Push notifications are the only channel you control end to end. They can also be the fastest way to get a customer to disable notifications forever. The difference is relevance, timing and restraint.
Most food delivery apps send too many promotional pushes and too few operational ones. The operational message — “your rider is five minutes away” — is the one customers actually want.
| Trigger | Message | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Order accepted | Restaurant is preparing your order | Immediately |
| Rider assigned | Your rider is on the way | On assignment |
| Rider at restaurant | Picking up your order | At pickup |
| Out for delivery | Arriving in X minutes | On departure |
| Delivered | Enjoy your meal + rating prompt | On delivery |
| Reorder nudge | Your favourite is available | 7–14 days after last order |
| Win-back | We miss you + a small offer | 21–30 days inactive |
| Loyalty reminder | 2 orders to a free delivery | When close to reward |
Operational messages build trust
Order-status notifications reduce support calls and anxiety. They should be automatic, accurate and tied to real events, not scheduled guesses. If the rider is delayed, send the new estimate before the customer asks.
Deep-link every message to the order screen. A notification that opens the home page makes the customer search for the order they were just told about.
Promotional messages need a reason
“Order now” is not a reason. “Your favourite biryani is back”, “Friday family bundle”, “you have $3 credit expiring tomorrow” are reasons. Segment by cuisine preference, order frequency and location. Do not send a dinner offer at 10am or a breakfast offer at 9pm.
Frequency caps
Set a maximum number of promotional pushes per week, separate from operational messages. A common starting point is two promotional pushes per week and unlimited operational messages. If a customer has not opened a push in 30 days, reduce the frequency or move them to another channel.
Opt-in and preferences
Ask for notification permission at a moment of value, such as after the first order or when tracking an active order. Let customers choose categories: order updates, offers, loyalty. Respect the choice; a disabled channel is hard to recover.
Measure beyond open rate
- Order conversion within 24 hours of a push.
- Unsubscribe/disable rate per campaign.
- Support contacts after operational messages.
- Repeat order rate for notified vs control groups.
- Revenue per push, net of discount.
A simple first campaign
- Turn on all order-status messages and deep-link them.
- Add a day-7 reorder nudge for customers with a favourite item.
- Add a day-21 win-back with a small credit.
- Cap promotional pushes at two per week.
- Run a control group to measure incremental orders.
- Remove any message that does not beat the control.
See the loyalty guide, the cart abandonment guide, or the software page.
Notification mistakes
- Sending promotional pushes without a segment or a reason.
- Letting order-status messages open the home page instead of the order.
- Treating a disabled notification channel as a lost cause rather than a signal.
Audit every message: does it help the customer complete or enjoy an order? If not, it belongs in an email or not at all.