About the Report
Rovertown, the mobile app platform designed for convenience retailers, today released a report revealing the best practices for mobile app push notifications. Based on an analysis of over 78 million push notifications sent by dozens of convenience retailers between January 1 and December 31, 2023, the report offers concrete guidelines for character count, emoji usage, dayparts, message phrasing, and much more.
“Push notifications are an essential aspect of any modern mobile app and engagement strategy,” says Tyler Cameron, Head of Strategy and Analytics at Rovertown. “Unfortunately, best practices have not been widely disseminated within our industry. Rovertown’s new report bridges that gap and offers valuable insights to both novices and experts alike.”
Highlights
- Curiosity Drives Engagement. Short teaser messages and longer notifications that were cut off due to character count limits were shown to be 121% more effective than the average push notification.
- Timing is Crucial. Notifications sent during morning and evening hours performed up to 178% better than the average push notification.
- Beyond Price Points. Notifications highlighting contests performed 30% better than the median standalone push notification, while those focusing on a retail price point performed 32% worse.
- Utilize Positive Phrasing. Push notifications with negative phrasing—such as don’t miss out—performed 9% worse than the median standalone push notification.
- Emojis Matter. Push notifications with emojis performed 50% better than the median standalone push notification.
Results
Following an initial analysis in January 2024, Rovertown provided a select group of retailers with push notification guidelines. Those adhering to at least three key best practices—increasing frequency, using emojis, and sending messages in the morning—experienced an average increase of 17% in unique app users.
“Driving results doesn’t always mean investing more money into your app,” says Tyler Cameron, Head of Strategy and Analytics at Rovertown. “As a former retailer, I’ve seen how effective push notifications can be when it comes to communicating your app’s purpose and driving engagement. I’m confident that this report will help many retailers in our industry identify new opportunities for success.”
About Rovertown
For retailers seeking to connect with consumers in an always-on world, Rovertown’s app platform provides the flexibility needed to deliver personalized, meaningful mobile experiences. Designed for c-stores, Rovertown’s customizable platform empowers retailers to build branded, design-forward apps and make self-service updates in real time. Rovertown is equipped to integrate with any technology vendor and goes the extra step to ensure clients’ success through best-in-class implementation and support. With features that include hyper-local marketing, mobile gaming and support for charitable campaigns, the Rovertown platform today powers the mobile experiences of many leading convenience retailers.
