Push notifications

Push notifications are real-time messages sent to users’ devices (phones, tablets, computers, or wearables), facilitating rapid, direct communication between businesses and users with the goal of driving immediate action, increasing user retention, and improving the overall user experience by keeping them informed and connected to the brand or service.

Traditionally, there are 4 types of push notifications:

• Web push notifications are a type of notification sent through a web browser and can appear on both desktop and mobile devices, even when the user isn’t on the website.

• Mobile app push notifications are sent by an app and appear within a mobile app to engage users while they are actively using the app.

• Desktop push notifications are a type of notification sent by native desktop applications installed on the computer, usually appearing in the system’s notification center or as pop-ups.

• Push notifications on wearables are a type of notification sent to wearable devices, such as smartwatches, often synchronized with a mobile device or app.

The most significant advantage of push notifications is that users don’t need to be on your website or app to receive and engage with communications. In fact, the primary goal of a push notification is often to bring users back to the originating platform, making push notifications at least twice as effective as some traditional communication channels.

If you’re looking to up your push notification game, check out our Push notifications complete guide, where you will find everything from basic industry terms, best practices, push notification campaign types, and more.