What you need to know about web push notifications

Anyone working in the mobile sector will be well aware of Progressive Web Apps (PWA) and their many advantages when it comes to digital marketing. One of the most notable features is the ability to send push notifications to consumers that access your webpage. Unlike with standard mobile sites, PWA utilise app-shells in order to create an experience similar to native apps but without the need for installation. Here are the things you need to know in order to effectively use push notifications with WPA.

Compatible browsers

There are an increasing number of mobile and desktop browsers for users to choose from so it’s important to know which ones allow you to engage with consumers through push notifications. As it stands, there are three mobile browsers which support push notifications: Chrome, Firefox and Opera. These are available on all major operating systems except for iOS.

Unfortunately, this cuts out the ability to send push notifications to Apple mobile users but it does highlight the specific section of the mobile market at which you can target your push notifications. Companies can rest assured that they will be able to send push notifications to users across the Android and Windows market regardless of which browser they are using.

Requirements

Unfortunately, setting up push notifications to work with your PWA isn’t as simple as clicking a button or flicking a switch. In fact, there are a few things you need to set in place before you can start sending web push notifications. If you get stuck, Google has an in-depth article which covers the concept in detail.

If you’re looking to utilise push notifications with your PWA, need to ensure that a licenced connection is made between your servers and whichever third-party provider you’re using to send the notifications through. As for the user, the process is very simple. After accessing a PWA through a browser that supports push notifications, all they need to do is grant permission for notifications when prompted.

Sending notifications

Once an official link has been established between your office and the third party servers, you will be able to send notifications across to users that have enabled the feature. Once you have crafted the notification you can choose the date on which it will be sent to the user and assign specific actions that will take place once they engage with it. For example, you can send an update regarding a promotional product that will send the user straight to the corresponding webpage.

The ability to incorporate push notifications into a PWA has opened a number of doors for companies and app developers looking to create a more interactive experience and engage with more users by encouraging them to check out their latest content.