5. What Are Push Notifications?
• A push notification is a message that
appears on a smartphone
• Similar to a text message
• Are sent from an app
• Can only be received by people who have
the app installed on their phone
• Users must have push enabled in order to
receive notifications
6. What do Push Notifications Look Like?
• The appearance of push notifications can
change slightly depending on the following:
• Whether they are being shown on an Apple
or Android device
• The operating system version
• Where the notification is being shown
• Additional message content like images
and action buttons (more on this in a bit)
Notification on iOS
Notification on Android
7. Where do Push Notifications Appear?
• Push notifications are shown several
places on a phone:
• The lock screen
• The notification center
• At the top of the screen (when a push
is received while using the device)
• The menu bar (Android only)
8. Why Use Push Notifications?
• Push notifications allow you to engage users outside your app
• If used correctly, push notifications can create a far more loyal and active customer
base
• The key is to not over-message and only deliver relevant content
10. Push vs. In-App Messages vs. Email
Push In-App Email
Can be viewed at
any time?
Yes No, your app
must be open
No, email app
must be open
Customized look
& feel?
Limited Yes Yes
Requires opt-in? Yes No Sort of
(unsubscribe)
11. Which Channel Should You Use?
• It depends on the goal of your message
• Push notifications & email great for getting users to open your app
• In-app messages getting users to perform specific actions inside your app
13. How It Works
• Apple and Google provide their own push notification services
• When you want to send a push notification, you tell the notification service the
message you want to send and who should receive it
• Each device has a unique identifier called a token. This lets the notification
service target individual devices
• The notification service delivers the message to the right devices
Push Notification
Service
Device
15. Rich Push
• A rich push is a push notification that includes
“rich content” (a picture, GIF, video, or audio
file)
• With rich pushes, you can bring content
outside your app, removing a barrier to
consumption
• Adding rich content improves message
performance:
Increase in Open
Rate
30%
Source: Localytics, 2017
16. Personalization
• Personalization is the process of customizing
a message for each recipient
• Good personalization combines strong
audience targeting with dynamic content
• Common dynamic elements: name, favorite
category, last purchase, etc.
• Personalization can dramatically increase
open rates:
Source: Localytics, 2017
Average Open
Rate
4.1% Open Rate w/
Personalization
6.6%
17. Location-Based Messaging
• Push notifications are sent when a user
enters/exits a specific location
• Generally uses geofences or beacons
• Provides some of the most timely messages
possible
18. Categories/Actions
• iOS Categories and Android Actions allow you
to include buttons in your push notifications
• Great way to make messages more
interactive
• Buttons must be configured inside the app’s
code ahead of time
19. Transactional Push
• Transactional push notifications are a form of
automated notification
• Allows any software to send a push
notification
• Great for order updates, friend updates,
breaking news, etc.