you have had an enlightening experience with mobile push notifications, you can use them to boost your eCommerce business. Make the most out of this knowledge and take advantage of platforms like Shiprocket Engage 360 to seamlessly integrate push notifications into your marketing strategy and enhance user engagement.