If you’re looking for an effective way to increase your store’s sales and revenue, Push Notifications might be exactly what you need. These powerful little alerts can be game-changers for e-commerce businesses, helping you recover abandoned carts, boost customer engagement, and ultimately increase sales without requiring any coding skills.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Shopify push notifications: what they are, their benefits, how to set them up, and advanced tips to maximize results.

What are Push Notifications and how do they work?

In simple terms, push notifications are short, clickable messages that pop up on a user’s desktop or mobile device. They are browser-based, meaning a customer doesn’t need to have a mobile app installed to receive them; they just need to have opted in through their web browser (like Chrome, Firefox, or Safari).

👉 Here’s how they work: When someone visits your Shopify store, they’ll see a small prompt asking if they want to receive notifications. If they click “Allow,” you can then send them targeted messages directly to their browser, whether they’re using a desktop computer, tablet, or mobile phone.

Shopify web push notifications appear in several places depending on the device and browser. On desktop computers, they typically show up in the corner of the screen, while on mobile devices, they appear similar to app notifications in the notification center.

Different types of Push Notifications:

Transactional

Transactional Push Notifications are triggered by specific customer actions or account activities and are essential for maintaining trust and transparency. These notifications include order confirmations, shipping updates, delivery confirmations, payment receipts, account security alerts, and password reset confirmations. For Shopify stores, transactional notifications are crucial for keeping customer informed about their purchase journey and reducing support inquiries.

Examples:

• “Your order #12345 has been shipped and will arrive tomorrow”
• “Payment of $89.99 has been processed successfully”

Marketing

Marketing Push Notifications are promotional messages designed to drive sales, increase engagement, and promote products or services. These include flash sale announcements, new product launches, exclusive discount offers, seasonal promotions, and cross-selling recommendations. While these notifications can be highly effective for revenue generation, they require careful balance to avoid customer fatigue. Successful marketing push notifications often incorporate personalization, urgency, and clear value propositions.

Examples:

• “24-hour flash sale: 40% off all summer dresses”
• “Based on your recent purchase, you might love these new arrivals”

Informationsal

Informational Push Notifications provide valuable, non-promotional content that helps build brand authority and customer relationships. These notifications share educational content, industry news, how-to guides, product tips, company updates, and blog post announcements.

Examples:

• “5 ways to style your new leather jacket this fall”
• “Sustainability update: Our new eco-friendly packaging initiative”

Reminders

Reminder Push Notifications help customers complete intended actions or stay engaged with time-sensitive opportunities. The most common type is abandoned cart reminders, but this category also includes wishlist notifications, restock alerts, appointment reminders for service-based businesses, subscription renewal notices, and event reminders.

Examples:

• “Your cart expires in 2 hours – complete your order now”
• “Good news! The item you wishlisted is back in stock.”

Geolocation-based

When users “allow” an app to track their location or turn on the location services, the app leverages their location data to send contextually relevant messages based on where those users are physically located. These notifications can promote nearby store locations, offer location-specific deals, send weather-related product suggestions, provide local event information, or trigger messages when customers are near competitors. While powerful for businesses with physical locations, they require careful implementation to respect privacy and avoid being intrusive.

Examples:

• “You’re near our downtown store – stop by for 20% off in-store purchases”
• “Rainy day ahead! Don’t forget your umbrella – shop our waterproof collection.”

Why are Push Notifications important for Shopify stores?

Push notifications offer several compelling advantages that can significantly impact your store’s performance and revenue:

• Recover Abandoned Carts: Studies show nearly 70% of shopping carts are abandoned. Push notifications can recapture these customers with timely reminders, achieving recovery rates of 10% as stated by SellersCommerce, significantly higher than traditional email sequences.
• Drive Repeat Purchases: Send personalized offers, new product announcements, or restock alerts to existing customers. This is particularly valuable since acquiring new customers costs five times more than retaining existing ones.
• Increase Overall Sales: Push notifications are effective in driving sales by promoting new products, flash sales, and limited-time offers. They create a sense of urgency, compelling customers to act quickly.Many merchants report 10-30% increases in revenue after implementing strategic push notification campaigns. Push notifications typically see open rates of 50%, far exceeding email marketing averages.
• Cost-effective communication: Push notifications provide excellent ways to engage users value, especially when compared to the ongoing costs of paid advertising or the resources required for extensive email marketing. They create a direct line to your audience, driving engagement and sales without needing a large ad budget. This makes them an ideal tool for small and medium-sized businesses looking to maximize their marketing impact while managing costs.
• Real-Time Engagement: Reach your audience instantly for flash sales, limited-time offers, or stock shortage alerts. Create urgency that drives immediate action.

How do businesses set up Push Notifications?

SHEIN

Types of Push Notifications: Reminders + Marketing push notifications

SHEIN reminds users through engagement push messages that they need to finish their purchase, providing the customers with discounts to encourage them to complete their purchase.

Why it works:

• Stacked value proposition : Combines free shipping (removes friction) with additional discount (adds incentive)
• Audience-specific language: “fits” and casual tone resonates with Gen Z/millennial shoppers
• Emotional + rational appeal: Fire emoji creates excitement and catch attention while discount appeals to value-seeking behavior

Key takeaway: For fashion/lifestyle brands, combine cart recovery with promotional offers using language that matches your audience’s communication style. Stack multiple benefits (free shipping + discount) to maximize conversion potential.

Amazon

Type: Transactional notification

Amazon sends shipment confirmations with specific delivery dates. It proactively updates customers on their order status and shipping progress, which helps minimize customer service questions

Why it works:

• Build customer trust and transparency: Real-time order updates reassure customers their purchase is being processed.
• Reinforce app engagement: Each transactional notification draws the user back to the Amazon app, subtly increasing opportunities for further browsing or impulse purchases.

Key takeaway: Elevate transactional notifications by incorporating product-specific personality that matches what users purchased. Even mandatory communications like shipping updates can build excitement when they reference the actual item rather than treating all orders generically.

Starbucks

Type: Marketing promotional + Geolocation-based

Starbucks delivers personalized offers that are customized to users’ names and favorite drinks, written in a casual tone to enhance appeal. They use geofencing technology to automatically send promotional notifications when customers enter designated areas, incorporating personalization like “your favorite drink: Vanilla Latte!” with relevant offers.

Why it works:

• Deep personalization – Uses actual purchase history and preferences rather than generic promotions
• Location intelligence – Triggers offers when users are physically near stores, maximizing conversion likelihood
• Casual conversational tone – Feels like a friendly recommendation rather than corporate messaging
• Behavioral targeting – Sends notifications about seasonal drinks specifically to customers who frequently order specialty drinks

Key takeaway: Combine location data with purchase history to create hyper-relevant offers. The most effective notifications feel like personalized recommendations from someone who knows your preferences, delivered at the moment when you’re most likely to act on them.

Some Shopify apps that help you set up Push Notifications

PushOwl/Brevo: Email,Push,SMS

PushOwl is one of the most popular Shopify apps for sending automated web push notifications, trusted by thousands of merchants to recover abandoned carts and drive repeat purchases.

Ratings: ⭐ 4.8.0/5 (Shopify App Store, with 1,600+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Abandoned Cart Notifications: Recover lost sales with automated reminders.
• Back-in-Stock Alerts: Notify customers when products are restocked.
• Shipping Updates: Send transactional push notifications to build trust.
• Segmentation & Personalization: Target based on customer behavior and preferences.
• Performance Analytics: Measure clicks, conversions, and revenue impact.

Snap FOMO Social Proof

Snap FOMO is designed to boost your Shopify store’s conversion rates by combining real-time social proof pop-ups with push notifications. It helps create urgency and builds trust by showing recent customer activities.

Ratings:⭐ 4.9/5 (Shopify App Store)

Key Features:

• SOCIAL PROOF: Live visitor count, recent purchases, real-time activity
• SALES PROMOTIONS: Discount wheels, countdown timers, flash sales
• URGENCY TACTICS: Low stock alerts, recent orders, inventory warnings
• CART RECOVERY: Browser tab alerts, abandonment reminders, return prompts

Hextom: WhatsApp, SMS & Push

Hextom: WhatsApp, SMS & Push is an all-in-one messaging app for Shopify merchants, designed to help you engage customers and recover lost sales through browser push notifications, WhatsApp messages, and SMS alerts. It offers easy automation to improve conversion rates and build customer relationships.

Ratings:⭐ 4.7/5 (Shopify App Store, based on 300+ reviews)

Key Features:

• Abandoned Cart Recovery: Automatically send WhatsApp, SMS, or Push notifications to remind customers about incomplete purchases.
• Browser Push Notifications: Re-engage customers after they leave your store, even if they haven’t provided email or phone numbers.
• WhatsApp & SMS Campaigns: Reach customers on popular mobile platforms with personalized messages and offers.
• Back-in-Stock & Price Drop Alerts: Notify customers when products they’re interested in are available or discounted.
• One-Click Setup: Simple installation with pre-built message templates for fast launch.
• Compliance & Opt-In Management: Built-in tools to manage customer consent and ensure compliance with messaging regulation

Real-World Tips for Effective Shopify Push Notifications

Best Practices for Effective Push Notifications:

• Keep Messages Short and Action-Driven
  • ❌ “We wanted to let you know that the items in your shopping cart are still waiting for you”
  • ✅ “Your cart is waiting! Complete your order now”
• Respect Frequency Limits
  • Start with 1-2 notifications per week
  • Monitor engagement rates and unsubscribe rates
  • Reduce frequency if you see declining performance
• Personalize Your Messages
  • Use customer names when possible
  • Reference specific abandoned products
  • Mention past purchase history
  • Example: “Sarah, your Nike sneakers are still available”
• Integrate with Other Marketing Channels
  • Coordinate with email campaigns
  • Support social media promotions
  • Create multi-touch customer journeys
• Create Strategic Urgency
  • Use for limited-time offers and flash sales
  • Include low stock alerts
  • Avoid overusing urgency tactics
• Leverage Social Proof
  • “Join 10,000+ customers who love this product”
  • “Trending now: This item sold 50 times today”
  • Include customer reviews and ratings

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Critical Mistakes to Avoid:

• Spamming Customers
  • Sending too many notifications leads to unsubscribes
  • Quality over quantity should always be your approach
  • Monitor unsubscribe rates as a key performance indicator
• Using Generic, Boring Messages
  • ❌ “You have items in your cart”
  • ✅ “Complete your order and get free shipping today”
  • Always provide a compelling reason to take action
• Failing to Segment Your Audience
  • Don’t send the same messages to all subscribers
  • Use customer data to send relevant, targeted messages
  • Example: Athletic wear customers don’t need kitchen appliance notifications
• Skipping Testing Before Launch
  • Always test across different devices and browsers
  • Verify all links work properly
  • Check message formatting and display
• Ignoring Analytics and Performance Data
  • Monitor delivery rates, click-through rates, and conversions
  • Use data to refine messaging strategy and timing
  • Adjust campaigns based on performance metrics

Conclusion

Push Notifications represent one of the most effective and accessible ways to increase sales and engage customers on Shopify, however, if you use it in the wrong way, it may have some reverse effects on your store.

In conclusion, successful push notifications for Shopify stores require strategic alignment with customer behavior: deploying cart recovery for abandoners, targeted promotions for loyal customers, and inventory alerts for sought-after products. Focus on personalization using purchase history and browsing data while testing send times to avoid overwhelming users, as too many notifications will cause them to opt out entirely.