Get on their screen. Get the sale. Push notification marketing that works

If email is the nice guy sitting in your inbox hoping you’ll reply, push notification marketing is the friend who shows up at your front door with snacks and a plan.

This isn’t just another channel to blast promos through. Push notifications—done right—are your most direct, scalable, and high-converting line to customers. They show up in real time, live on the lock screen, and get clicks when it counts.

Let’s break down how push notification marketing works and why it outperforms your other channels.

What is push notification marketing?

Push notification marketing is direct communication where brands send timely messages to users’ devices via desktop, mobile, or in-app notifications—whether part of a broader push notification ad network or standalone campaigns tied to engagement.

Common use cases of push notification marketing:

• Abandoned cart reminders
• Sale alerts
• Product launches
• Win-back campaigns
• Shipping and delivery notifications 

Notably, push notifications are not the same as SMS messages. Push notifications:

• Require users to download a mobile or desktop app (unless you’re using Reactiv Clips—more on that later). 
• Give users control over what type of push notifications they can receive compared to a simple opt-out. 
• Are great for hyper-personalized messages that are specific to the user.
• Are short and typically less than 10 words. And with limited attention spans, sometimes it’s best to get straight to the point. 

Push notification marketing is a type of remarketing that works well with users who are already familiar with your brand but may need a reminder. 

What Makes Push Notification Marketing So Great?

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look at why push notifications outperform other channels—and how they drive real business impact.

Higher engagement rates than email 

It’s all in the name—push notifications literally push users to view your branded touchpoint. Compared to an email that can get lost in an inbox, push notifications stay present in the notification center until a user clicks on them or dismisses them. 

The average open rate for push notifications is around 50%, while the average open rate for emails is around 20%, meaning push notifications give you a better chance of being noticed, opened, and read. 

And this gets even better with Reactiv, reaching 60%+ average open rates from push notifications and converting on average 3x higher.

Direct access to high-intent users

Push notifications reach people who’ve already opted in or clicked on one of your ads, making them perfect for remarketing.

They work especially well as part of a push notification traffic strategy, re-engaging people who didn’t convert the first time. Just because someone doesn’t convert the first time around, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. 28% of users who click on a push notification end up making a purchase. 

Need some retargeting inspiration? Check out this blog.

You can make it personal and timely 

Push notification marketing is perfect for event-triggered messages based on specific user behavior. You’re not just sending a mass SMS blast to everyone on your subscriber list and hoping something sticks. 

You’re getting specific based on actions like browsing history, cart activity, or previous purchases.   

Less inbox competition

Whether you’re an inbox-zero type of person or you shamefully hide your email count, you probably receive an overwhelming amount of promotional emails every day. Survey shows that 63% of users receive at least 10 emails every day, and almost 50% said they only open a few of those. 

With email marketing, you’re putting all your eggs in one basket and hoping that your subject line convinces users to open the full message. 

Push notifications don’t get lost in clutter. They show up directly on the device’s screen in real time, which makes it a perfect strategy for flash sales and time-sensitive offers.

Strategies to Maximize your Push Notification Ads

Push notifications work best when paired with strategy, segmentation, and smart landing experiences. Let’s walk through push notification best practices to make the most of them.

1. Build a notification journey that mirrors the buyer’s journey

If you’re only sending push notifications to announce a new product, you’re missing out. Segment your audience based on their lifecycle stage and send personalized push notifications that nurture them every step of the way. 

Here’s how you do it:

• Acquisition: Awareness campaigns tied to best-selling products or viral content.
• Engagement: Product education, social proof, or user-generated content.
• Conversion: Abandoned cart reminders, promo codes, and low stock alerts.
• Retention: Order updates, loyalty program nudges, and win-back notifications.

Take Missouri Star Quilt Company, for example. They built a community of 50,000 app users in two weeks using Reactiv’s AI-powered mobile app platform.

And with the goal of providing a smoother UX, the quilt company implemented personalized push notifications to share content like new patterns or digital fabric drops. 

2. Use segmentation and behavioral, event-based triggers 

Have hopes to stand out? Make it personal. 

Let’s say you’re an avid runner and you download an app for a sporting goods store. Are you more likely to open a notification prompting running vests or one guiding you to baseball equipment?

The former option is relevant to your interests and needs, and it’s just simple segmentation that allows brands to tailor push notifications based on browsing history. 

Here are ways to do it:

• Viewed a product? Send a follow-up with an image card of that product a few hours later.
• Abandoned a cart? Offer 10% off with a CTA to finish checkout within the next X hours. 
• Purchased before? Upsell with complementary product recommendations.

Med School Bro did this in their push notifications strategy. The company sells study guides for medical students and runs daily trivia. Med School Bro then uses quiz data to identify knowledge gaps for specific app users. Using personalized and behavioral segmentation, they sent targeted push notifications offering study guides based on areas users struggled with in the quiz.

3. Keep the message short and CTA clear

Your push notification ads should have a focused goal. Not only is having a really obvious CTA just good marketing sense, it’s proven to pay off. The average CTR for ecommerce push notifications jumps from 5.6% to 9.8% when there is a CTA button. 

CTA examples:

• “Your cart’s waiting — checkout before midnight!”
• “Back in stock: your saved item.”
• “Flash sale ends soon — shop now! ”

The best CTAs cut the fluff. You have to make every character count. And sometimes an emoji communicates more than your 10-word limit can. Using rich media in your push notifications can increase open rates by 56%.  

4. Optimize timing based on user behavior

Reactiv insights show that users engage most with push notifications between 9 PM–midnight. Notifications sent during this window via Clips see 6.8% conversion rates, outperforming the industry average of 5.7%.

How to know what your optimal push notifications send times are? A/B testing will highlight send times to match your specific customer behavior and preferences. 

You can set a time delay for certain event-based triggers rather than targeting a specific time of day. For example, if a shopper adds something to their cart at 9 AM. Instead of waiting 12 hours, you can send an abandoned cart notification 2 hours later to stay top-of-mind. 

5. Retarget seamlessly with Reactiv Clips

Reactiv Clips allow for unlimited real-time push notification retargeting for up to 8 hours post-click—without the shopper even having to opt in to receive push.

Here are some actionable ways to use Reactiv Clips in your push notification strategy:

• Checkout pages: Send customers straight to checkout with relevant products and discounts in their cart for the quickest route to a sale.
• Product detail page (best sellers): New customers who may not know where to start—so show off your most popular products and let the 5-star ratings speak for themselves.
• Product bundle pages: This is a great way to drive cart value up. Show shoppers complementary products and works really well during popular gifting seasons. 
• Collection page, new arrivals: Perfect for dormant customers and brand advocates alike. Whenever you drop a new product, send push notifications to customers who have bought or browsed similar products in the past. 
• Collect page, sales: Who doesn’t love a good deal? One of the most compelling types of push notifications is one announcing a limited-time offer or discount. Direct shoppers directly to all your promotions in one place through a Collection Page. 

We also have a full list of the best retargeting ad practices that focus on conversion. 

Push further with Reactiv Clips

Push notification marketing is more than an extra channel to reach potential customers. It’s a tried-and-tested retargeting strategy to deliver real-time, personalized messages to high-intent users that actually convert. 

With Reactiv Clips, you can deliver rich, app-like experiences without the app download friction. Explore Reactiv Clips more here.