How Push Notifications Work

How Push Messages Work

This article will provide background on Push Messages and direct to several sub-articles on particular subjects regarding the TapWyse Manager.

Some Background on Push Messages

Push Messages appear on a phone's lock screen for users that have downloaded your app and set Push Messages to Allow. Users are prompted when they first open the app to either Allow or Don't Allow Push Messages.

Every Push Message displays in an app's Message Center for 30 days, which ensures users that received them can access them after the fact and those that chose to not allow them will still be able to view them in their app.

Push Messages on iOS

For more on Apple's Push Message feature, click HERE. 

Push Messages on Android

For more on Android's Push Messages feature, click HERE.

What To Use Push Messages For

Push Messages are best used to convey a short message of 178 characters or less to your app's users. They are most commonly used for the following:
  1. Facility Updates
  2. Upcoming Events
  3. New Beer Releases
  4. Food Truck Schedules
  5. Staff Highlights

Who Will Receive My App's Push Messages?

There are three requirements for a user to receive Push Messages:
  1. User has downloaded your app.
  2. User has set Push Messages to Allowed for your app.
  3. The Push Message you send out is set to Broadcast or they are within the Targeted segment. For more information on that, skip to Audience in the next section.

How To Send A Push Message

To send out a Push Message, complete the following steps:
  1. Log into your TapWyse Manager.
  2. Click Push Messages.

  3. Fill out the following sections:

1) Audience

Who will receive your message. There are three options:
  1. Test: Just one individual, as identified by the email address entered in their user profile.
  2. Targeted: A specific group of individuals chosen by you. There are three ways to target users (click each link for more info):
    1. By Email List (Most specific)
    2. By Interest Group
    3. By Customer ID Field
  3. Broadcast: Sent to everyone that has downloaded the app and allowed Push Messages.

2) Message

Type in what the message will say (limit 178 characters).
Emoji's work in this box! ⛳️ 🎉

3) Action

When the user receives a Push Message, you can control where it sends them if they tap on it. Choose from the following options:
  1. Open Home Screen: Takes the user to the app's Home Screen.
  2. Open Website: Takes the user to a url of your choosing
  3. Go To App Page: Takes the user to a specific page in the app. Here are the options:
    1. Custom Button: Directs to a Custom Button you have created (most often a button linked to an App Page or a Custom Folder button).
    2. Subscriptions: Directs to the Membership button
    3. Rewards: Directs to the Rewards button

4) Devices

Allows you to choose which devices will receive your push message (iOS, Android, or both)
Alert
To reach the widest possible audience, leave this section marked Android and iOS.

5) Scheduling

Allows you to choose when the message will go out to its audience.
  1. Immediate: Sends out immediately.
  2. Scheduled: Select a date/time that the message will automatically send.
Notes
To view a list of Scheduled Push Messages in your app, click HERE.

Push Message Analytics

How To View Push Message Analytics

For more information on this feature, please view our Push Message Analytics knowledge base article.

In the TapWyse Dashboard, Navigate to the Push Messages link in the left-hand menu under Engage Users --> Push Messages. The ensuing page will display the full history of Push Messages.

Meaning of Push Message Analytics Numbers

Sent To

The number of users that received the Push Message.
Alert
This number indicates how many of your users have push messages enabled and DOES NOT reflect how many downloads your app currently has. That number is likely much larger, as a portion of your downloaders most likely will not have Push Messages enabled.

Direct Responses

Users that received your Push Message and immediately clicked on it to view the Action you set.

Indirect Responses

Users that did not immediately tap on the message to initiate the Action, but found their way into your app within the next couple of hours.
Info
For more information on direct and indirect responses, click HERE.
For more information on Push Message Analytics, please view our How Push Message Analytics Work article.


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