Push notifications without being annoying
A short rule set for when push earns the visitor's attention and when it spends it.
Push notifications are the most over-used feature in modern apps. The instinct is "we have a channel - use it." The result is uninstalls.
The rules we ship with
One notification per active session at most. If you sent one this week and the user didn't open it, send fewer next week.
Personal beats promotional. "Your order shipped" earns its place. "Don't forget about us!" doesn't.
Time-of-day awareness. Even a useful notification at 11pm reads as annoying. Use the device timezone, default to morning hours.
The opt-in moment
Don't ask on app launch. The user has zero context. Wait for the first natural moment - the first action they take that benefits from a notification ("notify me when this ships"). Ask in context. Acceptance rates jump 2-3x.
The escape valve
Settings page lets the user opt out of every category individually. "All or nothing" pushes users to "nothing" because the noisy categories are the ones they noticed.
The simplest test: would I want this notification? If you wouldn't, the user won't either.