How to increase your sales with push notifications

Are you searching for effective ways to return your users into your shopping app with push notifications but wondering how to use them correctly and without being too spammy?

In this article, we will write about how to utilize push notifications in order to increase your ecommerce sales and prepare your efforts for ecommerce development!

What exactly are push notifications?

Push notification gets easily mistaken with messages. The difference is in the length of a message. Push notification must contain fewer words contrary to messages that get cut off and only partially appear on the users’ screen.

Main characteristics of push notifications are:

• They appear on the users screen (whether it is locked or not)
• Have a limited number of characters
• After the user swipes on the push notification, he or she is taken to the mobile app
• User chooses to receive or turn off the apps push notification (permission-based)

Push notifications are permission-based. What this means is, users can enable and disable them. Like we said before, most of the users will keep them on, but you need to be careful. If you abuse push notification and send spammy and irrelevant content, you might get blocked.

P.S. Here are 7 tips on how to create great content for your app

Now, let’s look at the ways you can increase sales and improve customer experience with push notifications!

5 ways of using push notification to boost your ecommerce

Push notification seems unimportant and uninteresting, but actually, they represent a perfect “door” to your app. There is more than one way to use them to your advantage and we are bringing you some examples!

When deciding on the type of a push notification, first determine:

• Your goal 
• Your targeted audience 
• Action you want the user to take after receiving the push notification

So, it’s important to know what you want to achieve with your push notification. Don’t send it just because everyone does it.

It is important to create the content and type of push notification around your goal and users. Get to know your customers and send them notifications that are going to be useful and add value to your app. 

Once you have these answers you can go on, and choose a type of a push notification.

1. Informative push notifications

Informative push notifications are basic and very common. Users are pretty used to them and you can use this as leverage by making them more interesting, depending on your goal. 

There are more than one: alert, update and reminder push notifications. 

Alert push notifications can be used when there is an in-app action the user needs to be alerted to. For example, if he or she has reached a number of points in the mobile apps loyalty program. Also, you can tailor alert information push notification to your ecommerce mobile app needs. Send them to alert customers about coupons or gifts. Make the alert matter!

If you send an alert constantly the users will get tired and stop reading them. Thus, make it alerting!

Updates are pretty straight forward. Use them to send updates related to your ecommerce app. For example, send update push notifications for an app update or a new feature. Make it interesting but stick to the more formal language. This is just and quick information. It is better if it sounds technical and short. 

Reminder push notifications are the best way to work on your customer relationship. Improve the communication by reminding users of your app or the actions they recently took. For example, send a reminder push notification with offers customized to users the previous search.

Or, like our client, Sheeel, send a reminder about the offer and then remind users to turn on notifications. This is a great way to return customers and rebuild communication. First, attract them with a nice offer and then drop the notification!

2. Geolocation push notifications

Geolocation push notifications are triggered by location. Which means, when a user enters a certain location, a push notification is sent to them. Of course, users need to enable location in order to receive this type of notification. So it is permission-based. 

A great example of a geolocation push notification is Burger King. Users that went within 600 feet of most McDonald’s locations could order a Burger King Whopper sandwich for a penny, through Burger Kings App. With this great stunt, Burger King was stealing customers with the help of geolocation push notifications. After placing an order, customers were directed to the nearest Burger king where they could pick up their order. 

This type of push notifications are often used by travel apps, restaurants and food chains, hotels, etc. You can use it in creative ways thus, more and more e-commerce are deciding on this type of a push notification. 

3. Re-engagement push notifications

Re-engagement push notifications are great for reminding users about your app and encouraging them to engage. E-commerce usually uses them when users haven’t interacted with the app for a longer period of time or to motivate them. 

For example, our client, Index.me used re-engagement push notifications to notify users of hot news. The goal was to remind users to read news and grab their attention with hot topics. Also, in this way, users could be informed without entering the app.

But on the other hand, push notifications were made interesting and inviting so the users want to read more. 

Keep in mind, when creating a re-engagement push notification the action you want the user to take. Do you want them just to be reminded of your app is still installed on their phone, or do you want them to check out new products and make a purchase? 

4. Promotional push notifications

With the use of a promotional push notification, e-commerce notifies mobile app users about real-time promotions. This kind of notification is mostly used by e-commerce and fashion stores. More and more of them send exclusive promotions to app users, especially in the times of seasonal sales. 

With promotional push notifications you can:

• Notify users about current discounts at your ecommerce mobile app
• Notify users about current discounts at your physical store
• Send promotional codes and coupons
• Notify users about an exclusive deal just for them

An example of promotional push notifications can be found in one of the biggest Kuwait fashion webshop – Thouqi.

Buyers knew when the seasonal sales start and Thouqi took advantage of this information to boost their ecommerce mobile app sales. A couple of days before the opening of an in-store seasonal sale, every mobile app user received a push notification about an exclusive pre-sale available just in-app. 

5. Survey push notifications

Push notifications can be used to research customers and their needs as well as satisfaction. Send a survey push notification with inviting content.

Also, providing some kind of a reward for the filled out survey can be more lucrative. Match the gift with the content of the survey. For example, invite users to fill out your survey on the topic of delivery satisfaction and reward them with a 10% discount on their next order. 

Benefits of using push notifications

Now that you know the types of push notifications, you can use them to increase your ecommerce sales and improve customer experience. By sending push notifications you are engaging with customers and showing them relevant content. 

If you are wondering when you need to plan your push notification strategy or do not know how to prepare for ecommerce development, use our checklist before starting an ecommerce app and do not miss a thing!

Things to keep in mind when creating your push notifications:

• Don’t send too many push notifications – you may seem spammy and get blocked
• Always allow users to opt-in/opt-out – permission is key to success
• Create engaging and relevant content – less is more with push notifications

If you play your cards right, push notifications will get you:

• A boost in ecommerce sales
• Increase in mobile app engagement
• Positive word of mouth 
• Better customer experience
• Improved customer relationship 

By reminding users of your ecommerce app and sending them updates of new products you could increase sales. Also, by giving away coupons and alerting users about real-time discounts you will not only boost sales but also improve your customer relationship. Everybody loves coupons! 

Getting started with push notifications

There are many ways to use push notifications!

Push notifications are an excellent tool for delivering value to your customer, they work on your brand awareness and driving sales with the constant reminder of your new deals, coupons or seasonal sales.

One thing every ecommerce business loves about push notification is reopening a channel of communication with previous customers who already bought something from their store, and they are more likely to buy something again.

That’s actually the proof why we think every business can increase sales with push notifications!

We hope this article gave you an idea on how to create your own push notifications to boost sales and improve customer experience. 

P.S. Here are 10 ecommerce blogs you need to follow in order to stay in touch with new trends and insights from the ecommerce world!