Top Push Notification Services to Boost User Engagement

Whether you want to notify visitors about a flash sale, remind attendees about an  upcoming virtual session, or even send real-time service updates, push notifications help you with reaching users directly, especially without adding to inbox clutter or ad fatigue.  

In this article, we will walk you through push notification services, their importance, and also some of the best push notification platforms you can invest in, based on your exact business needs.

What Do Push Notification Services Do?

Push notification services help websites as well as apps send short, real-time messages directly to the browsers of the users. These messages can pop up even if the users aren’t actively browsing the site.

How Push Notification Services Work

When a visitor comes onto your website or app, the platform creates a direct communication channel between you and the user. And notifications can be triggered from there, based on the user’s behavior.

Common triggers include-

• Visiting a specific page.
• Abandoning a cart.
• Signing up for updates.
• Browsing certain content categories.

Why Push Notifications Are Different From Email or Ads

Push notifications not only reach users fast but their undeniable appearance on the screen makes sure that people notice them. Besides, they do not rely on inbox placement or ad algorithms, allowing brands a certain guarantee that the message will be received, if not acted upon.

Key differences include

• Opt-in based: Users opt to receive messages.
• No spam filters: Messages aren’t blocked or buried.
• Instant delivery: Applicable for time-sensitive updates.

Visibility and Engagement Benefits

Push notifications hardly miss human attention. They are placed on the screen in a way that makes them highly visible, which eventually results in stronger click-through rates.

They work especially well for-

• Announcements & updates.
• Limited-time offers.
• Content reminders.
• Event or product notifications.

Why Businesses Use Push Notification Services

For startups, push notification services serve as a cost-effective way to ensure staying connected with users. They perform a variety of tasks like boosting brand visibility, improving engagement to also motivating repeat visits, all these without any marketing complexity. 

Common Use Cases for Push Notifications

Some of the most common examples are

• Online stores promoting flash sales, or price drops
• Media as well as news platforms sharing breaking news or trending stories
• Agencies along with marketers highlighting new content or campaigns
• Bloggers and creators promoting live streams, launches, or virtual events
• Startups & SaaS teams sending transactional updates and service alerts

In short, push notification not only increases engagement, but also improves retention, and drives conversions, without overwhelming users.

Benefits of Using a Push Notification Service

Push notification services make it easier to send timely, relevant messages without relying on manual effort. Don’t commit the mistake of broadcasting the same update to everyone; rather, leverage these platforms to communicate relevant messages based on user behavior.

Behavior-Driven Messaging

Most of the push notification platforms are tailored to trigger campaigns by actions like – page visits, cart abandonment, event registrations, and even content engagement. This makes sure that the messages go hand-in-hand with what users are actively taking interest in, thus increasing engagement.

Personalized User Experiences

By using behavioral & historical data, push notification services aid in crafting messages to individual users. When notifications showcase a past activity or a preference, they feel more useful as well as less intrusive, which leads to a stronger engagement over time.

Flexible Timing and Automation

Push services support real-time alerts, delayed follow-ups, and recurring messages. This flexibility ensures that businesses can reach users at the right time, irrespective of it being an instant update or a scheduled reminder.

Scalable Engagement for Growing Audiences

As audience size increases, handling communication manually becomes a bit complex. Push notification platforms focus on top-notch delivery, segmentation, and most importantly, performance tracking, which makes it easier to scale user engagement that too without adding operational complexity.

Key Features You Typically Get

Modern push notification platforms are crafted to support more than just basic alerts. They come with an array of tools which not only help in business planning, but also automate, personalize, as well as measure engagement at scale.

• Automated Push Campaigns – Automation allows notifications to be triggered without manual intervention. With this feature, you can either send messages instantly or schedule them, based on the predefined rules. This helps teams deliver consistent communication without error.

• Customer Segmentation and Targeting – These platforms allow segmenting audiences depending on behavior, location, device type, etc. This further makes sure that notifications reach the most relevant users and do not just broadcast to everyone blindly.

• Personalized Messaging – Personalization features allow messages to include user-specific details. These include names, product interests, or anything else, which offer better click-through rates.

• Onsite and Offsite Delivery – Push notifications can reach people regardless of whether they’re actively browsing or not. Offsite delivery counts for re-engagement, and it brings users back with updates.

• Custom Opt-In Prompts – Opt-in tools help you control how and when users are asked to subscribe. Well-timed, branded prompts improve the subscription rates, user experience while respecting all consent requirements.

• Cross-Browser and Device Support – Most of the tools feature major browsers as well as operating systems. This ensures that notifications reach users irrespective of the device they are using – ensuring that there are no compatibility issues.

• A/B Testing for Notifications – Testing capabilities permits experimenting with different headlines, messages, or timing. This helps to get a fair view of what resonates best with your audience and what can enhance your campaign performance.

• CRM and Marketing Tool Integrations – Push notifications enter the existing workflows smoothly, thanks to integrations with CRMs, and other marketing platforms.

• Omnichannel Support – Some platforms extend beyond push notifications to include email, SMS, or in-app messaging. This enables a more connected as well as multi-channel communication strategy with the growth of an organization.

The Best Push Notification Services & Platforms

Below is a curated list of some of the best push notification services available today, each suited for different business goals.

1. Brevo

Best for: Businesses of all sizes looking for multichannel marketing

Brevo provides push notifications as part of a broader marketing platform that features email, SMS, WhatsApp, & automation. The platform has an easy setup – irrespective of whether you’re using a plugin, Google Tag Manager, or direct code installation.

Customizing message design and branding is easy too, thanks to its push notification builder. Besides, you can also handle opt-ins, monitor campaigns in real time, as well as coordinate push notifications with other channels for frequent communication.

It is a great fit for businesses looking to run virtual events, product launches, or recurring campaigns that require timely reminders. 

2. PushOwl

Best for: Ecommerce businesses on Shopify

PushOwl is tailored for ecommerce and it also integrates seamlessly with Shopify. It features ready-made automation for cart abandonment, price drops, flash sales, as well as restock alerts.

It doesn’t charge based on the contact lists, rather it has plans around notification impressions, which can be cost-effective for growing stores. Companies relying on ecommerce should opt for PushOwl to keep things simple & results-driven.

3. OneSignal

Best for: Startups and product-led companies

If you’re looking for a platform that supports web push, mobile push, and in-app notifications, opt for OneSignal. It is a fine choice for companies with both web and app-based audiences. Not to mention, it offers strong integration with popular analytics tools too.

Its free tier supports up to 10,000 subscribers, meaning it is a convenient choice for early-stage teams. And it contributes in the scaling phase as well. With advanced segmentation and delivery controls, the platform helps refine your messaging strategy.

4. PushEngage

Best for: Bloggers, content creators, and agencies

PushEngage is focused on marketing automation. The platform lets you run drip campaigns, triggered messages, opt-in reminders, as well as A/B tests that too with a minimal setup.

One standout feature of PushEngage is revenue tracking, which allows teams to measure how much value each campaign generates. That’s what makes it a strong option for teams, looking for a clear ROI visibility from push notifications.

5. Aimtell

Best for: Ecommerce brands focused on re-engagement

If you’re looking for behavior-based targeting, choose Aimtell. With this platform, you can personalize notifications just by using the consumer’s behavior like browsing history, shopping activity, etc. Moreover, here you can also set expiration times for time-sensitive messages.

It is an excellent choice for organizations seeking in-depth personalization but not compromising simplicity.

6. WebEngage

Best for: Agencies and large marketing teams

WebEngage is a well-known platform that provides a full-scale customer engagement featuring push notifications alongside email, SMS, & in-app messaging. A big pro of using the platform is its data-driven targeting feature and advanced analytics.

And like most of the platforms, it supports all major browsers as well as operating systems and allows teams to tailor complex, multi-step campaigns rather effortlessly. Agencies engaged in handling multiple clients or channels prefer WebEngage for its flexibility.

7. iZooto

Best for: Media publishers and content-heavy websites

iZooto is designed for publishers that rely on frequent content updates. It supports multilingual messaging and retargeting across multiple websites.

Built-in call-to-action tools and content recommendation features help increase page views and return visits — critical metrics for media-driven platforms.

8. SendPulse

Best for: Marketplaces and online retail chains

SendPulse combines web push notifications with email and SMS marketing. Its behavioral targeting makes it easier to send relevant messages based on browsing patterns and interests.

Hence, it is a useful choice for marketplaces where people explore multiple products before converting.

9. PushAssist

Best for: Small businesses and global ecommerce brands

PushAssist stands out for its simplicity and ease of use. It allows launching campaigns quickly and also tracking performance in real time.

Besides, it has smart segmentation that blends behavioral data with demographic indicators, assisting businesses to come up with new engagement opportunities without much technical effort.

10. PushWoosh

Best for: Fast-growing startups

PushWoosh focuses on personalized, multimedia-rich notifications with strong segmentation tools. Automatic language detection ensures users receive messages in their native language.

Real-time analytics and delivery controls make it easy to refine campaigns while they’re live — a big plus for agile teams.

How Push Notifications Support Virtual & Hybrid Events

For businesses running virtual events, push notifications have a significant role to play in engaging the audience before, during, as well as after the event.

They can be used for-

• Sending registration confirmations & reminders.
• Notifying attendees when sessions go live.
• Updating last-minute schedule changes.
• Promoting networking opportunities.
• Delivering post-event resources as well as recordings.

But again, make sure that you’ve chosen the right virtual event platform, and push notifications can further ensure attendees never miss out on the key moments, improving attendance rates and overall event experience.

Bottom Line

Push notifications have come up as a powerful engagement channel across industries, starting from e-commerce & media to SaaS as well as virtual events. The right platform can help your business deliver timely and relevant messages that address the users’ interests.

Here, the key is choosing a push notification service that aligns with your goals & audience size, as well as with your communication strategy. Make sure you use this feature well to not only drive clicks but also build stronger, more consistent relationships with your audience.