What Are Mobile Push Notifications & How to Track Their Effectiveness?

Mobile push notifications have become a key communication tool for businesses, allowing them to engage users directly through their mobile devices. Whether it’s a smartphone or tablet, these notifications deliver timely updates and reminders, keeping users connected to their favorite apps. Research shows that the average American smartphone user receives 46 push notifications daily.

In this article, we’ll dive into what mobile push notifications are, their benefits, and how businesses can optimize them for better customer engagement.

Understanding Mobile Push Notifications

Mobile push notifications are short messages sent to a user’s mobile device, which appear as pop-up alerts or banners. These notifications can appear even when the app is closed, providing a direct communication channel between an app and its users. Push notifications can deliver a variety of content, from important updates and reminders to promotional messages. They are highly customizable and designed to capture user attention and prompt immediate action, enhancing engagement, retention, and user satisfaction.

Benefits of Mobile Push Notifications

Mobile push notifications come with several advantages that can significantly improve customer engagement:

Real-Time Communication: Businesses can send time-sensitive updates, news, and reminders to users, ensuring that they stay engaged with the app even when they’re not actively using it.

Boosted Engagement: Push notifications encourage users to return to an app or website, helping businesses keep users engaged and involved with their brand.

Enhanced Retention: By delivering personalized and relevant notifications, businesses can enhance customer loyalty and encourage frequent app usage.

Increased Conversions: Push notifications are an effective way to promote discounts, new products, or exclusive offers, leading to higher conversion rates and sales.

Streamlined Communication: Push notifications offer businesses a direct way to communicate with customers, making it easier to deliver important information and announcements.

Targeted Messaging: These notifications can be tailored to specific user groups or demographics, enabling personalized offers and messages that resonate with each user.

How Push Notifications Work on iOS vs. Android

There are key differences in how push notifications function on iOS and Android platforms:

iOS: Users must opt in to receive push notifications. If users don’t give explicit permission, no notifications can be sent.

Android: Push notifications are enabled by default, though users can opt out at any time.

A study by Accengage found that 43.9% of iOS users opt in to push notifications, compared to 91.1% of Android users. While Android’s opt-in rate is higher, its lack of an easy opt-out option means users may disable notifications or uninstall the app if they become overwhelming or irrelevant.

Understanding these differences is essential for businesses when crafting a push notification strategy.

Key Metrics to Measure the Success of Push Notifications

Tracking the effectiveness of mobile push notifications is crucial for optimizing engagement and retention. Here are four key metrics to consider:

Opt-in and Uninstall Rates: Keep an eye on opt-in and opt-out rates to gauge user acceptance and monitor long-term retention. High opt-out or uninstall rates may indicate that your notifications are not resonating with users.

Open Rates: Similar to email open rates, open rates indicate how many users interacted with a notification. To calculate this, divide the number of opens by the total number of notifications sent, including dismissals. Expect lower open rates on Android due to its opt-out approach.

Engagement Rates: Engagement rates reflect how users interact with the content in push notifications. This can include actions like clicking through a link or taking advantage of an offer. Tracking engagement provides insight into how effectively notifications drive user action.

Mobile Engagement: This metric measures the number of sessions users complete after receiving a push notification within a specific timeframe (e.g., within a week). Higher engagement rates indicate successful user re-engagement.

Choosing the Right Push Notification Service

Selecting the right push notification platform is essential for managing and optimizing push campaigns. Here are some options to consider:

Google Firebase: A user-friendly platform that supports push notifications, though it is not exclusively designed for them. It integrates well with other Google services and offers solid analytics capabilities.

Airship: A comprehensive mobile communication platform that excels in push notifications, SMS, email, and mobile wallet engagement. It’s ideal for enterprise-level customers and offers advanced features like AI-driven optimization.

Catapush: A simple API for sending transactional push notifications based on user actions. It offers real-time delivery statuses and two-way communication, allowing users to respond directly to notifications.

Leanplum: Known for its all-in-one communication tools, Leanplum offers mobile push notifications, A/B testing, and personalization features, helping businesses create customized campaigns.

PushAlert: This tool provides mobile and desktop push notifications, along with advanced features like audience segmentation and A/B testing.

Conclusion

Mobile push notifications are an essential tool for businesses looking to engage their customers more effectively. By delivering timely and personalized messages, businesses can increase user retention, drive conversions, and enhance overall customer satisfaction. However, to reap these benefits, businesses must use push notifications strategically, monitoring key performance metrics and optimizing campaigns for the best results.