What is repeating notifications?
What Are Repeating Notifications?
Repeating notifications are a type of notification that repeats at a set interval. They continue to notify the user regularly until they are dismissed or expire. Some key characteristics of repeating notifications include:
Definition of repeating notifications: Repeating notifications are notifications that recur based on a specified frequency rather than just occurring once. For example, a repeating notification may be set to notify the user every hour, day, week, or other interval.
Examples of repeating notifications on various platforms/apps:
- On iOS, repeating notifications can be scheduled using local notifications in the app code (e.g. with Swift or Objective-C). The repeatInterval property can be used to set the frequency.
- On Android, notification channels with a repeatInterval can be used to enable repeating notifications in apps.
- Apps like calendar apps often use repeating notifications to remind users about upcoming events every day or week.
- News apps may use repeating notifications to send daily news digests.
- Health and fitness apps send repeating reminders to move or exercise.
Overall, repeating notifications are a useful way to send users reminders and updates on a regular schedule. They provide a way to frequently engage users without constant manual notifications.
Why Use Repeating Notifications?
Repeating notifications can provide multiple benefits for driving user engagement. Some key reasons to use them include:
Remind users to take action – Repeating notifications can remind users at set intervals to complete an action like make a purchase, schedule an appointment, or fill out a form. The reminders enable gentle nudges to convert users.
Reinforce key messages – Sending the same notification periodically reinforces the core message and increases the chances of it being noticed and remembered.
Drive engagement – Repeating notifications ensure your brand periodically pings users to stay top of mind. This can lead to more opens and clicks over time compared to just a single notification.
According to research, scheduled and repeating notifications result in substantially higher interaction rates than one-time notifications.
Types of Repeating Notifications
There are two primary types of repeating notifications:
Time-based notifications
Time-based repeating notifications occur after a set time interval has passed, such as every hour, day, week, or month. These are useful for periodic alerts and reminders. For example, a fitness app could send a daily notification reminding users to log their exercise. A calendar app might send weekly notifications about upcoming events.
Time-based intervals are highly configurable. Notifications can repeat multiple times per day, on certain days of the week, monthly on a certain date, yearly on an anniversary, and more. Developers have fine-grained control over the timing.
Event-based notifications
Event-based repeating notifications are triggered by specific user actions within an app. For instance, a messaging app might repetitively notify users about new unread messages until the messages are read. A social media app could send a notification every time the user receives a new like or comment.
Event-based notifications are effective for getting attention around important user activities. The repeating occurs until the prompted action is completed, such as reading a message. This prevents critical notifications from being ignored or overlooked.
Best Practices
When sending repeating notifications, it’s important to follow best practices to provide a positive user experience. Here are some key tips:
Let users customize frequency – Allow users to control how often they receive notifications. Give options like daily, weekly, monthly, etc. Don’t barrage people with notifications they didn’t sign up for.
Vary content to avoid fatigue – Each notification should provide fresh, useful information. Don’t send the exact same message repeatedly. Users will tune out repetitive content.
Link to relevant content – Include links to blog posts, help articles, or other resources that the user may find valuable related to the notification. This provides a seamless path for them to learn more.
According to Emplifi, recurring notifications are more effective when customized to user preferences. Offering flexibility prevents notification fatigue.
The Home Assistant community also recommends useful tips like acknowledging notifications to stop repeats and using custom text to keep messages fresh.
Creating Effective Content
When crafting repeating notifications, it’s important to create compelling content that engages users. Personalizing notifications with the user’s name is a great way to make them feel special. For example: “Good morning, John! Here are today’s top stories.”
Emojis and images are also effective for making notifications more eye-catching and fun. Pick emojis and images that relate to the content or emotion you want to convey. Just be careful not to overdo it.
Another tip is to highlight the value or benefit the user will get from your notification. For example: “Unlock 20% off your next purchase when you click this exclusive promo link.”
Test different notification content and formats to see which ones resonate best with your audience. Track open and click-through rates to gauge engagement. Refine your notifications over time based on these metrics.
Measuring Performance
To determine how effective repeating notifications are, companies should track key metrics like open and clickthrough rates, conversion metrics, and user feedback.
Open and clickthrough rates show how many people are engaging with the notifications. Higher open and clickthrough rates indicate the notifications are catching users’ attention. Though high clickthrough rates don’t guarantee conversions, they do show users are interested enough to click for more information.
Conversion metrics specifically track how many users who click on notifications end up taking a desired action, like making a purchase, signing up for a service, or downloading an app. These conversion metrics are a key way to quantify the ROI of repeating notifications.
Lastly, user feedback provides qualitative data on how users feel about repeating notifications. Surveys and reviews can uncover pain points and ways to improve the notification experience. User feedback ensures the notifications continue providing value vs becoming an annoyance.
Tools and Platforms
There are many tools available to help send repeating notifications across various platforms. Some popular options include:
Pushcrew – This tool allows you to easily schedule recurring notifications to reach your audience on web and mobile. Features include flexible scheduling, advanced targeting, and detailed analytics.
PushEngage – With PushEngage you can send recurring web push notifications to re-engage users. It integrates with CRMs and marketing automation tools.
Many social media and mobile apps also have built-in notification features that can be set to repeat. For example, on Facebook you can schedule recurring notifications for Page posts and events. Instagram has options for daily reminders about usage. Android and iOS also allow repeating notifications for calendar events and reminders.
The key is choosing a tool that aligns with your goals and audience. Evaluate notification frequency, customization, analytics, and platform reach when selecting an optimal recurring notification solution.
Use Cases
Repeating notifications are commonly used for the following use cases:
eCommerce Cart Abandonment – Sending notifications to remind users about items left in their shopping cart increases conversion rates. According to Pushwoosh, personalized cart abandonment campaigns have open rates of up to 90% and can recover up to 25% of abandoned carts.
Appointment Reminders – Healthcare providers, salons, and other appointment-based businesses can send automated reminders to customers before their appointment time. This reduces no-shows and improves customer satisfaction. Facebook found reminders can increase appointment show rates by over 50%.
Newsletter Subscriptions – Media companies and bloggers use repeating notifications to nudge subscribers to open email newsletters. Scheduling notifications to deliver new editions boosts open and click-through rates.
Best Practices for Mobile
When it comes to repeating notifications on mobile, it’s important to tailor the content and design for smaller screens. Here are some tips:
Focus notifications on the most critical information. Mobile screens limit how much you can communicate, so keep notifications short, scannable, and to the point. Identify the core details or call-to-action you want users to absorb.
Adjust font sizes and line lengths. Use slightly larger font sizes for notifications on mobile to improve readability. Optimal line length is around 50-60 characters to make notifications easy to read without excessive scrolling.
Leverage rich media. Images, GIFs, and videos that complement the text can capture attention on small screens. Ensure media is optimized for quick mobile loading and enhances the key messaging.
Simplify notifications and CTAs. Limit notifications to just essential text, media, and a prominent call-to-action button. Eliminate extra elements that may distract or clutter the interface on mobile displays.
Personalize with dynamic content. Use dynamic tags to tailor and customize repeating notifications to each user for better relevance and engagement.
Test across different devices. Preview repeating notifications on a range of mobile devices to ensure they display properly and are easily readable across screen sizes and platforms.
The Future of Repeating Notifications
The future of repeating notifications is likely to include more personalized and optimized notification delivery powered by AI. Rather than sending notifications on a fixed schedule, platforms will learn to identify the best times and situations to engage each user for maximum impact.
AI and machine learning algorithms will study user behavior and interactions to determine when a person is most receptive to specific types of notifications. Factors like time of day, location, activity, mood based on past interactions, and more can be analyzed to customize notification timing and content per user.
For example, an ecommerce app may learn to send notifications about items you’ve left in your cart during evening hours when you’re more likely to make purchases. Or a social media platform could notice you ignore notifications in the morning and target you later in the day.
Beyond timing, repeating notifications are also expected to become more contextually relevant and personalized. AI will help tailor notifications based on your unique interests, needs and past engagement. Rather than broadcasting the same notifications to all users, platforms can craft customized content.
These AI capabilities will lead to more meaningful interactions with repeating notifications in the future. The right message delivered at the right time improves open rates and conversions. Companies will rely on data and algorithms to optimize notifications to be helpful and non-intrusive.
