BENCHMARKS REPORT:
How Push Notications
Impact Mobile App
Retention Rates
Analysis of Data from 63 Million New App Users Reveals How Push
Notication Opt-In Rates & Frequency Influence Mobile App Retention
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In this study, we wanted to answer the question: how do push notications impact app retention rates?


(More on report Methodology.)
IN THE FIRST STUDY TO CORRELATE MESSAGE FREQUENCY TO USER RETENTION, URBAN AIRSHIP FOUND:
While many mobile pros worry about over-messaging app users, their real worry should be under-
messaging app users
• 
• 
• 

• 
95% of opt-in users who don’t receive a push notification in the first 90 days will churn
That means that app publishers are essentially wasting $.95 cents of every dollar spent to acquire coveted opt-in app
users.
Overall, more frequent push notifications increase app retention rates — and the more frequent (while
staying relevant!), the better
• 

• 

• 

WE ALSO SLICED THE DATA BY KEY VERTICALS AND FOUND:
Retail Retention Highlights
• 
• 

• 

Media Retention Highlights
• 
• 
• 
Utility & Productivity Retention Highlights
• 
• 
received one.
• 

Sports & Recreation Retention Highlights
• 

• 
NOT ALL USER CHURN CAN BE ADDRESSED WITH PUSH NOTIFICATIONS. USERS WHO HAVE OPTED OUT OF PUSH
NOTIFICATIONS CAN’T BE ENGAGED THROUGH THAT CHANNEL.
Even at optimal notification frequency levels, 54% of app users will churn in the first 90 days after opening an app
• 

assigns them a churn risk level, giving app publishers the chance to take action before a user is gone.
 Recommendations section of
the report for best practices to engage users and gain the opt in.
CONTENTS
6 GLOSSARY OF TERMS
8 HOW PUSH NOTIFICATION OPT-IN RATES IMPACT APP RETENTION RATES
10 HOW PUSH NOTIFICATION SEND FREQUENCY IMPACTS APP RETENTION RATES
11 All Apps
16 Retail Apps
24 Media Apps
31 Utility & Productivity Apps
39 Sports & Recreation Apps
47 RECOMMENDATIONS: GETTING DOWN TO WORK
52 TAKE GREATER CONTROL: PREDICTIVE CHURN ANALYTICS CAN HELP
55 RESOURCES TO HELP GET USERS HOOKED ON YOUR APP
58 METHODOLOGY
59 EXPLORE THE FULL SUITE OF MOBILE GROWTH DRIVERS
60 ABOUT URBAN AIRSHIP
APP RETENTION:

CHURN: 

FREQUENCY COHORTS

• Zero Push Notications Sent:
• One Push Notication Sent: 
• ~2x Monthly Push Notications Sent:
• ~Weekly Push Notications Sent:
• ~Daily Push Notications Sent:
• Daily+ Push Notications Sent:
OPT-IN APP USERS: 


GLOSSARY OF TERMS
OPT-OUT APP USERS: 

PUSH NOTIFICATIONS: 


For more, see our cheat sheet, .
PREDICTIVE CHURN ANALYTICS: 

Connect mobile data solutions.
PLATFORMS:
Android
iOS
How Push Notication
Opt-In Rates Impact
App Retention Rates
GET DATA TO ANSWER:
• 
• 
PUSH NOTIFICATION OPT-IN RATES: ANDROID VS. iOS



past three years,
though iOS rates are seeing small increases year-over-year, and slightly more Android users seem to be taking steps to opt
out of the automatic permission apps receive.
Overall Opt-in Rates for New App Users in This Analysis:
KEY TAKEAWAY:

Our top resources for getting the opt in are listed in this blog post.
85
%
50
%
How Push Notication
Opt-In Rates Impact
App Retention Rates
IN THIS SECTION, GET DATA TO QUESTIONS LIKE:
• Does sending push notications increase retention?
• Does sending too many push notications cause users to churn?
• Is there a relationship between the frequency of push notications and app retention rates?
PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IMPACT
ON APP RETENTION RATES


retention rates than those who do not.
KEY TAKEAWAY:


Overall 90-day App
Retention Rate Increase,
Moving from Sending
Zero Push Notications
to Higher Messaging
Frequencies
95% OF UNADDRESSED NEW USERS CHURN WITHIN 90 DAYS


$.95 cents of every dollar spent acquiring new users.
KEY TAKEAWAY:

ignoring an important and direct channel to engage users who have opted in
any revenue that could have been generated from actively engaged users is lost.
Retention Rates for
Non-Messaged Users
(iOS and Android)
A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF OPT-IN USERS DO
NOT RECEIVE ANY PUSH NOTIFICATIONS



KEY TAKEAWAY:
App users who receive any

Building a messaging strategyTools and templates
help you build a content plan that converts occasional users into your most loyal fans.
30
%
received zero push notifications
13
%
received only one push notification
15
%
received zero push notifications
17
%
received only one push notification
Push Notications Sent in the First 90 Days After First App Open
COMPARING PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY COHORTS



KEY TAKEAWAY:





in Common
Moving from Sending Zero Push Notications to
Sending Weekly Push Notications
2x app retention
6x app retention
Moving from Sending Zero Push Notications to
Sending Daily+ Push Notications
3x app retention
10x app retention
A Deeper Dive:
Benchmarks for Four
Key Verticals



patterns revealed.


• online and brick-and-mortar brands,
• 
• specialty stores,
• grocery stores,
• discount/deal/samples/flash sale,
• 
• 


RETAIL
RETAIL
n = 11,798,654
PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IMPACT
ON APP RETENTION RATES: ANDROID
Retail: 90-day App
Retention Rate Increase,
Moving from Sending
Zero Push Notications
to Higher Messaging
Frequencies on Android
RETAIL

broken out by platform.
PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IMPACT
ON APP RETENTION RATES: iOS
Retail: 90-day App
Retention Rate Increase,
Moving from Sending
Zero Push Notications
to Higher Messaging
Frequencies on iOS
n = 7,937,815
RETAIL
RETAIL OPT-IN RATES ARE GENERALLY HIGHER


Average Opt-In Rate:
92
%
49
%
75
%
Overall*

RETAIL
RETAIL OPT-IN USERS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER
APP RETENTION RATES THAN OPT-OUT USERS



Opt-in users have app retention
rates 40
%
longer than opt-out users
Opt-in users have app retention
rates 90
%
longer than opt-out users
User Retention
RETAIL
RETAIL APP USERS RECEIVING ANY NOTIFICATIONS ARE
RETAINED 110% MORE ON AVERAGE THAN THOSE WHO DON’T


212
%
110
%
Increase in App Retention Rate When Messaged At All Over the First 90 Days
RETAIL
INCREASING PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY HAS
A SIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP WITH APP RETENTION
RATES FOR RETAILERS



cohort for Android.
50
%
38
%
90-day Retention Rates For Users Receiving Daily+ Notications
RETAIL
KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THE RETAIL VERTICAL
• 
behaviors shown in-app, or data from other channels. (See Recommendations section.)
• Getting the opt-in is truly critical to better retention

• 



• 
automated and campaign messaging will yield the best results. A carefully devised and implemented strategy based on
user preferences, behaviors and transactional updates can reap big rewards. (See Recommendations section.)
• in-app Message Center. According to our data,

customers read nearly half of all message center
messages. Ensure users have a location to see your messaging at their convenience.


• global media,
• 
• national radio stations,
• 
• 
• 

• 

Media users outlined above.
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A closer look at the impact on retention of frequency rates over time on both iOS and Android for the Media vertical is
broken out by platform.
PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IMPACT ON APP
RETENTION RATES: ANDROID
Media: 90-day App
Retention Rate Increase,
Moving from Sending
Zero Push Notications
to Higher Messaging
Frequencies on Android
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PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IMPACT ON APP
RETENTION RATES: iOS
Media: 90-day App
Retention Rate Increase,
Moving from Sending
Zero Push Notications
to Higher Messaging
Frequencies on iOS
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MEDIA OPT-IN RATES CAN BE IMPROVED


messaging matters to long term user retention.
Average Opt-In Rate:
68%
47%
60% Overall
*

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THE DELTA BETWEEN DAILY+ AND ZERO
NOTIFICATIONS IN MEDIA APPS



over 90 days given the nature of the media business.


28%
43%
Percentage of Opt-Ins Receiving Zero or One Notication
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PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IN MEDIA APPS




However, Media apps that make themselves a Daily or Daily+ companion to users see much higher retention rates. Moving

Increase in Retention Rate When Moving from Zero to Greater Notication Frequency
Sending Daily+

388
%
app retention
285
%
app retention
Sending ~Weekly

125
%
app retention
69
%
app retention
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KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR THE MEDIA VERTICAL
• 
implement an engagement strategy. Within the Media vertical, this can be accomplished through tagging and
automation triggers

increase retention. (See Recommendations section.)
• 

• 
need, as evidenced by the gap in retention rates.
• 
Android.
• 



• weather,
• navigation,
• reference,
• controls,
• 
• sharing economy,
• 
• task-related apps.


UTILITY & PRODUCTIVITY
UTILITY &
PRODUCTIVITY

vertical is broken out by platform.
PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IMPACT
ON APP RETENTION RATES: ANDROID
Utility & Productivity:
90-day App Retention
Rate Increase, Moving
from Sending Zero Push
Notications to Higher
Messaging Frequencies
on Android
UTILITY &
PRODUCTIVITY
PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IMPACT
ON APP RETENTION RATES: iOS
Utility & Productivity:
90-day App Retention
Rate Increase, Moving
from Sending Zero Push
Notications to Higher
Messaging Frequencies
on iOS
UTILITY &
PRODUCTIVITY
UTILITY & PRODUCTIVITY OPT-IN RATES ARE HIGHEST



Average Opt-In Rate:
87
%
57
%
81
%
Overall*

UTILITY &
PRODUCTIVITY
OPT-INS ARE MOST IMPORTANT FOR UTILITY
& PRODUCTIVITY APP RETENTION

likely pointing to the engaged nature of app users and their desire to fully use the functionality provided.
Opt-in users
are retained
49
%
LONGER
than opt-out users — the highest for any vertical.
UTILITY &
PRODUCTIVITY
Despite the highest opt-in rate and the biggest retention gain for opt-in users, many users still do not receive any push

in combination with 
complement to SMS in reaching users in the moment, and the ability to provide follow up messaging via in-app content, and
a less intrusive way to re-engage lapsed users than SMS.
AN EXTREMELY HIGH NUMBER OF USERS RECEIVE ZERO
PUSH NOTIFICATIONS FROM UTILITY & PRODUCTIVITY APPS
38
%
of Utility & Productivity users are in the Zero or One notification frequency cohorts.
33
%
of Utility & Productivity users receive zero push notifications — the largest zero-
send percentage among all verticals and both platforms.
UTILITY &
PRODUCTIVITY
Data shows the best retention rates are seen from Daily or Daily+ frequency, although Weekly on iOS also performs well.
Increase in Retention Rate When Moving from Zero to Greater Notication Frequency

on Android.
IDEAL PUSH NOTIFICATION SEND FREQUENCY FOR
UTILITY & PRODUCTIVITY APPS IS DAILY OR MORE
Zero to Weekly Notification Frequency
125
%
0
%
Zero to Daily+ Notification Frequency
190
%
460
%
KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR THE UTILITY & PRODUCTIVITY VERTICAL
• 



• Users want apps to help them accomplish tasks more quickly and easily than they can on their own. Be sure to tailor
messaging strategies around user activities
• 
successful in this category pair triggered messaging with seasonally or personally relevant marketing or educational
content to retain their highest-value users.
• 
may lead to better results than at other times.


• 
• sports associations,
• individual team,
• sports-only news, and
• 


SPORTS & RECREATION
SPORTS & REC
PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IMPACT
ON APP RETENTION RATES: ANDROID
Sports & Recreation:
90-day App Retention
Rate Increase, Moving
from Sending Zero Push
Notications to Higher
Messaging Frequencies
on Android

vertical is broken out by platform.
SPORTS & REC
PUSH NOTIFICATION FREQUENCY IMPACT
ON APP RETENTION RATES: iOS
Sports & Recreation:
90-day App Retention
Rate Increase, Moving
from Sending Zero Push
Notications to Higher
Messaging Frequencies
on iOS
SPORTS & REC
SPORTS & RECREATION OPT-IN RATES ARE
IN LINE WITH INDUSTRY AVERAGES



Average Opt-In Rate:
80
%
51
%
68
%
Overall*

SPORTS & REC
SPORTS & REC

high engagement. But that engagement must be cultivated… and frequently.
SPORTS & RECREATION APPS MUST STRIKE
WHILE THE IRON (AND INTEREST) IS HOT
Opt-out
users have
57
%
GRE ATE R
90-day retention rates than opt-in users receiving
Zero notifications on both Android and iOS.
SPORTS & REC
WEEKLY, DAILY AND DAILY+ VOLUMES PAY
DIVIDENDS FOR SPORTS & RECREATION APPS

messaging. Data shows the best retention rates are seen from Daily or Daily+ frequency, although Weekly on Android also

At 90 days
51
%
users were retained through Daily+ messaging
55
%
users were retained through Daily+ messaging
some of the highest 90-day retention
rates across all verticals.
SPORTS & REC


that rate through a thoughtful messaging strategy will improve overall app retention.
Increase in Retention Rate When Moving from Zero to Greater Notication Frequency
INCREASING FREQUENCY — THROUGH ADDED
UTILITY — INCREASES RETENTION RATES
Zero to Weekly
257
%
50
%
Zero to Daily+
629
%
293
%
SPORTS & REC
KEY TAKEAWAYS FOR THE SPORTS & RECREATION VERTICAL
• Users are very passionate about sports and recreation activities they care about, as evidenced by one of the highest

for both Android and iOS.
• 

• 

sent more frequently, which has a positive impact on retention.
• As with other verticals, increasing messaging through a concerted strategy to provide value to users will increase
retention without fear of over-messaging. (See Recommendations section.)
RECOMMENDATIONS

insights. What actions can you take to keep users

Focus on the app purpose and user goals.
• Every business and type of app serve a different purpose, 
consider the intersection of brand goals and users’ goals.

activities across other channels.
• simple automation rules
and lifecycle triggers for a welcome message or series. Increasing message frequency often involves more thoughtful
segmentation and automation rules, using cross-channel and in-app data to reach people at the right moment with the
right message. (We can help with that.)
• 
The Message Center

• Build in habit from the start.

• 
omnichannel engagement.
APP MESSAGING STRATEGY:
• 


• 

• 
• 


• Message Centers reach the entire app audience, and are easy to implement. In high-performing apps, opt-out
users read 25% of all Message Center messages.
Looking for a little more help?
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

our Strategic Services team today.
GETTING THE OPT IN
ENGAGING NOTIFICATION CONTENT
• 
Mobile Content Plan Template provides a

• stand out with rich media


• 30+ button pairs
OOTBsign up
to get going today
• Ensure you leave time to design and test compelling inactivity messaging based on value to the user. Consider timing
it with the launch of new features, seasonal content, new offers, etc. to re-engage the lapsed user and demonstrate the
utility that builds habit.
• 
interest in are on sale. Use your knowledge of what the user has previously engaged with to trigger their return.
• 
what has been added since their last visit that makes the app more useful for them.
• 
• 
only through the app.
• Increase click-through rates with interactive buttons that
support photos, videos, GIFs and even audio.
• 
Need a better way to organize and map your notication content?
Writing for mobile can be hard, as can balancing the types and frequency of messages sent. Our Mobile Content Plan

EFFECTIVE MESSAGING: BEST PRACTICES
TAKE GREATER
CONTROL

STOP APP USER CHURN BEFORE IT HAPPENS



predict churn risk. We call it Predictive Churn Analytics.
Simply put, Predictive Churn Analytics is a machine learning model to assess a user’s risk of churning, allowing brands
to take preemptive action to keep at-risk users.
before they do so. The model also fuels look-alike targeting for those at low risk to churn.





PREDICTIVE CHURN ANALYTICS INCLUDES:
• 
• 
• Ad hoc drill down analysis with any other data point to determine content and offers most likely to generate action
• 

KEY TAKEAWAY:

Bain & Company
research
Mobile is where your users are today, do what you can to keep them.
RESOURCES
Get Users Hooked On Your App
RESOURCES TO HELP GET USERS HOOKED ON YOUR APP


content to help you move faster.
PREDICTIVE CHURN ANALYTICS RESOURCES:
• Video Overview: Predictive Churn Analytics
• Technical Documentation: Predictive Churn Analytics
• Blog post: Want to Predict & Prevent Customer Churn — and Increase App Retention? This Blog Post is For You.
APP ENGAGEMENT RESOURCES & BEST PRACTICES:
• eBook: How to Boost Mobile Engagement & Achieve Mobile Growth
• 
• 
• Benchmarks Report: First Look - Message Center Read Rates
• 
TEMPLATES & HOW-TO’S:
• Template: Building a Mobile Content Plan
• 
• 
• Blog Post: How to Write a Better App Store Update (and Boost App Store Optimization)
• Blog Post: Mobile App Marketing How To Series: Getting the Opt In
INSPIRATION GUIDES:
• 
• 
• In-App Campaigns Inspiration Guide
• Message Center Inspiration Guide
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METHODOLOGY
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
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