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The competition for user attention is fierce. So, it’s crucial for app developers and marketers to employ effective strategies to attract and retain users. Mobile push notifications are one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal for achieving this goal.
These messages are highly impactful. Mobile push notifications offer a direct way to communicate with your users. Several apps do this really well. They tailor their messages to cater to users’ unique needs and preferences. Think Amazon and its abandoned cart reminders or Facebook’s reminders on friends’ birthdays.
Let’s look at some strategies and best practices that can take your mobile push notifications to the next level. Get ready to turn mere alerts into powerful engagement boosters.
So, why do mobile push notifications matter? Because people spend a substantial amount of time on their phones. In fact, users around the world spend roughly five hours a day using mobile apps*. Users also spent $167 billion in app stores in 2022*.
This shows that consumer behavior has shifted toward mobile experiences. That’s why notifications are even more important for your app’s engagement. They set your app apart by maintaining top-of-mind awareness. By offering valuable and engaging content that pushes users to return to your app again and again, users will be more likely to choose and stick with you over others.
For example, the food ordering app ASAP sends its users a discount code every day in the late afternoon or early evening—just when they’re thinking about dinner. This perfectly timed note makes users more likely to open the app and place an order.
Push notifications are real-time, instant communication. With notifications, you can send timely information such as important alerts or time-sensitive offers. They also serve as a direct way to re-engage users with your app. Sending personalized and relevant messages reminds users to complete actions or explore new features. This increased interaction boosts user engagement.
Of course, each industry should customize its push notifications approach to effectively engage mobile users. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution because users in different sectors have unique needs and expectations.
Fintech apps, for instance, enjoy higher push notification opt-in rates than other industries. But the average click-through rate (CTR) is 9% for Android users and 6% for iOS. So, they should use notifications to solidify customer relationships with personalized messages—account activity, special offers, and so on.
Take the health and wellness credit card company CareCredit. Users get a notice when payments are due, and they can open and pay directly in the app.
Travel apps have an in-app push notification CTR of 22.8%. To increase your CTR, use push notifications to enhance the user experience. For example, the vacation rental app Vacasa sends its users messages about travel packages or last-minute deals on nearby bookings. Just be sure to strike a balance between being informative and non-intrusive.
Similarly, ecommerce apps rely on mobile push notifications to send reminders about flash sales, personalized product recommendations, or abandoned cart items. The key is to make these notifications simple but creative to entice the customer. Retailers such as Urban Outfitters use notifications to alert customers of sales. 1-800-FLOWERS pings users about upcoming special occasions like Mother’s Day.
In each industry, the content, timing, and tone of push notifications vary significantly. What works for fintech, with its focus on security and trust, may not be suitable for ecommerce, which thrives on persuasive marketing tactics.
That’s why you must first understand your user expectations and preferences so you can provide valuable and relevant content. This will ensure your notifications are well-received and lead to positive user actions.
Successful mobile push notifications can be a powerful tool for engaging your audience and driving user retention. Make the most of this strategy with these push notification best practices:
| Best Practice | Advanced Tactic |
|---|---|
| Segment Your Users: Personalize your mobile push notifications to specific user segments. Users have different interests and may be at different stages of their buying journey. Send messages that are relevant to their preferences. | Use geolocation segmentation that triggers messages based on a customer’s location. This will delight your users and reduce bulk spamming. |
| Time It Right: Send notifications at the right time. Consider your audience’s time zone and daily routines. Avoid sending messages during late hours or busy periods when they might be less receptive. | Use CleverTap’s Best Time campaign feature to send campaigns when each user is most active in your app. |
| Set Up Triggers: Set up trigger campaigns that launch when a user does (or fails to do) a specific acton, for example: the user left an item in their shopping cart. This way your push campaign is notifying them while the action is still fresh in their memory. | Don’t just limit it to push! Level up by making your trigger campaigns omnichannel— so they go out on push, email, and even social. This is particularly useful for events such as an unknown device trying to log into your account. |
| Keep Messaging Concise: Your messages should be short, sweet, and to the point. A concise message is more likely to grab attention and convey essential information. | Use emojis. They’ll help you achieve a higher open rate*. Just be sure to test if your audience is receptive to them. |
| Reduce Frequency: Don’t overwhelm users with too many notifications. Overdoing it can annoy users and lead them to opt out. | Make each notification count by using personalization, rich media, and deep links that send users to specific content, instead of the home page. |
| A/B Test: Continuously experiment with different notification styles and content. A/B testing helps you identify what resonates best with your audience so you can improve engagement rates. | Test a custom notification sound instead of the standard beep. For instance, a streaming app can play a tune from a popular movie. |
Mobile push notifications are a powerful yet underutilized tool. But when used correctly, they can increase your customer lifetime value.
CleverTap helps you send engaging nudges with rich media to improve brand recall. You can customize any part of the message with information or activity from the user’s profile, such as their name or the products they viewed.
What’s more, you can even create location-specific campaigns, time-triggered messages, and deep links to previously searched products or content. This level of personalization tops a generic message every time.
Book a demo today to learn how we can create tailor-made campaigns that will boost your customer engagement, retention, and lifetime value.
