Push notifications serve as a real-time, direct way to engage with customers who visit your OpenCart store. By integrating OneSignal, a widely used push notification service, you can send personalized messages directly to customers’ devices (desktop or mobile) even if they are not currently browsing your site.

Key Features

1. User Subscription Prompt:
   • The moment users reach the OpenCart store, a pop-up will automatically appear asking whether they would like to subscribe for future notifications. 
   • When users confirm opting in, they form part of the subscribers' list, and hence you can send them further notifications later. 
   • The process of subscribing is so simple and non-intrusive and does not ask users for their contact details, such as email and phone numbers. 
2. Automated and Scheduled Notifications:
   •  Automated notifications are set when a specific action or events (e.g., item added to cart, product viewed, or abandoned cart).
   • Notifications can be programmed for upcoming sales, product launches, special offers, etc. 
   • You can change notifications to particular segments based on user behaviour for better engagement. 
3. Real-Time Inventory and Price Alerts:
   • Notify the user about changes in inventory, such as "restocked" items and price drops of previously viewed or wishlisted products. 
   • This real-time alert feature helps drive sales, especially if customers were waiting for price drops or out-of-stock items.
4. Abandoned Cart Reminders:
   • If users add items to their cart but don’t complete the purchase, push notifications can remind them, potentially recovering lost sales.
   • You can add limited-time offers or discounts to these reminders to encourage the purchase.
5. Location-Based Notifications:
   • Send location-specific promotions, such as region-specific offers and local store events, to different users in different regions. 
   • This makes the notifications more relevant and timely.
6. Advanced Segmentation and Targeting:
   • OneSignal offers robust segmentation options, allowing you to send notifications based on user behavior, demographics, and device type.
   • Segmentation can increase the likelihood of user engagement since messages are tailored to individual preferences and actions.
7. Personalised Content and Rich Media Support:
   • Customise messages with the user’s name, product preferences, or last viewed item.
   • The use of images, emojis, and a call-to-action button will make the message more interesting in order to lead to action swiftly. 
8. Analytics and Performance Tracking:
   • OneSignal provides the analytics of every notification for the performance and open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rate.
   • Use these insights for better optimisations in future notifications. Reach targeted segments with relevant content with these analytics.

Benefits of OneSignal Push Notifications for OpenCart

1. Increased Customer Engagement:
   • Push notifications make customers aware of new arrivals, discounts, or events in the store and keep coming back to the store.
   • Personalised notification is the gateway to an enhanced user experience and also increases conversion. 
2. Higher Conversion Rates:
   • Abandoned cart reminders, restock reminders, or special discount reminders help bring about conversions.
   • Upselling or cross-selling through notifications. Send related items to a customer's phone based on what they browsed or bought.
3. Better Retention and Loyalty:
   • Customers can be brought back regularly, thus enhancing loyalty by means of consistent engagement using push notifications.
   • Keeping a customer updated on exclusive deals, rewards, and promotions adds to an individual's feeling of exclusivity while cementing the relationship between customers and business.
4. Cost-Effective Marketing Tool:
   • Push notifications are cheaper than typical marketing channels such as email or SMS because, for example, they do not require contact information from a user and are not blocked by spam filters. 
   • You can implement the push notification strategy at a reasonable price using OneSignal's free or premium plans.
5. Real-Time Communication:
   • Push notifications are direct, reaching users in time. Therefore, it is a wonderful channel to send timely information.
   • This direct access is useful for flash sales, limited-time offers, or urgent product releases.
6. Enhanced Analytics and Data-Driven Decision-Making:
   • Analytics provided by OneSignal help to understand user engagement better and make decisions on the best strategies. 
   • Real-time data helps test various types of notifications, refine targeting, and experiment with different call-to-actions for optimised performance.