The restaurant industry has always been competitive and ever-changing. The inclusion of technology has only made it more cut-throat. But this modern development is not necessarily bad as technology such as restaurant apps has undoubtedly changed the face of the industry. It has made customer-restaurant interaction much more personalized.

Restaurants can use their restaurant applications for more effective marketing, better customer interaction, and, eventually, boost revenue. That is where push notifications come in handy. It can serve as the link between the restaurant and the customer. In the article, we will explain better how push notifications work and how retailers and restaurateurs can use them to their advantage.

What are Push Notifications?

Push Notifications are short messages sent to the customer's smartphone via the restaurant's native app for marketing. It is an automatic notification that pops up on the lock screen or notification bar, which is the main difference between push notifications vs in-app notifications, where the notification will only appear if the user opens the app. 

Restaurant owners or retailers can use these short notifications to better communicate with their customers by sending them offers on food items or discounts related to certain meals or just using them for advertisement purposes.

Importance of Push Notifications for the Restaurant App

The internet has changed how the current generation operates, especially with its advancements in different communication methods. In this context, the smartphone has become the most important gadget as it is forever present with most people, and they interact with it day in and day out.

Restaurant owners have been using this to their advantage for some time by developing their unique Android and iPhone notification design. But this is not the end of the story.

Intelligent restaurant owners understand that convincing customer to install the application on their smartphone will not magically increase their daily footfall or customer engagement. So, they take all means to encourage customers to make their respective Android and iOS push notification designs interactive.

And that is how push notifications came, which were a game changer. Studies have shown that push notifications have an average open rate of more than 80%, compared to an average open rate of 23% for email notifications. Also, push notifications have a much higher retention rate in terms of push notifications and in-app notifications.

The push notification system design is short and snappy and has a clear call to action compared to emails, which are generally long and might not appeal to customers when they are busy. Another thing that aids in the popularity and success of push notifications is that they generally appear on the lock screen, meaning it is difficult for the customer to miss them.

Hence, restaurants with a good push notification ecosystem can increase profitability and foster positive customer relationships.

Different Types of Push Notifications for Restaurants/Retailers

The Basic Push Notification

Although the name might suggest that it is a simple notification if used correctly, this simple push notification can vastly improve customer interaction. Restaurants can use these notifications to inform the customers about certain discounts and promo codes, which will keep the customers engaged.

Even if the customer does not click on the notification, it can serve as a reminder, and the next time they think about ordering food, they may decide to order from the restaurant.

Scheduled Push Notification

Since push notifications are sent via the smartphone, restaurant owners can schedule particular messages that customers can send at a certain time. Statistically, restaurants do not do much business on Mondays, so the restaurant can send pre-scheduled discount offers on Mondays.

Also, this can be used for limited-time offers. Limited-time offers can be beneficial as they can encourage customers to click on them instantly since it creates a sense of missing out.

Geo-Location Based Push Notification

Most smartphone apps have location permission turned on. Restaurants can use this data to send specific notifications based on the customer's location. 

For example, restaurant owners can send certain discount coupons to people within a predetermined radius of their restaurants. It can encourage the customers to visit the restaurant.

Targeted Push Notification

With the help of the native app, restaurants can gather certain information regarding their customers, namely their likes and dislikes, what they like to eat, what their eating habits are, and app behavior.

Restaurant owners can use this information to lend a personal touch to push notifications. For example - restaurants can send discounts on food for customers on their birthdays; also, if a person regularly orders the same dish, they can offer that particular dish for free. It is a great way to build an organic relationship with the customers and prompt brand loyalty. The app designers try to make these free notification designs as attractive as possible to leave a lasting impression in the customer’s mind.

Time-Based Push Notifications

Time-based notifications are another great way to engage with the customer. For example, a customer might be thinking of ordering lunch but has not yet decided what to order. 

Time-based push notifications during lunchtime offering deals on lunch meals can influence the customer to choose your restaurant. Another example is sending push notifications based on the weather, like offering complimentary cold drinks during summer or hot soups during winter.

Reminder Push Notifications

Reminder Push notifications, like simple notifications, can be used to remind the customer about certain discounts or promo codes offered by the restaurant. 

Additionally, if your restaurant has a loyalty program, reminder push notifications can inform the customers of their accumulated points and when they can expect rewards and discounts.

Creating Push Notification: Notifications Best Practices UX

• Push notifications should be short and catchy. It is the most important thing differentiating a push notification from an email. The general rule is to stay under 90 characters since if the message is more than 90 characters, then it is not correctly displayed on the lock screen of the smartphone. The push notification design must attract and inspire the customer.
• Restaurant owners must know the right number of push notifications per day. Too few notifications will not capture the customer's attention, and too many notifications might annoy them. The general rule is a maximum of 3 messages per week and at least 1 message monthly. Another way to send push notifications is to send weekly push notifications to monthly visitors, monthly push notifications to quarterly visitors, and so on.
• Timing is also critical when sending push notifications, as a perfectly timed push notification can result in a food order, whereas an ill-timed push notification can result in the app's uninstallation.
• The notification page UI design template must adhere to the restaurant style, and a new-age restaurant aimed at the younger audience can use emojis, etc.
• Restaurateur must know their target audience and only send discount offers and coupon codes via push notifications to their target customers, who are more likely to order food from their restaurants.

Conclusion

A well-thought-out push notification system can do wonders for restaurants or retailers. More and more restaurants are getting into digital marketing and developing digital apps that can send notifications to customers to encourage them to visit or order food. 

The mobile app notification UI design should be carefully thought out to make the push notification templates attractive to prospective customers. Also, restaurant owners need to ensure that push notifications are not sent at an annoying rate, and these should be worth the customers' time and attention.