What is Push Notification? How to Use Push Notifications for Ecommerce Store

If you have an eCommerce store, you must be using multiple tools, ways, and channels to increase traffic and conversion rate. Every day, we see new channels coming to life which we can use to enhance the reach of our eCommerce business in this digital sphere. Push notification is one such channel that has started to catch some limelight. While it is not so new per se, it’s worth for eCommerce marketers to give attention to.

As per one eCommerce statistic, the conversion rate from push notifications has seen a 500% year-over-year increase for last year. Thus, push notifications are a new weapon in the arsenal of marketers that helps drive sales. And today, we are going to have a look at effective ways to use push notifications for eCommerce. But first, let’s understand what push notification is and how do they work.

What is Push Notification?

As the name itself suggests, push notification is a type of notification pushed as a popup message on the web browser. It can also be sent on mobile apps regardless of whether the app is open or not. They provide users with essential information & have become an effective way to communicate with them too.

When users click on the message sent by the app or website, they will be taken to a specific page where they perform a certain task. In the beginning, push notification was used as a means to let users know about the system issues. But since then, marketers have used it as another way to contact their customers without much effort.

How do Push Notifications Work?

What’s most interesting about push notifications is that customers can receive them without necessarily being navigating your eCommerce site but only after they have opted in for it. The eCommerce owners first have to expressively ask permission from users and only then they can send the push notifications.

A small opt-in box asking for permission to show a message will appear as soon as new visitors land on your eCommerce website. Once they are opt-in, they will be added to your push notification subscriber list allowing you to send them small text messages whenever you want.

But as saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. And if you start to abuse your power, users will revoke their decision as quickly as it was granted.

How to Use Push Notification for eCommerce Store?

Let’s see plenty of effective ways to use push notifications for your eCommerce store.

1. New Product Launches & Promotions

A push notification is a great way to let your customers know about new product launches as and when they launch. It’s better than well-crafted emails, as users may take a long time to read them. But push notification can quickly grab the attention of users ensuring your customers have read it just after being delivered.

Ecommerce stores with wishlists can well benefit from push notifications. Most eCommerce store owners send out an email whenever the wishlisted item goes on sale, which is quite a lengthy process. But with push notification, you can send less & to the point content quickly to entice your customers with the offer.

2. Push Notification to Recover Abandoned Carts

As per Baymard, the average documented cart abandonment rate is 69.80%. We know that emails can be a great tool to recover the abandoned carts. However, they are time-sensitive to start with, and around less than half of people open abandoned cart emails.

Push notifications will add an extra kick to your email series by reminding your customers about the cart they just abandoned. They are instant and ensures that users engage with the notification as soon as they are sent helping you to recover abandoned cart and increase conversion rate as well.

3. Update Customers about their Orders

Another way to use push notifications is to let customers know about the statuses of the orders they placed with you. Updating your customers about their orders when they are confirmed, shipped, and out for delivery will help you enhance their experience.

Moreover, push notifications are a blessing when used to convey time-sensitive information. It would be great to let your customers know about the shipping deadline before the major holiday hits. This will ensure that your customers don’t end up being late for the gift they wanted before such a holiday.

4. To Inform Customer about Sales

A sale is a great way to increase traffic as well as conversions during a specified period. Sales that only run for limited hours (Flash Sale) can create urgency to drive up the amount of traffic for that limited time. And the best way to let customers know about flash sales is by sending a push notification.

Timely sent push notifications to ensure that your customers get it and are likely to engage with it during the sale hours. It will not only benefit your customers to make the most out of your offer but also will benefit you to have more increased sales with low investment cost. Also, push notifications will have an edge over emails as not everyone is likely to check their emails or might miss out on yours.

5. Segmentation to Send Personalized Offers

Customers now expect to have personalized conversations with brands. And just like emails, you can send personalized notifications than just a general one. By segmenting your customers into specific groups, you can send customized push notifications.

Personalized push notifications are a powerful way to lead customers to your store and also ensure that your customers have a spotless user experience. Based on the profile data, campaign behavior, shopping behavior, etc., you can segment customers to send personalized push notifications.

Wrapping Up

Businesses have started to realize the potential that push notifications hold for eCommerce. And many retail brands have seen some great results after utilizing push notifications for their online business. While the frequency of sending the notification is not fixed, since it still is a new technology, so, there is no data available to define the frequency. However, you must find what works best for your businesses and set an optimal frequency using the trial and error method.

Need help with your eCommerce store setup? M-Connect Media is here to help. Get in touch with our eCommerce experts to get effective solutions to all your bespoke needs. So, don’t wait up, contact us now to kickstart your project together.