Types of Push Notifications Businesses can Leverage to Increase Sales

Push notifications are a powerful tool for businesses to engage with customers and drive sales. With push notifications, businesses can send timely, relevant messages directly to a customer‘s device.

But not all push notifications are created equal. The type of push notification you send can dramatically impact its effectiveness. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore the various types of push notifications businesses can use and how to leverage them to boost sales.

Overview of Push Notifications

Before diving into the different types, let‘s quickly go over what push notifications are and why they‘re so effective:

Push notifications are messages that appear on a user‘s device, even when the app sending them is closed. They allow apps to re-engage inactive users and prompt returns.
They have high open rates, with over 90% of push notifications being opened within 3 minutes of delivery. This is far higher than email open rates.
Push notifications are opt-in. Users must explicitly allow them, so they expect and accept these messages. There‘s no stigma of spam.
They allow for personalization and sending messages based on user behaviors and preferences. This leads to more relevant notifications.
Push notifications are cross-platform, working across iOS, Android, desktop browsers, and more. You can reach users anywhere with one integration.
With features like images, videos, and buttons, push notifications allow for interactive, rich messaging.
They provide real-time communication to users about time-sensitive content.

With those basics covered, let‘s explore some of the most effective types of push notifications for businesses to boost sales.

1. Abandoned Cart Push Notifications

Abandoned cart push notifications target users who added items to their online shopping cart but didn‘t complete the purchase.

According to Baymard Institute, the average cart abandonment rate is 69.57%. That‘s a tremendous amount of lost revenue.

With abandoned cart push notifications, you can prompt users to come back and complete their purchase:

Abandoned Cart Notification Example

These notifications are highly effective because you‘re messaging someone who already expressed intent to buy. A customized message reminding them about the items left in their cart can nudge them to conversion.

Here are some tips for abandoned cart push notifications:

Send the notification within a few hours of cart abandonment. Don‘t wait days as the user may have lost interest.
Personalize the message with the user‘s name and the products they added. This adds relevance.
Offer an additional discount or free shipping to incentivize completing the purchase.
Keep the message concise and actionable. Focus on driving them back to buy.
Test different notification triggers, timing, and messaging for optimization.

2. Back-in-Stock Notifications

Back-in-stock notifications alert users when a previously out-of-stock item becomes available again.

These notifications are great for ecommerce businesses that sell popular or trendy items that periodically go out of stock.

Here are some tips for effective back-in-stock push notifications:

When a user tries to buy an out-of-stock product, prompt them to sign up for a notification for when it‘s back in stock.
Personalize the message with the specific product name they wanted.
Limit the notification to users who previously expressed interest in that product to avoid spamming everyone.
Offer an incentive for the first X customers who buy the newly stocked item to create urgency.
Make sure your inventory management system can detect new stock and trigger the notification.

3. New Content Notifications

For publishers, bloggers, and companies producing lots of new content, new content notifications are key.

These notifications alert your audience when you publish a new article, episode, product listing, etc.

Benefits of new content notifications include:

Drives traffic to your new content while it‘s still fresh and buzzworthy.
Builds habit and brand loyalty by training users to expect your new updates.
Surfaces your best content that users may have otherwise missed.
Provides a low-cost supplemental traffic source to social media and email.

Some best practices are:

Send notifications for your best, most compelling new content – don‘t bombard with every new post.
Personalize notifications by user preferences and past engagement data.
Use concise but descriptive copy highlighting why they should check out the new content.
Test including images and videos to make it more engaging.
Prompt users who haven‘t opened the app/site in a while to check out the new content.

4. Event Reminder Notifications

For apps and sites related to events – whether concerts, conferences, meetings, or other gatherings – event reminder notifications are invaluable.

These notifications remind users about upcoming events they expressed interest in, driving attendance:

Event Reminder Notification Example

Tips for effective event reminders:

Send a first reminder notification a few weeks before the event date.
Follow up with a second reminder notification the day before or day of the event.
Personalize each notification with the specific event details like time, location, speakers etc.
Provide a link or button to add the event to their calendar for easy access.
Offer reminders for both in-person and virtual events. Location can trigger in-person event notifications.
Remind users to complete any pre-event requirements when applicable.

5. New Feature Notification

When you release a major new feature or redesign, let users know with a dedicated new feature notification.

This notification makes users aware of the new functionality so they can take advantage of it.

New Feature Notification Example

Tips for maximizing new feature announcements:

Send notification to all users immediately after releasing the new feature.
Clearly but briefly explain what the new feature is and how users can use it.
Link to in-app guides or help docs to learn more about the feature.
Prompt inactive users to open the app and check out the big new update.
Consider highlighting your most power users who will be excited about new capabilities.
Follow up with additional tips on how to use the feature.

6. Promotional Notifications

One of the most common types, promotional notifications highlight sales, deals, discounts, and other special offers.

The goal is to drive traffic to your app/site to take advantage of time-sensitive promotions:

Promotional Notification Example

Best practices for promotional push notifications:

Personalize notifications based on user preferences and behaviors.
Emphasize urgency and scarcity -BUT don‘t overuse countdowns and pressure tactics.
Use emojis, colors, and branding to catch the user‘s eye.
Test promotions for different user segments to determine what resonates most.
Clarify key details like dates, exclusions, how to redeem in the notification copy.
Monitor performance – stop notifications for underperforming promos early to prevent fatigue.

Social proof establishes confidence and trust by showcasing your product or content‘s popularity. Push notifications are a great medium for social proof messaging.

For example, you can notify users when:

A blog post or video they commented on gets a certain number of likes/shares.
A review they left gets reactions and responses from the business.
A post they shared on social media receives engagement.
A question they asked gets lots of upvotes and answers.
A piece of content they bookmarked or saved exceeds a viewership threshold.

This shows users their contributions mattered and connects them back to relevant content and conversations.

8. User Milestone Notifications

User milestone notifications recognize loyalty and celebrate achievements on your app or site.

Some examples are:

Congratulating the user on making X purchases this month.
Unlocking a new membership tier based on points/usage.
Completing a set number of workouts, lessons, check-ins etc.
Reaching their 1 year anniversary as a user.
Posting their 100th social content contribution.

This makes your power users and brand advocates feel valued and appreciated.

9. Real-Time Chat Notifications

For apps with chat/messaging features, notifications about new incoming messages are table stakes.

But you can take chat notifications further with:

Unread message counts – "You have 3 new unread messages".
Sender names – "You have a new message from Katie".
Message previews – "Katie: Hey, did you get my last message?"
Typing indicators – "Katie is typing…"

These details make notifications more compelling and personalized without invasive content. Users can access the full message in the app.

10. Ratings & Reviews Prompts

Positive ratings and reviews build trust and social proof. Push notifications are a great way to prompt for them.

For example, you can send notifications:

After the user makes a certain number of purchases.
A few days after a purchased product is delivered.
A week after signing up for your app.
After completing an engagement milestone.

The key is to be selective – don‘t badger users constantly for reviews. Carefully test timing and triggers to find what works for generating authentic positive feedback.

11. Re-Engagement Notifications

For users who have been inactive for a period of time, re-engagement notifications bring them back into the fold.

Some ideas for pulling inactive users back in:

Show them what features/content they‘re missing out on.
Offer a special discount, bonus, or promo for returning.
Remind them of key habits or activities they used to perform in the app.
Share big events, updates, or news they haven‘t heard about.
Use emotional messaging expressing that you‘ve noticed their absence.

Test different inactive time thresholds, notification frequency, and copy to prevent coming off as spammy. The goal is sparking nostalgic curiosity.

12. Cart or Favorites Reminder

Have users build up carts or favorites but not convert frequently? Reminder notifications can help.

Periodically send notifications that:

Recap products left in their cart that are still available.
Remind them of items they favorited or saved for later purchasing.
Share that coveted items they’ve shown interest in are trending or selling out.

This hooks users with lingering purchase intent and turns passive interest into conversion. But avoid being overly aggressive with cart and wishlist spam.

Tools for Sending Effective Push Notifications

Now that we‘ve explored the various push notification types, you need a tool to actually send them.

Here are some top options:

OneSignal – Robust features, granular targeting, free up to 30K subscribers
SendPulse – Automated workflows, multi-channel messaging, free plan
Pusher Beams – Scalable delivery, real-time triggers, generous free tier
VWO Engage – Focus on re-engagement, cart abandonment, and messenger
WonderPush – Real-time analytics, behavioral automation, transparent pricing

Evaluate the feature set, targeting options, delivery reliability, segmentation capabilities, and pricing models. Select the tool that aligns with your use cases, audience size, and budget.

Key Takeaways

Here are some important tips to remember:

Test different push notification types to see what resonates most with your users. Track opens, clicks, and conversions.
Personalize messaging with user names, specific product details, behavioral data, and more.
Send notifications only when you have something highly relevant and valuable to share. Avoid spamming users.
Write clear, concise copy focused on a specific CTA – open app, make purchase, register for event etc.
Use rich media like images, GIFs, and videos when applicable to boost engagement.
Monitor analytics to identify your best notification types, timing, segments, frequency and continuously optimize.

Push notifications are powerful but also easy to misuse. Follow these tips and only send the most timely, relevant messages.

Implementing an intentional, tailored push notification strategy with a refined tool can significantly lift sales and engagement for your business. Choose notification types aligned to your users and use them judiciously to make the most of this impactful medium.