What 500k Push Notifications Taught Us About Ecommerce Customer Engagement

When it comes to ecommerce push notifications, what really makes a shopper click, engage, and convert?

To find out, we dove deep into the data. The Pushwoosh team analyzed a massive dataset of 500,000 push notifications sent by ecommerce brands over the course of 2024. The research spanned diverse subcategories (from apparel to e-pharmacies), regions, and business sizes, seeking insights into large-scale trends and granular factors driving success.

Inside this post, we'll share the key engagement trends and benchmarks we uncovered, reveal average CTR benchmarks, and distill crucial lessons on the power of segmentation, personalization, timing, and compelling content.

By the end, you'll have actionable takeaways to refine your own push notification strategy and cut through the noise.

Know the Benchmarks (But Don't Settle for Average CTRs)

Average push notification CTRs for ecommerce do not look very impressive at first glance.

But don’t let these numbers fool you - some campaigns achieved CTRs 10 times higher. This shows the opportunity exists to truly connect with the audience, and many brands (including your competitors) are not seizing it.

Is this low average CTR because users don't want notifications from shopping apps?

Not necessarily. Opt-in rates remain close to the average across all industries, indicating that customers are happy to receive relevant communications from brands they trust.

Don’t Chase Daily Engagement: Aim for Regular, Meaningful Touchpoints

Do shoppers expect to be engaged daily?

Not at all: users don’t open shopping apps every day, as shown by lower DAU metrics.

However, monthly engagement tells a different story. MAUs are higher than the all-industries average.

Pushwoosh data shows it's possible to engage even up to 65% of app users monthly.

Align your strategy with this data. Instead of driving daily engagement or sending generic blasts, focus on:

• Lifecycle campaigns;
• Re-engagement sequences;
• Timely promotions that meet users when they are most likely to shop.

The best-performing ecommerce apps follow this blueprint to drive consistent engagement from push.

Want more insights on how top brands are using push notifications to build loyalty and grow revenue?

Here's what 500k push notifications have to say on the matter.

Simple, But Regular (Re-)Engagement Brings the Best Results

Hyper-granular targeting and creative copy can work well. But many brands overcomplicate things.

In reality, some of the most effective campaigns are the simplest.

One Pushwoosh customer, an e-pharmacy, saw significant success with just two simple, automated customer journeys:

1. New user activation: Got 44.3% of new users activated in the first 10 days after the app install.

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2. Inactive user re-engagement: Brought 49.1% of users who hadn’t been active in the past 30 days back to the app.

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The beauty of these behavior-based targeted campaigns lies in their automation.

You set them up once based on the simple ‘App Open’ trigger, and they run continuously, catching the right users at precisely the right moment.

Behavior + Interest Targeting Drives Next-Level CTRs

While simple triggers are a great start, adding layers of targeting based on what users do and what they like dramatically boosts engagement quality.

Pushwoosh’s previous research, reinforced by this 500k dataset analysis, consistently shows that the most engaging campaigns for ecommerce apps use interest-based segmentation.

Ecommerce brands targeting users based on browsing behavior + interests saw a 10x improvement in CTRs over average.

Targeting Loyal and High-Value Customers Pays Off

Your loyal, high-value customers deserve more than the standard broadcast.

When brands give tailored attention to this segment, the results speak for themselves: significantly higher CTRs and conversion rates.

The key is smart segmentation.

Use RFM analysis (Recency, Frequency, Monetary value) to identify top customers, or leverage your loyalty program tiers to create dynamic segments. Track how customers move between levels and use that as a trigger for exclusive offers, early access to sales, or simple “thank you” messages.

For example, a beauty brand’s loyalty campaign offering special holiday deals to their “Friends” (top-tier customers) achieved record engagement, proving that a little extra recognition goes a long way.

Simple Personalization = Double the CTR

You don't always need complex segmentation to make a message feel personal.

Sometimes, the simplest tricks yield significant results, especially when they are easy to implement repeatedly.

In one of the Pushwoosh clients’ experiments, a simple test compared two identical push notifications:

• One generic;
• One personalized with the user’s FirstName

The result? The personalized version achieved double the CTR.

Should personalization go further than this? Yes.

But this shows that even basic personalization in the message copy creates a stronger connection and significantly boosts engagement.

Don’t Overlook Transactional and Back-in-Stock Notifications

While promotional pushes get most of the spotlight, transactional and back-in-stock notifications quietly deliver some of the highest engagement rates.

These messages work because they are inherently relevant and timely - they meet a clear user intent.

Shipping updates, order confirmations, and payment notifications consistently outperform marketing campaigns in CTR, because users are actively expecting them.

Similarly, back-in-stock alerts tap into existing interest and achieve up to 54.35% CTRs, often leading to quick conversions with minimal effort.

If you’re not leveraging these “utility” notifications, you’re missing out on easy wins.

The lesson? Sometimes, the best-performing messages are the ones that don’t try to sell, but to serve.

Broadcast Messaging Tips: Timing Matters

Not every message can or needs to be hyper-targeted.

Broadcast messages (sent to a large segment or your entire audience) still have their place, especially for major announcements or promotions.

The secret sauce? Time your broadcast pushes right.

• Special dates (sales events, holidays) naturally boost engagement.

Whether it's a Black Friday sale, a Valentine's Day gift guide, or a summer collection launch, you'll get a greater impact by sending messages when users are already thinking about shopping for specific occasions.

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• Certain days of the week consistently mark engagement records.

Pushwoosh data found Monday is the top-performing day for mobile push CTRs in ecommerce.

Why? Our guess is that Monday mornings are when users ease into their workweek with a bit of online browsing.

Conversely, Thursday is the worst-performing day across all categories we researched, not only ecommerce. It’s likely the busiest workday, with less attention left for non-essential apps.

Consider these trends when you schedule your push notifications.

Key Takeaways for Ecommerce Marketers

At the end of the day, customer engagement isn’t just clicks. It’s about nurturing habits and building relationships.

Remember these essentials to maximize engagement from your push campaigns:

• Smart segmentation isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.
• Automated lifecycle campaigns are your low-effort, high-impact foundation.
• Timing and content are still your biggest levers when combined strategically.‍
• Aim higher: Don't settle for the average. Significant engagement boosts are achievable through strategic targeting and content.

By implementing these data-backed lessons, you can leverage push notifications as powerful drivers of both immediate engagement and lasting customer loyalty.

Focus on these best practices, and the clicks will follow.

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Thanks to Elena Montoya for this post. Elena is the Head of Marketing @ Pushwoosh — an omnichannel customer engagement platform that helps app businesses turn user data into high-converting messaging campaigns and drive revenue at scale.