Still Trying to Figure Out How to Deliver Effective Push Notifications

Push notifications are one of the most effective ways to deliver personalized messages to your customers. In the age of data privacy acts like the General Data Protection Regulation, where privacy and permission reign supreme, opt-in push notifications are the one trend marketers just can’t afford to ignore anymore. Not only are push notifications aligned to the principle of permission-based marketing, but they’re also one of the most effective marketing channels. A study by MoEngage revealed that click-through rates for push notifications can go up to 45 per cent, which is almost 7 times more than emails. As more and more brands are using push notifications as a cornerstone of their marketing communication, let’s break down this marketing channel and figure out how different companies are making it work so well for them.

The Basics of Push Notifications

There are two main types of push notifications — mobile push notifications and web push notifications. The primary difference between the two is outreach. For mobile or app push notifications, the user needs to have your app installed. Web push notifications, on the other hand, can be sent on computers, laptops, and mobile browsers.

Why App Push Notifications Don’t Get Delivered

One of the major gripes that most marketers have with push notifications is the inconsistency in delivery. This problem is more common with app push notifications and there is any number of reasons. Push notifications may get blocked at the Operating System-level. They may also be Force Stopped by a battery-saving app. Then there could be device-level issues. For the Xiaomi and Lenovo 6000 series, for instance, failure rates are as high as 98-99 per cent. Other user-level issues also come into play — the user may not be connected to the internet for a long period, they may be inactive on the app for a while, or they might have uninstalled the app altogether.

Improving Push Notifications Delivery

Some of the issues with poor delivery rates are unavoidable, but others can be navigated with the right strategy. Here are some important techniques:

Working around GCM issuesUsing a marketing automation platform with a strong push amplification product can address a lot of issues around OEM restrictions and network issues. A push amplification product acts as a fallback to the GCM when it detects a failure in notification delivery. Some of the biggest tech names in India, including Oyo Rooms and BigBasket, are seeing up to 15 per cent improvement in push notification delivery by using this tool.

Incorporating Web push notifications

Chrome Push Notifications have been around for a while now but are still underutilized by most brands. Chrome push notifications can actually increase website conversions by up to 9X. Plus, they have higher opt-in rates than email, and the opt-out rates are much lesser than the mobile app push.  Chrome push notifications also come with great analytics, helping marketers track website visitorsSegmentation and personalization

We live in the age of personalization — in fact, 78 per cent of users only act on a push notification if it's relevant. The first step towards delivering a customized notification that speaks directly to a customer’s needs is to segment customers by attributes and buying behavior. Gaana is a great example of an app that uses an automated segmentation platform to deliver personalized notifications that drive active listeners and paying customers.