Get on their screen. Get the sale. Push notification marketing that works

As performance marketers and ecommerce operators stare down the back half of 2025, the question isn’t just “how do we get more traffic?”—it’s “how do we convert better and retain longer?”

At Reactiv, we’ve been focused on helping brands do exactly that. Since our launch in October 2024, Reactiv has powered mobile shopping experiences for DTC brands through Reactiv Clips—a lightweight version of a mobile app that doesn’t require a full download or opt-in to function. 

Once a shopper engages with a clip, it enables you to send push notifications for up to 8 hours (without requiring an opt-in). The results we’re seeing across our customer base suggest that push, when done right, is one of the most impactful conversion levers heading into the last part of the year and into 2026.

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What We’ve Seen: The Case for Push-Driven Retention

Here’s what our aggregated data from late 2024 and into H1 2025 shows:

• Customer retention is 3–4x higher on Reactiv-powered mobile apps compared to traditional mobile web.
• Repeat purchases are 3–6x higher, driven largely by remarketing flows like push notifications.
• Push notifications sent through Reactiv Clips see 60% open rates on average, with 5–7% conversion rates.

Brands are also lowering CAC by 75% and increasing their profit per session by converting up to 3-5x more. 

This is because, unlike SMS or email, Reactiv Clips lets brands engage with buyers not just once, but twice or three times after they click an ad—lowering friction and giving marketers more control over the moment of conversion.

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Timing Matters: Why Late-Night Pushes Win

When you send a push notification matters just as much as what it says. 

Based on Reactiv data, the highest conversion window is between 9PM and midnight—when shoppers are relaxed, scrolling, and more receptive to reminders.

It’s not hard to imagine why: at 9AM, a push about a jacket you were browsing is easy to swipe away while rushing to work. But at 10:30PM, that same message might feel like just the right nudge to complete the purchase. 

We see conversion rates peak at 6.8% during this window, and recommend brands lean into it as part of their evening remarketing strategy.

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Four Types of Push Notifications That Actually Work

There’s more than one way to use push notifications effectively. Based on top-performing flows from Reactiv merchants, here are four notification types that consistently drive results—and when to use them.

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1. Promotional Pushes That Spark Urgency

These are your classic campaign drivers: product drops, limited-time offers, site-wide sales. According to Airship, 65% of mobile app users open notifications offering a deal. We see similar behavior across Reactiv—especially among repeat customers who are already familiar with the brand. These work best when they create a sense of exclusivity or time sensitivity, like “Early access just for you” or “Ends at midnight.”

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2. Behavioral Nudges That Reclaim Lost Sales

Cart abandonment rates have crept up to over 70% globally, and mobile browsing behavior means many shoppers don’t convert on their first visit. Behavioral pushes—those tied to product views or carts—can bring users back at the right time. On Reactiv, these messages outperform email by 37% in click-through rates. Simple nudges like “Still thinking it over?” or “You left something behind 👀” can make the difference between a bounce and a buy.

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3. Transactional Updates That Build Trust

Post-purchase doesn’t mean post-communication. In fact, 90% of shoppers want to track their packages in real time. Push notifications with order confirmations, shipping updates, and delivery ETAs reduce WISMO tickets and increase satisfaction. These messages keep customers in the loop—and more importantly, keep them in your ecosystem.

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4. Lifecycle Messages That Build Community

Push is also a powerful tool for reinforcing brand affinity. Notifications tied to loyalty programs, birthdays, or just regular check-ins can deepen emotional connection. Brands like Top of the Mornin’ Coffee use lighthearted pushes—like “Just stopping by to say you’re awesome”—to stay top of mind and build goodwill between purchases. Think of these as digital touchpoints that build habits and community.

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Unlocking Push Without the Opt-In

Here’s what makes Reactiv’s approach unique: with Reactiv Clips, brands can send push notifications without requiring a download or opt-in.

A Reactiv Clip is a lightweight mobile experience that can be launched from an ad, email, or link. Once a user opens a Clip, brands have an eight-hour window to send personalized push notifications.

This turns every ad click into a remarketing opportunity. 

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A Typical Journey Looks Like This:

• A customer clicks on a social ad → a Reactiv Clip opens the product page
• The user browses but doesn’t buy → a behavioral push notification is sent later 
• They click the notification → return to the Clip → complete the purchase
• A post-purchase push confirms their order and keeps them engaged

All of this happens without the user downloading an app or opting into notifications. 

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What to Prioritize Now and Beyond

Based on everything we’ve seen, here’s what we recommend as brands head into the back half of the year and into 2026:

• Lean into push notification remarketing. Especially behavioral and late-night campaigns.
• Personalize whenever possible. The delta in performance between targeted and untargeted is too large to ignore.
• Rethink app strategy. If you don’t have the install base or opt-ins to use push, consider lightweight options like Reactiv Clips to bridge the gap.
• Think beyond the sale. Push isn’t just for conversion—it’s also for community-building, loyalty, and customer experience.
  
  

Mobile apps and push are no longer a channel reserved for massive brands. They’re an essential part of a modern CRO playbook—and one of the most underutilized tools in ecommerce.

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We’ve all heard the phrase: there’s an app for that. And while modern mobile apps offer a lot of convenience, they also come with a unique challenge: download fatigue. 

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Shoppers usually don’t want to install a new app for every store, no matter how much they love the brand. We only have so much storage on our phones (and most of that’s reserved for pet pictures, anyway).

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Now imagine there’s a way to get audiences to engage with your mobile app and retarget every ad click without requiring downloads. 

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Sounds too good to be true? Well, unlike a limitless ice cream machine—it’s real.

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Your secret weapon for re-targeting: Reactiv Clips

Reactiv Clips are lightweight versions of mobile apps that allow users to access a specific part of the app's functionality—no download required. It’s a better landing page experience than a your desktop website fitted for mobile.

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Once a shopper engages with the clip, it allows you to send unlimited iOS notifications over 8 hours to anyone who clicks from your ad, email, or SMS. 

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Don’t just take our word for it, either: 60%+ of Reactiv Clips get opened. 

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(You too can become a “pusher”—of push notifications, that is.)

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Use these top 10 tips to turn yourself into a certified “pusher” (the good kind!) and help avoid user notification fatigue, personalize every nudge, and turn mobile pings into conversions.

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1. Align push notifications to your ideal customer journey

Push notifications are an essential tool at every stage of the customer journey, from acquisition to win-back campaigns. 

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But did you know you can map push notifications to key moments in your customer journey?  Reactiv Clips allow you to create different types of push notification campaigns based on where the user is at. 

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Here are a few examples:

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• Brand awareness – Use campaigns linking to Reactiv Clips Collections that introduce your story and showcase core products.
• Sales and promotions – Boost sales with campaigns driving to Collections featuring sale-specific offers.
• New product launch – Put your newest products front and center with Clips that are impossible to ignore, linking to Clips Product Pages or Collections.
• Seasonal campaigns – Tailor Clips Collections for holidays or seasonal must-haves, driving up average order value (AOV) at key times.
• Upselling and cross-selling – Increase cart value with product recommendations on Clips Product Pages.
• Re-engagement – Win back shoppers with personalized emails, cart recovery Clips, and push notifications that link to Reactiv Clips Product Pages.

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First, segment your users, then send them the right notifications based on the stage they’re at. A powerful push notification marketing strategy helps you decide what to send, when, and to whom.

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Example: How Missouri Star Quilt Company mended a broken app experience and stitched together a new success story

After their previous app partnership unraveled overnight, Missouri Star Quilt Company (MSQC) was left with no support and hundreds of thousands of customers to answer to. They needed a new solution—and fast. That’s where the team at Reactiv stepped in. 

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With their help, MSQC built a community of 50,000 app users in just two weeks(!). Not to mention, 10% of their total revenue was generated from Reactiv alone. 

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They now use push notifications to share valuable content with engaged users, like alerts about new fabrics, digital patterns, or ebooks in their app's library. This ensures every message adds value at the right stage in the user journey.

2. Have one clear goal for each notification 

Words to live by: keep it simple. The average smartphone user in the U.S. receives at least 46 push notifications every day. That means you’re competing with 45 other messages to stand out. 

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Don’t ask your user to do too many things in a single notification. With notification fatigue, it’s best to keep it simple and hyper-targeted to optimize conversions. 

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Is your goal to re-engage? Drive a sale? Increase app downloads? Every push should support a measurable outcome.

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That’s why it’s best practice to make it clear what action you want users to take. Decide if you want users to:

• Browse a new product drop
• Sign up for your rewards program
• Shop your limited-time only sale 
• Complete their purchase

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The beauty of push notifications is that they grab your customer’s attention. But it’s what you do with that attention that really matters. So, make it count!

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3. Keep your CTAs short and sweet 

Here’s a CTA for you: Get to the point. Quickly. 

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Use clear, concise language with a strong call to action between 5-10 words (like we did above, see how easy it is?). Try to create a sense of urgency that drives your users to your store at that moment.

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Here are some examples:

• For an abandoned cart: “Looks like you left something behind 👀 Finish checking out now before it’s gone!”
• For a new product release: “Just dropped: our newest arrivals. Shop the drop before they sell out.”
• For personalized discounts or flash sales: “Your 10% off code is waiting! Grab your discount and complete your order today."

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4. Personalize notifications with event-based triggers 

The best way to stand out is through one-to-one remarketing tailored to each specific user. 

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For timely engagement, use real-time triggers and user behavior. This includes browsing history, cart abandonment, price drops, back-in-stock alerts, and individual shopper activity.

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The best part is that Reactiv Clips makes this easy. Users can interact with a specific feature or product without needing to download the entire app, and enable push notifications for up to 8 hours without the shopper having to “opt in.”

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The best push notifications are personalized based on event-triggered nudges, like these:

• Viewed a product? Send a reminder later with the product photo and a “Still thinking it over?” message.
• Abandoned checkout? Trigger a follow-up with a soft nudge like “Don’t forget what’s in your cart — it’s waiting for you!”
• Just purchased? Send tracking details or suggest downloading the app for faster order updates.
• Browsed a category but didn’t buy? Recommend bestsellers or trending items from that same category.
• Engaged mostly at night? Schedule notifications based on their active hours.

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Example: Med School Bro’s big-brained approach to targeting medical students

Med School Bro has a very unique customer journey. It sells study resources for medical students at different stages of their studies. This means it’s vital for them to keep a pulse on each customer's academic journey. 

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To get a better handle on their customer data, Med School bro worked with Reactiv and Lazer Technologies to build out unique features like daily and weekly quizzes, a loyalty program, personalized product recommendations, customer segments, and more. Then, they use this specific data to try to upsell customers.

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“A natural kind of upsell is if we have a cardiology question of the day and 20% of the people get it wrong, we can immediately send them a push notification or an offer in-app giving them 15% off our cardiology guide,” shared Brandon Portnoff, co-founder and CEO of Med School Bro.

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5. Use rich media to increase engagement 

Don’t just tell. Show. 

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Using rich media in your push notifications can increase open rates by 56%. 

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Adding pictures, emojis, GIFs, or videos to your push notifications stretches your word count a lot further.

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This is especially handy when you send a notification about a specific product. For a cart recovery notification, include a picture of the product the customer left behind for a visual reminder of what they’re missing out on. 

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6. Time notifications for when users are most active

Timing is everything. You’ll want to get in front of your users when they’re most likely to engage. 

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This varies based on your customer base, time zones, and preferences. A general rule is that most users ignore notifications during the day. 

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So, what’s the sweet spot? We found it’s between 9 PM and midnight. Good old nightly scrolling time. 

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During this window, we’re seeing conversion rates hit 6.8% for Reactiv Clips. This outperforms the 5.7% ecommerce industry average conversion rate for behaviour-based push notifications (source). 

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7. Don’t be too pushy with notification overload

Stop us if you’ve been here: you opt into notifications from a brand, and suddenly your phone’s buzzing nonstop. Ping. Ping. Ping. It quickly goes from helpful to a headache. 

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Before you know it, you’re digging through settings to make it stop. And just like that, a potential customer turns into an annoyed unsubscriber.

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It’s good to send regular notifications to stay top of mind. But how many messages is too many? 

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46% of users would say that between two to five notifications in a single week would drive them to opt out (source). 

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Optimize your push notification frequency with weekly thresholds to avoid overwhelming or frustrating users. 

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8. Ensure a seamless post-click notification

Getting someone to tap on your push notification is great, but it’s only half the battle. If users land on a slow, clunky, or misaligned experience, that click means nothing.

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Make it as easy as possible for users to follow through on the CTA with an effortless post-click notification. The landing page should align with the message, whether it’s a product, app page, or content. 

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Reactiv Clips help you overcome this barrier by bringing customers exactly where they need to be without downloading an app. 

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Let’s say your push notification reads: "Your exclusive 20% off ends tonight. Tap to apply it at checkout.”

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Instead of opening a generic mobile site or being asked to log in to their account, a Reactiv Clip takes the user straight to that exact sale page or Clip Collection featuring specific offers. 

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That seamless experience eliminates drop-off and drives results.

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40% of users will abandon a site if it takes more than three seconds to load. Considering 70% of all web traffic takes place on mobile, every second counts.

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9. A/B test push notification elements regularly

Don’t just pick one push notification strategy and stick with it forever. Refine it through ongoing testing.

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You can use Reactiv’s dynamic segmentation tools to create targeted groups for more precise testing. 

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For example, you can test elements like:

• Timing and frequency – Try testing morning vs. evening and playing around with notification frequency 
• CTA style – Compare different approaches like “Shop Now” vs. “Don’t Miss Out”
• Media formats – Experiment with text-only vs. image or GIF-based notifications 
• Tone and language – Casual and emoji-filled vs. clean and formal

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10. Track performance metrics and optimize as you go

Like any other marketing tactic, it’s important to track your push notification performance and optimize it over time. 

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Go beyond open rates and track metrics like clickthrough rate (CTR), conversions, opt-outs, and revenue impact. 

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Friction kills conversions, so make sure to identify post-click pain points and optimize your landing experiences. Use your data to inform things like: 

• Frequency caps 
• Message timing 
• CTAs

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Reactiv’s dashboard provides real-time data syndication capabilities. This helps you seamlessly integrate with third-party analytics platforms for timely performance tracking.

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Drive more growth with Reactiv Clips

Put these top 10 push notification tips into practice and watch your conversion rates soar through the roof. 

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Reactiv Clips can help take your strategy even further by eliminating post-click friction and turning your push notifications into high-converting, app-like mobile experiences—no downloads needed.

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Reactiv Clips offer:

• App-like experiences, without the app store friction
• Real-time retargeting, allowing you to re-engage users who didn’t convert the first time
• Fast-loading, dynamic pages that match your brand 
• Deep analytics and data integrations so you can track, test, and optimize performance

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(Reactiv Clips really is that girl.)

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Turn your next push into a powerful conversion opportunity. Get started now.

If email is the nice guy sitting in your inbox hoping you’ll reply, push notification marketing is the friend who shows up at your front door with snacks and a plan.

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This isn’t just another channel to blast promos through. Push notifications—done right—are your most direct, scalable, and high-converting line to customers. They show up in real time, live on the lock screen, and get clicks when it counts.

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Let’s break down how push notification marketing works and why it outperforms your other channels.

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What is push notification marketing?

Push notification marketing is direct communication where brands send timely messages to users’ devices via desktop, mobile, or in-app notifications—whether part of a broader push notification ad network or standalone campaigns tied to engagement.

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Common use cases of push notification marketing:

• Abandoned cart reminders
• Sale alerts
• Product launches
• Win-back campaigns
• Shipping and delivery notifications 

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Notably, push notifications are not the same as SMS messages. Push notifications:

• Require users to download a mobile or desktop app (unless you’re using Reactiv Clips—more on that later). 
• Give users control over what type of push notifications they can receive compared to a simple opt-out. 
• Are great for hyper-personalized messages that are specific to the user.
• Are short and typically less than 10 words. And with limited attention spans, sometimes it’s best to get straight to the point. 

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Push notification marketing is a type of remarketing that works well with users who are already familiar with your brand but may need a reminder. 

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What Makes Push Notification Marketing So Great?

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s look at why push notifications outperform other channels—and how they drive real business impact.

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Higher engagement rates than email 

It’s all in the name—push notifications literally push users to view your branded touchpoint. Compared to an email that can get lost in an inbox, push notifications stay present in the notification center until a user clicks on them or dismisses them. 

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The average open rate for push notifications is around 50%, while the average open rate for emails is around 20%, meaning push notifications give you a better chance of being noticed, opened, and read. 

And this gets even better with Reactiv, reaching 60%+ average open rates from push notifications and converting on average 3x higher.

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Direct access to high-intent users

Push notifications reach people who’ve already opted in or clicked on one of your ads, making them perfect for remarketing.

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They work especially well as part of a push notification traffic strategy, re-engaging people who didn’t convert the first time. Just because someone doesn’t convert the first time around, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. 28% of users who click on a push notification end up making a purchase. 

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Need some retargeting inspiration? Check out this blog.

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You can make it personal and timely 

Push notification marketing is perfect for event-triggered messages based on specific user behavior. You’re not just sending a mass SMS blast to everyone on your subscriber list and hoping something sticks. 

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You’re getting specific based on actions like browsing history, cart activity, or previous purchases.   

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Less inbox competition

Whether you’re an inbox-zero type of person or you shamefully hide your email count, you probably receive an overwhelming amount of promotional emails every day. Survey shows that 63% of users receive at least 10 emails every day, and almost 50% said they only open a few of those. 

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With email marketing, you’re putting all your eggs in one basket and hoping that your subject line convinces users to open the full message. 

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Push notifications don’t get lost in clutter. They show up directly on the device’s screen in real time, which makes it a perfect strategy for flash sales and time-sensitive offers.

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Strategies to Maximize your Push Notification Ads

Push notifications work best when paired with strategy, segmentation, and smart landing experiences. Let’s walk through push notification best practices to make the most of them.

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1. Build a notification journey that mirrors the buyer’s journey

If you’re only sending push notifications to announce a new product, you’re missing out. Segment your audience based on their lifecycle stage and send personalized push notifications that nurture them every step of the way. 

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Here’s how you do it:

• Acquisition: Awareness campaigns tied to best-selling products or viral content.
• Engagement: Product education, social proof, or user-generated content.
• Conversion: Abandoned cart reminders, promo codes, and low stock alerts.
• Retention: Order updates, loyalty program nudges, and win-back notifications.

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Take Missouri Star Quilt Company, for example. They built a community of 50,000 app users in two weeks using Reactiv’s AI-powered mobile app platform.

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And with the goal of providing a smoother UX, the quilt company implemented personalized push notifications to share content like new patterns or digital fabric drops. 

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2. Use segmentation and behavioral, event-based triggers 

Have hopes to stand out? Make it personal. 

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Let’s say you’re an avid runner and you download an app for a sporting goods store. Are you more likely to open a notification prompting running vests or one guiding you to baseball equipment?

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The former option is relevant to your interests and needs, and it’s just simple segmentation that allows brands to tailor push notifications based on browsing history. 

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Here are ways to do it:

• Viewed a product? Send a follow-up with an image card of that product a few hours later.
• Abandoned a cart? Offer 10% off with a CTA to finish checkout within the next X hours. 
• Purchased before? Upsell with complementary product recommendations.

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Med School Bro did this in their push notifications strategy. The company sells study guides for medical students and runs daily trivia. Med School Bro then uses quiz data to identify knowledge gaps for specific app users. Using personalized and behavioral segmentation, they sent targeted push notifications offering study guides based on areas users struggled with in the quiz.

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3. Keep the message short and CTA clear

Your push notification ads should have a focused goal. Not only is having a really obvious CTA just good marketing sense, it’s proven to pay off. The average CTR for ecommerce push notifications jumps from 5.6% to 9.8% when there is a CTA button. 

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CTA examples:

• “Your cart’s waiting — checkout before midnight!”
• “Back in stock: your saved item.”
• “Flash sale ends soon — shop now! ”

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The best CTAs cut the fluff. You have to make every character count. And sometimes an emoji communicates more than your 10-word limit can. Using rich media in your push notifications can increase open rates by 56%.  

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4. Optimize timing based on user behavior

Reactiv insights show that users engage most with push notifications between 9 PM–midnight. Notifications sent during this window via Clips see 6.8% conversion rates, outperforming the industry average of 5.7%.

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How to know what your optimal push notifications send times are? A/B testing will highlight send times to match your specific customer behavior and preferences. 

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You can set a time delay for certain event-based triggers rather than targeting a specific time of day. For example, if a shopper adds something to their cart at 9 AM. Instead of waiting 12 hours, you can send an abandoned cart notification 2 hours later to stay top-of-mind. 

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5. Retarget seamlessly with Reactiv Clips

Reactiv Clips allow for unlimited real-time push notification retargeting for up to 8 hours post-click—without the shopper even having to opt in to receive push.

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Here are some actionable ways to use Reactiv Clips in your push notification strategy:

• Checkout pages: Send customers straight to checkout with relevant products and discounts in their cart for the quickest route to a sale.
• Product detail page (best sellers): New customers who may not know where to start—so show off your most popular products and let the 5-star ratings speak for themselves.
• Product bundle pages: This is a great way to drive cart value up. Show shoppers complementary products and works really well during popular gifting seasons. 
• Collection page, new arrivals: Perfect for dormant customers and brand advocates alike. Whenever you drop a new product, send push notifications to customers who have bought or browsed similar products in the past. 
• Collect page, sales: Who doesn’t love a good deal? One of the most compelling types of push notifications is one announcing a limited-time offer or discount. Direct shoppers directly to all your promotions in one place through a Collection Page. 

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We also have a full list of the best retargeting ad practices that focus on conversion. 

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Push further with Reactiv Clips

Push notification marketing is more than an extra channel to reach potential customers. It’s a tried-and-tested retargeting strategy to deliver real-time, personalized messages to high-intent users that actually convert. 

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With Reactiv Clips, you can deliver rich, app-like experiences without the app download friction. Explore Reactiv Clips more here.

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