Personalization has officially taken center stage in the world of engagement, no longer as a luxury but as a necessity.
Let's get real — reading something that feels like it was made for anybody feels a bit hollow and disingenuous, right? Whether consciously or not, people will always seek out brands that make them feel instantly understood and valued. It’s up to you to make sure your messages stand out in the sea of sameness we’ve all come to know and put up with.
This is more than just a new coat of paint for your mobile messaging campaigns
Marketers who take the time (and have the tools) to personalize their mobile messaging transform cookie-cutter communications into meaningful connections, leading to a 344% higher average engagement rate than generic messages.
Product managers who use personalized messaging bring new app features and existing user interests into full alignment, nurturing monthly active users (MAU) and enabling them to remain competitive in the market.
Review personalization best practices and quick wins
Understand the tools you need to create truly personalized experiences
Find your vertical & start elevating each customer touchpoint with a personal touch
Let’s start by acknowledging that not every mobile app falls neatly into the five categories we’ve laid out below (eCommerce, Gaming, Fintech, Health & Fitness, and Media/Entertainment). Regardless of your vertical, message personalization is an incredibly impactful way to capitalize on key customer milestones.
Here are the best ways every app can reap the rewards of in-app personalization.
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Mobile messaging personalization relies on several backend mechanisms that allow for tailored and relevant communication with users
Assigned labels to users based on their actions, preferences, or attributes to facilitate personalized messaging.
Content that changes based on user behavior, preferences, or other data points.
Distinct user groups divided by demographics, behavior, and other criteria to send targeted messages.
Cater to a global audience with custom language and time zone triggers.
A combination of tags, filters, and conditional statements to ensure the right content is displayed at the right time.
Over half of push notification subscribers say that message irrelevance is the top reason they consider brand communications to be “spam.” Customer preferences evolve every month, and in eCommerce, your ability to keep communications relevant to those preferences is the difference between a sale and a stalled conversion.
Mobile messaging resonates most within the context of established purchase intent – in other words, your customers have already demonstrated their interest in specific products, services, or buying habits. By proactively collecting and then re-packaging your campaigns to reflect this unique data, you make every notification an intuitive and engaging touchpoint. You also reduce the effort required for customers to find products they are interested in, effectively streamlining the pathway from “passively interested” to “no-brainer purchase.”
77% of consumers have chosen, recommended, or paid more for a brand that provides a personalized experience.
Approach every campaign with a relevancy-first mindset and go the extra mile with every channel…
Use abandoned cart reminders which include the specific items the customer left behind.
Send product recommendations informed by customers’ browsing histories to suggest similar products and cross-selling opportunities.
Schedule birthday promotions with a personalized message and unique discount.
Tailor re-engagement messages highlighting new arrivals in categories customers have previously shown interest in.
Leverage social proof and geotarget users based on how many people from their area or with similar tastes have purchased a product.
Send post-purchase follow-ups to provide tips on using the product or suggest complementary items.
The world’s premier sneaker and online streetwear marketplace
“Our mobile app users represent some of our most engaged prospects. Nurturing these users is a huge part of our strategy, and this involves delivering only the most pertinent information at the most appropriate time.”
The top 25% of mobile games have an average monthly retention rate of less than 4%. Mobile gamers are notoriously hard to retain due to the vast number of available alternatives and the tendency for players to lose interest as soon as they’re not feeling challenged or rewarded.
Personalized messaging empowers players by giving them a sense of ownership over their unique journeys within the game. By tailoring interactions to align with each player’s progress, preferences, and in-game achievements, you create motivating touchpoints that keep them deeply immersed in their mobile experience. This relevance ensures that every notification feels like a natural extension of their gameplay, meaning players are not just participants — they become the protagonists of their own journeys, driving long-term loyalty.
Who doesn’t love a healthy dose of serotonin? Motivate players with relevant notifications that remind them of the rewarding experience that awaits them…
Offer daily challenges or quests that are customized to the player’s current level or progress.
Celebrate players with personalized milestones (e.g., high scores, streaks, reaching a new rank) and rewards.
Provide regular updates on player progress toward goals or achievements, motivating them to keep playing.
Recommend and incentivize relevant in-game items or bundles based on players’ past purchases or current needs.
Notify players about in-game events tailored to their gameplay style or past participation, increasing engagement.
Send exclusive offers or discounts to reward top-performing players, enhancing their loyalty and spending.
A veteran-founded mobile game studio that brings beloved games, including Dominos, Backgammon, and Gin Rummy to a mobile audience
Reduce churn after download, while improving player retention and engagement
Lacked precision, sophisticated analytics, and personalization features to create a unique experience
140% increase in paid user activation 10 days after implementing re-engagement campaigns based on each player’s in-game activity and optimal send times.
650% increase in CTR with Data Tag Implementation
“Every Journey is based on what they've done in the app, which makes returning to the app much easier.”
The key to sustainable engagement in the fintech space is earning user trust. Message relevancy fosters this trust by consistently providing valuable and timely information that helps users manage their finances effectively.
When users receive messages that are specifically tailored to their financial situation—such as alerts about low balances or personalized advice—they perceive your app as attentive and reliable. This attentiveness not only strengthens your users’ emotional connection to your app but also encourages consistent retention, the more secure your users feel.
Peace of mind goes a long way. Reinforce trust and encourage users to take control of their financial future with personalized messages that speak directly to their needs and goals…
Send real-time alerts for account activity, such as low balances, large transactions, or payment due dates, tailored to each user's financial habits.
Provide financial advice based on the user's spending patterns or savings goals.
Send custom reminders to users when they are nearing or exceeding their budget in specific categories.
Send personalized re-engagement messages to users who have been inactive, highlighting new features or benefits they may find valuable.
Acknowledge and celebrate when users reach savings milestones, encouraging continued use of savings features.
Offer personalized tutorials or tips on how to use certain app features based on what the user has explored or not yet utilized.
Bitcoin.com is a financial services company that specializes in making cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin more accessible
The influx of traffic resulting from push notifications was stressing their backend infrastructure and requiring labor-intensive workarounds
Product and marketing teams required technical support in order to implement messages
Messaging reporting was limited with Firebase and required using Branch and other additional add-ons
Non-technical team members are no longer dependent on dev support for message personalization, empowering them to implement engagement strategies much quicker
Used in-app messages to help educate users and improve the adoption of security features like cloud backup.
Automated real-time transactional push notifications to support a shared wallet feature that coordinates transactions between multiple user
“We’re constantly meeting with the customer support team. For instance, if I get information that some users experience the same problem over and over and that problem is common for different cohorts, then we can send an in-app message to educate the user so that they don’t make that same mistake again.”
The average health and fitness app’s retention rate in 2022 was 37% on the first day, dropping to 9% by day 28.
As with a traditional gym routine, many users start their journeys with strong intentions but often struggle to sustain their engagement due to a lack of personalized support, relevant content, and timely encouragement.
With success in this vertical so dependent on user goal-setting and personal motivation, it makes sense that personalization plays such a crucial role in slowing churn and retaining users over time.
When users receive tailored reminders, progress updates, and motivational prompts that align with their specific goals and behaviors, it reinforces their commitment to their health and keeps them engaged. By celebrating small victories, personalization helps maintain the momentum needed to achieve long-term fitness goals, making the experience not just about completing tasks but about continuous personal growth and success.
Inspire users to reach their health and fitness goals with personalized messages that keep them on track and energized every step of the way…
Send reminders for scheduled workouts based on users' preferred times and fitness goals.
Provide regular updates on users’ progress toward their fitness goals, such as weight loss, strength gains, or distance runs.
Provide custom suggestions based on users’ fitness levels, goals, and past activities, keeping routines fresh and engaging.
Send personalized motivational messages that resonate with the user’s progress and challenges.
Invite users to participate in personalized challenges that are aligned with their favorite workouts and goals, fostering a sense of community and competition.
Acknowledge and celebrate when users hit significant milestones, like completing their 100th workout or reaching a new personal best.
A diet and fitness app publisher with over 100 million users globally
Boosting user retention, increasing app engagement, and generating in-app purchases in a highly competitive marketplace
Delivering highly personalized, timely, and contextually relevant messages at scale
By promoting contextually relevant upsells via personalized push notifications, BetterMe doubled their conversion rate for in-app challenges and doubled their total in-app purchases — a 100% performance increase
Through segmenting users based on specific app behaviors, journey milestones, and biometrics, they saw a 22% boost in app retention
“We use personalization in two ways: first, to segment users, and second, to personalize the information in a message. When a user sees their target weight or their age in a message, it makes it more about them — and it’s more likely to work.”
Media apps face a unique uphill battle in maintaining user attention in a highly competitive and content-saturated environment. There’s always another option and users can easily become overwhelmed or distracted, leading to lower engagement rates and app abandonment.
Personalization satisfies users’ desire for relevance, making their experience more meaningful and engaging. It also addresses the implicit need for convenience, helping them quickly find what they want in a sea of content, which reduces decision fatigue. As a bonus, this experience enhances the feeling of autonomy, empowering users to feel in control of their media consumption.
These psychological factors directly encourage metrics like increased session duration, higher content consumption rates, and improved user retention.
Deliver personalized content that aligns with their interests and viewing habits, ensuring every article, video, or alert resonates with what matters most to them…
Send notifications tailored to the user’s preferred topics or breaking news categories, ensuring they stay informed on what matters most to them.
Offer users a personalized daily or weekly news digest featuring articles and stories that align with their reading habits and interests.
Send reminders to revisit articles they started but didn’t finish, or suggest similar content based on their browsing history.
Provide news and alerts specific to the user’s location, keeping them connected to what’s happening in their community.
Engage users with personalized polls or surveys based on the content they consume, making them feel more involved in the news process.
Personalize renewal reminders with a summary of the user’s most-read content and how their subscription has kept them informed, encouraging them to continue their membership.
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