What is a mobile push notification?

A mobile push notification is a pop-up message sent by an app to a mobile device. These notifications usually appear on a mobile device’s lock screen or in the device’s notification center.

The primary goal of a mobile push notification is to encourage people to interact with your app, typically through reminders, product alerts, and time-sensitive promotions. App users need to have your brand’s app installed and must provide express consent to receive notifications.

You can use different types of mobile push notifications to engage your audience:

Transactional push notifications: These notifications help your customers track their order status.
Promotional push notifications: These messages notify your audience about promotional offers like discounts or new product launches.
Reminder push notifications: These messages remind your audience about time-sensitive events, actions to perform, or tasks to complete.
Informational push notifications: These notifications help you announce app updates or share important news about your brand.

How to use mobile push notifications

To get the most out of your mobile push notifications, follow these best practices:

1. Define push-specific goals

A single push notification in the first week after app installation can boost app retention by 71% after 2 months—and push notifications can increase overall retention rates 3–10x.

The people who download your app are likely people who are already invested in your brand. With this understanding, your goals may be to:

See more conversions on a time-limited offer
Recover more abandoned carts
Capture more purchases after browse abandonment on certain product
Increase customer lifetime value or repeat purchases

2. Segment your engaged and VIP audiences further

Instead of sending generic messages to everyone, go beyond basic segmentation and focus on your most engaged app users. Create personalized notifications for those who spend the most time in your app and love your brand.

You can make your messages more relevant by segmenting them based on:

Loyalty points or rewards: Send special offers to customers who’ve earned loyalty points or reached a certain rewards tier to keep them excited about earning more.
Spending habits: Treat your big spenders with VIP perks, like exclusive discounts, early access to new products, or special offers based on how much they’ve spent in the app.
App activity: Pay attention to how much time users spend in your app or how often they use it and send personalized reminders or offers to encourage even more interaction.
Number of purchases: Reward those who shop frequently with customized deals or promotions that keep them coming back for more.

For example, if someone has spent a significant amount of time browsing certain product categories or has made several purchases, you can send them a push notification with a personalized offer for something they might like. That way, your messages feel more relevant and valuable to your most loyal customers.

3. Write engaging push notification copy

Since mobile push notifications have a character limit (178 characters for the title and body on iOS, 65 characters for the title and 240 characters for the body on Android), your message needs tobe compelling.

Here’s how to make your push notification copy engaging:

Spark curiosity: Tease a reward or discovery without giving everything away. For example, “Something special is waiting for you—tap to see!” or “A surprise discount just for you!”
Create urgency with specificity: Rather than generic time limits, include precise details like, “Only 3 hours left to claim your 20% off!” or “Limited stock: Order now before it’s gone!”
Speak directly to app user’s interests: Reference their past activity or preferences. For example, “The jacket you loved is back in stock in your size—tap to grab it now!” or “The sneakers you viewed are on sale—don’t miss out!”
Make the value clear upfront: Highlight exactly what the app user will gain. Instead of saying, “Get a discount,” try “Get $10 off your next order!” or “Enjoy free shipping—today only!”
Add excitement: Inject enthusiasm with exciting language, like “Flash sale! Don’t miss out!” or “Big news! Your favorite product just dropped!”
Use friendly FOMO (fear of missing out): Remind them what they might lose if they don’t act. Try “Others are grabbing this deal—get yours before it’s gone!” or “Hurry! Last chance to score this offer!”
Include a compelling CTA: Instead of “Shop now,” try “Reveal your exclusive offer!”

You may also want to enhance your copy with:

Rich media: Include images or GIFs in your push notifications.
Deep links: Redirect your audience to a specific page in your app.
Emojis: Emphasize time-sensitive discounts and create excitement for new products and deals.
Personalization elements: Write copy that includes the user’s first name or product preferences.

4. Test, optimize, and monitor your notifications

Before sending out push notifications, test them to make sure they look great and deliver properly.

Once your notifications are live, keep an eye on these important metrics to see how they’re performing and make improvements:

Delivery rate: Check how many notifications actually reach your app’s users. This helps make sure your messages are getting through.
Open rate: Look at how many app users are opening your notifications. This shows if your messages are catching their attention.
Conversion rate: Track how many users complete the desired action after interacting with your notification, like making a purchase or signing up.
Lifetime value (LTV): Keep an eye on how push notifications affect the long-term value of your users. A higher LTV means your notifications are helping keep customers engaged and spending more.
In-app engagement: Check how your notifications impact user behavior within the app, such as how often they return and how long they stay.

Regularly review these metrics to understand what’s working and where you can improve.

3 benefits of using mobile push notifications in your marketing strategy

Drive immediate engagement: Similar to SMS, push notifications are ideal for fast communication. If you’re having a flash sale, there’s hardly a better way to reach people.
Increase customer retention: If your brand app is on someone’s phone, they’re more likely to be a loyal customer than a casual one.
Boost customer lifetime value (CLTV): Push notifications connect existing customers to cross-selling and upselling opportunities that can increase CLTV.

4 best practices for mobile push notifications

Choose an optimal send time: Consider when your target audience is most likely to see your messages. It’s best to send notifications between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the recipient’s local time zone. That way, they’re more likely to see and engage with your messages when they’re most active.
Send only what’s essential: Fewer thoughtful and well-timed messages can help maintain engagement and positive reactions to your notifications. Keep it urgent, keep it critical, and keep it valuable.
Provide clear, value-driven opt-in prompts: Instead of asking users to enable notifications right away, explain how they’ll benefit first. For example, if they’re browsing a product, prompt them to turn on notifications to get alerts when it goes on sale or is back in stock. This makes your message more relevant and increases the chance they’ll opt in. If they opt out, consider using email or SMS to encourage them to turn notifications back on later.
Focus on relevance and intent: Use SMS for broad, sales-driven messages and urgent alerts, such as special promotions or time-sensitive updates. Save push notifications for keeping your app users engaged with personalized reminders, tailored updates, and messages based on their in-app activity.

Mobile push notifications vs. SMS messages

Although SMS and push notifications share many similarities, experts agree you shouldn’t use the two channels in the exact same way.

Push notifications are for targeted communication based on in-app behaviors, whereas SMS is for broader, yet still urgent, communication.

Here are the main differences between these channels:

Opt-in: For push notifications, customers need to download your brand’s app and enable notifications. For SMS, they need to provide their phone number and give explicit consent to receive SMS messages.
Audience and reach: SMS messages can reach almost anyone with a phone number, but people may be hesitant to share their number. Push notifications only reach customers who have downloaded your app, so they typically engage your most loyal customers.
When to use them: SMS is perfect for urgent updates like delivery alerts, flash sales, and reminders. Push notifications work better for promotions, new product launches, and app updates.
Two-way communication: With SMS, customers can reply to your texts and start a conversation. Push notifications don’t offer this option.

Knowing the strengths of each channel helps you choose the right one to deliver the right message at the right time.

Send effective mobile push notifications with Klaviyo

Klaviyo is a marketing automation platform that streamlines your digital marketing efforts, from email marketing to SMS and mobile push notifications.

Ready to set up and send compelling mobile push notifications? Sign up for Klaviyo today.