Rich Push Notifications: What Are They and How to Use Them

Rich push is a push notification format that includes text and additional visual elements: images, GIF animations, and buttons.

Differences Between Rich Push and Regular Push Notifications

What are push notifications? These are short pop-up alerts that messaging services can deliver directly to the device screen. Typically, push notifications inform the reader about something important, such as a new message, a discount, or an event. The user sees the notification even if they are not currently using the app or website and can immediately access the content by clicking or tapping on it.

How regular push notifications look. Source: unsplash.com*

While a regular push notification consists of a text (title + message) and a small brand icon, a rich push may also contain a banner image and several active links with call-to-action buttons. The table below summarizes the key differences:

Feature	Regular Push Notification	Rich Push Notification
Content	Text: title and message; small brand icon	Text + multimedia: image (banner), GIF, video, audio, etc.
Interaction	One active link when clicking on the notification itself	Multiple entry points: aside from the notification itself, up to 2 CTA buttons can be added
Display	Standard system notification appearance (text on a background, icon)	More eye-catching block with an image/banner
Use Cases	Short notifications: reminders, messages, order updates	Sale notification with a product photo and a "Buy Now" button; news with a preview and a button

How to Use Rich Push Notifications on Mobile

Users receive mobile push notifications through installed mobile apps. When an app sends a push notification (for example, via the Apple Push Notification service for iOS or Firebase Cloud Messaging for Android), it appears in the notification center or on the locked screen.

In mobile marketing, rich push notifications is a direct way to make communication with the user more vibrant and noticeable. For example, an online store may send a push notification with a product photo and a discount, while a news app may send a notification with a thumbnail image from an article. The user is much more likely to notice and react to such a message than to a regular text push notification.

Example of how a rich push notification may look like

To send rich push notifications to mobile devices, developers need to slightly adjust the integration. On Android, it is sufficient to provide a link to the picture: the system will load it automatically and display the banner. On iOS, a notification service extension is used for this purpose. Most platforms, such as Altcraft, already take technical details into account: you just need to add an image or video to the push notification template, and the system will take care of the rest.

Almost every modern operating system (Android 4.1+ and iOS 10+) supports rich push notifications, but the image may not display on older devices. Therefore, it is better to include the important information as text and use images and videos in supplementary roles.

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How to Use Rich Push Notifications in Web Push Campaigns

Web push notifications are website messages that users receive through the browser even if they have left the website.

Only those users who have opted in can receive web push notifications. The subscription process is simple: upon the first visit, the site requests permission to send notifications. If the user clicks "Allow", the browser creates a unique token to which the notifications are sent. Users can unsubscribe at any time through their browser settings.

How Push Notifications Work

The delivery of push notifications operates according to a simple scheme:

1. Subscription. The user decides to subscribe for push notifications and allows them to be delivered through the app or browser. The system creates a unique identifier (token or endpoint), which will be used to send the message. This data is stored in the marketing platform or push service database.

2. Creating a Notification. Marketing specialist creates the push notification: title, text, link, and (if necessary) image and buttons.

3. Sending. At the required moment or when a trigger is activated, the platform sends the data to the push service. Next, the push service receives the message and delivers it to devices using the tokens.

4. Display. The device shows the notification. Clicking or tapping opens the app or browser with the required page.

Rich Push Notification Support on Altcraft CDP Platform

Altcraft platform is an omnichannel CDP. The platform supports both regular and rich push notifications (with images, buttons, and customization for browsers and devices).

Creating a Notification. Push notification template is configured via a visual editor. In standard mode, title, text, link, and icon can be set. For rich push notifications, an extended editor is available where it is possible to:

Add a banner (with different formats support for desktop and mobile devices).
Configure action buttons.
Specify unique settings for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and other browsers.
Change links and banners for each browser.

One button can lead to a product page, while another may lead to the "Favorites" list, and the notification itself may lead to the homepage. Personalization can also be used: for instance, inserting names, cities, promo codes, recommended products, etc.

Launching a Campaign. The finished template is connected to a campaign of a certain type: one-time, scheduled, or triggered. A segment is selected, the time of sending is set, and now the campaign can be launched. It is recommended to test it first. With Altcraft, you may check how the notification looks on different devices and in different browsers.

Analytics. After sending the campaign, the platform collects statistics: deliveries, clicks, unsubscriptions. This data helps to assess its effectiveness and improve subsequent campaigns.

When to Use Rich Push Notifications

Marketers from different industries may use rich push notifications for a variety of tasks. Here are several typical scenarios:

1. Abandoned Cart (e-commerce). If a user adds a product to their cart but does not complete the order, they automatically receive a push notification with a banner (product photo), a title like "You forgot items in your cart", and a "Complete Order" button.

2. Sales or Promotions. Retailers may send bright push notifications before sales. For example, a "50% Off Everything" banner with a "View Products" button that leads to the sale section. A second button such as "Learn More" that leads to the promotion terms and conditions may also be added.

3. Urgent News. News websites may use trigger-based push notifications when important articles are published. These notifications may include a photo, a title, and a "Read" button.

4. Personal Events. Based on the CDP data, individual push notifications may be launched. As an example, for the subscriber's birthday, you may send a postcard image, a personalized text, and a promo code.

Why You Should Use Rich Push Notifications

Higher Click-Through Rate. Adding images and buttons significantly increases CTR. According to MoEngage, the average CTR for web push notifications is about 12%, while with rich push notifications, the number increases to 18%. Gravitec states that notifications with a banner are clicked 7 times more often than those with an icon only. Additionally, rich push notifications help to guide the user to take action faster. MoEngage indicates that 70% of users find notifications with images and personalization useful, which reduces the risk of unsubscriptions.

A Chance to Stand Out. Despite their effectiveness, lots of companies still do not use rich push notifications. According to MoEngage, in 2023, only about 8% of mobile marketers used such notifications. This means you have the opportunity to to get ahead of your competitors. People remember multimedia notifications better and associate them with modern and innovative brands.

Conclusion

Rich push notifications are a useful tool that directly affects clicks, conversions, and user retention. Thanks to banners, buttons, and personalization, such notifications become more noticeable and useful for the audience.

Today, this format is actively used by market leaders. And while many companies still limit themselves to basic push format, rich push notifications remain a way to stand out and engage customers more.