9 ways that in-app notifications boost your business

Using in-app notifications to spur engagement

While there are numerous communication channels available to modern businesses, few come close to notifications regarding timeliness. Want to alert a customer that their delivery will be arriving tomorrow? There’s a notification for that. Want to let them know that you’re holding an incredible 24-hour sale featuring some of your top products? There’s a notification for that, as well.

Given their timeliness and punchiness, notifications are great for spurring in-app engagement. And because they’re personalized from the behavior and preferences of each user, they provide a fulfilling experience that builds loyalty. You can get similar results from the sustained use of well-timed notifications as you would with a massive acquisition campaign.

This isn’t to say that acquisition campaigns are a waste of time. But you’ll certainly be squandering the results of such campaigns if you don’t follow them up with targeted communications, such as in-app notifications, that are ideal for re-engagement and retention.

As other communication channels run into promotion tabs, spam filters, and various roadblocks, in-app notifications are nearly guaranteed to be read by those who have opted in to receive them. This is mainly due to having a Notification Center in your app that users can visit when they see a Notification bell and want to see what messages you sent them.

Of course, getting someone to see something is only the first objective. You’re also tasked with creating a message that they’ll be glad they took the time to read. That’s where the timeliness comes into play.

Remember that huge 24-hour sale you’re going to offer on your website? You could send in-app notifications out to your app users within the first few minutes of the sale, so that they’ll have the chance to place orders before your most popular items sell out. And you could even personalize the notifications so that customers with a history of ordering certain products are alerted to the new sale price. Pairing in-app notifications with push notifications is a powerful combo to increase campaign participation.

Other examples of timely notifications include appointment reminders, account updates, order confirmations, payment reminders, and curated product recommendations. Each of these in-app notifications would be connected to the unique actions of the user, which fosters the feeling of personalization and connection to your brand.

9 key benefits of in-app notifications

We’ve already looked at some ways notifications leverage timeliness and personalization to act as an effective email alternative and SMS alternative. While those other channels certainly have their place in any communications plan, notifications earn their special role with a long list of benefits.

Let’s look at 9 of the ways that notifications can drive better results for your business:

1. Impressive delivery rates

Notifications can be sent even when a user isn’t using your app or website. By sending messages to a Notification Center in your app, you give power to your users to read their messages when they want to hear from your business. You can augment this with push notifications to bring your users back to your app.

They'll see your message as long as they have their phone with them. Most people keep their phones with them throughout the day, and the average adult checks their phone once every three minutes, so your chance of a connection is incredibly high.

2. Better user experience

Your customers shouldn’t have to seek out relevant information from your brand. When done right, your key messages can be as accessible as they are timely. In-app notifications make this possible, as they are available when your users want to view them, and they don’t disappear like other ephemeral forms of communicating with your customers. This accessibility reinforces that your brand cares about customers and wants to deliver the best experience possible.

3. Safe to opt in

There are newsletters and email lists out there that require the submission of personal information to sign up. Modern consumers are reluctant to provide their data; such form fields become a major roadblock. So it’s ideal for your business that in-app notifications do not require additional sign-ups since they already have opted into your app.

4. More cost-effective

Have you ever managed a call center or programmed an email? Traditional business communication channels are notoriously expensive. In-app notifications, on the other hand, are much more cost-effective than third-party channels. This user-friendly functionality enables you to be more adaptive and able to meet customers’ needs right when they’re most relevant.

5. Extending your brand

A successful brand is reliant upon touchpoints. Notifications provide these recurring opportunities to connect with customers and showcase the attributes that make you so unique. As long as the messaging is effective and the cadence is acceptable, you’ll have a proven recipe for long-term brand experiences.

6. Improving in-app engagement

Not only are touchpoints like notifications great for keeping your brand strong, but they also give users more opportunities to engage. Creating in-app notifications is easy and sets you apart from the competition. Just as you would rather have a conversation with someone who shares interests with you and calls you by your name, users are apt to engage with brands that connect with them more meaningfully.

7. Generate conversions

When highlighting products and services with notifications, you’re putting your best offerings right into customers’ hands. A click on the notification can take the recipient directly to a conversion page, streamlining the process and increasing the chance of success.

8. Help you understand your customers

Part of being a good brand is being a good partner. In-app notifications are simple to track, so you can discover the browsing habits of your users and what engages them most. Using these learnings, you can deliver even more curated content. It’s incredible how different the results are when you send the right message to the right customer at the right time.

9. Provide valuable metrics

In addition to refining your in-app messaging efforts, the metrics you gather from your push notifications will inform your overall brand strategies. For example, you might notice that a specific notification drove a 35% increase in sales. After running an A/B test, you learn that the content of the message had less of an impact than the time you sent it. Your customers are exceptionally active at 10:15 on Thursday mornings, helping you set the time for a successful flash sale in the future.