From the Q&A portion of our Drive More Orders webinar (AppFront Growth Series).
Why push notifications alone aren't enough
You have three marketing channels: push notifications, email, and SMS. Push is free, but it has the lowest reach of the three because it depends on two things being true: the customer has the app installed, and they've enabled notifications. If either is missing, they won't see it — even though the message still "sends." That's why we recommend always pairing push with email and/or SMS, especially for new customers.
Use your first few touches to set expectations
For new members, make sure at least one of the first two or three campaigns is delivered by email or SMS — not just push. Use that early window to tell customers that push notifications will unlock exclusive perks (a "secret" happy hour, a flash discount), so they're motivated to enable notifications instead of dismissing the prompt. Treat the cost of email/SMS in that window as a cost of acquisition.
In-app messaging complements push
A newer feature, in-app messaging, gives customers an inbox inside their profile in the app. Pair a push notification with an in-app message and you get a second chance to reach customers who miss or dismiss the push — as long as the related campaign is still active when they open the app.
Check your reach before relying on push alone
Under Groups, hover over the icons on your "All Customers" group to see how many customers are subscribed to push notifications. If that number is low relative to your total customer count, plan to supplement with email or SMS rather than relying on push alone.
One more thing to avoid: over-sending. If customers get pushed to every day, they'll disable notifications — so be deliberate about cadence and relevance.