Push notifications are one of the most powerful tools for keeping mobile app users engaged, driving conversions, and boosting retention. By sending users timely, personalized notifications, you can remind them of important events, share new content, and encourage purchases—all of which contribute to the overall success of your app.
In this post, we’ll explore how push notifications work, their types, the best services to implement them, and tips for making them more effective. Let’s dive in!
How Do Push Notification Services Work?
Setting up push notifications involves multiple steps and technologies:
- Create a Notification: You create a message in your app’s server tailored to your audience and objectives.
- Send to Push Notification Service: The notification is sent to a push notification service, such as Apple’s APNs for iOS or Google’s Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for Android. Third-party platforms like OneSignal or Pushwoosh can also handle these notifications.
- Delivery to User Devices: The push notification service then delivers the notification to the user’s device, allowing your app to re-engage users.
Each app user has a unique device token, which your app server uses to identify recipients. Managing these tokens securely and ensuring they’re up-to-date is part of the process, along with maintaining secure connections and updating tokens when devices are reinstalled or restored.
While setting up your own notification infrastructure is possible, third-party services handle much of the heavy lifting, from token management to customized targeting, and make implementing push notifications much more accessible.
Types of Push Notifications
Push notifications can be categorized based on their goals:
- Conversion-Oriented Notifications
- Purpose: To encourage purchases or subscriptions. For example, you can offer a limited-time discount to users who reach your paywall or to boost cross-sells.
- When to Use: Ideal for promoting in-app purchases, upsells, and special offers.
- Engagement-Oriented Notifications
- Purpose: To keep users active within the app by introducing new features, reminders, or content updates.
- When to Use: To enhance feature discovery and adoption, increasing the app’s value for users.
- Retention-Oriented Notifications
- Purpose: To retain users by re-engaging inactive ones or rewarding loyal customers.
- When to Use: For users who haven’t interacted in a while, send reminders or special offers to encourage them to return.
The Five Best Push Notification Services for Mobile Apps
Here are some of the most popular push notification services for mobile apps, each with unique features and pricing structures.
1. OneSignal
OneSignal offers a comprehensive suite of tools for push notifications, in-app messaging, SMS, and email. With features like automated message sequences and user journeys, you can design detailed engagement strategies.
- Key Features: Supports omnichannel messaging, user journey automation, in-app carousels for feature discovery.
- Pricing: Starts at $0.012 per monthly active user. For 10,000 active users, expect costs around $129/month.
2. Pushwoosh
Pushwoosh is a robust solution for push notifications, SMS, email, and WhatsApp messaging, making it ideal for subscription-based apps.
- Key Features: Automated notification sequences, user personalization based on attributes, optimal sending times, and detailed reporting.
- Pricing: Paid plans start at $49/month, with a limited free plan for apps with up to 1,000 subscribers.
3. Airship
Airship is a premium option with tools for push notifications, in-app messaging, emails, and even app feature experimentation.
- Key Features: Advanced engagement options, feature flagging, and testing tools for app experience.
- Pricing: Available upon request, typically aimed at large brands and established apps.
4. PushEngage
PushEngage offers strong push notification capabilities, especially for apps with eCommerce elements, with features like cart and browse abandonment campaigns.
- Key Features: Automated sequences, A/B testing, segmentation, with a focus on eCommerce.
- Pricing: Starts at $19/month with a free plan for small-scale use.
5. WonderPush
WonderPush is a dedicated push notification platform with in-app messaging capabilities.
- Key Features: A/B testing, predefined user segments, rich push notifications, and a range of in-app message formats.
- Pricing: €1/month for every 1,000 subscribers, with additional costs for in-app messaging.
How to Set Up Push Notifications in Your App
Once you’ve selected a push notification service, setting up push notifications typically involves these steps:
- Integrate the SDK: Add the SDK from your chosen push notification service to your app’s codebase. This step enables your app to communicate with the service and receive push notifications.
- Configure Your Notifications: Customize the content, timing, and triggers for each push notification. Consider setting up automated sequences for common user journeys, like onboarding and re-engagement.
- Set Up Targeting and Personalization: Use user attributes (like location or activity history) to send personalized notifications. This can include content tailored to the user’s preferences or behavior.
- Test and Optimize: A/B testing your push notifications allows you to test different messages and delivery times, helping you optimize for higher engagement.
How an App Revenue Platform like Adapty Can Improve Your Mobile Push Notifications
An app revenue platform like Adapty can integrate with your push notification service to provide in-depth insights and hyper-personalization based on user behavior. Here are some use cases:
- Convert Free Users to Subscribers: Use Adapty’s insights to target free users who engage with your app frequently but haven’t subscribed. Personalized push notifications promoting a limited-time offer can nudge them toward converting.
- Win Back Inactive Users: Adapty tracks users who cancel subscriptions or become inactive. By sending targeted “we-miss-you” notifications with special offers, you can potentially re-engage these users.
- Prevent Subscription Churn: For users with failed payments, a quick push notification encouraging them to update their payment details can prevent subscription loss.
- Boost App Store Visibility: By targeting longtime users to leave positive reviews, you can boost your app’s visibility in the App Store. This naturally increases organic downloads and conversions.
Adapty’s integration with push notification services provides data-driven personalization, making push notifications more relevant and effective.
Wrapping It Up: Push Notifications as a Core Strategy for App Growth
Push notifications are a powerful tool for engaging, converting, and retaining app users. By implementing a well-thought-out push notification strategy and leveraging services that offer advanced personalization and analytics, you can deliver highly targeted messages that drive growth.
With the support of an app revenue platform like Adapty, you can further enhance the relevance of your push notifications. By tapping into user behavior data, you ensure that each message is meaningful and timely, leading to higher engagement, lower churn, and increased revenue.
Push notifications, when done right, can make all the difference in creating a loyal, engaged user base for your app. Whether you’re just getting started or optimizing your current setup, a data-driven approach will ensure your notifications resonate and make an impact.
