Push notification

What a push notification is

A service sends the message straight to the phone, where it shows on the lock screen and in the list of notifications. Phones show them for apps and also for cards saved in Apple Wallet or Google Wallet, so a business can write to its card holders without building an app of its own. In Rewardly, push messages come with the Advanced and Professional plans, and wallet messages sent through Rewardly have a 90% read rate.

How it works for a café, salon or restaurant

• A café tells card holders that its seasonal drink is back and schedules the message for Monday morning.
• A salon sets a thank you to go out on its own after each visit, with an invitation to book the next one.
• A restaurant uses a location notification, so members walking past see that the lunch menu is ready.

Customers who did not agree to marketing messages are left out automatically.

What to watch

Frequency decides whether people keep the card. One useful message a week holds attention; several a day get the card removed. Give every message a reason to act now, such as a reward that is waiting or an offer that ends on Sunday, and judge it by the visits that follow, not by how many people saw it.