No ecommerce business can survive and grow in today's competitive business environment without maintaining a line of communication with its target audience.
Some businesses use email and SMS marketing to connect with their existing and potential customers, while others choose push notifications to reach out to their audiences.
Push notifications can especially do wonders for ecommerce apps as they're permission-based and highly targeted. They empower ecommerce store owners to reach out to their customers wherever they are and encourage them through different deals and offers to come back to their websites or apps.
According to research, ecommerce apps with an enabled push notification feature witnessed 278% more launches than those that didn't use this option.
Ecommerce push notifications are personalized and deliver 50% higher open rates than emails. But interestingly, many ecommerce store owners are still unaware of the anatomy of push notifications.
We have created this post to help ecommerce store owners realize the true potential of push notifications and how they can use them for their ecommerce apps to drive more sales and conversions.
What Are Push Notifications?
Simply put, ecommerce push notifications are clickable messages that pop up on your user's device. You can send out these messages at any time. The recipients don’t have to be active in the app or using their devices to receive these alerts.
Push notifications look more or less like SMS text. The only difference is the recipient needs to install your ecommerce app to receive these notifications.
The good thing about push notifications is that they're available on all major mobile platforms, including iOS, Android, Blackberry, and more.
Push notifications serve as a fast communication channel for businesses that want to stay in touch with their audiences without investing in costly communication solutions.
The concept of push notifications was introduced back in 2009, and since then, this channel has gained massive potential in the digital landscape.
How Do They Work?
Push notifications are a permission-based marketing tactic, meaning you have to expressively ask for consent before you start sending out ecommerce push notifications to your customers.
That means you'll be sending out messages to only those people who have intentionally opted in to your push notification list.
Also, recipients can read those messages without having to sign in to the app.
When someone downloads and installs your ecommerce app, a small pop-up notification appears on their windows asking them whether or not they want to become a part of your notifications list. Once they're opt-in, they will be automatically added to your subscriber list, and you can start sending out small texts.
You have to be very strategic about sending those messages out, as too many pushes may even result in a customer uninstalling your app or abandoning your website for future purchases.
Push Notification - Statistics
Did you know more than 40% of push notification senders either belong to ecommerce or blogging sectors? Although push notifications act as a proven marketing strategy, only 8% of marketers use them in their sales funnel.
The push notifications opt-in ratio is far higher on Android than on iOS. That's because Android users have to accept push notifications, while iOS users need to enable them to receive them on their devices. (Source).
Push Notifications VS Other Marketing Channels
If you have been using email and SMS marketing for all your communication needs, you're not alone. Email and SMS marketing can be effective when you want to share general information and brand awareness messages.
But what if you want to send time-sensitive details to your customers? Users open emails when they want to, and you don't want your message to rest in your recipient's inbox for 4-5 hours.
SMS marketing is effective when you want to send short text-based messages to your customers. But it is not suitable for messages that need to be accessed after some time. People receive multiple text messages every day, and it would be harder for them to spot that particular message in a pile of texts.
Social media channels are designed to drive user engagement, but they tend to deliver great value when creating brand awareness or nurturing relationships.
Push notifications appear on users' devices for instant viewing. Also, users can opt-out at any time if they don't want to hear more from your brand.
Ecommerce Push Notifications - Benefits
We have highlighted many benefits of push notifications for ecommerce mobile apps in the above sections. Still not convinced? Here are a few more reasons why push notifications should be an integral part of your ecommerce marketing strategy.
Easy One-Click Subscription
Whether it's an SMS or an email, you need lead information to get started. However, that's not the case when you use push notifications for your ecommerce apps.
People can sign up for your subscription list with a single click without even having to share their sensitive information or personal details.
So you get a subscriber, while they get a chance to protect their valuable information. It's a win-win.
Helps You Reach A Bigger Audience
Push notifications allow you to capture the attention of your target audience as soon as they become part of your subscription list. After getting valuable offers from your brand, many subscribers will even join your email list to receive regular updates and notifications from your brand.
Helps You Stay In Touch With Your Customers
Push notifications allow you to always stay in touch with your customers. You can even stay connected with your customers when they're not using an app.
Users can see your alerts using whatever device they have. Responsys research indicates that more than 50% of customers subscribe to push notifications to receive timely information about deals, discounts, and other valuable brand information.
Effective Brand Messaging
Present-day customers admire personalized marketing. They want brands to know more about their needs and offer tailored solutions.
With personalized push notifications, you can enjoy up to 400% open rates.
Also, creating a personalized push notification strategy is easier than you think. All you need to do is analyze customer behaviors and search history to offer personalized product recommendations.
Helps In Retargeting
Dealing with abandoned carts is one of the biggest challenges for ecommerce store owners. On mobile devices, these rates can get as high as 97%. There are many reasons why customers abandon their carts - hidden costs, complicated checkout process, and high delivery costs to name a few.
While you can use emails to remind customers about abandoned carts, push notifications could be a better choice as they get higher open and click rates. That's how they help with your retargeting efforts.
Seven Unique Push Notification Use Cases For Ecommerce Apps
Because push notifications are relatively a new marketing approach, marketers are constantly exploring innovative use cases to make the most of this strategy.
Below you will find some of the most profitable use cases for push notifications that you can integrate into your funnel to boost leads and conversions.
1. Product Launches And Promotions
If you're planning to launch a new product or want to announce a promotional deal or a discount, push notifications can be the best way to spread the news.
This approach is more result-driven than emails as users take time to read emails, and sometimes they even go unnoticed for weeks.
Ecommerce stores with wishlists can specifically benefit from push notifications. For instance, you can notify a user when their desired products go on sale or are available at a discounted price.
2. Cart Abandonment Notifications
According to Baymard's research, the average cart abandonment ratio is 69.8. Many marketers use email to remind customers of their abandoned carts. However, emails are time-sensitive and do not engage recipients as effectively as push notifications do.
Also, push alerts to add that extra spark to your notifications that instantly capture your user's attention and encourage them to take your desired action.
3. Weather-Based Targeting
Many ecommerce businesses leverage weather-based targeting to create an engaging push notification. This tactic isn't new, and many brands are already using it to capture their user's attention.
There are many ways you can use this strategy to your benefit. For instance, you can send custom offers on winter wear to people who live in colder regions.
4. Price Drop Alerts
Another effective way of using push notifications for your business is to announce a price drop update. You can send this notification to people who added products to their carts but didn't complete the transaction.
Also, you can send out price drop notifications to people who have added products to their wishlists to let them know they're now available at a discounted price.
5. Reminders
Whether it's a cart abandonment notification or an alert to remind your customers about any upcoming event or sale, push notifications can be your safest bid.
It is easy for customers to forget about the sale you're having on your store or any new product launch event, so you can remind and encourage them using push notifications to become part of the process.
6. Cross-Sell/Upsell Notifications
We have seen many fashion retailers offering their customers to shop for a complete look instead of individual products. This is called cross-selling. They're trying to increase their AOV by encouraging customers to invest more in their products.
You can also implement the same tactic by creating compelling push notifications to recommend complementing products to your customers.
Similarly, you can craft push notifications to upsell your expensive products by making your customers realize how investing in premium products can improve their lifestyles and save them money.
7. Trivia Notifications
If you think sending sales-oriented messages is enough to drive conversions, then wait. You have to think out-of-the-box to make your customers fall in love with your brand and its offers.
The goal of sending trivia messages is to shower your customer with some love and affection. Starting a trivia push notification campaign can earn your business a loyal customer base that stays loyal to your brand no matter what.
Common Push Notification Mistakes To Avoid
You can only create a successful ecommerce push notification strategy if you avoid these common mistakes.
Inundating Your Subscribers With Notifications
The most common mistake many marketers make is sending out plenty of push notifications to engage their customers. But overwhelming your users with too many messages can cause more harm than good for your brand.
Having a strategy means you have to take charge of everything, including the number of push notifications you're going to send out to your customers.
Not Scheduling/Automating Your Alerts
There is nothing worse than sending push notifications to your customers when they're asleep. This causes friction between you and your buyers.
To avoid this, you must automate and schedule your alerts for the right time and date.
Schedule them in a way that they don't bother your user's routine and drive maximum engagement.
Sending Generic Notifications To Your Users
Not all customers are created alike. They have different needs. Trying to send the same generic notification to your entire subscription list will give the impression that you care least about your customer's needs.
Segment your customers based on demographics, interests, and purchase history. You can then use this information to craft personalized and highly engaging push notifications that instantly grab your audience's interest and persuade them to respond to your offers.
Not Tracking The Right Metrics
No marketing effort is complete without tracking the right metrics. Tracking click rates only isn't enough as you need to know the actual conversions you have achieved through your push notifications strategy.
Not Sending Onboarding Alerts
Welcome drip push notifications are an essential part of your push marketing strategy. The purpose of these alerts is to help your new subscribers know more about your brand and offers. Successful ecommerce businesses even dedicate an entire funnel for onboarding messages to keep their customers engaged.
