Push notifications are sacred
But some apps just don’t get it
There’s no denying it — push notifications are the heartbeat of the Internet, they make apps tick. But in a bid to drive engagement up, some overzealous apps have gone too far, peppering us with untimely, unnecessary and unsmart push notifications. No wonder then that 71% app uninstalls are triggered by a push notification.
Of course, you can always opt out by blocking any kind of push from certain apps or at least by setting a frequency/priority flag at the system level (on Android, at least). But why should we let the system take care of this? Why can’t products design their push notifications in a way that are useful and actually enhance the product’s user experience instead of just serving as a reminder that said product is installed? I decided to investigate further by examining my own system to find out who’s doing push right. And more importantly, who’s messing it up.
Content-based/Social Apps
Okay, I agree that content-based apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like need to keep their users engaged more than anyone else, partly because that’s how they make money (more eyeballs for their ads) and partly because that’s what makes investors happy (“Our retention is at 45%” ). But the problem starts when those re-engagement efforts in the form of push notifications become irrelevant. I’m sure you’ve got some or all of these:
X and 23456 others upvoted an answer to “Do I really give a shit about this question?”
Y (who you’re barely connected to on the social graph) posted a photo for the first time
Z commented on A’s picture (you don’t really care about either and have had zero interaction with them).
I angrily swipe away these notifications and wonder how these apps can send me notifications about things/people I don’t care about, after learning about me so much.
Travel/ Flight Booking Apps
These are the worst. There always seems to be some or the other Sale going on and these apps deem it necessary to bombard me with push notifications, multiple times throughout the day. Even if something does catch your eye, tapping on it and going inside only reveals some T&C that makes you ineligible for the discount/offer.
I had a truly bad experience with one such app recently. Without taking any names, let’s call it MMT, for argument’s sake. So I had already booked a Bengaluru — Bombay flight from May 26 to June 4 via MMT. Imagine my exasperation when I get a push notification about ‘a 11% discount on the BLR-BOM corridor if I book in the next 7 days or something’. Why would you send me that? You already know that I have an upcoming flight on the same route, the cancellation charges itself will eat away any discount you offer. Where’s the personalization for crying out loud? Not smart at all.
Food Delivery Apps
Just when you think things couldn’t get any worse. The food tech industry witnessed a boom in the last 3 years and consequently a number of copycat products sprung up. Here I do understand that most of these apps need to send a push notifications daily because 1) everyone needs to eat twice a day (some, more) and 2) the apps need to compete with several me-too competitors.
So yes, push notifications are an integral part of these products. I admit that I’ve availed of many a discount through them. But when you send a push notification at the end of the month saying something to the effect of “Salary credited? Time to treat yourself”, you know you’re begging to be uninstalled, right?
Push notifications are a great way to pull back users but does every app need them? For example, imagine if Uber or Spotify were to send them at the rate of say, a WhatsApp or even a Newton (an email service that NEEDS instant push). Would the experience be as magical? Use of some products is hardwired in our brain, we’ve got so hooked to them that they don’t need an external trigger. In short, we’ve become habituated to using them daily.
But not every product needs to be a habit-forming product, something you automatically default to when you’ve got some time on your hands. For other needs-based products, the challenge is to become indispensable for the user when that particular need arises — for example, if you get hungry or need to go somewhere. And this is where push notifications become so sacred. If timed right, they can enhance a product’s user experience — getting a 20% off coupon just when those hunger pangs start becoming unbearable. But if abused, the 71% number will continue to go up.
