Just after lunch on Monday is the best time to send push notifications

The use of push notifications in apps to reach users is an attractive option for marketers. But done wrongly it can lead to more annoyance than success.

So what do companies need to do to ensure their notifications are effective? App monetization platform Tapjoy has released data based on a study of over 4.4 million push notifications sent between February and August 2016, to help businesses use push notifications effectively.

Writing on the Tapjoy blog general manager of global developer relations Ben Chen says, "Push notifications are like stepping into the same space as your user, wherever they may be: at any moment you can reach out and tap them on the shoulder. But just as in real life, a notification risks interrupting or annoying users if not done right. Every misstep reduces open rates, and in turn, retention and engagement. Notifications, in short, are both a powerful tool and a minefield for app developers".

Among the findings are that notifications are more likely to be opened on Mondays, Tuesday is just behind but then rates decline through the rest of the week. The best time to send to ensure the message gets opened is just after lunch. Frequency matters too, weekly notifications get opened more than those sent more often.

Android users are more likely to open notifications than those on iOS. This is partly because Android notifications linger on the lock screen until opened. Silent notifications are also preferred to those that make a sound.

You can read more, including the best words to use and the genres where push notifications are most effective, in the full findings on the Tapjoy blog.

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