To boost engagement with your users and get them to return to your application, you need a way to communicate with them in real-time.
Push notifications are a fast and efficient way to reach out to your application users at the right time through a pop-up item or dialogue box on a mobile device’s screen. Brands can share news, updates, offers, order status and product updates, or any other relevant information with your users.
During the pandemic, app push notifications reached their highest average open rate in four years in March 2020 as consumers were more engaged with their mobile devices. 32% of website visits by opt-in users were from direct opens of web notifications, the customer engagement firm found.
Here are the ten best push notification tricks that will help you drive customer engagement, sales, and retention through push notifications.
Engaging with the client
Appeal to the consumer’s tastes and interests
One of the best ways for winning over customer loyalty is to send push notifications that are in line with their interests and will make their lives better. Users strive for the communication that will help them get the most out of your app. And their personal data provides an abundance of information about their preferences. Every action your user takes on their device is a hint of what they want to hear from you.
Get the time and place right
Another aspect vital for customer engagement is timing your notifications. Delivering the message at the right time is what makes the difference. The transactional notifications, like the bank account balance updates or the flight status changes, should be delivered immediately. At the same time, the promotional messages require more finesse — and we tackle it in a separate article.
User’s location data is also a great instrument that can help segment your audience and understand when to send push notifications. Geolocation data helps brands assess what time zone consumers live in, so you do not annoy your clients with notifications delivered in the dead of night.
Geolocation data can also help in directing users toward the brand’s point of physical presence in their vicinity and serve as a trigger for sending a notification once the consumer enters a particular area.
Leading your client towards the sale
Notify users about your promos
Since most mobile apps allow for in-app purchases, push notifications are a great way of leveraging this feature. Let users know when you are having a sale via a push notification with a deep link that will take the consumers directly to the product or event page in your application.
Create a sense of urgency
The fear of missing out syndrome or FOMO is an obsessive fear of missing an exciting event or a good opportunity, with approximately 56% of people being prone to it. You can use it to your benefit by notifying the consumers of limited-time sales. Just use a deep link to direct the user to your in-app store and add a countdown timer and a limited stock notification with a number of items remaining indicated.
Share discount codes for products and services
Sometimes a small discount is all you need to tip the scales towards the purchase. Sending a limited-time discount code is a great way to sweeten the deal for users who may have been considering making a purchase yet subconsciously struggled with a final decision. Moreover, for those who were not considering buying anything, a 10% discount and a link to your in-app store page will get them browsing and will serve as a source of first-party data for your subsequent campaigns.
Send the abandoned cart reminders
The abandoned carts are the scourge of retailers worldwide. Push notification tricks are a great way to finalise the transaction; however, there is no need to be too pushy. There is always a chance that your consumer has selected several items and left them in the cart only to come back at a more convenient time. Let the goods sit in the cart for a while, and send your first reminder in no less than 6-12 hours. Wait for another day before sending the second notification. If they still have not gone back to their shopping cart, try winning them back with a discount.
Customer retention
Offer complementary goods
Surprisingly often, clients are approached with suggestions of goods similar to the ones they have already purchased. A situation when a person who purchased a guitar will be bombarded with offers to buy even more instruments occurs much more frequently than you would expect. This can get rather annoying and make the customers question your competence.
Instead, focus on the goods that a newly-fledged guitarist will need: a case, an extra set of strings and a tuner, perhaps? One more thing: make sure you do not offer complementary guitars every time your client shops for a new kit of strings.
Ask for user feedback
Sometimes users are churning because of things that are laughingly easy to fix. However, not every user will be eager to come forward with a suggestion or a complaint about your app or your services and goods in general. Therefore, you can use push notification tricks to invite consumers to offer feedback on ways to improve the customer experience or the quality of your products. This shows your genuine interest in users’ opinion and makes them feel more invested in your brand. In the worst-case scenario, you will still have some hints on becoming better for other users.
Offer a Discount
Sometimes, a well-timed personal discount on an item in your shop or a subscription is all that it takes to retain customers. Obviously, this should be the last resort: it only makes sense if the consumers bring an increase in value if you retain them. Sometimes it can be more profitable to let the user go.
The final touches
In addition to these 10 push notification tricks you should resort to when sending push notifications, it is important to get your messaging right. Much of this boils down to common sense: good manners and positive language, being friendly and addressing your user by name. And leveraging the personal data available to you.
And remember: Push notifications have a word limit. The title cannot exceed a limit of 48 characters; the body text is limited to 100 characters. Since you are pretty limited in terms of volume, make sure to use power words to create compelling copy while staying within the character limit and motivating your consumers to take action.
Contact GMS experts to start using your app to the fullest today!