The #1 benefit of push notifications

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve introduced and broken down the case for push notifications in your marketing stack.

Zero per-send cost, instant delivery, almost guaranteed visibility, no filtering by a third party. There are plenty of huge benefits this channel brings to the table.

But the best one, in my mind?

Effort. Or, more accurately, how little effort push notifications need.

We’re all swamped. Every business I know of is pushing productivity to the limits, and few really have the resources to take on new projects.

But the beauty of push notifications is that the most effective notifications you send are mostly automated ones. You set them up, turn them on, then barely have to touch them again.

It’s what makes push one of the highest-ROI channels for ecommerce.

You don’t need another channel to babysit

It’s a common thing - and I’ve written about this before.

We’re always excited by the flashy new toy, the new channel that promises to 10x our business.

But for most teams, the last thing you need is another channel sapping focus away from other areas.

Push is the opposite. There’s a small amount of setup*, but after that, most of your push notifications are going to run on autopilot.

You’re adding value, not work. Most new channels or big ideas are the opposite. A lot of work, for the possibility of value.

This channel largely runs itself. That’s what makes the ROI such a no-brainer.

*(of course there’s also the upfront cost/effort of building your app - but if you do it the right way, this is negligible as well).

How long does it take to write a push notification?

You could get a ROI, easy, with only automated push notifications (like the examples I’ll share below).

But you’ll probably send some manual push campaigns as well. Promos, new product launches, that kind of thing.

And even these notifications are extremely low-effort, high-return.

I catalogued over 250 push notifications from 43 mobile apps over the course of 1-3 weeks here.

The examples show you how easy it is to write and send push notifications.

You’re writing around 10 words, give or take. Not a 300 word email.

No templates, no design.

No “Sorry! We forgot to add the link in the last email” followup to write.

It does take a little copywriting ability to do it right, and the notifications need to fit your brand’s voice. But this is honestly one of the things that AI is stupid good at doing.

It also requires good segmentation and data, to ensure the notifications feel personalized and go to the right people - but again, that’s something you do once upfront, not something you have to spend hours configuring for each campaign.

Automated push notifications drive more revenue

Here’s where it gets good (ok it was already good. But it’s getting good-er).

Automated marketing messages actually outperform campaign sends when it comes to open rate, conversion rate, revenue, all of that good stuff.

Omnisend did a report a while back that showed the difference:

Their data covers just web push - but we’ve seen the same pattern from our customers sending native app push notifications.

Automated push notifications perform better because they’re usually more personalized and relevant.

They’re triggered by a certain event - cart action, milestone, app activity, a product coming back in stock.

That means they arrive with context, relevance built-in, which typically means better results.

What kid of push notifications can you automate?

Here are the core push automations you’ll set up:

1. Abandoned cart

Push is so powerful for abandoned carts. It’s exactly what you need to re-capture sales when a customer forgot to finish their purchase. Fast, high-visibility, low friction.

Automated push recovery messages are free to send, land on the lock screen instantly, and one tap takes the customer back to the cart. We see some brands recovering six figures a month from this single automation.

2. Welcome notification

Someone just installed your app and turned on notifications. The first notification here is more important than you think.

It’s a great opportunity to make a sale - Omnisend’s data shows that welcome automations deliver a click-to-conversion rate of 52.98%, and 3x higher AOV than other automations.

And more than that, the welcome notification sets the tone, sets the expectation of what’s to come. It’s crucial for app retention (keeping your user active, keeping the app downloaded on their phone). So aside from the direct revenue, the indirect value (stronger engagement and retention down the line) might make this your most important notification.

3. Back in stock notifications

"Good news! The Everyday Tote you were eyeing is back in stock."

This is money sitting on the table. Someone wanted to buy. The product wasn't available. Now it is.

The notification writes itself. And it converts at an absurdly high rate because the intent was already there.

4. Re-engagement

Your customer hasn't opened the app in 30-60 days - you send an automated nudge: "We miss you. Here's what's new since your last visit."

The cost of sending this is zero. The cost of losing that customer forever is real. Even a small percentage of re-engaged lapsed users is found money.

5. Shipping and delivery updates

"Your order shipped! Tap to track." "Out for delivery today."

These aren't revenue-generating in the direct sense. But they're building trust, reducing "where's my order" support tickets, and keeping the customer engaged during the post-purchase window. Customers expect these notifications. Not sending them is a missed opportunity.

6. Loyalty and rewards

"You just earned 500 points on your last order. You're 200 points from your next reward."

Most loyalty programs underperform, largely because they’re just not visible enough. You’re not giving customers the dopamine hit of earning points.

Push is a great amplifier - and it works for the exact customers who respond best to your loyalty program (app users).

Driving revenue on autopilot

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the economics of push notifications.

It’s just hard to argue about it from a ROI perspective - zero per-send cost, minimal labor and overhead.

A lot of things get sold as running on autopilot (especially now, with AI - the latest tool that’s going to run your CX or supplier negotiations or HR on autopilot).

But push actually does run on autopilot.

80% of the value you get is from systems that you set up once and basically forget.

Right now, with every business trying to be more efficient and more focused, that’s a channel that’s too good to ignore.

The Smarter Way to Launch An App

You don’t need six figures too build an app anymore. MobiLoud turns your existing site into a mobile app, in 30 days, with minimal lift.

The best part? It takes very little ongoing work to manage, since your website and app are fully in sync.

You get the ROI of push notifications, amplified because the overhead of your app is so much less.

If you've been thinking about an app but haven't pulled the trigger, this series might give you the push (pun intended) you need.

Go to our site to get a free preview of your app or DM me on LinkedIn to learn more about how it works.

Quick Hits

Shopify's Agentic Storefronts Are Live, But the Traffic Isn't (Yet)

Shopify quietly turned on AI-powered shopping for millions of merchants through ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, and Google AI Mode - but early data shows traffic and conversions are still a trickle. Keep this in mind when you’re going all-in on AI optimization and agentic commerce - shoppers habits don’t change so quickly.

AI Traffic to US Retailers Rose 393% in Q1, and It's Converting Better

Adobe data released this week shows AI traffic to US retail sites was up 393% in Q1 and converting 42% better than non-AI traffic in March. A year ago, AI traffic converted 38% worse than regular visitors. That flip happened in twelve months - clear indication of the growing trust in AI discovery channels (even if it’s not all the way there yet).

Allbirds Pivots from Shoes to AI Data Centers

Allbirds sold its shoe business for $39M, raised $50M in convertible notes, and announced plans to rename itself "NewBird AI" and pivot into AI compute. It’s one of the most shocking rebrands we’ve seen in a while.

CBP Tariff Refund Portal Opens April 20 - $127B in Refunds Coming

Customs and Border Protection launches its tariff refund system on April 20 at 8 a.m. EDT, with an estimated $127 billion in IEEPA-era refunds to process. Most payouts take 60-90 days and are electronic only. If you paid these tariffs as an importer, there's real working capital coming back. Worth getting your broker on it day one.

That’s all for now.

If you have any thoughts on what we discussed here, or anything else (in general) you’d like me to cover related to retention, CX and growth, just hit reply and let me know.

Until next week,

Pietro and The Retention Edge Team

PS: go to our website to get a preview of your app for free, or shoot me a DM on LinkedIn to talk about it.