Every industry must adapt to stay ahead of the changing tides of consumers needs. Fashion designers strive to dream up the next popular fad, while medical researchers try to answer nature’s toughest questions. Becoming a leader in any industry isn’t only about keeping up with the trends, but also setting them. As mobile marketers, we have the opportunity to innovate and revolutionize the mobile world.
In 2015, push notifications were a game-changer. As the trend shifted from general push notifications to segmented push notifications, which target users based on their preferences, user interaction skyrocketed. The transition from spammy, irrelevant push notifications to strategic ones greatly improved customer retention, engagement, and experience. To succeed in mobile marketing, you have to keep up. Here’s the lowdown on this latest trend.
Know Your Audience
I love pizza. So much so that the delivery guy at my favorite pizza place knows my name and order by heart. I have their app downloaded and I use it religiously to order my delicious pesto pizza. I’m also a vegetarian, so the last thing I want is to be spammed with push notifications about the heart attack special, which has the triple threat of toppings: pepperoni, bacon, and grilled chicken. Luckily for me, I don’t have to. The app owners have collected enough info on individual preferences that I only receive relevant push notifications.
Drive Retention with Push Notifications
App engagement is heavily determined by a user’s decision to accept or decline push notifications. A study done by Localytics shows that users launched an app an average of 14.7 times per month when they accepted push notifications—a huge increase compared to the 5.4 times users who did not accept push notifications launched the app. Users who accepted also engaged with the app 3 times more than those who didn’t. 65% of those who clicked ‘yes’ also returned to the app after 30 days, compared to just 19% of those who opted out. After 90 days, one third of users who accepted push notifications were still using the app, compared to just 11% who didn’t. Mobile marketers have a huge incentive to encourage users to opt in and continue to use their app because push notifications are so integral in app engagement and customer retention.
Use Segmented Push Notifications
Segmented push notifications keep information useful and relevant to your users, which is hugely important when you’re working to increase engagement. Since Q1 of 2015, the number of push notifications per app has increased 64%, now averaging 51 push notifications a month. Imagine receiving 51 push notifications a month from your favorite pizza restaurant. You would likely find another spot (or at least disable push notifications). The advancement of push notifications benefits app users and mobile marketers alike because they make for a custom experience. Mobile marketers have caught on to this trend quickly as segmented push notifications have become the most popular form of communication to app users in 2015.
Be a Trend Setter
Mobile marketers face the large challenge of finding the communication sweet spot. How do we continue to effectively target app users with info that is both relevant and interesting to them? Mobile marketers will continue perfecting a strategy that delivers quality communication and leads to actual ROI. We challenge you to set the next hot trend in mobile marketing!
