It is really amazing to annouce another product updates event for [AVADA Marketing Automation](https://avada.io/email-marketing?utm_source=avada&utm_medium=blog) this December. Our product road map is tied with our customers feedbacks because we truly want to bring a platform that match your needs. 



 <a class="btn btn-primary waves-effect waves-light btn-large"
 href="https://apps.shopify.com/avada-email-marketing?utm_source=avada&utm_medium=blog" target="_blank">Install App Free</a>



## SMS Conversations 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/IOzLwX7.png)

SMS has 98% of engagement rate—it’s because people use it daily to have real-time conversations with their friends and family. That’s why 2-way text messaging is needed for you as an online store to talk and serve your customers real-time. 

Chatting with your customers via text messages is available in AVADA now. This function allows you to see the incoming texts and instantly respond to your subscribers.

That said, moving from one-way SMS to two-way conversations helps improve customer engagement and retention rates significantly. 


## Auto-expired coupons

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/7uHSRhT.png)


Allow the coupon codes to expire in 24 hours after you send out your email, which creates the urgency for your customers to buy!

Now, this function is ready on AVADA, you can set up the expiration for your discount in hours or days. Currently, this applies to Automation workflows. So each time an email is sent out, the expiration will count. This also makes your store reputation, trust increased on your customers’ eyes.


## New Form Type: Multi-step Popup 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/7b4pHF7.png)

Multi-step form means a sign-up form with more than one page. Why use it?

- Higher customer engagement as it breaks down the form into smaller segments, to reduce the question overload for the visitor
- 86% higher conversions because it's practical yet simple and doesn’t intimidate the visitor with an overwhelming list of questions.
- Collect more secure and quality leads

See the guide to set up this kind of popup here.


## New Email Editor Type: HMTL Codes

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/xcFsTx7.png)

Have an HTML email template? Now you can easily import to AVADA via our brand new editor type. Also, HTML editor allows you to edit it flexibly and accurately if you know about codes. 

This is super useful when you want to migrate your email templates from other platforms to AVADA. Because copy email templates just talk a minutes with this editor type. 


## Judge.me Integration

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/RDeYuOM.png)


Another integration case with Judge.me is also released in this month. In which our mutual users can easily send automation email after someone leaves reviews on your store to say thank you or ask for photo reviews from them. 


## Wiser Product Recommendations Integration

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/fcGTrtR.png)


Adding more AI-based products recommendation to your emails to do cross-sell effectively and smartly. With this integration, you can pull up to 7 product collections from your store to load in AVADA emails. Include:

- Featured Products,
- Related Products,
- Frequently Bought Together,
- Handpick Products,
- New Arrivals,
- Top Selling,
- Trending


## Other Improvements and Coming Features


There are also some product improvements this December. They are listed below for you to better check:

- Improve Form, Newsletter Template Selector UI
- Improve Integration Page UI
- Improve top bar button UI: Live chat, Help center
- Separate Opt-in configuration of Email and SMS in Popup Form

AVADA has amazing updates in the upcoming month such as SMS collecting lead via link/QR code, Up-sell Cross-sell Forms, ACL or A/B Testing for campaigns, etc. 

Stay tuned and we will meet in another announcement!




 <a class="btn btn-primary waves-effect waves-light btn-large"
 href="https://apps.shopify.com/avada-email-marketing?utm_source=avada&utm_medium=blog" target="_blank">Start
 14 days free trial now</a>

AVADA Marketing Automation - Product Updates in December

Push notifications are an excellent channel to increase traffic, engagement, and revenue on your site. However, for someone new to the push notification game, it can be confusing to see premium vendors on the one hand and free providers on the other hand. 

How much do push notifications cost? Are they free? Is there any push notification costs analysis that you can look at?

We receive these common questions from our readers, and we’ll answer all of them in this article. 

Let’s dive in!


## Push notifications: Quick overview

[Push notifications](https://avada.io/resources/what-is-a-push-notification.html) are typically small messages that pop up on your users’ desktops and mobile phones anywhere and anytime. You can send push notifications to notify your customers about new promotions or events. Push notifications can be broadcast to all users or sent to a subset of users to give personalized information. 

However, be aware that if your users don’t allow getting the push, you cannot send it to them. When they agree to receive your push notifications, you can send customized messages following a smart marketing approach. 


![Push notifications: Quick overview](https://i.imgur.com/RszdQ3P.jpg)

Generally, push notifications are one of the most effective communication channels to reach your audience. Done right, push notification click-through rates (CTRs) can be as high as 40% - compared to the best email CTRs are just around 5%. Besides, more than 80% of Android users and 50% of iOS users enable push notifications on their mobile devices. 

Push notifications help you better engage customers, from welcoming them, sending them personalized promotions, to nurturing relationships with your most loyal audiences. Most importantly, you can reach users at the right time at the right place with the right messages. 


## How much do push notifications cost?

Most of us love free stuff, whether it’s a bag of makeup samples with a purchase or cheese on a toothpick at the grocery store. The same applies to digital products. We often believe that by saving money, spending less, we can live well. But is it true when using a free push notification service? 

Many people don’t really care about how much push notifications cost; they’re only interested in free services. But we think not all free push notification services are safe and secure. 

By now, you have seen at least a few push notification services that offer a free version. 

So, what does that mean?

Actually, you can have two types of free push notification services: 
 - Free push notifications with limited features
 - Free trial push notification services

In addition, there is the third type of push notification services, which seems to be 100% free. Please notice our choice of words, “seems to be 100% free.”

Let’s analyze each one in turn!

### Free push notifications with limited features

Some services offer limited push notification features in their free plan. As a matter of fact, this is the most common way in which premium push notification software offers a free tire. 

Using free push notifications with limitations from top-tier vendors is the best way to grow a business, especially when you are new to push notification campaigns. Essentially, your push campaigns cost nothing at all, to begin with. Besides, you can figure out how to run a complete campaign (even when it lacks advanced features). 

This may be the best option if you are looking for free push notification services. The other two options are going straight downhill from here onwards. Even though they seem to be free, push notifications cost quite a lot in reality. 

### Free trial push notification services 

With this option, you get free access to all push notifications to test and try a plan. And if you like the service, you’ll pay for it. 


![Free trial push notification services](https://i.imgur.com/nEeLzXd.png)

To be honest, a 14-day trial period is a really short time frame for generating any real results with push notifications. It could be a good choice for marketing experts who really want to try out a particular push notification service before buying. However, if you have never used push notifications before, and you are not sure if they’re worth it, you might want to look for a free service with limited features. 

Again, if you are a marketing pro with years of experience using push notifications, there is no issue with getting a free trial push notification service. Just ensure that you get the [best push notification vendor](https://avada.io/resources/best-web-push-notifications-services.html) in the market. 
 
### Free forever push notifications with unlimited access

In our opinion, you should avoid forever free push notifications with unlimited access at all costs. Below are a few reasons.

**1. These services sell customer data to make money**

Good push notifications cost something to send. Thus, any decent push notification service will charge you to send messages. This is especially true for automated push messages with options to segment your audience. 

Besides, there are server costs in order to maintain each customer’s account. The more complicated the service offered, the costlier it is to control server expenses. That’s why push notification services with a free tier only offer you very basic features. 

How can a business survive that much expense?

You’ll have zero incentive to upgrade to a paid plan if they are giving you everything for free, right?

In some cases, to cover the cost of sending push notifications, forever-free push notification services will sell your data. In simple terms, they collect your data and your subscribers’ data, then sell it to third-party apps that serve ads. As a result, your competitors are the ones who will be using this data to buy ad space and poach your subscribers. 


**2. GDPR compliance issues can cost you your business**

It’s mandatory for companies to follow GDPR to safeguard user data and privacy. This European regulation maintains that user consent is taken before planting cookies. 

Most free push notification services mention that they are GDPR compliant. Nevertheless, if your subscribers want to be removed from the list, they have to contact a third-party vendor. 


**3. “Unlimited free” is the same as abusive**

There is no such thing as “unlimited free” of anything. Every plan for each push notification service must comply with the Fair Usage Policy (FUP). This policy restricts the number of push notifications you can send to each subscriber in a given time frame.

Simply put, the FUP prevents you from spamming your subscribers with tons of push notifications. And this is a healthy practice. Sending too many push notifications will make your subscribers sick of hearing from you. Not only will they unsubscribe from your notifications, but they are also likely never going to buy from you again. 

If you also consider the push messages that your vendors will send to serve ads that make money, you’ll definitely be spamming your subscribers. 

However, that’s not all that could go wrong. 

Google’s bots auto-subscribe to notifications from every website in their index. If they suspect that you are sending out abusive content, your website gets flagged for enforcement. 

What happens if your site gets flagged? Who will take the responsibility? The push notification provider doesn’t guarantee that your website will never be flagged for abusive content. 

Web browser push notifications are specifically built for browsers, and Chrome occupies the largest share of all actively used browsers. In case you get flagged by Google for sending abusive notifications, you’ll lose out on the significant share of your target market. 

So, turn back to our big question: How much do push notifications cost?

**The answer: It depends.**

It can cost $0, a few bucks, or even a fortune. 

A free trial is fine if you are running a small website and want to test out push campaigns with limited features. As you grow your website, you can upgrade to a paid plan, which costs a few dollars per month. If you unwisely decide to go with a bad provider, your push notifications will cost a lot. 


## AVADA Commerce push notification cost

If you’re looking for a trustworthy, reasonable push notification service, AVADA Commerce is right here to help you. 

As the top-rated marketing automation platform, AVADA Commerce has successfully helped many brands run their email & SMS marketing campaigns. Now, it’s time to introduce another effective communication channel - push notifications on AVADA. 


![AVADA Commerce push notification](https://i.imgur.com/10YI1oK.png)

With push notifications in AVADA Commerce, you’re able to:
 - Implement easy-to-follow push notification marketing campaigns
 - Use different ready-made push notification templates
 - Easily add images, GIFs, and other rich media to make your push message attractive 
 - Run your push notifications on various devices, such as Windows 11, macOS, and Android
 - Send your push campaign immediately or schedule to send at the right time to the right audience
 - Measure your performance with detailed and in-depth reports

You can also combine push notifications with other marketing channels, like email or SMS marketing, to optimize your sales. For instance, if you want to welcome a new subscriber, try sending them a push notification with a promotion code, and then send them a welcome email to guide them on how to use your app. That’s a high-converting strategy, which has been proven by many of our customers. 

Besides, at AVADA Commerce, we make sure that our customer is compliant with all the regulations. We also have features that specifically help customers to be GDPR compliant. For more information, please head to our [Privacy Policy](https://avada.io/privacy.html). 

From only $9/ month, you’ll enjoy all the best things to run a marketing campaign. 

The AVADA support team is so experienced, professional, and friendly that you don’t need to worry. So, don’t hesitate to give them a nice try!


<a class="btn btn-soft-primary transition-3d-hover mp-bg-blue text-white" href="https://apps.shopify.com/avada-email-marketing/?utm_source=avada-blog">TRY AVADA COMMERCE NOW</a>



## The bottom line 

You can try a free push notification service, as long as it’s trustworthy and secure. Depending on what stage of growth your business is in, you’ll want different features. But generally, any decent push notification service is priced in a way that lets you get enough growth out of each tier to be able to re-invest with them and move to the next tier. 

We recommend using AVADA Commerce, for all the good reasons we said above. With the help of AVADA Commerce, your campaigns will be in safe hands. 

Thanks for reading!

Push Notification Cost: Everything You Should Know

In modern marketing, [push notifications](https://avada.io/resources/what-is-a-push-notification.html) have evolved as the most profitable customer engagement tool. 

With push notifications, website owners or publishers can send compelling and engaging messages to their users and get them more loyal to their brands. Digital marketers also love push notifications as they can directly reach users’ devices like a flash on the screen, which is actually hard to overlook.

However, if not done right, you may risk annoying users. 

That’s why before diving into this communication channel, you should know it thoroughly. In this post, let us show you some of the **mind-blowing push notification statistics** for your business. Let’s explore!

## Mind-blowing push notification statistics

### Push notification opt-in rates

According to the <a href="https://www.airship.com/resources/benchmark-report/push-notifications-mobile-engagement-2021-benchmarks/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">2021 Push Notification Benchmark report</a> from Airship, opt-in rates for app push notifications on Android devices range from 49% to 95%, with a medium of **81%**. Meanwhile, this number on iOS devices ranges from 29% to 73%, with a medium of **51%**. 

The higher medium on Android devices is explained by the fact that Android users are automatically opted-in to push notifications. On the other hand, iOS push notifications are based on a push opt-in model that does not allow websites or apps to send push notifications unless the user agrees beforehand. 

That’s why before reaching out to users, you need to provide them with a valid reason to subscribe to your push notifications. You also want to make sure your opt-in process is easy and doesn’t feel annoying or invasive. To help ease the pain of designing the opt-in process, we’ve provided some best practices to [increase your opt-in rates](https://avada.io/resources/opt-in-push-notification.html). Check them out!

The Airship study analyzed 600 billion push notifications sent to 2 billion users over the first half (H1) of 2021. Airship conducted the survey via their own platform, so it’s not necessarily perfectly reflective of the general market. However, it’s still a good source to learn. 

Airship’s statistics are broken down to analyze how push notification opt-in rates differ in various industries for Android and iOS devices. They break down the benchmarks into high (90th), medium (50th), and low percentiles (10th). 

Airship found that Android gaming & gambling apps are on the top of opt-in push notification ratings, with 96.4% of users accepting push notifications. Finance & insurance closely follow with 96%. 

![Push notification opt-in rates by vertical on Android](https://i.imgur.com/6Y3kHqo.png)

Meanwhile, iOS education apps lead the way, with 85% of users accepting push notifications. Food & drink closely follow with 80%. 

![Push notification opt-in rates by vertical on iOS](https://i.imgur.com/s5VoOBF.png)


### Push notification open rates 

CleverTap sheds light on push notification open rates across different industries. They show that business & finance (5.46%) take the top spot, followed by entertainment & events (5.04%) and deals & coupons (4.59%).

![Push notification open rates by industry](https://i.imgur.com/be5Wo80.png)

According to CleverTap, the low open rate for food & delivery could be down to the fact that these push notifications may contain pertinent information, thus precluding the need to open the app. Delivery updates and order status are potential forms such a functional push notification could take. 

Also, in the Airship study, an overall medium open rate for Android is **4.6%** and **3.4%** for iOS. Breaking it up by operating systems, we can see the difference between Android and iOS seems to be pronounced particularly in specific verticals. For example, business & finance sees Android open rates significantly outstripping iOS, about 8% against roughly 2%. On the other hand, there is only a 0.5% difference in retail. 

![Push notification open rates by industry: Android vs. iOS](https://i.imgur.com/HHeJDz5.png)

By this measure, it seems open rates on iOS devices are fairly consistent, while there is more variance in Android figures. 


### Push notification reaction rates

**Push notification reaction rates by continent**

If you are looking for engagement from push notifications, it seems you will have the most luck in Europe, which sees the highest reaction rate on both Android (11.4%) and iOS (5.5%) devices. 

Things seem quite consistent across geographies, even though proportionally speaking, the difference between top and bottom is much more pronounced. 

![Push notification reaction rates in European countries](https://i.imgur.com/9DtdCWa.png)

**Push notification reaction rates by day of the week**

The highest push reaction rates globally happen on Tuesday, at 8.4%, followed by Sunday at 8.1%. There is one percentage point between highest and lowest - which happens to be on Wednesday. Unfortunately, Accengage doesn't break this statistic down by operating systems. 

![Push notification reaction rates by day of the week](https://i.imgur.com/w5gpaT8.png)

**Push notification reaction rates by time of the day**

To be honest, we don’t see a great deal of variation between days. Perhaps we could get more from looking at times of the day when it comes to push notification reaction rates.

Indeed, it seems to fall into a more edifying pattern. We can see a daytime peak at lunchtime, thickly sandwiched by lower activities during work and commuting hours. When the workday ends, we realize a clear upward trend that reaches a pinnacle around the time people are winding down and going to bed - seemingly with their phones in hand and open to distraction. 

![Push notification reaction rates by time of the day](https://i.imgur.com/zczZzlZ.png)


### Push notification click-through rates (CTR)

This indicates the percentage of users who completed one click from your push notification. 

According to a study by CleverTap, the average push notification CTR across all verticals is **2.25%**. When you look at operating systems - Android and iOS - the numbers are a little different. For Android, the average CTR is 2.05% compared to 2.52% for iOS.

You can see the details for each industry right below. 

![Push notification average CTR by industry](https://i.imgur.com/AgKzQz6.png)

Education, utilities, and retail apps see the highest levels of engagement, while media & publishing and food delivery apps see some of the lowest CTR. 

Wondering why? This may result from a significant number of transactional push notifications, such as order status, delivery updates, or breaking news alerts. These push notifications don’t need to be opened to provide value to users. 

### Push notification senders

It’s found that E-commerce brands are the biggest senders of push notifications, followed by media companies, publishers, and bloggers. These two alone accounts for more than 40% of businesses sending push notifications. 

![Web push notification usage by industry](https://i.imgur.com/i5eaaCu.png)

E-commerce brands mostly send push notifications to announce new offers and discounts to their potential customers. Five out of every six push notifications are sent for this purpose in the E-commerce sector. Announcements for new products are also common options to use push notifications. 

To boost sales with push notifications, AVADA Commerce provides the Push Notification feature to help you inform your customers about essential news, such as order status updates, available promotions & discounts, new products, etc. in a simple, quick, and effective way. 


<a class="btn btn-soft-primary transition-3d-hover mp-bg-blue text-white" href="https://apps.shopify.com/avada-email-marketing/?utm_source=avada-blog">CHECK IT OUT NOW</a>



### Push notification user preferences 

According to VWO Engage’s statistics, users are most interested in receiving app push notifications from social media platforms. This is the option chosen by more than half the survey sample, with news & information coming close. 

![Push notification user preferences](https://i.imgur.com/26uALgo.png)

The morning, the evening, and the weekends are when users are happiest to receive push notifications from brands - tarrying somewhat with the peak reaction times above. Push notifications are more welcomed when they’re sent in the morning when users open their devices to catch up with the news, or in the evening when they’re relaxing, but not when they’re on the way to work or busy working. 

Push notifications can attract much more attention if they’re sent at the right time, plus no businesses want their customers to mark them as spam. 


### Push notification unsubscribe rates

On average, the US smartphone user receives 46 push notifications per day - something of a bombardment. 

Therefore, restraint can be key.

Helplama - the dedicated customer support company - finds that one weekly push notification causes around 10% of users to disable app notifications. Going with 3-6 push notifications gets you into bigger trouble, with more than 40% of app users saying “no more notifications” if they get that many of the messages. 

However, an interesting thing happens, sending more than 20 messages causes only 5% of app users to turn off notifications on their phones. We believe the key here is *what kind of messages are being sent*, and if your message implies sending multiple messages regularly, users won’t really mind. 

![Number of weekly push notifications that cause users to disable push notifications](https://i.imgur.com/yBCIwS5.png)

VWO Engage explores a slightly higher cut-off for 5 key industries when sending push notifications. Results vary across them. 

Recipients of software & SaaS unsubscribe at the highest rate and experience a real spike in unsubscribe rates at the 11-15 per day mark. Senders of E-commerce and media, publishing & blogging push notifications seem to enjoy the greatest level of tolerance. Meanwhile, BFSI can get away with five before facing a sharp increase in unsubscribes. 

Looking at these figures, it seems like, on average, app users don’t expect to get push notifications from SaaS companies and prefer to be in control when engaging with apps or web services. When it comes to media, receiving extra nuggets of information is something expected, and push notifications come in handy. 

![Push notification frequency vs. unsubscribe rate by industry](https://i.imgur.com/8p3alRk.png)

Across industries, unsubscribe rates remain below 1% up to the 5 pushes per day mark. The sharpest increase is between 11-15 notifications per day (a touch under 3%) and 16-20 notifications (7%). Marketers should think thoroughly before sending in excess of 15 push notifications per day. If you send too many, it’ll run the risk of crossing the line into spam.

VWO Engage surveyed subscribers of push notifications in order to identify their reservations around them. Over half of the respondents simply said they were irritated by push notifications. Nearly as many consider them a distraction, and over a third said push notifications disturb them at the wrong time. 

Clearly, all the more reason to be measured in usage. 

![What do recipients find annoying about push notifications?](https://i.imgur.com/xF4TJwL.png)


## How to improve your push notification metrics

So, whether you already run a push notification campaign, or would like to try this potential communication channel, below are several ways to improve your push notification metrics. 

### 1. Segmentation is the top priority
It’s proven that there is a good trend for marketers sending segmented push notifications. 

When it comes to segmentation, you build audience segments to target particular users by applying filters to data captured, such as location (country and city), operating system (Android vs. iOS), and the version of your app (to encourage users to update).

VWO Engage finds a marked positive effect when you segment your users. BFSI, media, publishing & blogging, and digital marketing agencies profit the most from sending segmented push notifications. 

![Segmented vs. non-segmented push notifications CTR](https://i.imgur.com/RBM5Pml.png)

It seems we’re seeing a positive trend in push notification segmentation, with more and more marketers sending segmented messages instead of broadcast messages. 

### 2. Use rich push notifications

Urban Airship finds that using rich push notifications can result in a significant open rate increase of up to 56%. They cite the example of USA Today, which has embraced rich push notifications, with 95% of their notifications now including rich media. This has led to an 18% boost in the number of apps opens each month attributed to notifications. 

You might ask, what is a rich push notification?

It’s simply a push notification with rich media, such as images, audio, videos, GIFs, and other interactive assets, in addition to characters. Consider using rich media in your push notifications to see any difference in your open rates. 

***Read more***: [Push Notification with Images: How to Do it Right?](https://avada.io/resources/push-notification-with-image.html)

### 3. Use the ideal length for push notifications 

The number of characters actually depends on the type of message. You can see the statistics on the ideal length of web push notifications right below. 

![The ideal length for push notifications](https://i.imgur.com/80wupFt.png)

Entertainment & events, health & fitness, and travel & hospitality seem to send 90-character messages to convey their content to users in the best way. On the other hand, deals & coupons and education companies only need about 20 to 25 characters to have concise announcements. 

### 4. Send the right number of push notifications

Like anything in marketing, it takes a few attempts to attract your users’ attention. But then the law of diminishing returns kicks in. 

Sending too many push notifications will cause people to disable your notifications. You also risk bad reviews and frustrate app users who don’t know how to change their notification settings. To make it worse, they’ll delete your app forever. 

### 5. Use power words

CleverTap identifies a range of words that seem to appear frequently in push notifications and result in strong engagement. 

Those words can hardly be considered obscure, but they clearly serve a useful purpose in guiding your users to open the app. Words implying urgency and FOMO feature heavily, such as “soon,” “today,” “limited,” “now,” “don’t miss,” etc. We also see some words alluding to quality (i.e., “indulge,” “awesome,” “premium”), action words (i.e., “enjoy,” “explore,” “reserve”), just a friendly “hey”, and, of course, “get free” and “free.”

![Power words in push notifications](https://i.imgur.com/zIdOmyK.png)

Also, there are some words that are best avoided. CleverTap breaks this down by industry.

Those in entertainment & events should avoid “special,” “get ready,” and “blockbuster.” Meanwhile, finance app users are unmoved by “trade,” “price,” and “please.” And in the world of health & fitness, users don’t want to hear “pain,” “treatment,” and the insult to the vanity of the user base that is “old.”

You should pay attention to your words if you don't want them to be counter-productive. 

### 6. A/B test your push campaigns 

Actually, A/B testing is straightforward. You start with a message (A) and change one variable in it to create another message (B). Then, you push them out to similar segments of your user base, ideally chosen at random. 

The variable you change could be an image if you’re using rich push notifications, a word in your copy, the percentage off on your offer, or the timing when a user receives your message. 

Afterward, you can analyze the data, conclude which notifications are more effective, and use this information for future campaigns. 

## The bottom line

Push notifications can be an effective channel to reach your users. But they can also be a quick way to alienate, annoy, and ultimately lose an app’s user base. 

Therefore, they must be used with caution.

We hope that with these mind-blowing push notification statistics, along with some ways to improve your metrics, you can gauge what works most effectively for your business. 

If you want more advice from push notification experts, we’re always right here to help you. [Contact us](https://avada.io/contact.html) for more information at any time. Thanks for reading!

Mind-blowing Push Notification Statistics for Businesses 

You have an unread message, your tweet is liked by your friend, your order is waiting for you - all this good news is brought by push notifications. 

[Push notifications](https://avada.io/resources/what-is-a-push-notification.html) are pop-up messages that inform you of something important (or not) and appear on your desktop or smartphone screen. It is an amazing marketing tool for increasing user engagement, building user loyalty, and increasing conversion. 

The strength of push notifications is that they constantly remind users that they’ve installed your app. However, this can also be a drawback. Studies identify the main reasons for user dissatisfaction, and the top 3 of which are irritation, distraction, and absence of purpose. It turns out that as soon as you misuse this communication channel, users will leave. 

It’s vital to note a simple truth: push notifications are designed for people, not gadgets. So, how to make your push messages work? In this blog post, you’ll find some rules on **designing effective push notifications**. 

Let’s get going!

## Why should you pay attention to your push notification design?
Have you ever noticed the number of push notifications you receive daily from various apps? How many of those push notifications do you really care about?

To be honest, push notifications are a direct, effective way of communicating with users. But if you overdo it or send a poorly-thought-out push campaign, users will certainly disallow you to send them. They’re endlessly customizable, to-the-point, and can deliver at the exact moment most beneficial for users. But if you use this too frequently, users will quickly get frustrated with the disruptions. 

In the worst-case scenario, poor push notification designs can even have adverse effects on your app’s user experience (UX). This can result in users turning off your notifications or even deleting your app forever. 

In short, push notifications are marketing gold. But they are a design nightmare. So, how to find that happy medium of personalized, effective marketing but with a positive design that does not impede - and even complements - user experience? 

Below are 9 essential rules that should be followed when designing a push notification. 

## 9 push notification design rules that you should follow

### 1. Define an appropriate push notification UX framework

Quick questions: Under what context are you sending push notifications? How frequently, and what type of information will they be conveying?

In this case, it can be helpful to **define what urgency level your push notifications fall into**. 

Users may be more well-inclined to receive high-urgency push notifications, such as alerts, error notices, and confirmations. These should be sent as soon as there’s a need for them. On the other hand, lower-urgency information, such as status statements, affirmative messages, etc., can wait until a more appropriate time before sending. 

If users feel that you’re bombarding them with useless information or sending push notifications for the sake of notifications, it’ll ruin your rapport with them. For instance, let’s look at this long string of faux-affirmative nonsense that Poshmark sent to its users.

![Poshmark's push notifications](https://i.imgur.com/9wQOLf5.png)

You’re not only wasting your users’ time, but in the future, if you do have important information to send them in a push notification, they’ll likely swipe away without reading it. 

So, the initial approach to push notification design needs classification on **three levels: high, medium, and low attention**. Following that, push message types need to be further defined by particular attributes on these three levels, whether they’re alerts, confirmations, warnings, errors, success messages, or status indicators. 

![Define an appropriate push notification UX framework](https://i.imgur.com/KlYivvc.png)

Once the notification attributes have been defined, it’s time to create a taxonomy of the various push notifications that will make up the framework. The following is sourced from Toptal, which is by no means an exhaustive list. The notification types will differ based on the product, use cases, and other variables. For instance, some call a “confirmation” a notification that requires user approval to proceed with a destructive interaction. Some may use “confirmation” as a term for a success message. 

**High attention**:

 - Alerts 
 - Errors
 - Exceptions (system anomalies, something did not work)
 - Confirmations (destructive actions that need user confirmation to proceed)

**Medium attention**:

 - Warnings (no immediate action required)
 - Success messages
 - Acknowledgments (feedback on user actions)

**Low attention**:

 - Informational messages
 - Status indicators (system feedback)
 - Badges (often on icons, signifying something new since last interaction)

### 2. Avoid asking users to enable your notifications in the initial launch

Users who have just accessed your website or downloaded your app don’t necessarily have a clear understanding of your value. At that point, your website or app hasn’t gained their trust completely. They are not ready to enable your push notifications in the initial launch. 

If you ask for their permission right from the initial launch, the immediate response is likely to click *Don’t Allow*. 

Instead, you should take advantage of the reciprocity principle and offer them some value first. This is one of the basic principles of human psychology, which indicates that when you give your users something, they get a sense of obligation to do something for you in return. That’s why it is vital to add value to users before thinking about the possible profit. 

If someone has installed your app, **allow them to experience your app** and ask them to accept your notifications only in a later session. For example, the Conquest mobile game allows its users to experience the app before asking them to enable push notifications. The app asks users to enable push notifications only after a play has experienced and leveled up for the first time. 

![The Conquest mobile game's push notifications](https://i.imgur.com/Uv8Iax2.png)

If you do like FreePrints, chances are you’ll lose your customers. As an app for ordering photos, FreePrints greets its first-time users with a splash screen that transitions into a Getting Started page. Before users get a chance to read its copy on this page, they are interrupted with a message asking them to allow push notifications. Some users might find it really annoying and click *Don’t Allow* without hesitation. 

![Avoid asking users to enable your notifications in the initial launch like FreePrints](https://i.imgur.com/XK8Lxzh.png)

### 3. Tell users what information notifications will contain

For some apps, such as social media or news apps, recipients can make reasonable guesses on the type of information they’ll see in push notifications. But it’s harder to guess the content sent by a retail or entertainment app. 

By telling your recipients what notifications will be about, you can make them understand whether they need them while increasing your app's trustworthiness and perceived credibility. After all, you should be honest and transparent about your push notifications instead of trying to fool users into accepting them. 

Be clear right from the start to increase the chance they’ll accept your request. 

Actually, most apps are still sending a message like Tasty below. 

![Tasty's push notifications](https://i.imgur.com/u3jGKst.png)

The Tasty app doesn’t provide users with an explanation of the information that will be in push notifications. Users may be stuck pondering why Tasty wants to send them push notifications and whether it’ll be content that they desire to see or not. 

Instead, you should explain clearly as Night Sky does. This AR planetarium app explains what their push notifications will be about. By providing this information before asking recipients to enable push notifications, the app lets users make an informed decision. 

![Tell users what information notifications will contain](https://i.imgur.com/QfFK3gu.png)

### 4. Push the value 

When someone starts using your app, they won’t mind getting push notifications, as long as the value they receive is sufficiently greater than the interruption. But the problem is, you should deliver value right in your notifications. 

Before sending a push notification, you’d better ask yourself, “*Do our users need this information?*” We know it may sound absurd, but some push notifications shouldn’t ever make it to a recipient’s screen. 

Don’t send notifications just for the sake of “engaging users.” For instance, Facebook routinely sends push notifications inviting users to connect with someone randomly suggested or to “Find more of your friends on Facebook.” Actually, this is a poor attempt to entice users back into the app. 

![Facebook's push notifications](https://i.imgur.com/KV932L3.png)

Besides, don’t push information that your users can’t use. An effective push notification is always useful to the user. If your notification is not helping your users (like in the Spotify example below), you’re sending no value to them. 

![Spotify's push notifications](https://i.imgur.com/BXGCbf9.png)

### 5. Share relevant, personalized content

Personalized content that can inform, inspire, and delight is a critical component. Sometimes even a small detail, like adding the recipient’s first name, can help your push notifications perform better (not to mention that in some cases, it’s up to 4x better).

However, being personal doesn’t mean just adding the recipient's first name in the message. Personalizing your push message ensures that users receive information that is **relevant and valuable to them**.

Users appreciate content that is related directly to their personal interests. The best way to craft a personalized notification is good-old user data analysis. 

One typical example of personalized push notifications can be found in Netflix apps for Android and iOS. By using viewing data, Netflix presents recommendations that feel tailor-made. Instead of sending every user a notification any time a new season or show is released, Netflix tracks the specific shows that someone has been watching, and then only sends a push message to a user when one of their favorite shows has a new season available. 

The result? Netflix users receive personal and relevant information.

![Share relevant, personalized content](https://i.imgur.com/cznLSBA.png)
 
Therefore, when designing push notifications, pay attention to your product usage data, along with any other information you’ve collected about your users.

Besides, it’s also recommended to allow users more control over the relevancy and frequency of notifications. Maybe people could specify the max number of notifications they’d want in any given time period, or maybe they could require some min importance for events that triggered a push notification. The latter feature may be difficult to make usable, but it’d be very useful in domains where it is easy for users to specify importance. 

But studies show that most users don’t mind customizing their systems, even when customization would help them substantially in the long run. So, allowing them to modify their preference settings is no excuse for pushing too many (or even too unimportant) notifications to people who stick with the default settings. 

### 6. Don’t send burst notifications 

Imagine if someone rang your doorbell repeatedly, you might be frustrated. This is the effect that burst notifications may have within an interface. 

Receiving many push notifications in a short interval can overwhelm and irritate users, which causes them to turn off your notifications (or, even worse, delete your app). Besides, repeated push notifications may appear unprofessional and sloppy, leaving a lasting negative impression on your users. 

That’s why we mentioned right from the first rule that you should define what urgency level your push notifications fall into.

Plus, rather than fill your user’s screen with several notifications, **send fewer push notifications in a meaningful way**. In case you want to send more than five notifications at once, just combine them into a single message. Shift your focus to quality over quantity, and you can be sure to see improved user satisfaction. 

Instead of doing like Poshmark above, try combining your messages like Instagram. 

![Don't send burst notifications](https://i.imgur.com/y0UDOMt.png)

Instagram bundles its notifications when several users like your photo. Instead of sending 11 separate push notifications, Instagram designs to send one with the names of two users and a numeric account of the others. 

### 7. Link to a valuable action

Most push notifications are disconnected from the product experience; instead, they lead generically into the app. Tapping them only drives users to the navigation menu rather than start a valuable action. 

It’s essential to connect push notifications to your target page or call-to-action button. Busuu, a language-learning app, is a good example that follows this rule. When users receive a push notification and tap it, they’re guided to a specific and relevant page - the logical next step in the user journey. 

![Link to a valuable action](https://i.imgur.com/F4zcclf.png)


### 8. Make it easy to turn off notifications 

There are various reasons why users decide to turn off your push notifications, such as:
 - They receive too many notifications
 - Your content is less relevant or necessary to them than it once was
 - They find your notifications distracting
 - They have no interest in receiving messages from the brand in question

No matter the reason, you should never make it difficult to turn off your notifications. If you try to hide this functionality from users, this will decrease trust in the company and app, and provide users with more reason to delete your app. 

It should be straightforward and quick to turn off your app notifications. **Let your users edit their notification preferences within your app**, so they’re not forced to go to their phone’s native settings. In addition, place this functionality in the Settings section of your app in order to meet your users’ expectations and ensure findability. 

### 9. Test it rigorously 

Want to make your great push notification even better? Test it!

A/B testing is incredibly helpful for discovering what message works the best for your users. For example, approaching Valentine’s Day, 1-800-Flowers prepared two different messages for the A/B test. They tested two versions of one push notification to a small sample of customers who had added an item to their carts but hadn’t completed their purchases. 

The first push notification was a simple reminder, while the second one had a 15% off promotion code. 

![1-800-Flowers tested push notifications rigorously](https://i.imgur.com/GyU1KnU.png)

Contrary to what was expected, the first push notification - the version without a promotion code - performed better. The notification without the promotion code generated 50% more revenue, as well as resulted in fewer app uninstalls than the one with the promotion code. This is a typical example of why testing is so important. 

## Design your push notification campaign with AVADA Commerce

If you find it challenging when designing your push notification campaign, welcome to AVADA Commerce!

AVADA Commerce is not only an expert in email & SMS marketing, but they also prove themselves in push notification marketing. Although push notification marketing is a new feature in AVADA Commerce, it quickly attracts a lot of attention from marketers. 

![Design your push notification campaign with AVADA Commerce](https://i.imgur.com/tVj97S6.png)

With push notification marketing in AVADA Commerce, you can:
 - Design easy-to-follow push notification campaigns
 - Take advantage of its ready-made push notification templates
 - Easily add rich media (i.e., images, GIFs) to your push message
 - Show your push notifications on different devices, such as Windows 11, Mac OS, and Android
 - Schedule to send push messages at the right time to the right people
 - Measure your campaign performance with in-depth reports

No need to worry if you don’t know where to start with push campaigns, because the AVADA Commerce team is always willing to help you. With a lot of experience, the AVADA team can help you design a cost-effective and high-converting push campaign. So, don’t hesitate to give them a nice try!


<a class="btn btn-soft-primary transition-3d-hover mp-bg-blue text-white" href="https://apps.shopify.com/avada-email-marketing/?utm_source=avada-blog">TRY AVADA COMMERCE RIGHT NOW</a>



## The bottom line

That’s it for push notification design!

With these 9 push notification design tactics, you’re now confident to build your push campaigns. Don’t forget that push notifications are an effective communication channel only if you design it well. If you misuse it, your users will leave your business immediately.

[Contact us](https://avada.io/contact.html) if you want to get free advice, and happy sending!

9 Push Notification Design Rules That You Should Follow 

For most of the last decade, the primary division in digital marketing has been between business-to-business (B2B) approaches and those that focus on the business-to-consumer (B2C) market. As we enter the 2020s, however, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that a new class of buyer is emerging that fits neither of these categories. Or, rather, of individuals that use the same research methods, and have similar expectations, whether they are purchasing for business or for personal use. 

This means that today it might not be so helpful to think of your customers as businesses or consumers, but something in between and far more fundamental – individuals. That’s what the “I” in B2i stands for, and is the driving force behind a new paradigm in marketing and online business. And though differences remain between the two groups – personalization should be approached in a different way for each, for example – they share more than you might think.

In this guide, we’ll explain what B2i marketing is, how you can approach this exciting new market, and share some practical tips on doing so.


## What exactly is B2i?

Business-to-individual, better known as B2i, may sound like a buzzword. But it’s really a term for a marketing paradigm shift that has been occuring over the past few years. The idea is to take the best of B2C - such as personalization and focus on individual motivations and preferences - and B2B - such as relationship-building sales and focus on product relevance - and combine them. 

![Diamond-Teams.png](https://storage.googleapis.com/avada-blog.appspot.com/Diamond_Teams_ce09bd2dba/Diamond_Teams_ce09bd2dba.png)

B2i combines elements of both to create marketing strategies that prioritize the individual customer experience. After all, even when you sell your products to businesses, you are still working with individuals. In both B2B and B2C marketing, there is an increased expectation and need for tailored communication and multiple touchpoints that nurture every customer along their buyer journey. With B2i, customers should be provided  with relevant information and attention at the right times and from the right people, without making every interaction fully transactional.


## The rise of B2i

There are two main reasons why B2i is one of the most important trends shaping the consumer experience in 2021, and both are reflective of the changing ways in which customers (of both types) interact with the web. 

Even just a few years ago, the channels through which you would reach B2B customers – trade shows, specialist publications, and direct selling – were very distinct from those you would use to reach B2C customers. B2C marketing was largely focused on mass-market web customers, and their customers were assumed to be less valuable because they didn’t have corporate purchasing budgets to spend.

It’s becoming rapidly apparent, however, that this assumption was completely wrong. Or at least it has become so. In an ever-more-dynamic business environment, there is no longer a clear distinction between “business” and “personal” customers. Many individuals now work for multiple companies alongside running their own business and also freelancing. Not only can this mixed model be lucrative for individuals – the average pay for a freelancer in the US last year was [$45 an hour](https://www.waveapps.com/freelancing/overview/freelancer-pricing-guide) – but it also eliminates the distinction between consumer and business customer.

That change has been partially driven by the ubiquity of the web. It used to be assumed that purchasing managers for large corporations didn’t look online to make large purchases, and therefore that B2B customers were not susceptible to the same kind of marketing techniques – personalization, limited-time offers – as their consumer peers. 

Now, the standard way of looking for new products, whether you are buying industrial gases or a new pair of headphones, is online. And rather than a faceless, impersonal “consumer”, marketers need to start looking at each and every customer as an individual.

In other words, B2C and B2B are about to merge.

## B2B and B2C are merging

B2i is currently the most sophisticated way of expressing the fact that B2C and B2B are merging. Rather than arbitrarily splitting your customer base into two distinct silos, you should recognize that everyone (even purchasing managers) are individuals. This means that you can bring together techniques from B2C and B2B marketing into one integrated approach.

The merging of B2C and B2B into B2i has a number of key consequences for online marketers. One of these is to recognize the value of trust to all consumers. While the internet has allowed consumers to directly access goods and services – just think of the demise of travel agents as an example – it has also led to a crisis of trust. When buying online, most customers' primary question is “do I trust this company to deliver what they say they can?”






![b2b-vs-b2c.png](https://storage.googleapis.com/avada-blog.appspot.com/b2b_vs_b2c_7991561629/b2b_vs_b2c_7991561629.png)

And while the value of trust has long been recognized in the B2B sector, due to the size and stability of corporate purchasing accounts, it has not always been an important part of B2C marketing, where a certain amount of “churn” is expected. For companies moving to B2i from B2C, this means that building trust with each and every customer is the major challenge.

There are lessons to be learned the other way, as well. B2C marketing techniques – and especially those that relate to personalization – are way in advance of their B2B analogues. B2B companies looking to expand into the B2i market should therefore look to their digital tools first, and invest in systems that will allow them to make the most of the data they collect.

## Delivering B2i
![b2b-and-b2c.png](https://storage.googleapis.com/avada-blog.appspot.com/b2b_and_b2c_69c5504f5b/b2b_and_b2c_69c5504f5b.png)


B2i is more than a marketing toolkit. It’s a paradigm shift that requires rethinking your approach to customer interactions. These aspects form the core of the B2i paradigm:

### Employ empathy in your marketing 
The importance of a personal connection to a brand has long been recognized in B2C marketing, but less so in B2B. Yet many companies are now realizing that emotional responses play just as large a part in B2B purchasing decisions as consumer-level ones. IBM, for instance, has recently shifted its marketing model to one that makes use of “Diamond Teams” – teams with cross-cutting expertise that are better able to build trust with B2B customers in exactly the same way that B2C marketers have pioneered.

B2i marketers must recognize that both audiences carefully research brands before they buy, and they’re not afraid to share what they think publicly. Building empathy means that you must begin to think like your consumers and take their feedback to heart. Don’t be afraid to ask them what they want. Observe your customers’ pain points, and then tailor your marketing to show them how you can fix these problems.

### Put the customer in the driver’s seat

B2C customers aren’t the only ones who want a hands-off, virtual buying experience these days. Particularly during the pandemic, the days of trade shows and in-person sales meetings are dwindling in B2B transactions. Instead, you can offer your customers a self-guided, online experience with control over their accounts and customization. 

This isn’t to say you should get rid of sales personnel. Depending on your product, you may still rely on fewer, higher-priced transactions with the businesses you work with. But the key is to strike a balance between self-sufficiency and customer service. 

Provide independence, not lack of involvement. You need to provide some sales and customer service touch points so customers don’t feel like they’re left to fend for themselves, but customers will also appreciate being able to customize their plans and products without having to call you every time they want to do something. 

### Emphasize relevance

B2B marketers can sometimes be guilty of under-estimating the mass market appeal of their products or services. Today, in a world where many people run their own business alongside their main profession, you are missing an opportunity if you don’t reach out to individuals as well. You can reach both individuals and businesses by building a consumer-focused marketing strategy that stresses your relevance. 

One recent study showed that 91% of consumers said they were more likely to shop with brands that remember their preferences and use them to provide relevant offers and recommendations. Both the B2B and B2C eCommerce markets are more saturated than ever, so you can’t afford not to remind customers why your brand adds immediate value for them. And note we didn’t just say your product. Your business is more than just the things you sell. And note we didn’t just say your product. Your business is more than just the things you sell.

## Practical tips for implementing B2i
There are a number of practical steps that companies can take to evolve their marketing to bring together B2C or B2B techniques:

### Educate your customers

We previously mentioned marketing with empathy. In addition to asking customers about their pain points and user experience, education is a good tactic for marketing with empathy. 

A ‘How to’ video series, for example, can show customers how they can use and benefit from your product or service without being overly sales-y. The details of the product may change for B2B vs. B2C clients, but the genuine investment in teaching prospects how to use it doesn’t have to. You can even look at the challenges and frustrations your customers express and create informative content around those topics. 

### Use tailored and triggered communications

Tailored recommendations help to render you relevant to your customers. Recommendations can come in the form of deals, related products, local events, articles/videos, and more. As long as you tailor them to the interests and needs of the buyer, incorporating these marketing materials will keep you relevant no matter who your customer is. 

You should also target customers based on activity level. Both B2B and B2C marketers tend to pay attention to stages of customer journey, but these stages are traditionally different. With B2i, the focus should be on activity-based communication. Triggered emails are a good example of this tactic. 

### Build a self-service interface

Remember what we said about that self-guided, customer-focused experience? Well, even if you’re not a developer or designer, building a user-friendly interface might actually be easier than you think. There are plenty of all-purpose eCommerce platforms out there that make it easy for individuals to navigate products, make payments, upgrade their plans, and more with a flexible online storefront. 

What’s more, according to online marketer Nathan Finch of Best Web Hosting Australia, modern website building tools are [designed to be easy-to-use](https://bestwebhostingaustralia.org/top-website-builders) by everyday people. “Certain user-friendly website builders will utilize drag-and-drop controls,” says Finch. “This allows you to build your own website from premade parts but still customize the site enough that it looks unique among the greater Internet.” You don’t have to be a web development expert to prioritize UX, but you do need to make it a focus of your B2i strategy. 

This will allow users to customize their plans and do other important functions on their own. Knowledgeable customer service and sales professionals can still be standing by in the case of an incident, but customers will appreciate the ease and control. And don’t be afraid to tell both B2C and B2B customers the perks of the all-virtual platform. If explained properly, it won’t seem like you are decreasing touchpoints. Rather, it will show them that you understand the importance of convenience and customization. 

### Test-drive your UX

We can’t say it enough: B2i is all about user experience. This means you need to audit your own processes to make sure it is simple and user friendly. 

The checkout process is a big one here, since it can be such a significant factor in how likely customers are to abandon their cares. Other aspects of your website and marketing, like product pages and email discount codes, can also cause issues if you’re not attentive to them. Have multiple team members go through the sales funnel on a regular basis to make sure it satisfies customer needs and doesn’t hit any snags. 

### Train all teams on selling

To make the most of B2i principles, multiple customer touch points should be equipped to turn customer interactions into sales opportunities without being overly pushy. For example, customer service reps might have the opportunity to up-sell or cross-sell in the process of resolving a customer complaint. Train employees across different departments and empower them to serve customers to the best of their abilities - and increase your revenue in the process. 

## The bottom line

For many marketers, the emergence of B2i (or the even newer B2P paradigm) will not come as a surprise. In fact, this “new” idea can be seen as an encapsulation of an insight that successful online marketers have long taken for granted – that all customers, whether they are representing a business or not, are humans, and that it is only by recognizing this that we can build trust with them. And with trust comes sales.

*This post was contributed by Kate Noether*


Combine B2B and B2C Marketing To Deliver a B2i Experience

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How To Combine B2B and B2C Marketing To Deliver a B2i Experience

As a marketer, you must always be in doubt about what can be the most effective way to communicate with your customers. To be honest, how can you keep them interested and engaged about your message? 

For years, marketers have been using a lot of digital marketing platforms to get people to know about their brand. Push notifications and email marketing are both powerful channels by which you can deliver your message to users. 

While email marketing has been in the game for a long time, push notifications have just begun. In this article, we’ll compare **push notifications vs. email marketing** and help you determine which channel to choose. 

We should begin now!

## Push notifications vs. email marketing: Quick overview

**Push notifications**

[Push notifications](https://blog.avada.io/resources/what-is-a-push-notification.html) are actually a new marketing channel to keep users engaged, and actually, they’ve become very popular over a relatively short time. They began in social media channels, but with the advent of mobile apps, they’ve rapidly become a part of daily life for most mobile device users. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/E1OP6kR.png)

Push notifications are received on a user’s screen and often convey real-time updates, transactional messages, behavioral nudges, and many more. In addition to [web browser push notifications](https://blog.avada.io/resources/web-browser-push-notification.html) from brands, users can download their mobile app and opt-in to notifications. 

As push notifications are subscription-based, you can only send messages to people who opt-in for your push service. So, to make your push campaigns successful, you need to acquire a [high opt-in push notification rate](https://blog.avada.io/resources/opt-in-push-notification.html). 

**Pros**:
 - Push notifications let you interact with customers in real-time. The automated triggers help you reach the right audience at the right time in the right place with the right offers. 
 - With push notifications, subscribers can opt-in without providing their personal details.
 - Push campaigns can save a significant amount of time by fully automating location-based, behavior-based, and preference-based targeting. 
 - It’s easy to track and evaluate push campaigns.
 - You can use rich media like images, audio, videos, GIFs, etc., in your push notifications.
 - Push notifications are proven to achieve an improved rate of opt-in, click-through, and conversion. 

**Cons**:
 - Users receive push notifications only when their devices are connected to the Internet.
 - If used incorrectly, push notifications can be viewed as annoyances, prompting users to uninstall the app or block the page.
 - Push notifications work effectively when loyalty is already there. New users who’re just exposed to your business will hardly opt-in to your notifications in the first interaction alone. 

**Email marketing** 

Email marketing dates back to 1978, when Gary Thuerk sent the first mass email campaign. Nowadays, marketing emails are often sent via third-party marketing tools like [email marketing services](https://blog.avada.io/resources/email-marketing-services-for-small-business.html). They are sent by brands to people who have subscribed to this channel. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/bS9Axl6.png)

Emails are used to send many content types, such as brand newsletters, transactional receipts, and seasonal promotions. Even though email is a more seasoned messaging channel than push notifications, the email ecosystem is ever-evolving - as are the tactics used to reach users via this channel. 

**Pros**:
 - Emails offer various ways to design attractive templates for your campaigns.
 - Emails are capable of attaching files, making them competent to communicate some lengthy content.
 - You can subdivide your target audience into different segments and send them particular emails.
 - People can easily share an email just by forwarding it to interested people.
 - Emails are reliable for sending official and sensitive communications. 

**Cons**: 
 - Your emails may be undelivered as they land in the spam box and never make it to the primary inbox of recipients. Spam filters can identify and block specific spam keywords in your email subject and content. 
 - It is not suitable for time-sensitive information.
 - Emails can easily violate the privacy and data protection rules if imperfectly targeted at people who don’t want to receive them.

## Push notifications vs. email marketing: Key differences

Both push notifications and email marketing own its pros and cons. In this part, let us see the key differences between push notifications and email marketing, so you’ll know which communication channel works best for you.

***Note***: Too busy to read until the end of this part? Well, we have summed everything up in the table right below! Check it out now!

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/ZOcCGYC.png)


### Message length and content
The first key difference between push notifications and email marketing is the length of the message. While push notifications are often limited to about a couple hundred characters, emails are a longer form channel and leave space for more substance. 

Consider how much detail you want to convey the desired message, as well as whether you can best communicate your CTA (call to action) through a long or short format. Email marketing requires much more copywriting bandwidth to create than push notifications, while push notifications require less time to write and implement. That being said, there is much more room for personalization and creativity in the email content. 

Emails are excellent solutions to reach users with newsletters, blogs, sign-up forms, invoices, and more. Meanwhile, you can create more impact on users with push notifications for product/service updates, promotional offers, discounts, new blog reminders, and more. 

Regardless of the communication channel, always remember to create interesting content, offer value, and make your users take further significant actions. 

### Audience
How do your push and email audiences differ? 

Your push audience includes all users who have given their permission to receive notifications from your business. Web users are often asked for permission to receive push notifications, which are in the form of an opt-in box popping up on one side of the browser. On the other hand, Android users are automatically opted-in to receive the push notifications, but iOS users must opt-in via permission prompt. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/ShgZgGQ.png)

Your email audience includes people who have subscribed to your email list. They’ve shared their personal information to receive messages from your brand. Brands often work hard to [grow their email subscriber list](https://blog.avada.io/resources/build-email-marketing-list.html) by offering incentives like first-order discounts and compelling content by crafting well-timed and well-placed opt-ins on their sites. 
 
### Ideal messaging frequency
Both push notifications and email marketing help you build relationships with your users over time. However, it is wise to think about how often you message your users on each platform. 

Generally, you can plan on messaging your users more often via push notifications, given that these messages are instant, real-time, and expected on a frequent basis. They’re often intended to re-engage users with your brand. Many brands choose to send a flurry of push notifications every day. But it’s recommended to send two push notifications per day. 

On the other hand, email marketing is a slower channel, and these messages should be sent less frequently. If you send too many marketing emails, you will likely see fewer email opens and higher unsubscribe rates. On average, brands should aim to send emails on a weekly or biweekly basis. 

### Personalization level 
While both push notifications and emails can be personalized, the level varies. 

While emails’ subject lines and send time can be personalized, push notifications offer higher personalization opportunities. You can use rich media features like images, videos, audio, GIFs, carousel, etc. in push notifications. Also, by leveraging your users’ geolocation information and behavioral data, push notifications can be highly personalized in terms of delivery time and tailor-made behavior-based content. 

### Urgency of the message 
How time-sensitive is your message? Does your message value depend on how quickly it is seen? Or, is your message something subscribers will find relevant if they access it at their leisure?

Push notifications are typically seen by users in real-time, which makes them an optimal medium for time-sensitive content. Choose push notifications for your most urgent messages, such as breaking news, fraud alerts, order delivery updates, or calendar reminders. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/Z9qHawv.png)

If your message can wait, opt for emails. Overspending messages that can wait through push notifications will only detract from your overall strategy, so you should stay tactical in your approach. Given that subscribers read emails in a delayed fashion, this channel is better for content like newsletters, extensive onboarding instructions, and the delivery of other assets. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/eNQ7XXN.png)

### Intent of the campaign 
Another difference between push notifications and email marketing is what they are used for. 

Both push notifications and emails can be used to alert users to new features or a special sale. However, while emails tend to deliver more completed content, push notifications don’t really have this ability. 

In an email, you can provide recipients with a full blog-post-length piece of content if you want. You can give them a complete message with no additional action needed. 

On the other hand, push notifications are almost always acting as a middle man, trying to get recipients to click into your app or take further action. This is not to say there are no exceptions - transactional notifications and weather updates are a few ways to directly deliver content via push notifications. But for the most part, push notifications are used to drive additional action, rather than serve value by itself. 

### Message permanence 
When considering whether to use push notifications or email marketing for a given message, think of how permanent you would like your message to be.

Email marketing is an ideal channel for communications that users might want to revisit at a later time, such as shipping confirmations, invoices, tickets, lab test results, and messages with attachments. While an email resides in a user’s inbox and can be prioritized and starred for later reference, push notifications are fleeting and, therefore, inconvenient for information users may want to revisit. 

Push notifications are ideal for more ephemeral messages, like succinct, real-time updates that users are unlikely to need an official record of. 

## Push notifications vs. email marketing: When to use what?

Push notifications are effective when you’d like to convey updates immediately to your subscribers. Below are some cases where you can use push notifications rather than emails to make impressive communication with subscribers:
 - Promote new product/service launches
 - Alert users about the timing of events, sales, forum discussions, and many more
 - Inform subscribers about your latest news updates
 - Engage subscribers by creating FOMO with push notifications 
 - Increase your website traffic quickly

You should avoid sending push notifications for any reference information that users may require to revisit as well as sending long, wordy content. For any inspiration for your next push campaign, please head to our ready-to-use [25+ push notification templates](https://blog.avada.io/resources/push-notification-template.html). 

Email marketing is the perfect channel to nurture leads in all verticals. Below are a few cases where you can use emails to reach your customers:
 - Educate users about your products or services in detail
 - Sharing some confidential information like transaction and shipping details
 - Retain existing customers with personalized discounts and upgrades
 - Nurture leads about your products/services to make them customers
 - Get customers’ feedback 

Emails can keep any information you want, which makes them a very creative tool to handle your contacts. 

## How to use push notifications & email marketing in an effective way?

Actually, you don’t need to choose only one channel; you can take advantage of their advantages and make your marketing campaigns outstanding. 

Have you ever thought of combining both channels in one automated workflow? Let’s say, you want to welcome new users to your app. You can first send a push notification to welcome them with an offer of 15% off for their next purchase, AND a welcome email to guide them on how to use your app. 

[AVADA Commerce](https://avada.io/email-marketing/?utm_source=avada-blog) helps you do that quickly and easily!

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/l5keMoq.png)

With AVADA Commerce, you can simply drag and drop elements from the left panel to your workflow. It’s also simple to control time and other workflow elements. Once you’ve created your workflow, you can send it immediately, or choose a specific date and time based on your recipients’ timezone. 

No need to worry if you find everything confusing at first because the AVADA support team is always willing to help you. Strikingly, it’s free to start with AVADA Commerce. You shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity! [Contact the AVADA support team](https://avada.io/contact.html) any time if you want to learn more!


<a class="btn btn-soft-primary transition-3d-hover mp-bg-blue text-white" href="https://avada.io/email-marketing/?utm_source=avada-blog">TRY AVADA COMMERCE FOR FREE</a>



## The bottom line 

As you can see clearly, while push notifications and email marketing have some similarities, for the most part, they’re entirely different beasts. 

Don’t make the mistake of copying & pasting your email marketing strategies on push notifications. You need to create different and creative strategies to truly capitalize on the power of push!

Besides, you should know what works best for your business and by what you can attract more customers. In case you have any doubt regarding email marketing and push notifications, [AVADA Commerce](https://avada.io/email-marketing/?utm_source=avada-blog) is right here to help you. Thanks for reading!

Push Notifications vs. Email Marketing: Which Channel Should You Choose?

Businesses have various communication media to reach their customers. Push notifications and SMS may be the cheapest among them.

But the question is: What are the differences between push notifications and SMS? And which channel is right for your needs?

In this post, we will briefly define push notifications and SMS, as well as discuss the various ways they differ. Let’s explore!

## Push notifications and SMS: Quick overview

At first glance, push notifications and SMS may appear the same - they’re both brief messages delivered across a one-way channel. But that’s where the similarity ends. 

Now, let’s quickly go over the definitions of push notifications and SMS, together with their respective pros and cons. 

**Push notifications**

[Push notifications](https://blog.avada.io/resources/what-is-a-push-notification.html) are typically short messages that pop up on the user’s desktop or mobile, motivating them to take action. These are often 100-200 characters long, and they can contain rich media. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/RszdQ3P.jpg)

Companies send push notifications through the OSPNS (Operating System Push Notification Service) to send the message to the device owner. If you want your audiences to stay updated with the latest deals or remind them of items in their cart, push notifications can be a great way to communicate. 

**Pros:**

 - It’s easier to capture subscribers for push notifications as they do not require identifiers, such as email addresses or mobile phone numbers.
 - You can quickly deliver personalized messages with appropriate links and CTAs.
 - You can automatically send push notifications to remind users of incomplete actions.
 - Push notifications generate high open rates and conversion rates.
 - Push notifications have a wide scope for creativity and engagement through the use of rich media like images, videos, GIFs, etc. 

**Cons:**

 - The user receives push notifications only when they’re connected to the Internet
 - Users need to download the app over mobile phones of given specifications 
 - If used incorrectly, they can be viewed as annoyances, which could prompt users to uninstall the app entirely 
 - Users can easily disable push notifications in the app settings
 - The explosion of push notifications is making it much harder to capture audience interest

**SMS**

[SMS (Short Messaging Service)](https://blog.avada.io/resources/sms-marketing-general.html) is a regular text message with a limitation of 160 characters (actually, it’s extendable up to 1600 characters). As SMS delivery takes place over a mobile network, recipients should have a SIM card with an active network status. Moreover, because it requires knowing the recipients’ mobile number, you must obtain explicit permission to send text messages. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/imyUb6i.png)

**Pros:**

 - You can send text messages quickly and immediately regardless of the Internet status
 - It is not necessary to download an app
 - It is possible to set up two-way communication
 - Businesses can carry out network tracking in order to know about delivery status, replies, opt-out, etc. 
 - The matter is saved in the messaging app and can be accessed over and over again until it’s deleted

**Cons:**

 - In order for you to legally market to someone, they have to opt-in for your SMS list.
 - Your messages are often limited to 160 characters; if anything longer, you’ll risk your message breaking into several smaller messages.
 - The credibility of SMS content and their sender is difficult to authenticate
 - It is easy to block unknown numbers.
 - Poor opt-in measures can get you marked as spam.


## Push notifications vs. SMS: Key differences

Push notifications and SMS are both useful in their respective domains. Based on different factors, below is a head-to-head comparison of how push notifications and SMS perform against each other. 

***Note***: Too busy to read until the end of this section? Don’t worry! We’ve summed everything up in the table right below. Check it out!

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/rqLa37L.png)


### 1. Content type and length
In general, push notifications do not have any restrictions on content type. They can include both text and images. However, push notifications have a character restriction so that your message can properly pop up on your user’s screen. Typically, notifications for Android devices stay around 60-90, and less than 120 for iOS. A survey shows that push notifications with 10 or fewer words will have the highest click rate. 

SMS can contain only text characters in the message (messages that include rich media such as images, GIFs, videos, and audio are sent through the Multimedia Message Service, or MMS). It also has a character count limit of 160 characters. If more content needs to be sent, it’s delivered as multiple SMS messages. Many modern mobile devices support something called concatenation, which rebuilds messages up to 1600 characters on the recipient’s devices, so they can appear as a single message.

### 2. Ways to opt-in/ opt-out 
A major difference between push notifications and SMS is how recipients choose to receive them. 

With SMS, businesses must have consent from recipients before they can send texts. For informational, non-telemarketing texts, either written or verbal consent is required. For marketing or sales purposes, businesses must achieve express written consent. Consent can be actually achieved in the form of an [opt-in text message](https://blog.avada.io/resources/sms-marketing-opt-in.html). 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/lczLXMx.png)

To opt-out of SMS messages from a business, recipients often reply to the text conversation with a single word, such as UNSUBSCRIBE or STOP. Then they’d automatically be removed from further communications. 

Meanwhile, push notification consent is quite different. As an in-app function, users must navigate to the app’s settings to turn on notifications. Or, they can head to their phone’s general settings to switch on the notifications. The same process goes for opting out. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/oVxF1gD.png)

### 3. Display on screen 
Push notifications often pop up on your screen, and unless you immediately tap on the message, it’ll disappear to your lock screen. When you are not using your phone, the push notification will sit on your lock screen until you tap or clear it. If you happen to receive a lot of push notifications from other apps, your lock screen can get crowded. A screen with multiple notifications can be seen right below. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/tywV1ce.png)

SMS notifications look similar to push notifications but differ in a few ways. You can choose whether to see a preview of the text or choose to not see a preview and receive only one plain alert. Generally, the latter may be chosen for more privacy. 

SMS messages are also stored in your phone differently than push notifications. If you don’t immediately open a text message, it sits in your default messaging app, where you can access it at any time. 

### 4. Compatible devices
Text messages can be received by any smartphone or mobile phone, including feature and older phones that only work on GSM or CDMA networks. On the other hand, devices that aren’t connected to a cellular network can’t receive text messages - even if they have the capability to connect to a network but aren’t currently connected. 

Meanwhile, push notifications work on all modern smartphones. In addition, desktop apps and web browsers also have the ability to receive push notifications. However, feature phones don’t have such capabilities. Push notifications are only available for modern devices. 

### 5. Message direction
Text messages can be sent and received. Any kind of device that is connected to a cellular network can be used to send and receive text messages. 

On the other hand, push notifications can only be sent by app developers, while users only have the ability to view the message. So, push notifications are one-way in nature, while SMS messages are typically two-way interactions. 

## Push notifications vs. SMS: When to use what?

From the above differences, you might have gained some clarity on when to send push notifications vs. SMS messages. In this part, we’ll explore further into when you should send push notifications & when to send SMS. 

**Push notifications**

Push notifications are often successful in nudging users towards a specific task. It could be anything from completing payment to updating to the latest version of the app. If you want to retain the push notification permission, your messages should offer instant value. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/8qe4Kgc.png)

Fortunately, push notifications are highly versatile, and you can use them to transmit information related to: 

 - **Promotional alerts** - flash sales, discounts, ongoing deals, coupons, etc. 

 - **Reminders** - watching the introductory or onboarding content, updating profile, renewing or purchasing a subscription plan, completing an abandoned cart, linking social media accounts, etc. 

 - **Product recommendations** - product recommendations or suggestions based on customer behavior, such as a recent product view. 

 - **News and updates** - announcing changes in business models, announcing new changes or additions to the catalog, updates in the data privacy policy, etc. 

 - **Education** - educating new users on how to use the app, etc. 

You should avoid sending push notifications for reference information that users may require access to later, re-engaging without any immediate value proposition, and sending long, wordy messages. 

In fact, we even collected [25+ push notification templates](https://blog.avada.io/resources/push-notification-template.html) that you can quickly copy & paste into your own campaigns. Check them out!

**SMS**

As SMS involves the mobile phone number of the recipient, it is considered more personal and trustworthy. Thus, you must use this direct channel very sparingly for marketing purposes. 

As it addresses the recipient personally, you can use text messages to update the recipient regarding any information relating to their health, finances, personal interests, or safety. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/30wiOMa.png)

Ideally, text messages are more suited for transmitting information that is:
 - **Transactional** - delivery updates, billing reminders, package alerts, etc. 
 - **Urgent** - appointment reminders, banking alerts, weather warnings, etc. 
 - **Time-sensitive** - flight delays, event cancellation, appointment rescheduling, etc. 

You shouldn’t use text messages for information that users need to refer to in the future. This includes set-up instructions, receipts, and other helpful materials. They are not as easy to scroll or search through as email. Besides, they may be deleted by accident. 

In addition, don’t use text messages for long-form content, as they are limited to 160 characters. Of course, you can string them together to deliver a longer message. However, why pay for the extra text messages while you could send the same information through email for free?

We also collected [28+ SMS templates for marketing](https://blog.avada.io/resources/sms-templates-for-marketing.html) that you can use immediately. Have a look at them now!

## How to use push notifications & SMS in an effective way

To be honest, push notifications and SMS are both powerful, depending on your use case and specific business goals. 

You don’t need to choose only one channel; instead, you can combine both of them to boost your efficiency. [AVADA Commerce](https://avada.io/email-marketing/?utm_source=avada-blog) helps you do that easily and quickly! Let’s say you want to create an automated workflow to remind your customer of an abandoned cart; you can send both push notifications and SMS with AVADA within a few minutes. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/w3wU5F7.png)

As you can see, AVADA Commerce lets you drag and drop elements from the left panel to the workflow easily. You can also adjust wait times to make it appropriate. Plus, you don’t need to send the campaign immediately; instead, just choose a specific date & time based on your recipients’ timezone. 

Don’t worry if you find it confusing at first, because the AVADA support team is always there to help you. [Contact them](https://avada.io/contact.html) any time if you want to learn more!


<a class="btn btn-soft-primary transition-3d-hover mp-bg-blue text-white" href="https://avada.io/email-marketing/?utm_source=avada-blog">GIVE AVADA COMMERCE A NICE TRY</a>


## The bottom line

To sum up, the decision to go with push notifications or SMS only (or use a combination of two) lies with your audiences. You may find someone who may be interested in receiving push notifications, while others pay more attention to text messages. Therefore, depending on how they respond to either communication, you’ll have to tailor your marketing campaigns accordingly. 

Now that you know the pros & cons of both channels, you can find the technique that ticks with your audiences and then harness it to your strengths! For the best results, it’s always wise to strike a balance of multi-channel marketing tactics for long-term engagement, better retention rates, and higher conversion.

Push Notifications vs. SMS: A Detailed Comparison



A key concept you learn in your first marketing lesson is how to explain marketing using the four Ps, often known as the marketing mix. Although companies have used marketing tools to promote and sell their products since the dawn of time, the term "marketing mix" was only coined in the middle of the twentieth century to describe the overall strategy. You'll discover, though, that marketing encompasses far more than just a four-section marketing mix matrix after you begin your first marketing internship or employment.

However, establishing marketing teams around the marketing mix has an evident advantage. Effective marketing is a result of teams and individuals working together to market a product at the right time and at the right price. Additional efforts are necessary, but they all start with this marketing mix.

Learn about the marketing mix and how to create a successful marketing mix strategy for your own business in this section.

**Table of Contents**:
- [What is a marketing mix?](#what-is-a-marketing-mix)
- [Elements of the marketing mix](#elements-of-the-marketing-mix)
  - [Product](#product)
  - [Price](#price)
  - [Place](#place)
  - [Promotion](#promotion)
- [Other components of the marketing mix](#other-components-of-the-marketing-mix)
- [How to develop a successful 2021 marketing mix strategy](#how-to-develop-a-successful-2021-marketing-mix-strategy)
  - [Determine the market you want to target](#determine-the-market-you-want-to-target)
  - [Participate in product development and market research](#participate-in-product-development-and-market-research)
  - [Choose a pricing strategy](#choose-a-pricing-strategy)
  - [Decide on a distribution strategy](#decide-on-a-distribution-strategy)
  - [Decide on promotion and sell](#decide-on-promotion-and-sell)
- [Alternative models of the marketing mix to consider](#alternative-models-of-the-marketing-mix-to-consider)
- [Final Words](#final-words)

## What is a marketing mix?

A marketing mix is a term that describes several different things. Using the marketing mix, a firm can receive the response it wants from its target market by using a combination of tactical marketing instruments that are within its control. Everything a firm can do to affect the demand for its product is included in this category. As a result, it's a helpful tool for marketing strategy and execution as well.

Companies can use the marketing mix to plan more process-driven and impactful campaigns. A company may make lucrative marketing decisions at every level by identifying and arranging the elements of its marketing mix. By making these choices, a firm is better able to capitalize on its strengths while minimizing its limitations. This makes it more competitive and adaptive in its market, and it also helps departments and partners collaborate more profitably.

Due to new technologies and other developments in marketing best practices, the constituents of the marketing mix have experienced numerous alterations since the 1950s. However, the essential parts of the marketing mix have not changed for decades despite certain additions or modifications.

## Elements of the marketing mix

The main aspects of a marketing mix provide a well-rounded approach to marketing strategy when they are polished and synchronized. A good place to start is with the classic marketing concept known as "The 4 P's" of Marketing. Product, Price, Place, and Promotion are the 4 Ps' key building blocks. The 4 P's may not seem like rocket science, but whether or not a corporation can embrace and implement them can mean the difference between success and failure.

![Elements of the marketing mix](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/0CcTWEa.png)

### Product

A product is a service or good that is made available to satisfy the wants or needs of the customer. You can do anything you want, as long as you have the resources to do it.

Succeeding at the marketing mix's product element requires considerable research and development, identifying the demand for products, designing a product launch strategy and timeframe, as well as informing clients and salespeople about the product's purpose.

The product's life cycle must be considered by marketers to handle any issues that may develop while it is in the customer's possession. For instance, the first iPods had a battery life issue that became apparent after a certain time, and Apple had to find solutions to that issue.

**Example: Coca Cola**

![Coca Cola](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/9cBLVvn.png)

To address the needs of as many consumers as possible, the company offers a wide range of product lines. Whatever your preference, there's a Coke product for you. Whether you're trying to lose weight or just want a little more energy, there's a diet Coke or a coffee-flavored Coke.

### Price

A product's price is the amount customers are willing to pay for it. Base costs (materials, production, and transportation) are included, as are expenses (rent, office supplies, healthcare, etc.). While it's important to keep an eye on your competitors, a successful firm will focus on what its customers are willing to pay for it. That's all that matters.

A company's pricing strategy reflects its market position, the speed at which it wants to penetrate the market, as well as its revenue targets and profit margin. In general, lesser prices allow for greater access, whereas higher prices appeal to those who want to be the only ones with access to the commodity in question. There are two ways to do this: either charge a premium above your production costs or at a lower price.

**Example: Tom Ford**

![Tom Ford](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/pFhFgRc.png)

Tom Ford is a great example. Tom Ford Lip Color costs $200 on average, which is 4-6 times more than the average price of a common lipstick. Instead of being sold in markets or on small stalls, this item is typically found in shopping malls, showrooms, or other establishments that display merchandise. Here we have the high-priced strategy.

### Place

The location where your product or service will be offered for sale is referred to as the Place. Physical venues, such as your store or a retailer through whom your goods will be resold, include tangible products. Distribution centers, transportation, warehousing, inventory management, and franchising are all included in this category. The various methods of purchasing your products, such as online or over the phone, can also be included.

**Example: Hu**

![Hu](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/NrhU3DF.png)

As an illustration, one of Hu's specialties is organic, paleo chocolate bars that are free of the junk additives found in many other brands.

Several big shops, such as Walmart, Target, and Whole Foods, have made the brand's products available. They have an Amazon storefront as well. There's always their website to turn to if the store's inventory runs low.

### Promotion

Promotional activities are those that raise awareness and excitement about your product or service among your target audience. To communicate with potential customers, promotion combines the first three Ps: positioning, pricing, and timing. Its purpose is to make a product enticing to buyers.

Promotion includes both sponsored and organic efforts such as word-of-mouth, [content marketing](https://blog.avada.io/resources/content-marketing/), and public relations.

**Example: The Lip Bar**

![The Lip Bar](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/p8asTwd.png)

Beauty brand The Lip Bar uses celebrities and social media influencers to advertise its products. The company recently announced its entrance into Walmart stores and its nine newest items in partnership with beauty blogger Raye Boyce.

This collaboration with a Black influencer known for her love of lipsticks is perfectly in line with the Lip Bar's ethos, which places women of color at the center of its products. The company has a blog on its website, as well as a strong social media presence, with content that appeals to customers at all stages of the buying process.

## Other components of the marketing mix

A company's marketing mix can be reduced to the four Ps, but new Ps have been added to the list as marketing’s reach has expanded recently. The 7 Ps are sometimes added to the 4 Ps.

People: Your company's product would not exist without all the people who are engaged in its development, production, distribution, and sale. Your store's employees, delivery drivers, and sales representatives, among others, leave a lasting impact on customers.

There are several ways a firm and its customers can work together to make sure a product gets to its intended audience. It's a road map showing how the company and its products can be found by customers. It's a road map for the company's activities, not merely a means to an end.

Physical evidence: If your product is a tangible item, consumers will pay attention to all of your marketing materials (such as packaging, business cards, brochures, and corporate branding). These observable indications, on the other hand, are linked to an intangible product.

## How to develop a successful 2021 marketing mix strategy

Because the marketing mix includes aspects from across your department – and even your company – it's critical to develop a marketing mix plan for each new product you introduce or your entire firm. Follow these procedures for a well-rounded marketing mix.

### Determine the market you want to target

This exercise's sole purpose is to help you market and, ultimately, sell your merchandise. Therefore, the client should be at the center of any debate about the product, pricing, promotion, and where it is sold. To truly put the needs of the customer first, you must first get to know them.

Learn as much as you can about your present or potential consumer base by conducting customer research. Making one-page [buyer personas](https://blog.avada.io/resources/buyer-persona.html) that include the essentials of your ideal consumer is helpful to many marketers. So who are these people? What motivates them? What issues are important to them?

Discovering your target audience will help you have a better understanding of how they interact with your business.
- In what way are you able to help your target audience?
- Exactly what is standing in the way of finding a solution to that issue?
- Do you have a solution to that problem?
- Which competitors do your ideal customers find the most enticing? What are your thoughts?
- What entices your ideal client to make a purchase?

### Participate in product development and market research

For your marketing efforts to be successful, you need a product that people will want to buy. Ascertain that it's well-developed and that your staff can discuss the advantages and background of it.

![Participate in product development and market research](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/HRILNZr.png)

This step should incorporate best practices such as conducting market research to better understand your customers' wants and needs.
- Investigate the demands of your current clients to determine which areas need improvement in your current offering.
- Tracking market trends to determine if there is a demand for your product.
- Investigating the opposition.
- Collaborate with your product team during the product development process to guarantee that it fits your customers’ individual needs.

Current consumers can help you determine how well your product or service is meeting your customers' needs and if it is genuinely solving their problems. By taking these steps, you'll ensure that you're doing everything possible to identify and solve your customers’ problems, laying the groundwork for the successful launch of your product.

### Choose a pricing strategy

![Choose a pricing strategy](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/QHigW6W.png)

The process of choosing a price point is extremely complex, and we've dedicated an entire guide to it. Most of the questions in this section can be answered based on your market knowledge gained via research. You'll also have to think about your expenses to get the most out of your sales and profit. At this point, you have the option to:
- Determine the ideal selling price by speaking with clients (or using previous market research).
- Develop the product with the product team in a cost-effective manner to achieve profitability at your target price point. Work with them.
- Visit financial professionals to identify aggressive but realistic sales estimates that will help the company's bottom line.
- Figure out how you'll deal with the pricing changes and revenue fluctuations that will occur when you sell through resellers.

Finally, don't forget to take into account the customer's perception of value. Despite low production costs, if you have little competition and offer an indispensable benefit to your clients, you can mark up your product more.

### Decide on a distribution strategy

![Decide on a distribution strategy](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/FixvQmA.png)

The 4Ps marketing mix strategy's essential step is distribution. It facilitates circulation, allowing the product to reach its intended audience. The policy for distribution intermediaries will also have an impact on the profitability of businesses.

Distribution channels can be created using the following changes, depending on your product line and target market. Before moving on to the promotion step, make sure that you have taken care of the following issues:
- Analyze where your product will perform best: in your store, at another retailer's store, on your website, at the website of another company, or in a combination of various locations. Determine where your product will perform best.
- Consider geographical supply and demand, and whether your product will be available in a specific city, state, country, or even globally.
- Agree on margins, markups, and manufacturer-recommended retail prices with retailers and resellers (MSRP).
- Calculate how many salespeople you'll need to achieve your objectives.
- Set goals for retail, third-party sellers to avoid disappointment.

### Decide on promotion and sell

Last but not least, it's time to start marketing your product. It's important to do this last because you need the product, price, and location as a foundation before selecting promotion strategies, even if it's the element most closely associated with marketing.

Consider the following promotional channels and select the one(s) that is(are) most appropriate for your product, its buyers, and its price point once you have that understanding:
- Blogging, content production, and other forms of content marketing are all examples of content marketing.
- Designing and developing a website.
- Public relations and collaboration with partners and/or influencers are key components of this strategy.
- Marketing on social networks
- [Search engine ads](https://blog.avada.io/resources/google-adwords-guide.html) 
- TV commercials or ads that appear on video-streaming websites like YouTube.
- Participating in industry gatherings or producing your event is all part of event marketing.

## Alternative models of the marketing mix to consider

The 4 Ps have been around for a long time. A lot has changed since the introduction of these four marketing mix components in the 1960s. In the age of digital marketing and mobile technologies, some have questioned whether the 4 P paradigm is still relevant.

The 4Ps were changed to the 4Cs to put the customer first rather than the company.
Consumer, cost, convenience, and communication are all part of the 4Cs model. The four Cs may have a greater impact on a digital marketing mix than the four Ps in some cases.
- **Consumer**: Instead of generating things, a company should focus on addressing problems for its customers, according to this business strategy. Consumer behavior and needs have to be studied and interacted with to discover what customers desire.
- **Cost**: There's also the time it takes to research and shop around before buying anything. As well as the price of the goods itself, it may also contain the price of the trade-offs that customers are forced to make, such as not making another purchase in exchange for it.
- **Convenience**: The ease with which customers may locate and acquire a product. Because of the popularity of online marketing and shopping, customers now place a higher value on convenience than on where they shop.
- **Communication**: A conversation that is equally dependent on the buyer and the vendor. Advertisements, marketing campaigns, as well as public appearances are all included. There are several ways to reach customers in the digital age, including emails sent by brands to customers who have opted in or initiated the contact themselves.

## Final Words

To summarize, by grasping the fundamentals of the marketing mix, you'll be well on your way to financial freedom. It doesn't matter if you run your own company or if you are merely assisting in the growth of another company. Profitability is the ultimate goal of business. To achieve this, a good marketing mix plan must be developed. Work your way through your company’s marketing mix to develop a strategy that will help you attract customers, make sales, and expand your firm.



Marketing Mix Strategy - A Complete Guide with 5 Simple Steps

Web Browser Push Notification: Everything You Should Know

There’s no doubt that images play a vital role in any marketing strategy. 

A well-placed product image can convince your visitors from just being interested in them to complete the purchase. As a matter of fact, many top merchants, such as Proozy and Headphone Zone, use images in their push notifications to give subscribers more incentives to purchase. 

These brands have applied [push notification best practices](https://blog.avada.io/resources/push-notification-best-practices.html) to ensure that their messages are not just compelling, but even their product images are optimized, with increasing click-throughs and conversions. 

So, how can you be like them? How can you optimize push notifications with images for maximum conversions?

The answers will appear in this guide! Continue reading and exploring right now!

## What images does a push notification have?

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/QI4hjg2.jpg)

Typically, a push notification includes two images: icon and hero image.
 - **Brand icon**. Just like on other marketing channels, you can add an identifier to your push notifications, such as your brand logo. This makes visitors quickly realize your brand. 

 - **Hero image**. If you have ever signed up for any website/app notifications, you would have seen these notifications come with attractive posters, often known as hero images. Hero images can be either photos or posters of the product that you can add to your push notification to make it more attractive. 
 
 
## Why do many marketers use push notifications with images?

Marketers term push notifications with hero images as “rich push notifications.” But the question is: Do push notifications with images create that much impact?

It does, according to a study from Accengage. Push notifications with an image (rich formats) achieve an improved reaction rate of 25%. 

This comes as no surprise because 90% of information transmitted to our brain is visual. Thus, images do speak louder than words!

In short, push notifications with images help you:
 - Grab visitors’ attention immediately
 - Improve user engagement with websites and apps alike
 - Convert users quickly with the help of interactive buttons
 - Stand out from the crowd with visually compelling content 
 - Understand user interests and segment them for higher click rates

## 3 examples of push notifications with images

In this section, let’s look at three real examples of push notifications with images and what they can achieve. 

### 1. NASCAR
Push notifications with images are not exactly novel and have been used to significant effect by businesses as part of their marketing efforts to boost engagement and conversions. 

The most recent and memorable example of it arrived during the COVID-19 pandemic when the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) applied it to keep fans at home engaged as races were put on hold. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/HB6eNiW.png)

NASCAR came up with the iRacing Pro Invitational Series, where virtual cars were designed to race each other by real NASCAR drivers. As a result, this push campaign saw an open rate of 9% on Android devices and 4% on iOS devices, with a conversion rate of 40%. This helped it drive strong engagement across its entire user base. 

### 2. Peachmode
The advantages of push notifications with images can be availed by any vertical or industry. For online retailers, push notifications with images can be used to draw the attention of customers to motivate purchases. That’s what Peachmode did. 

Peachmode is an E-commerce store that uses push notifications to hold a contest. In fact, this example may be one of the most creative ones we’ve seen.

At first glance, it just looks like a normal push notification. However, if you dive into the actual campaign, you will see something incredible. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/Hq2Ms6W.png)

In case the shopping pool for the top ten shoppers exceeds $470K, each of them gets a discount up to $78. What followed was a pure feeding frenzy from regular customers. 

And the image coming with its message makes everything much more attractive!

Kudos, Peachmode!

### 3. Anthropologie
Anthropologie began experimenting with web push notifications to meet customers where they are. They mainly targeted enhancing the customer experience by allowing visitors to easily access new products and recent promotions to match their eclectic aesthetic. 

At first, Anthropologie sent text-only push notifications but soon began using creative graphics and product images to better engage customers. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/HXo9QgE.png)

Because only their loyal customers have push notifications enabled, Anthropologie has room to experiment with creative methods of grabbing attention with a low risk of alienating visitors. They are excited to continue iterating on this innovative channel. 

## 6 top rules when adding images to your push notification 

To be honest, not every browser and device within a certain ecosystem will support the same things, so you need to be thoughtful and considerate with design and development. While push notifications with images are beneficial, it is still vital to make sure your copy conveys the whole message. 

Beyond meaningful copy, there are some size limitations for push notifications with images. Quite like content in an email, just because you can max your image out to the size limit doesn’t mean you should. Optimizing push notifications with images will create a smoother experience for users. 

So, in this part, let’s explore 6 top rules when adding images to your push notifications!

### 1. Use the right size
Just like the character limits on your push notification copy, browsers have a particular sizing for the images you include in the push notification. Unless you create your hero images with recommended sizes, your images will be automatically resized by the browser, leaving unnecessary white space around them. 

To make sure that you’re following push notification best practices, the AVADA Commerce dashboard has a field to let you insert a hero image, ensuring that you have optimized your push notification. We recommend that your image is at least 360x180 pixels and 2:1 aspect ratio. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/buIjUtO.png)

### 2. Optimize the text in the image
While it’s better to stick to only images of the product, you can add text in your hero image, if you are particular. However, if you plan to add text to your image, it’s essential to keep the copy short, straightforward, and concise, and let your recipients focus on the image. That’s the reason why we recommend the length of your image copy to be between 30 and 40 characters. 

***Note***: The tone of voice you use is just as vital as the length of your image copy. If you go with humor across other marketing channels, you can also use this witty tone in your hero image copy. It is crucial to stay consistent with your tone because it’s one of the top identifiers for customers. 

For example, Headphone Zone has a fun and quirky tone across its social media channels. This tone is also used in its push notifications, whether it is a product launch notification or the abandoned cart reminders. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/BgDGb9b.png)

### 3. Choose the right font
If you are using text in your hero image, readability is your top priority. Choose the right font for your text by seeing which ones are highly readable with well-spaced letters. Don’t go with font formatting styles like italics because it reduces readability drastically. 

Some readable fonts we recommend include Gotham, Helvetica, and Futura/ Feel free to choose fonts that are more suited to your brand. When using text on your images, you should avoid some cursive or handwriting fonts. While they look great, they are low on readability. 

While choosing your font, it is also vital to ensure that you use the right color and size for your text. As the hero image appears within the notification on the user’s screen, ensure that your text is not too small. In these cases, the bigger the font, the quicker users can read. To make it much easier to read, pick a text color that is in stark contrast to your image’s background color. 
 
You can find different fonts on <a href="https://fonts.google.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Google Fonts</a>, see what suits your brand, then download it for free. 
 
### 4. Choose attractive images of your products 
You want customers to quickly realize which product/service you’re promoting. This means you should pick images with only the specific product, instead of an image with several products. 

If you are shooting your products, an excellent way to add context to your image is by showing how your product/service is used by a customer. Also, you can source customer images to give your images a personal touch. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/bl13lIl.png)

To pick up free images, you can use image sites like Pexels and Unsplash. 

### 5. Use design tools and palettes 
Some marketers prefer to add posters as hero images rather than product images. These push notifications are often promoting a sale on the website, like Black Friday. In case you want to design your own images from scratch, use design tools like Canva, Stencil, and Easil. 

If you’re not sure about your poster’s colors, head to some palette picker tools like Canva’s color palettes or Paletton to find colors that complement each other. Palette pickers are an excellent design hack and make designing easy, even for newbie designers!

Below are a few pointers for image creation:
 - Create poster-like images easily with Canva. For an advanced design tool, choose Figma. 
 - If you want to use stock images, navigate to Unsplash, Pexels, and Pixabay to download free images.
 - Download editable designs from some resource hubs like Undraw or Freepik. 

### 6. Add interactive CTAs (calls to action)
While interactive CTAs (also called push action buttons) and deep links are not specific for rich push notifications, they make sense to include with rich media content. Interactive CTAs provide users with options, like entering the product, or something else entirely, like sharing the notification. 

If you are worried that people will dismiss your push notifications because they don’t have time to interact with your content, you can offer reminder CTA options. A CTA of “Remind me in two hours” lets users interact with it when they have more time. 

## How to implement push notification with images using AVADA Commerce

AVADA Commerce is not only well-known for email and SMS marketing, but the brand is also an expert in push notification marketing. With a few clicks, you can build a high-converting push notification campaign and start sending. 

![](https://cdn4.avada.io/media/shopify/CkDXjIQ.png)

To be specific, you can:
 - Create easy-to-follow push notification campaigns
 - Easily add rich media content to your push message
 - Show your push messages on different devices, such as Windows 11, Mac OS, and Android
 - Schedule to send push notifications at the right time to the right people
 - Measure your push notification performance with in-depth reports 

Another outstanding feature of the platform is that you can combine push notifications with other marketing channels. For example, while creating an automated workflow, you can consider combining push notification with email or SMS marketing to increase efficiency and boost revenue. 

Don’t worry if you don’t know where to start with push notification marketing, because the AVADA Commerce team will try their best to help you. With a number of years of experience, the AVADA support team can help your push notification campaign reach its target, and even beyond. 

It’s free to get advice, so don’t hesitate to [contact us](https://avada.io/contact.html) right now!

## The bottom line

That’s it for push notifications with images!

Push notifications with images can help you easily attract visitors and convert them into customers. Many marketers use this approach and realize amazing results, so you shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity!

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to push notification images, following these rules, testing, and monitoring the performance of your hero images can help you find the right kind of images that boost your conversions.