Push notifications

What are push notifications

Push notifications are messages sent by app developers directly to a user’s mobile device – be it a phone or a tablet, that appear in the top section of the screen, for users who have the app installed and push notifications enabled.

Why do push notifications matter

These notifications don’t require access to a user’s contact information and personal data, however, the app must first ask the user permission to send them.

Each app developer can personalize their own push notifications. For example, sounds can be chosen for a specific user or you can enable them to complete an action without opening the app. These are effective methods for keeping your audience engaged or persuade them to re-engage with your app if they haven’t opened it in a while.

Push notifications are also used to convey urgent messages such as breaking news, limited-time offers or location-based information or offers.

Types of push notifications:

  1. Banners: these are short messages that pop up at the top of the screen then disappear after a selected amount of time
  2. Badges: these notifications are the red badge applied to an app’s icon, usually with a number to signify the amount of notifications received by a user. They can be used to alert them of unread texts, new podcast episodes or settings-related information that require users input.
  3. Alerts: Alerts are banners that stay on the screen until the user clears them from view. In the same manner, they can also be accessed in the notification screen if your user hasn’t cleared it from view.

Personalized push notifications have a high click-through rate and are a very effective way to engage your user base. Keep in mind that they are seen as intrusive by a large number of users, so marketers should only use them to convey value-added information. When they are perceived as distracting and intrusive, this may prompt users to change their settings and disable push notifications for that app.