How to increase push notifications opens

You will learn

Learn how to improve your push notification open rates and encourage your subscribers to tap your notifications. Push notifications can be a strategic way to get in front of your customers on their mobile devices, but misusing them can lead to decreasing open rates and a potentially negative perception of your brand.
Use the following strategies to send timely, personalized, and relevant push notifications.

Before you begin

Make sure you have properly set up your Android or iOS push notifications in your Klaviyo account.

Confirm with your app developer that the Klaviyo mobile SDK is installed in a released version of your app and that push notification and open-event tracking are set up. If you have existing push notification tokens on any third-party platforms, migrate them to Klaviyo as well. Test a notification on a device and confirm that tapping it creates an Opened Push event in Klaviyo before evaluating your open rates.

How are open rates defined for push notifications?

Klaviyo records a push notification open when a subscriber taps the notification and your app sends an Opened Push event. Simply viewing a notification does not count as an open. Subscribers can often read some or all of a notification without opening your app, depending on their device and notification settings.

Consider push notification open rates alongside the rest of your marketing results. Subscribers may read a notification without tapping it and still make a purchase. Review the customer journey, including mobile purchases shortly after a push notification, to look for possible influence beyond recorded opens. A purchase after a notification does not, on its own, prove that the notification caused it.

Android vs. iOS opens

Additionally, open rates for Android devices may be slightly higher in some instances than their iOS counterparts. This is due to how notifications surface on each platform: on iOS a notification appears on the lock screen or as a banner and then moves into Notification Center, where it is easier to overlook. Android devices usually keep push notifications in the notification drawer until the user swipes or taps to dismiss them. However, some Android push notification opens could be attributed to accidental taps caused by manually removing the notifications.

Business-specific considerations

It’s important to consider that certain verticals or models may see differences in the behaviors of their push notifications recipients.

For example, companies that are using a local app in conjunction with push notifications may see higher open rates since they are funneling users over to that app. Users often see this as less of a hurdle than following a push notification to an exterior website.

Some businesses may also see naturally higher open rates, as their activities or apps are ones that are frequently used or checked. For example, if your business is a fitness application, you may see higher open rates as users tap into these messages daily as they work out. Some verticals more closely align with regular everyday mobile behaviors and thus may see open rates that are higher because of this.

How to increase open rates

There are 7 strategies to help you increase push notification open rates:

1. Personalize your notification and the content
2. Craft language that evokes curiosity
3. Use language that creates a sense of urgency or is time-sensitive
4. Tie messaging to app-exclusive promotions or functionality
5. Use non-text elements such as emojis and sounds
6. Utilize Smart Sending to limit the number of push notifications
7. Segment and target your audiences

Personalize your notification and the content

Much like email or SMS messages, personalizing your push notification content is key to encouraging subscriber engagement.

Using variables and personalization tags in the push notifications editor in either campaigns or flows allows you to customize the content that your subscribers receive. For example, you could pull in things as simple as their first name, today’s date, and what their interests are.

You can also use profile and event data synced to Klaviyo to recommend products based on subscribers’ interests, share location-specific content (e.g., when they are nearby one of your stores), or provide order and shipping updates. If your app has access to a subscriber’s location, make sure the relevant data is also sent to Klaviyo. For order and shipping updates in a metric-triggered flow, use the data from the event that triggers the flow.

With personalization, it’s key to not only make the message feel hand-crafted but also to include content that the subscriber is expecting and would want to see.

Craft language that evokes curiosity

Since subscribers can read notification content without opening your app, give them a clear reason to tap and learn more. Keep the main point near the beginning, where it is easier to see in a shortened preview.

Similar to an email’s subject line, you want to craft content that leaves the subscriber with an unanswered question, a surprise, or something else that entices them to click through to learn more.

However, it’s important to use this method sparingly, as you do not want to over-saturate your subscribers with this technique and have it lose its appeal. For example, mystery sales or exclusive “members-only” products should be used with discretion throughout the year.

Use language that creates a sense of urgency or is time-sensitive

Since users usually see push notifications once or immediately dismiss them, it’s important to send messages that create a sense of urgency and encourage your subscribers to tap. For example, if you are having a promotion that will only last for the next few hours, you will want to time your notification to hit your subscriber’s phone for when that sale has started or even when it’s counting down to close. Aim for when the notification lands on the subscriber’s device rather than when you press send, the two are not the same. State the deadline clearly so subscribers know how long they have to respond.

Urgent and time-sensitive notifications can help cut through the clutter on mobile devices, but only use this type of messaging sparingly and when appropriate. Frequent use of urgent messaging can undermine its value to your subscribers and make them more dismissive to future notifications.

Tie messaging to app-exclusive promotions or functionality

To help associate your brand with worthwhile notifications, it may be helpful to tie them into promotions that are exclusive to app users. For example, create a special coupon that lets all mobile subscribers get free shipping at checkout in your app.

Use push notifications to encourage users to return to your native mobile app. For example, if you are a retailer with an app and a subscriber views items in your app’s store but leaves, you could use a notification to bring them back to check out.

Use non-text elements such as emojis and sounds

Non-text elements such as emojis can help grab the attention of your mobile subscribers. These media elements can also help provide additional information to your notifications, without being text-heavy. Rich media elements provide a great way to stand out in the notifications center, convey your brand’s tone and energy, and encourage interaction.

If you are worried about subscribers still missing your notification, you can add a sound. For standard push notifications, Klaviyo offers notification sounds through the Play sound (iOS) setting in the message editor’s Behaviors tab. Keep in mind that subscribers will not hear it if their phone is silenced, the volume is turned down completely, or sounds are disabled for your app.

Utilize Smart Sending to limit the number of notifications

One of the potentially damaging strategies with push notifications is sending too many, and too frequently, to your subscribers. Instead, you should focus on sending only useful and timely content.

By customizing your Smart Sending settings you can limit the number of push notifications that your subscribers receive within a certain time period. Enable Smart Sending on the push campaigns and flow messages where you want this protection to apply. Plan your SMS and email frequency separately, since those messages do not count toward the push Smart Sending window.

Segment and target your audiences

When setting up a push notification campaign, you can choose segments to send to. Choose segments that match the content so your message is relevant to its recipients. Being in a selected segment does not automatically make someone eligible to receive push notifications: they also need your app and must have enabled notifications.

For example, if you know that you have a segment of dedicated repeat customers, you could use push notifications to alert them to new deals or promotions before anyone else.

Keep in mind that the segments that you use should also match the content of the notification. For example, if you are sending to repeat customers, you would not want to send them a notification for a new customer promotion.

Additional resources