Push retargeting on iOS and preference center

     This article explains the guidelines to be followed when we miss the first chance to opt the customers in for push notifications. [You may need to read this to understand the benefits of opting the user in first time alert itself]

      Once we miss the first chance, the possible approach would be to apprise the end users on how our notifications are going to help them and ask their permission for optin. Before we do this, we need to identify the possible touch points that would strongly motivate the user to optin for notifications. An example would be to show the permission alert when an item in their shopping list have a coupon, “Hey would you want us to send an push alert when you have a coupon for the item in your shopping cart”,after they have added an item in the shopping list.

     After identifying the touch points we may not be able to just display the OS alert and opt them in (in iOS alone), and the reason is explained in the previous article which is basically user needs to manually change the device level optin settings. Hence, now we need to display an additional alert for iOS alone, which instructs the user on how to achieve that.

     An example of that instruction alert would be like what Facebook messenger does. [Try turning off push notification at OS level and open facebook messenger app]. So the retargeting steps would be to display an optin alert at right time and followed by an instruction alert on how to turn on at OS level. This instruction alert is required only in iOS.

      Now we understood how difficult it is to retarget when user says no to initial alert or turn off notification at device level. At the same time,we need to provide a facility for the user to turn off push notification in a simpler way,inside our app, so that it would be easier for us to opt them back when required. That's where preference center comes into picture.

      Its basically a toggle/set of toggles that helps the user to optin/opt out of push notification(s). In iOS, this works perfectly after user has given their consent to OS alert, if not display an instruction page on preference center on how to turn on push at OS level. If the user wants to opt out of push notification encourage them to do so using the toggle which we have provided here,rather than user turning it off at OS level. Another advantage in providing the toggle is we can measure how many users have opted in/ opted-out so that we can appropriately use other channels like SMS/email for engagement. The preference center is recommended in Android as well.

       The recommended apps to check out preference center would be Bank of America and Facebook.

Tech Notes:

1. In iOS you have option to read status of each notifications option (like status of Alert Style etc.,).
2. In Android prior to Jelly Bean, you never had option at OS level to opt-out of push. After Jelly Bean you do have an option but there is no method to read the toggle status.