Push Notifications vs Email: Which Drives More Engagement?

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Introduction

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Email and push notifications are two cornerstone channels for customer engagement in today’s digital marketing. 

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Email has long been the workhorse for reaching a broad audience with detailed content and boasts more than 4 billion email users worldwide.

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‍Push notifications, on the other hand, have risen with the mobile era, allowing brands to reach users directly on their devices in real time. An average smartphone user in the U.S. now receives 46 app push notifications per day.

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Both channels play vital roles in engaging customers: email offers rich, long-form communication, while push delivers instant, bite-sized alerts.

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However, each channel has distinct strengths and limitations. Marketers often ask “Which channel drives more engagement?”

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The truth is that both email and push can be highly effective, and the best results often come from using them together strategically. 

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In this article, we’ll compare email and push notifications across key metrics – from open rates and click-throughs to cost and use cases – to understand how each contributes to customer engagement.

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What This Article Will Cover

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• Open Rates: Typical open rates for push notifications vs. email.
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• Engagement Rates: Click-through and interaction rates on each channel.
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• Cost & ROI: A look at cost per message, platform fees, and the return on investment for email and push campaigns.
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• Best Use Cases: When to use push notifications  vs when to use email, including examples for eCommerce and general marketing.
  
  

• Push Notifications in eCommerce: Why push notifications are such a powerful tool for eCommerce brands and how to get started with them.
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• Effectiveness & Strategy: How effective push notifications can be in re-engaging users and why a combined, multichannel approach often yields the best results.

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Push Notifications vs Email: At a Glance

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To quickly compare the two channels, here’s a snapshot of how push notifications and email stack up on key engagement metrics and qualities:

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Push Notifications vs Email: Key Marketing Statistics for 2025

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Usage & Volume

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Email remains the most widely used marketing channel, with 360+ billion emails sent daily in 2024. Its usage keeps growing despite claims that it’s a “dying channel.”

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Push notifications have surged in volume with mobile app adoption. As mentioned, the average US smartphone user now receives 46 push alerts per day and OneSignal estimates that over 10 billion pushes are sent daily.

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Opt-In & Reach

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• Email has a much broader reach, with over 4 billion global users. Anyone who shares their email can be targeted.
  
  

• Push requires opt-in per app/device. Around 60% of app users enable push:
  
  
  
  • Android: 81–90% opt-in by default (lower since 2023 due to new prompts)
    
    
  • iOS: 44–51% opt-in manually
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Takeaway: Push targets a smaller but more engaged audience.

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Engagement & Benchmarks

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• Email open rates: ~20–25% on average
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• Email click-through rate (CTR): ~2%
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• Push reaction rates (CTR equivalent): 7.8% on average, reaching 10–15% in some industries
  
  

• Retail & eCommerce: Account for 22% of all push traffic
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• One study found push campaigns deliver 7× higher CTR than email
  
  

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Behaviour & Timing

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• Push messages get faster responses due to mobile immediacy
  
  
• Best times to send: 9–11am or 6–8pm
  
  
• Tuesdays see the highest push reaction rates (~8.4%; up to 11% in travel)
  
  
• Email fatigue is real:
  
  
  
  • Workers receive 100–120 emails daily
    
    
  • 81% unsubscribe from brands that over-email

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Open Rates: Push Notifications vs Email

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Push notifications have a clear edge over email when it comes to visibility. While emails must be opened manually, push notifications appear instantly on a user’s lock screen or notification tray – meaning nearly all are seen.

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However, the more useful metric is click-through rate (or reaction rate). On average, 7–10% of users tap a push, though this varies by industry. Travel apps see some of the highest rates (up to 29%), with finance and retail also performing well in the low double digits.

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What Impacts Push Notification Click-Through Rates?

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• Timing: Notifications sent at the user’s ideal time can boost engagement by 75% and purchases by 384%.
  
  
• Personalisation: Tailored messages perform up to 4× better than generic ones.
  
  
• Format: Adding emojis or rich media can increase engagement by 20–25%.
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In short: push notifications offer higher visibility than email, but to drive action, they must also be well-timed, relevant, and personalised.

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Email Open Rates: What’s Normal and What Moves the Needle

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Email open rates have long been a core metric for marketers. On average, most industries see 20–25% – meaning roughly one in four or five emails gets opened. That said, results can vary widely. Highly engaged or niche audiences might hit 40–50%, while broader retail lists may sit closer to 15–20%.

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How do industry averages compare?

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• Nonprofits and community updates often hit 50%+
  
  
• B2B newsletters can reach 40%+
  
  
• eCommerce and beauty brands typically see 25–30%
  
  
• Saturated segments like daily deals may drop below 20%
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Email open rates are still a meaningful measure, but they’re just the first step. With sharp subject lines, and strong deliverability, you can boost your chances – but getting users to click and take action is what really counts.

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Engagement Rates: Push Notifications vs Email

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Push Notification Engagement

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Push notifications drive faster, more direct engagement than email. On average, around 8% of recipients tap on a push – and that number can climb significantly with personalisation and urgency. Highly targeted pushes (like price drop alerts or cart reminders) can reach click-through rates (CTR) of 16–30%.

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Where push excels is immediacy. It opens the app directly, often deep-linking users into a product page or checkout. That simplicity leads to higher conversions, particularly for time-sensitive offers. 

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Push also boosts long-term retention. Users who opt in to push typically engage 26% more often, and a single notification sent within the first week of app install can improve 2-month retention by 71%.

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Interactive elements, like quick replies or CTA buttons, improve performance even more – with some reports showing a 40%+ increase in engagement when actionable buttons are used.

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Because push reaches opted-in users directly on their device, engagement rates are strong. When the timing and content are right, they’re hard to beat.

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Email Engagement

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Email engagement is slower but steady. The average email click-through rate (CTR) sits at around 1–3%, depending on the audience and content. While that’s lower than push, email reaches a larger audience and allows for more content – multiple links, visuals, and detailed copy.

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Email’s real strength is ROI and relationship-building. Despite low CTRs, email drives high returns – £36 for every £1 spent – because of its low cost and long-term value. A customer might ignore five emails but click the sixth and make a high-value purchase.

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Email also supports longer-term nurturing via campaigns, newsletters, and educational content. Over time, this builds trust and loyalty, even if individual clicks are modest.

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But inbox fatigue is real. People receive a flood of emails daily. If your messages are too frequent or not relevant, users will tune out or unsubscribe – over 80% say they will if they feel overwhelmed.

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That’s why segmentation, personalisation, and timing matter. Tailoring content to past behaviour or preferences makes emails more relevant. A clear call-to-action and mobile-friendly design also improve clicks. A/B testing subject lines, copy, and layouts helps optimise performance.

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Tip: Focus on quality over quantity. Make every email count with valuable content, smart targeting, and compelling design.

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Which is cheaper Push Notifications or Email?

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Push Notifications Cost

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Services like APNs and FCM are free. Third-party platforms (e.g., OneSignal, Klaviyo) charge by subscriber count, not per message.

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Free tiers are common (OneSignal: unlimited pushes for up to 10,000 users); paid plans for 10,000+ users range roughly £15–£120/month (equivalent to $20–$150)

Email Cost

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ESPs charge by contact volume. For 10,000 subscribers, expect £80–£120/month for unlimited sending, or £1–£2 per 1,000 emails via solutions like Amazon SES .

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In short, both are cost effective but as your business scales, email will become a considerable cost. Push, however, remains entirely free to send when using an app builder, like Venn Apps.

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When to Use Push Notifications vs Email

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Both email and push notifications have their strengths. Smart marketers use them together, matching each channel to the message and moment. Here’s when to use each:

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📲 Best Use Cases for Push Notifications

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1. Flash Sales & Time-Sensitive Promos

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Push is unbeatable for urgency. A flash sale, lightning deal, or one-day offer is best delivered via push – it shows up on the lock screen, grabs attention, and drives instant action. Retailers often use it to prompt real-time responses.

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2. Back-in-Stock & Price Drop Alerts

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When users show interest in a product, a push at the right moment – when it’s back in stock or discounted – feels timely and helpful. These messages are personal, highly relevant, and tend to convert quickly.

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3. Urgent Reminders & Transactional Alerts

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From flight check-ins to food delivery updates or fraud alerts, push is perfect for time-critical updates. Users expect these and value the immediacy. Combine with a follow-up email if the info needs to be saved.

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4. App-Specific Engagement & Loyalty

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Push is ideal for driving in-app activity. Use it to promote app-only offers, notify loyalty rewards, or re-engage lapsed users. Behaviour-triggered pushes like “We miss you – here’s 20% off” work especially well. Push can increase app engagement by up to 191%.

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5. Real-Time & Location-Based Updates

‍Geo-triggered messages (“You’re near our store – pop in for 20% off”) and live event alerts are where push really shines. Apps also use push for score updates, breaking news, or live event changes. It's instant, relevant, and action-oriented.

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📧 Best Use Cases for Email

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1. Newsletters & Long-Form Content

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When you’ve got more to say – stories, blog links, event roundups – email is your digital canvas. You can format with images, buttons, videos, and rich copy. Great for content-driven brands, educational series, or product roundups.
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2. Product Collections & Multi-Offer Campaigns

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Emails are perfect for showcasing multiple products at once. You can include full descriptions, pricing, and links. Holiday and seasonal campaigns often perform best via email due to the space available to tell the story and list deals.

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3. Post-Purchase & Transactional Messages

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Receipts, shipping updates, onboarding guides – email is best for messages users might need to refer back to. It’s searchable, formal, and preferred for order details and customer support replies.

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4. Onboarding & Drip Campaigns

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Use email to educate and guide new users over time. A series of welcome messages, tips, and reminders can help activate and retain new customers. Ideal for SaaS onboarding or long sales cycles.

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5. Coordinated Multi-Step Campaigns

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Combine email and push for best results. For example:

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• Email: Event invite with full details
  
  
• Push: “Starts in 1 hour” reminder
  Or for abandoned carts:
  
  
• Email: Visual summary with discount
  
  
• Push: “Your cart is waiting” nudge
  
  

Multichannel strategies improve conversions without adding cost. Just ensure each message serves a unique role.

Best for: Education, follow-ups, product discovery, and content-rich journeys.

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Push Notifications for eCommerce brands: The Untapped Opportunity

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Despite their strong performance — including higher click-through rates than email — push notifications remain underused by many eCommerce brands. A common barrier is the belief that mobile apps are expensive or technically difficult to build. But that’s no longer the case.

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Thanks to platforms like Venn Apps, launching your own branded mobile app is fast, accessible, and affordable. In fact, brands can go live in as little as 4 weeks, without the need for internal dev resources. Once live, you can start driving incremental revenue through targeted, high-performing push notifications from day one.

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That’s why some of the fastest-growing DTC brands — including Represent, TOTEME, Anine Bing, and Motel Rocks — have partnered with Venn Apps to elevate their mobile strategy.

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With an app, you can:

• Run flash sales, early access drops, and back-in-stock alerts

• Send loyalty promotions and personalised product recommendations

• Automate lifecycle journeys, from cart recovery to VIP perks

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All delivered straight to the device your best customers use most — with no per-message costs.

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💡 Check out our complete guide to eCommerce push notifications if you're interested in learning more about how they can help your brand.

📈 Apps built with Venn Apps regularly drive double-digit push click-through rates, helping brands boost retention, repeat purchases, and customer lifetime value.

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If you're serious about owning your customer relationships and maximising mobile engagement, an app is a must-have in 2025.

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Final Thoughts: Which Channel Wins?

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When comparing push notifications vs email across open rates, click-throughs, cost, and use cases, one thing is clear: it’s not about choosing a winner, but knowing when to use each.

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Push notifications tend to drive higher immediate engagement. They’re seen instantly on a user’s device and are perfect for time-sensitive actions like flash sales or reminders. Emails, on the other hand, offer greater reach, richer content, and are better for long-form communication, post-purchase messages, and nurturing over time.

But this isn’t a case of either/or. The real power lies in using both channels together.

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A coordinated strategy – say, sending an email introducing a new product, then following up with a push about a limited-time discount – delivers better results than either alone.

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Why Both Channels Matter

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• Customer journey fit: Use email for awareness and onboarding, push for conversions and reminders.
  
  
• Personalisation: Some users prefer one channel over the other – offering both boosts overall reach.
  
  
• Message type: Email suits content-heavy campaigns. Push is ideal for alerts and quick calls to action.
  
  
• Redundancy: Emails might go to spam. Push might be muted. Using both ensures delivery.
  
  
• Combined impact: Even if one channel isn’t clicked, it still supports the journey. Look at total performance, not isolated metrics.
  
  

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The Bottom Line

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Push drives instant action. Email builds lasting relationships. Together, they form a complete strategy – driving quick wins and long-term loyalty. Don’t pick one. Use both, intelligently.