Beginner’s Guide to Web Push Notifications

Push messages are a critical part of omnichannel communication strategy. Did you know that you can increase your ROI up to 150% if you use them effectively? There are several ways to make the best out of this channel. Let’s learn how!

Key Takeaways

• Did you know that using relevant and personalised media can increase your opening rates by up to 56%?
• Understand the customer persona and tailor your messaging accordingly: What are their life goals and motivations?
• Timing is everything. People tend to read business-related topics in the morning, whereas more fun topics have higher opening rates in the evening.

Personalise, Personalise, Personalise

The first rule of personalised communication is this: Don’t over-communicate.

The second rule is also pretty straightforward: Understand your audience, their interests and needs. Make sure you use the right content for the right people.

You can segment your customer base according to the following:

1. Demographics

Demographic segmentation is based on information such as gender, age, family, kids, parents, location, etc.

2. Behavioural Data

Actions taken or not taken can tell you so much about your customers:

• Last visited products
• Last visited categories 
• Purchased products
• Purchased categories
• Purchase amount 
• Favourites 
• Time to last purchase 

3. Customer Persona: Needs, Life Goals and Motivation

Where are they in their life? What’s their intent? These are some examples that might inspire you:

• Getting married
• Moving to a new city
• Trying to get a new hobby
• Renewing a house
• Buying a present 
• Looking for a luxury holiday
• Trying to lose weight
• Looking for a good deal

Content is the King

• Using emojis can increase your opening rate to 9%.

• Make it personalised. We are all unique and we like to be treated as if we are the one and only 🙂 Using personalisation increases customer engagement and creates more loyal customers.

• Use a direct call-to-action (CTA) to ensure they will take the action you want. Examples: go to your cart, sign in, receive your discount, etc.

• Use rich media. High-quality photos or videos are great attention-grabbers. A study shows that using relevant media can increase your opening rate by up to 56%.

• Create urgency. Use limited offers, limited time or selling out kind of messages to create FOMO. 

• Tell stories. People don’t buy products; they buy the stories we have all heard about. Create and use stories around the product to make people laugh, smile or feel inspired.

Find the Right Time

According to your business, the timing of the message can have a huge change on the opening rate and engagement rate. People tend to read business-related topics in the morning, whereas for fun topics, they tend to have more focus in the evening. As this depends on the industry and the topic always relies on data, make sure you make plenty of tests before choosing the best day and time. 

Don’t just personalise your messages. Personalise sending times as well. Each person has different habits and behaviours. You can personalise your messages according to your customers’ behaviours, so they will receive them when they are more likely to open them.

Best Converting Web Push Notification Examples

1. Cart Abandonment

People who have added products to their basket are more likely to convert. An instant web push can increase the opening and click-through rates (CTR) by more than 10%.

2. Price Drop on Viewed Product or Favourited Product

80% of people make their decision according to the product’s price. A price drop can increase conversion to 15% when the notification is sent within 7 days of the visit.

3. Limited Stock Left on Favourited Product

Sense of urgency is one of the key tools to convert. When a customer sees that the product will be sold out soon, their purchase intent will intensify, resulting in a purchase.

4. We Missed You

“We Missed You” messages are sent to people that have not visited or shopped from the website for a while. You can lure them in with special offers or new arrivals.

5. Last Chance Reminders

If you’re having a stock clearance, use the last-day or last-hour messages to create a sense of urgency to bring more traffic to your site or app.

6. New Arrivals

Especially in retail, customers like to come back and see what is new. This could be anything: New colours, a different line or even a new collection.

7. Location-Specific Messages

If you have physical stores, a location-based push notification could be an excellent way to get traffic to your stores and create a good omnichannel experience. When they are near your store, you can send them personalised messages like a special promotion or a good deal.

Even if you do not have physical stores, you can use locations to send some fun and useful information. For example, for cosmetics, you can remind your customers to use sunscreen when they are on the beach.

8. Transactional Messages

People like to know what is happening. 40% of customer service calls are about “order status” and questions like where is my order, what happened to my returned item, etc. You can reduce this by sending them updates about their orders.

Wrapping Up

Having a cross-channel communication strategy is a must if you want to distinguish your place in the market. There are a few critical points you must pay attention to:

• Don’t overwhelm your customers with constant and unnecessary communication.

• Personalise your content, communication channel and sending time according to your customers’ personalities.

• Find the right partner that will make these happen for you 😉