Build, engage, and analyse with Twinr's no-code mobile app features.
Get customized mobile app solutions for every industry and platform.
Your knowledge hub for seamless mobile app creation and optimization!
Home » Blogs » What is a Push Notification and Why Do They Matter?
By Gaurav Parvadiya | Last Updated On May 13th, 2025
Did you know that 90% of the apps lose their customers in the first 30 days of its launch?
But those using push? They bring people back, again and again.
These aren’t just alerts; they are effective ways of reaching out to users and increasing their level of interaction.
When deployed effectively, push messages can be powerful tools for generating revenue, improving user engagement, and making your app a part of users’ daily routine.
Used poorly, they lead to opt-outs and uninstalls.
In this blog we’ll discuss what is a push notification, its business relevance, and the importance of push notifications for user retention.
Push notifications are short, clickable messages that are delivered by the application to the user’s device, even when the application is not in use.
Best think of them as a digital prompt, a reminder or an alert, if you will, in real-time.
First introduced by Apple in 2009 (APNs) and Android in 2010 (GCM, now Firebase Cloud Messaging), push notifications have become a core communication channel across:
Push notifications help you:
Notify users of updates or alerts – Let customers know about new messages, system outages, or changes in their account status.
Drive engagement with offers and promotions – Flash sales, discounts, and loyalty point reminders keep users coming back.
Guide users back to abandoned carts or features – A timely nudge like “Still interested?” can close the sale.
Share news or content in real time – Media and blog apps keep users informed and increase session frequency
The importance of push notifications is that they allow reaching the user at the right time and place, thus increasing engagement, retention, and conversion rates.
Now let’s see how the smart app push notification strategy can help to take your app to the next level:
According to the statistics, mobile push notifications increase open rates up to 88%.
These timely, targeted messages remind users to return to your app to explore new content or features on their own.
Push notifications can boost engagement by 91.2% when they are targeted and when they are based on the users’ behaviors.
The only way to sustain growth is through retention.
A smart push strategy re-engages users with personalized messages that feel helpful—not spammy.
Reminders to finish onboarding, complete a profile, or revisit an item help keep users active during the crucial first 7–30 days.
It is a well-known fact that push notifications can make money.
For e-commerce, they bounce back carts, introduce flash sales, and inform restocking.
For SaaS, they are applicable to upsells and onboarding flows.
Trigger-based pushes can increase conversion rates of the push notifications by up to 30%.
Each notification reminds your brand to the customer.
Even if unopened, your logo and message register as mental shelf space.
This visibility reinforces brand recall, increasing the chances of a future open or visit.
Mobile push notifications are opened 2-4 times more often than emails.
Why? They are short, timely, and are easily seen, unlike emails that may end up in the spam folder.
For push, it is immediacy that makes it difficult to overlook.
To create attention-grabbing and appealing push notifications, it is important to have an understanding of iOS push notifications’ architecture.
Here’s how each element plays a role in delivering a great mobile push notification experience:
Here’s a simplified breakdown:
Each layer plays a role:
It is important to understand the various types of push notifications so that you can communicate with the right message at the right time.
Here are the most effective that should be incorporated in the strategy:
Push notifications are one of the most powerful tools for re-engaging users and driving long-term growth.
They allow businesses to stay connected with users beyond the app interface by delivering timely, relevant updates directly to their devices.
Here’s how different industries use them:
At the core, the importance of push notifications lies in their ability to reduce user drop-off, improve lifetime value, and convert occasional users into loyal customers through timely, targeted communication.
When implemented effectively, push notifications can be a powerful tool for increasing engagement, conversion, and customer loyalty.
Here are the key steps that will help you create an effective app push notification campaign that will not be ignored.
Segmentation is the first step in any successful push campaigns.
It is important to understand that the users at different stages of the journey require different messages.
A new customer may require assistance with onboarding, while a repeat customer is more likely to respond to a loyalty program.
Narrow down your target audience by their behavior, activity level, geographic location, or purchasing habits to be more effective.
This is in line with the role of push notifications in providing targeted user experiences.
It is even possible to convey the message in the most effective way but to no avail because it was delivered at the wrong time.
The use of analytics will help you discover when your users are most likely to be active
for instance during lunch time or during break time in the evening and ensure that you make the push during such times.
This increases visibility and interaction with the ad without having to intrude on the user’s space.
It is important that every mobile push notification should convey some form of value in the shortest time possible.
This is a good time to avoid using generic calls to action like “Download our app” and instead use something like “Don’t miss out on your 15% discount, download our app tonight.”
Personalization makes the message seem more pertinent and prompts the recipient to act faster.
Push campaigns require ongoing refinement.
Experiment with the message style, the tone, the length of the message, the time of the day, and even the use of emojis.
It is always the small things that make a big difference in performance. Let your data dictate your future push campaigns.
Mobile push notifications differ in the way they are displayed on iOS and Android platforms.
It is always good to cross check your messages on different devices to see whether the messages are cut off or the formatting is off.
The clearer the delivery the better the perception and the more trust that is built.
Open rates are helpful, but don’t stop there.
Connect your push campaigns with your CRM or analytics platform to measure what users actually do after opening.
Did they make a purchase?
Start a trial?
Share the app?
Real business outcomes are what count.
A well-timed, well-crafted push notification can turn casual users into loyal customers—but only if done right.
Here’s how to make your mobile push notifications both welcome and effective.
Do not ask for push notification permission as soon as the user opens your app
Only do so when they are getting value, for instance, when they are placing an order or saving a product.
This makes the task feel earned, not intrusive.
Space is limited.
Always try to make it personal and always state the benefit.
A reminder like “Your saved item is now 20% off—don’t miss out” is more effective than a general call to action like “Take a look at this.”
Excessive notifications = immediate removal or uninstallation.
Limit yourself to sending 1-3 messages per week unless your app requires otherwise (for example, if it is a delivery or news app).
Frequency should always be aligned with the expectations of the user.
While a single image, emoji, or button can increase engagement, it should be done in moderation.
Graphics should complement the message being passed and not overwhelm it. Focus on clarity.
Test everything from the timing of the message and the language used to the visuals and the call-to-action buttons.
Opt-in rates, open rates, and post-click behavior should be analyzed.
Make the app push notification strategy based on the performance data.
Some users will say no to notifications, and that’s okay.
Provide simple ways of setting and adjusting preferences.
Respect fosters trust and sustainability of the relationship.
Push notifications are great, but they are not without their problems.
Privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA demand clear usage of data and a cautious approach to personalization.
There are also technical challenges—maintaining quality across devices, OS versions, and app updates is not a piece of cake.
Open and click rates are critical to track, but it is not easy to do so without the right resources.
Timing and relevance are crucial for users, and if they are violated, the result will be opt-out or uninstalling.
This has the disadvantage of resulting in notification fatigue that shortens the time users spend on the application.
In order to achieve this, businesses need to get the right balance of personalization, timing, frequency and compliance, which is why push notification best practices are crucial for effective and polite communication.
If you want to reach your app users and get them excited about your app, here’s how to do it.
That is why with Twinr, you don’t need to worry about setting up push notifications separately.
Here is how Twinr helps in managing app push notification strategy and importance of push notifications:
Are push notifications better than email?
Yes, they’re often more direct and have greater chances of being opened. Still, each of them has its role in the communication strategy.
Do users have to opt in?
Yes. On iOS, users have to opt-in to notifications. Android has opted users in but they also have the option to opt out if they wish to do so.
Can I send different messages to different users?
Absolutely. Smart segmentation can be based on the behavior of the user, geographical location, and preferences among others.
What if users uninstall the app?
They are able to control your interaction with them through the app and you are no longer able to send them push notifications. That is why push has to be applied carefully, and the user should not be flooded with too many notifications.
What tools can I use to manage push?
If you are looking for a good push notification service provider, Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), OneSignal, Braze, Airship, and CleverTap are good options to consider depending on your budget and requirements
Gaurav is the founder and CEO of Twinr, a tech entrepreneur with a decade of experience and a passion for SaaS. With a Master's degree in Computer Science, he specializes in no-code development, driving innovation in the mobile app industry. When he's not busy growing the company, you'll find him writing about tech, growth, software development, e-commerce, and occasionally sneaking in a game of badminton.