How mobile push notifications boost app engagement and retention

Mobile apps have become an integral part of our daily lives. From shopping to entertainment to socialising, we rely on apps for a variety of tasks. 

However, with millions of apps vying for users’ attention, it can be challenging to keep users engaged and active within your app.

This is where mobile push notifications come in. 

In this post, we’ll explore how mobile push notifications can boost your app engagement and retention, and provide tips for creating effective push notifications that resonate with your users.

What are mobile push notifications?

Mobile push notifications (push notifications, app push, or pushes) are messages sent to users’ devices via the app, even when the app is not open. They can inform users about new content, features, or promotions, or remind them of upcoming events or actions.

Push notifications can be a powerful tool for engaging and retaining users, as they can help to:

• Increase user engagement by reminding users to open the app and interact with it
• Improve user retention by keeping users interested and active within the app
• Drive conversions by promoting products or services and encouraging users to take action

However, it’s important to use push notifications strategically and effectively to avoid overwhelming or irritating your users.

How push notifications boost app engagement and retention 

Now let’s explore 5 specific ways in which mobile push notifications can boost your app engagement and retention. 

Want more? Explore our top 10 creative ways to use push notifications for your brand here. (Number seven is one of our favourites.)  

1. Remind users about your app 

One of the primary benefits of push notifications is that they can remind users about your app and encourage them to open it. This can be especially useful for apps that users may not open frequently, such as travel or shopping apps.

For example, a travel app could send a push notification reminding users to book a flight or hotel for an upcoming trip. Or, a shopping app could send a notification promoting a sale or new product.

By reminding users about your app and providing a clear call to action, push notifications can help to increase user engagement and drive conversions.

2. Promote new content or features 

Another way to use push notifications to boost app engagement and retention is to promote new content or features within your app. For example, if you’ve just released a new feature or update, you can send a notification to let users know about it.

If you’ve published a new blog post or video within your app, you can send a notification to drive traffic to that content. This can help to keep users interested and engaged within your app, as well as encourage them to explore new features and content.

3. Offer personalised recommendations

Push notifications can also be used to offer personalised recommendations to users based on their interests and behaviour within your app. For example, if a user has previously purchased a certain type of product, you could send a notification promoting a similar product.

Has a user shown interest in a particular topic or category within your app? Send a notification promoting related content or products. 

By offering personalised recommendations that are relevant to each user’s interests and behaviour, push notifications can help to increase engagement and retention within your app.

4. Use urgency and scarcity to drive conversions  

Another effective way to use push notifications to boost app engagement and retention is to create a sense of urgency or scarcity around a promotion or deal. For example, you could send a notification promoting a limited-time sale or special offer.

By creating a sense of urgency or scarcity, push notifications can encourage users to take action and make a purchase within your app. This can help to drive conversions and increase user engagement and retention.

5. Remind users of abandoned carts or incomplete actions 

If your app involves purchases or other actions that require multiple steps, push notifications can be a powerful tool for reminding users to complete these actions. For example, if a user has added items to their cart but hasn’t checked out, you can send a notification reminding them to complete their purchase.

If a customer has started filling out a form or completing a task within your app but hasn’t finished, you can send a notification to remind them to complete it. By sending timely reminders and encouraging users to complete their actions within your app, push notifications can help to increase engagement and retention.

Best practices for creating effective push notifications 

While push notifications can be a powerful tool for engaging and retaining users, it’s important to use them strategically and effectively to avoid overwhelming or irritating your users. 

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when creating push notifications:

1. Keep it short and sweet: Push notifications should be brief and to the point, conveying a clear message and call to action in just a few words.

2. Use personalised and relevant content: Use data on user behaviour and preferences to personalise your notifications and make them relevant to each user.

3. Time your notifications strategically: Send notifications at times when users are most likely to be engaged with your app, such as during their usual app usage time or in response to a specific action or event.

4. Use urgency and scarcity judiciously: While urgency and scarcity can be effective motivators, overusing them can lead to user fatigue and irritation.

5. Provide clear calls to action: Make sure your push notifications provide a clear call to action that is easy for users to follow and leads directly to the desired action or content.

6. Respect users’ privacy and preferences: Obtain users’ consent for data collection and use, and provide an easy way for users to opt out of notifications or adjust their preferences.

By following these best practices and experimenting with different strategies, you can create push notifications that are compelling, relevant, and valuable to your users.

Mobile push notifications can be a powerful tool for engaging and retaining users within your app. 

By reminding users about your app, promoting new content or features, offering personalised recommendations, using urgency and scarcity to drive conversions, and reminding users of abandoned carts or incomplete actions, you can create push notifications that resonate with your users and keep them engaged and active within your app.

Remember to use push notifications strategically and effectively, respecting users’ privacy and preferences and providing clear calls to action that lead directly to the desired action or content. 

With the right approach, mobile push notifications can help you build stronger relationships with your users and drive increased engagement and conversions within your app.