Web push notifications are pop ups delivered to users over mobile or desktop internet. These are delivered to the user’s screen anytime their browser is open, irrespective of whether the user is on the website or not. 

With today’s technological advancements enabling hi personalization and the inclusion of action buttons and media in web push notifications, marketers are using these extensively. They use these to convey information, send updates, encourage users to engage with an app, send reminders, etc. 

This blog tells you why web push notifications are a great marketing strategy in 2021 and what kinds of notifications users like receiving. So, read on. 

Why web push notifications are a great marketing strategy in 2021?

Web Push Notifications are advantageous digital marketing techniques because of several reasons. These are discussed below. 

1. A lot of people use smartphones today.

The number of people using smartphones has increased over the years. Back in 2016, the number of smartphone users was only 2.5 billion. Now, it is 3.5 billion (Statista, 2019). In the current year, this number is expected to go to 3.8 billion. Since it is wise to market through a medium that is increasingly being used, web push notifications are great techniques. 

2.  People spend more time on a smartphone.

All over the world, people spend more time on smartphones nowadays. Times of India reported in 2020 that people spend 4.3 hours per day on smartphones, which is higher when compared to 2019 stats (3.5 hours). This also facilitates reaching people easily with web push notifications. 

3. People prefer using the internet through their mobile phones.

A study by ComScore reported that most people online are on their mobile phones. They have dropped desktop usage in favour of smartphones. Two-thirds of total digital media time comes from smartphones, stated the study. Further, mobile devices account for 73% of web traffic (Zenith, 2018). So, marketers should consider these facts and start using web push notifications if they haven’t yet. 

4. Web push notifications have a wide reach.

You can deliver web push notifications both through desktops and mobile devices. These are supported by several Operating Systems, including Windows, macOS, Android, and browsers, including Safari, Opera, Firefox, Yandex, and Chrome. So, you can reach the vast majority of internet users through these. 

5. Web push notifications enjoy a high delivery rate.

Compared to other digital marketing techniques like emails and SMS, web push notifications have high average deliverability. Depending on the device used by the receiver, this rate varies. Its delivery is higher on smartphones than desktop devices. Likewise, the delivery is also affected by the sending time. While morning and evening see a lower delivery rate, afternoons witness a higher delivery rate. Marketers make use of this knowledge to succeed in web push notification marketing.

6. Humans have a short attention span.

The increased availability of information has shortened the attention span of us- humans. A study by Microsoft in 2000 showed that the average internet user’s attention span is 12 seconds. It conducted another study 15 years later to find that this figure has decreased to 8 seconds. Web push notifications address this challenge as they have small ad formats, which convey the info within the short time framework. 

7. Adblocker resistance

Since marketers keep sending messages to smartphone users, people around the world have started using ad blockers. A study said that in 2019, about 25.8% of internet users use ad blockers (Statista). Six hundred fifteen million devices are using these (PageFair, 2016). Web push notifications are resistant to these. That is, their delivery is not affected by the presence of ad-blockers. This is another reason why web push notifications are great for marketing. 

8. Less tie investment

It doesn’t take any more than 5 minutes to create a successful web push notification marketing strategy. Additionally, an integrated web push automation system further simplifies the entire process of sending these notifications to the right users at the right time. 

What kinds of notifications users like receiving?

You now know why web push notification marketing is an essential marketing technique to be practised by every marketer in this digital era. You also need to know what kinds of notifications users like receiving. This section provides details on the same. 

1. Personalized notifications: No user likes receiving generalized messages. Personalization can increase the users’ reaction rates by many times. Even basic personalization can raise your open rates by 9% (CleverTap). So, segment your user base to facilitate sending highly personalized messages.  
2. Advanced feature usage: As mentioned in the introductory part, the current digital advancements allow you to use advanced features to improve campaigns’ performance. So, do incorporate features like expiry scheduling, multi-website, smart campaigns, welcome drip, etc., in your web push notification campaigns. 
3. Usefulness: People like receiving notifications that are useful to them. So, to improve your campaigns’ performance, send web push notifications that bear value to your users. 
4. Rich media usage: People tend to click through those notifications that have rich media incorporated in them. One of the rich media features they like receiving is emojis. The incorporation of these can increase CTR by 4.94% (CleverTap). 
5. Tailored send times: It is important to send the right content to the right people at the right time. Yes, timing matters as much as your message and its receiver. So, tailor the send time of your push notifications. A study by Accengage found that this can increase the reaction rates by 40%. Different industries have found that different timings work for them. For publishing, blogging, and media, it is 9 am to 10 am on Tuesdays; for Software and SaaS, it is 4 pm to 7 pm on Wednesdays; for e-commerce, it is 3 pm to 4 pm on Wednesdays; for Digital Marketing Agencies, it is 2 pm to 7 pm on Tuesdays; and for BFSI, it is 3 pm to 5 pm on Tuesdays (VWO Engage).
6. Ideal length: Web push marketers like you need to know the ideal length of push notification messages. It is 45 characters for utilities and services, media and publishing, and food and delivery; 55 characters for business and finance; 25 characters for training and education; 85 for retail and e-commerce; 20 characters for deals and coupons; and 90 characters for travel and hospitality, health and fitness, and entertainment and events (CleverTap).
7. CTAs: People tend to respond well to certain words over others. CleverTap found that the most preferred words are ‘don’t miss’, ‘win’, ‘handpicked’, ‘today’, ‘indulge’, ‘limited’, ‘hassle-free, etc. It also found that people do not like receiving words like ‘please’, ‘price’, and ‘trade’ in finance; ‘get ready’, ‘blockbuster’ and ‘special’ in entertainment and events; and ‘old’, ‘pain’, and ‘treatment’ in health and fitness. So, do use the favoured words and discard the frowned ones in your messages. 
8. A/B testing: A/B testing allows you to know which variant is more accepted by your users in any given context. It takes the guesswork out of push notification marketing and thereby increases the CTR. So, do A/B test your push notifications before sending them to your entire user base.

Rounding it all up

This blog has discussed why web push notifications are a great marketing strategy in 2021 and what kinds of notifications users like receiving. This info can help you come up with push notification campaigns with higher engagement rates and conversions. So, do put our ideas to practice to find success in your web push notification marketing.

Shivani Goyal:

Shivani is a content writer at NotifyVisitors. She writes SEO articles, blogs, and guest posts for businesses to improve website ranking on SERP. She follows a balanced approach to the quality of content and its marketing. She loves to do creative, although she had an English major in her graduation.