Push notifications are an essential part of today’s customer experience. An integral way for brands to communicate with their customers, it’s almost impossible to imagine a mobile-first world without them. They’ve become by far, the best and surest way to alert app users of suspicious activity or of a great new deal on offer. 

But with that being said, the average user receives over 46 push notifications per day.  So, how do brands consistently be the relevant notification, as opposed to the notification that gets swiped away? In the following, we’ll take a look at what push notifications are, how to use them, and how to advance their relevance in real time to make a significant impact on your business. 

 

What are push notifications?

Simply put, push notifications are messages delivered on devices to help brands communicate with users outside of the app. Typically, this can be to remind users of something left undone, or to alert them to something going on that they need to know about. 

How are push notifications used across industries?

Push notifications are a valuable tool for brands across all industries. For example:

  • For media and entertainment brands, push notifications are the perfect way to announce breaking news, or the addition of new content
  • In airlines and other transport companies, push notifications can alert passengers to updates relating to their trip such as a gate change, delayed take off, etc.
  • Telecom brands could use push notifications to make customers aware when their contract is about to expire (while providing an opportunity for renewal and upsell with a new device or package)
  • Mobile banks and financial institutions can alert users quickly and efficiently to any fraudulent activity taking place in users’ account, or notify them when they’ve received a money transfer
  • Retail apps can use hyper-targeted push notifications to remind users to complete abandoned purchases, or send alerts to highlight special offers and sales.

 

Delivering value using push notifications

When it comes to best practices, it’s nearly easier to describe how not to use a push notification, than it is to describe how to use one. We mentioned above that the average US smartphone user receives 46 push notifications a day. So typically, your brand’s message needs to stand out from a crowd of about this size:

 

So you have your work cut out for you. Your best bet, and our expert advice, is to create every push with the individual user in mind instead of the campaign you’re trying to promote. By doing this, you’ll not only deliver great service via your push notifications, but you’ll also build stronger customer relationships—key to moving the needle on today’s bottom line.

By using and doing the following, your push notifications will be hyper-relevant, with rich personalization to your individual users in real time: 

Personalization: Go beyond ‘Hi {first.name}’ (though, do personalize on a first name basis too) and flesh out your message with context that is individually personal and relevant to that user. For example, a call back to a recent transaction or an app search.

Behavioral Filters: Target and trigger your message when behavioral filters are met in real time. For example, when a user searches for a flight to London for the third time that month, trigger a push notification reminding them to complete their booking by offering their usual window seat.

Rich Media: It’s not all talk—as with all content, images have a way of speaking louder than words. Use rich, customized media to add colour and depth to your push notifications so they really stand out.

Location Data: Trigger a push notification to deliver as soon as your user crosses a customized geo-fence, alerting them of a special offer in a bricks and mortar store, or asking for feedback on an in-person service rendered when they leave your establishment.

A/B Testing: Always test your messages on a holdout group—data will always prove more reliable than industry expertise and instinct.

Optimal Timing: Don’t hedge your bets and send your push notifications during rush hour traffic. Choose optimal time delivery, and deliver your push notification when your individual users are most likely to engage.

Add Frictionless CTAs: Make it easy for your user to click through to your app from your push notification with customized buttons.

Localized Messaging: By delivering your push in the local language, and time zone you’re not only elevating your brand’s customer experience, but also adding value to your user’s day.

 

Why Swrve is Different

With Swrve, you can target individual users with push notifications that are based on their individual behavioral data, delivering contextual, relevant campaigns that are helpful, personal, and above all, sure to drive measurable value to your business. Marketers using Swrve can create, target, and deploy push campaigns across iOS and Android in minutes with our intuitive, point-and-click dashboard. Learn more about Swrve’s push notification engine here.

To discover how Swrve is designed to help global brands adapt to rising customer expectations, and deliver smarter, more relevant customer experiences in real time on channels like push notifications, in app messages, email, SMS, OTT, and more request a demo here.