Overview
No matter what Mobile phone you use, one common element is the notification. It keeps the users engaged to the screen for hours. And shows short feeds from the apps that the user has downloaded or from the web pages visited. With this blog, we try to explore Push notifications, one of the types of notifications that appear on our screen.
Notifications are important as they timely update the users about the crucial pieces of information from the apps. To help them not to forget about the tabs they were working on.
Forms an integral path to deliver the needful information from the app to the user. Also builds a good strategy for Mobile engagement. Notifications use different alert methods. For instance, pop-ups on the forefront of the screen along with notifying sounds and vibrations.
As said, too much of anything is not good…
Similarly, it is also true that users are likely to turn off the notifications for an app that surfaces very often. And is almost annoying. This is also a reason why some useful apps get uninstalled in a short period of their use. So it’s wise to use Notifications pop-ups on time but not every time irrelevantly.
Types of Notifications
There are four types of notifications that are helping you better engage with your devices.
- Local Notifications (User-generated)
- Remote Notifications or Push Notifications
- Notifications (Context generated)
- In-app Notifications (System generated)
A downloaded app schedules and sets up the Local notifications. For instance, a reminder gets saved on your calendar. That the user creates himself using the app. But in the case of Remote/ Push Notifications, the outside server generates them with/ without the user’s consent. The news updates on your notification bar are examples of Push.
Applications generate a notification to inform the user about the requirements it has. For example- an update, storage, security alerts, etc. These In-app notifications can also be for re-engagement or spam.
According to a research study, about 64 notifications gets received per day by a single user. And most of them are from messaging apps & emails.
An Introduction to Push Notifications
Push notifications allow businesses to provide customers timely and relevant content that adds value and keeps them engaged. They typically deliver product context details like updates, reminders, offers, or any feed related to the app functionality. And that needs action upon them quickly.
In layman’s terms, these notifications keep the users updated with the information they have opted for from the services of an app.
An application enables to pop these notifications once the user has allowed doing so. They are short texts with or without sounds, icons, images, links or attachments, or any other interactive key.
Push notification can be free and unlimited, becoming the choice of business owners to promote engagement with the brand. They get configured constantly to develop enhancements with time since the launch back in 2009.
Where do you see the Push Notifications?
No matter what content the user is busy consuming from his phone’s screen or is sleeping with his phone locked screen beside him. These pop-ups or alerts can spring up on the top with a sound, vibrate, or both. The pop-up for your abandoned shopping carts from your favorite eCommerce app is one of them.
They appear on the Lock screen, Notification tab, and the Banner.
A User can personalize the receiving method for the push notification as per the wish. The notifications settings allow to mute, keep off from lock screens, block from the apps, etc. This makes the game rules more biased towards the user. The marketers need to be careful about their Push notifications and how and when they decide to send them. Knowing well, the user can at any time decide to completely drop them or partially restrict them.
How does the Push Notification work?
Push notifications work differently depending upon the Operating system of your phone Android/iOS.
iOS doesn’t allow any brands to send the device any push notification unless the user has agreed to receive them. Apple phone works based on the Push opt-in model. But the Android by default has set the Opt-in for the brands. And they can send the notifications as they desire until the user doesn’t decide to manually change the setting and opt-out.
These notifications can be of vital value. They show the transaction alerts from your payment partner, keep you posted with current affairs by news alerts, connections status of your mobile networks, third party ambush alerts, etc.
Key Benefits of Push Notifications
Push Notification can be a powerful weapon in the battle of marketers to grab the most attention of the customer towards its product.
Raise user’s engagement ratio: When applied strategically the notifications can nudge the user to make use of the application more than needed. Luring back the user with a pop-up with new interactive feeds from the app.
If done wrong can also be the cause of striking fall or opting out the ratio of the user.
Stimulate conversion rates: Intelligently dropped notifications can create a sense of urgency and can direct the user to make purchases. Studies, confirm a hike of four times in conversion by using the Push notification by the seller.
Improved retention rates: Only about 10% of the apps on the device are indeed opened more than once, but changing the messaging strategy by the app companies can improve the retention rate of the users.
Conclusion
Mobile notifications can provide you an edge to stay above your competitors and use these popping advertising elements, to stay a step closer to your customers. Which can astonishingly improve the re-engagement, conversion, and retention rates.
Even your next update can be planned according to the reaction of users to the notifications. Thus, making the Push notification a superpower for your brand to closely observe the requirements of the user and deliver them what they look for.
But with caution, as the user is still the boss and can abandon your Push notifications services at any moment they like.
