How to Optimise Push Notifications for Higher Engagement?

The success of push notifications depends on the opt-in rate, which is how many users allow applications to send them alerts. The Airship 2025 Benchmarks report highlights a significant decrease in opt-in rates on Android devices, resulting from changes introduced in Android 13, which now requires explicit user consent to receive notifications. In contrast, the opt-in rate on iOS has remained stable.

Why is opt-in important for e-commerce?

For brands, obtaining consent to send push notifications isn’t just a formality – it directly affects revenue. Users who have enabled push notifications make 13% more purchases compared to those who have disabled them. The best applications even recorded up to 39% higher number of purchases.

This points to the enormous potential of push notifications in supporting repeat purchases and increasing customer value.

How to increase the opt-in rate?

1. Use pre-prompting—Instead of immediately requesting permission, first explain why notifications are useful.
2. Improve onboarding—A well-designed onboarding process can increase opt-in rates by up to 40%.
3. Engage customers who declined notifications— In-app elements, such as personalised alerts or interactive content, can increase opt-in rates by an average of 14%.

Push notification open rates

The direct open rate of push notifications shows how many people immediately open the app after receiving them—and this is one of the main indicators of their effectiveness. The report shows that overall open rates remain stable, but high-performing iOS applications have seen a decline. This trend may suggest that users are experiencing notification fatigue or are customising their settings to receive fewer alerts.

Since direct opens lead to immediate interaction with customers, brands must refine their strategies so that users don’t ignore notifications. The decline in engagement on iOS suggests that success is no longer a matter of quantity but of relevance and quality of content.

How to increase push notification open rates?

1. Personalisation is key—customized messages can increase open rates by up to 37%, while segmentation can improve conversions by up to 350%.
2. Use rich content – Images, GIFs or videos in push notifications can increase open rates by an average of 22%.
3. Use AI for more precise targeting—With the advent of Apple Intelligence, which summarises notifications, brands must ensure their messages are relevant enough not to end up at the bottom of the notification list.

How to find balance in frequency?

One of the greatest challenges is determining the right amount of push notifications. According to the report, the number of push notifications sent per user increased year-on-year, with iOS applications seeing the largest increase. Nevertheless, it’s important to find a balance—too many notifications lead to more unsubscribes and app uninstallations.

What to consider regarding push message frequency?

• Differences in focus—whilst media and sports applications send a large volume of notifications, retail and travel applications send fewer. They focus more on key moments in the purchasing process.
• Testing and optimization—A/B testing of notification frequency and content will help find the balance between customer engagement and spamming.
• Considering user preferences—the option to select the type and frequency of notifications via a preference center can help keep customers active in the long term.

What’s next for push notifications in e-commerce?

With major changes in notification delivery on Android and iOS, brands must reassess their strategies. E-commerce brands should focus on:

• Building deeper relationships with customers through personalised messages.
• Using in-app elements to re-engage customers who declined push notifications.
• Effectively utilising AI and segmentation to ensure maximum message relevance.

As competition for customer attention continues to increase, push notifications remain a powerful tool for boosting engagement and revenue—if used correctly.