The attention spans of smartphone and computer users are shrinking day after day. Email, one of the most utilized marketing channels today receives a CTR not more than 2%, which is a great concern. People don’t want to read lengthy marketing emails. So they either put the spam filters ON or just ignore them at all.
In all this, push notifications have shown some influential marketing capabilities in today’s era. These small clickable messages not only connect a brand with its potential customers in real-time but also eliminate the need for knowing their personal details as well.
They work similar to email newsletter subscriptions, except your users need not share their email addresses to opt-in to a list. Probably this is why opt-in rate in push marketing is as high as 53.3%.
If you too are intrigued by push notifications and wondering how they can help your eCommerce business grow positively with unprecedented leads and better engagements, this article will guide you on this path. We will learn about the application of push notifications in the eCommerce arena and how you can maximize your returns on push marketing investments.
How big are Push Notifications in eCommerce marketing?
The biggest names in eCommerce like Walmart, ASUS, Debenhams, Ladbrokes, etc. use web push notifications for marketing. Collecting data from prominent names in the industry, researchers have found push notifications can boost customer engagements for a brand by up to 3 folds. This is way more than what emails could ever achieve after a prolonged period of usage in digital marketing.
Fact is, users carry their mobile phones all the time. All the important mobile apps on their phones such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, etc. use push notification to communicate critical alerts. Users can hardly afford to turn such notifications off. Even the email apps use push notifications to inform users that they have received a new email.
Looking at the other side, any mobile app that triggers push notifications receives 26% better open-rate. Furthermore, it’s 92% more likely to be retained by the users for a longer duration. According to a study by Xtify, push notifications to get an open-rate between 30%-60%, while emails offer only 20% open rate and 5.4% click-through.
Everything just advocates that people love to push notifications. So, is there a chance that push notifications can be used to boost your eCommerce sales?
Yes. There is a huge potential and major eCommerce brands have been using them for a while now. However, they are not magical. There is a proper way to utilize web push notifications and mobile push alerts productively, or you would just ruin your business by assuming wrong methods.
How to increase eCommerce sales with Push Notifications?
When potential customers visit an eCommerce website or install an m-commerce app for the first time, the retailers have a massive opportunity to generate scope for future engagements. Be advised that 94% of first-time visitors hardly make a purchase.
So, Instead of exploring the ways to convert such users, you should focus more on bringing such users back again on the site in the future as well. Also, no matter how hard you try, 88% of first-time visitors will continue to keep looking for other options before they can make a final purchase decision.
Now, you can employ push notifications for this engagement generation. You can not only retain first-time visitors as your push subscribers but can also engage them strategically to generate customer loyalty and repeat visits. Here is what you should do-
#1. Formulate a Push Opt-in Strategy
Users opt-in to push notifications for two possible reasons: Either your brand is too cool to ignore, or users are interested in what you are offering to them. The first reason is not so easy to achieve though. However, the second reason is purely under control.
Prove your point by communicating a value proposition. Let them know what they will get and what they will miss if blocked your notifications. It’s clearly a business. Offer something valuable in return and they will be interested in your brand. If they are interested in your brand, it takes no time converting them into subscribed users.
What’s a value proposition?
Several things can bring value to consumers. However, the actual value proposition is not what customers seek but also what that aligns with your business’s offerings. In short, a value proposition is a customer interest that a brand can fulfill while also bringing revenue to the business.
To formulate an opt-in strategy by identifying your customers and the value your business can bring into their lives as your push subscribers.
Notes:
- Android users subscribe to your push notifications automatically when they install your app.
- You must ask your iOS app users to manually opt-in after installing the app.
- You must ask your website visitors to opt-in by selecting the ‘Allow' option in the opt-in box.
#2. Announce limited-time sales with Push Notifications
You can send real-time flash sale alerts using web push notifications. By including a link to your website, you can also ensure that the customers land directly on the offer page after clicking on the notification.
To inculcate further excitement and FOMO in the push subscribers, you can include time-sensitive identifiers such as "Hurry Limited Time Deal", or "The sale lasts for just 20 minutes". You can also utilize visuals to make it more appealing and easily readable.
For example, you can add a Clock Image in the Icon and add a beautiful banner image with a strong CTA.
#3. Announce new products on the store with Push Notifications
The possibility of a customer re-visiting your site and checking all your products is pretty low. Instead, you can bring these previous visitors back by announcing new products and stocks through web push notifications.
You can create visually appealing notifications and club discounts to stimulate their interests. Doing so is a wise way to not only keep interested customers in the loop, but you can also boost your initial sales figures positively through direct marketing.
#4. Micro-target prospects with personalized discount coupons
We no more live in an era where discount coupons were a thing. Today, the trend has shifted to personalized offers. Offers that are well-tailored and personalized according to previous interactions. Personalized communications are not just good at grabbing attention but are also the most anticipated form of communications from a brand for two reasons:
- When customers see their names on a message, they are more likely to read it immediately.
- Messages based on previous interactions or user behavior are more relevant to the users.
You can your users on multiple aspects and create different segments based on each. Now you can target each segment individually, and employ some additional metrics to narrow down the user behaviors based on their demographics as well. For example, Gender, age, language, geo-locations, and past user history and behaviors.
For instance, the following notification was sent to a customer based on past browsing history. Last time the customer browsed this product, it was out-of-stock. Consequently, the brand sends a micro-personalized back-in-stock alert to the user once it available again.
#5. Re-target abandoned cart customers with real-time push alerts
You can use push notifications to not only trigger abandoned cart notifications but likewise involve the customers into more productive behaviors. Various push notification services offer inbuilt automatic triggers, which you can program to push real-time notifications as soon as users abandon their shopping carts on your store.
This feature is achievable in both mobile and web push notifications. You just need a push notification service or tool that supports abandoned cart tracking.
For example, the following is an abandoned cart notification sent by Ray-Ban to one of its customers who added ‘Pale Yellow Aviator’ in the cart but exited from the site without completing the purchase. So the site issued the following abandoned cart notification to the user.
Over to you
Marketing works best when it’s backed by cutting-edge tools. Push notifications are one such tool at your disposal. They have the potential to unlock unprecedented doors to marketing and engagement.
If you haven’t used any push notification tool yet, it’s time you give a shot. Doesn’t matter if you have just started or already working as a well-known brand, push notifications to have positive outlooks for every scale of business.