1. What are web push notifications?
Web Push Notifications are opt-in browser-based notifications served to the users who have explicitly opted-in to receive them. Web Push Notifications can be delivered to a user's desktop or mobile screen anytime they have their browser open. These affordable, handy marketing tool helps marketers and website owners to increase their website revisits. Since web push notifications are served via browsers, subscribers can receive them whether they are on the website or not.
2. How do Web Push Notifications work?
There are 3 stages for activation and deployment of web push notifications
a) Web push Configuration and Activation ( For more details click here - https://cmercury.com/web-push-notifications-guide)
b) Activation of the Subscription Prompt Box
c) Campaign creation & deployment
For the website visitors the subscription prompt is served and those who click on the “Allow subscription prompt”, will be added to the web push subscriber base. As the user opts in, the vital information required to send push notifications to that specific user ( say Browser ID) is collected and stored on cmercury’s secure servers.
Next step is campaign creation and deployment. Web push notifications will be delivered if the user is on the browser or else it will be delivered once the user opens up the browser. The marketer can also set a shelf-life for each web push notification in cmercury.
3. Do all browsers support Web Push Notifications?
Web push notification works with major service worker supported browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Opera, Mozilla Firefox and Safari ( only with MacOS).
4. Does Web Push Notification work in incognito or private browser mode?
Web Push notifications does not work in Incognito/Private Mode of browsers.
Additional Note :
a) web push notifications are not supported with in-app browsers like those inside Facebook/Instagram.
b) Web Push does not work inside webviews on Android.
5. Do cmercury uses cookies for web push ?
cmercury uses cookies for web push notifications. Cookies last for a lifetime, unless manually cleared by the user. Cookies ensure a better user experience by identifying the website visitors who were already prompted for subscription and do not showcase the subscription prompt during their revisits.
Cookies ensure a better user experience by identifying the website visitors who already subscribed or opted out, and do not showcase the subscription prompt again during their revisits.
6. What technology does cmercury use- VAPID or FCM?
cmercury is using FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) technology to send web push notifications.
7. Do cmercury web push supports both HTTPS and HTTP Websites?
Yes, cmercury web push supports both HTTPS & HTTP.
Login to cmercury platform and click the website dropdown menu from the web push module and add your website. While you add your website, select the HTTP/HTTPS option depending on whether your website is HTTP or HTTPS. Place the pixel generated in your website header either directly or via Google Tag Manager. Additionally for HTTPS websites, ensure to upload the cmercury SDK files to the top-level root of your site directory, making them publicly accessible.
8. If my mobile site runs on a subdomain (m.example.com), how can I implement web push notifications?
If the desktop and mobile site are on the same domain, you can place the pixel on the desktop site and should work on both mobile and desktop.
Example: Desktop – http://www.xyz.com & Mobile – http://www.m.xyz.com
If the desktop and mobile site are on different domains, then generate different pixels and deploy on the mobile site.
Example: Desktop - http://www.xyz.com & Mobile – www.abc.com
9. Does cmercury JavaScript impact the website page load time?
No, it does not. cmercury JavaScript is optimized to load very fast without affecting your website speed. To further optimize, the website owners can opt to call the JS with a short delay after the necessary data is loaded on the website.
10. Do cmercury web push support Notification expiry ?
Yes, cmercury web push supports both Notification expiry. Notification Expiry time referred to as Time-to-Live (TTL) is a value that defines web push notification’s shelf life. For time-bound messages including flash sales, limited period offers, breaking news etc. , you can set notification expiry so that the subscribers will receive the notifications strictly within the stipulated time frame.
11: Can subscribers receive notifications when the browser is closed?
Recipients of the notifications vary from browser to browser depending on how closely the browser interacts with the Operating System.
a) Chrome: Subscribers receive notifications even when the window is closed. However, to enable this, Chrome needs to run in the background.
b) For Firefox on Mac: Users can receive notifications when the browser is closed provided the browser is still running (indicated by '.' in the menu).
c) For Firefox on Windows: Users won’t receive notifications when the browser is closed as the background process gets killed when the window is closed.
d) Safari: As Safari interacts with Mac OS very closely, users can receive notifications irrespective of whether the browser is running or not.
12. Can I migrate from my existing web push vendor to cmercury without losing my subscribers?
Yes you can migrate, provided your website is on HTTPS. Follow the simple steps below for migrating your subscribers to cmercury.
a) Use the same FCM credentials which you used with your existing vendor while setting up your website in cmercury panel.
b) Download the subscriber ids from your previous vendor and your customer success manager will assist you to add the same to your cmercury web push account
Note :
For HTTP websites the subscriptions are managed on the service provider's subdomain and hence migration of subscribers is impossible.
13. What is the character limit for a notification title, message and landing URL for web push notifications?
The standard limit defined for notification title is 50 characters , for messages 120 characters and for landing URL there is no limit.
14. Can we customize a web push notification in cmercury ? If yes, which elements can be customized?
Yes, In cmercury you can customize your Notification title, Message, Image and Landing URL of your web push notification.
