What Is Push Notification ROI?
Push notification ROI measures the gross profit attributed to push-driven orders compared with the cost of your push platform. Because most push platforms charge a monthly subscription rather than a fee for each message, the result can be high—but it depends on your margin, order volume, and how accurately you attribute sales.
Use ROI alongside cost per order and revenue, not on its own. A campaign can show a strong return against a low platform fee while still generating too few orders to matter to your store. Compare push with paid channels using the same profit assumptions; our ROAS Calculator can help evaluate ad spend after product costs.
Push Notification ROI Formulas
Campaign orders
Campaign orders = Subscribers × Campaigns per month × Delivery rate × Click rate × Conversion rate
Automated orders
Automated orders = Automated messages × Delivery rate × Click rate × Automated conversion rate
The calculator applies delivery and click rates to automated messages as well as campaigns. Its automated conversion rate represents the share of automated clicks that result in a purchase.
Push ROI
Push ROI = ((Gross profit from push − Platform cost) ÷ Platform cost) × 100
Cost per order
Cost per order = Platform cost ÷ Total push-attributed orders
Monthly subscriber growth
New subscribers = Monthly visitors × Opt-in rate
Net subscriber growth = New subscribers − (Subscribers × Churn rate)
Gross profit is push-attributed revenue multiplied by gross margin. This ROI formula counts the platform fee as the investment; add other campaign expenses, such as creative production or staff time, if you want a broader return calculation.
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter
subscribers— the current number of people who can receive your web push notifications. - Set
campaignsPerMonth,deliveryRate,clickRate, andconversionRate— these estimate campaign reach and the proportion of clicks that become purchases. Use recent platform reports where possible. - Enter
avgOrderValueandgrossMargin— these turn estimated orders into revenue and gross profit. Use product costs when calculating margin, rather than treating revenue as profit. - Add
platformCost— enter the monthly subscription fee for your push service. - Enter
automatedMessagesandautomatedCvr— estimate monthly sends from flows such as cart reminders or back-in-stock alerts, and the conversion rate from automated clicks to orders. - Complete
optInRate,monthlyVisitors, andchurnRate— these estimate how quickly your subscriber list grows after opt-ins and unsubscribes.
Step-by-Step Example
A Shopify store has 8,000 subscribers, sends 10 campaigns a month, and sends 3,000 automated messages. Assume the same delivery and click rates for both message types.
| Calculation | Arithmetic | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign messages delivered | 8,000 × 10 × 0.85 | 68,000 |
| Campaign clicks | 68,000 × 0.06 | 4,080 |
| Campaign orders | 4,080 × 0.04 | 163.2 |
| Campaign revenue | 163.2 × $60 | $9,792.00 |
| Automated messages delivered | 3,000 × 0.85 | 2,550 |
| Automated clicks | 2,550 × 0.06 | 153 |
| Automated orders | 153 × 0.07 | 10.71 |
| Automated revenue | 10.71 × $60 | $642.60 |
The combined projected revenue is $9,792 + $642.60 = $10,434.60. At a 60% gross margin, gross profit is $10,434.60 × 0.60 = $6,260.76. With a $49 monthly platform fee, ROI is (($6,260.76 − $49) ÷ $49) × 100 = 12,677%, and cost per projected order is $49 ÷ 173.91 = $0.28.
Fractional orders are expected in a forecast; actual orders are whole numbers and can vary by month. Treat the result as an estimate, especially if your platform’s attribution window counts purchases that may also have been influenced by email, ads, or organic visits.
Interpreting ROI and Channel Comparisons
Push ROI can look unusually high because the denominator is often a fixed monthly platform fee, while SMS and some email services charge based on sends or list size. That does not mean push should replace those channels: email generally reaches more customers, while SMS can reach people who have not opted in to browser notifications. Push is best suited to short, timely messages such as restocks, price changes, and cart reminders.
Compare channels using the same period, profit margin, and attribution rules. If paid advertising is part of the comparison, account for ad spend and product costs with the CPA Calculator or Meta Ads Budget Calculator. The Small Business Administration recommends tracking marketing results against business goals; use its marketing and sales guidance to structure that review.
Push Notification Benchmarks
Benchmarks vary by audience, device, industry, and measurement method. Use them as starting points, then compare against your own campaign history.
| Metric | Common range or pattern | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Web push opt-in rate | 3–8% of visitors | Prompt timing, page, and value proposition |
| Web push click rate | 4–8% of delivered notifications | Relevance, timing, and message clarity |
| Automated push click rate | Often 8–15% | Whether the trigger matches a clear customer need |
| Mobile app push click rate | Often 7–12% | App engagement and notification permission |
| Subscriber churn | Store-specific; track monthly | Unsubscribes, browser changes, and inactive devices |
These rates are directional, not guarantees. A small, highly engaged subscriber list can outperform a larger list with weak targeting.
6 Tips to Improve Push Notification ROI
- Test prompt timing: Change an immediate opt-in prompt to a prompt shown after 15 seconds, then compare opt-ins per visitor. A custom pre-prompt can explain what subscribers will receive before the browser asks for permission.
- Target high-intent pages: Show a relevant opt-in message on product or cart pages instead of asking every homepage visitor. Explain the benefit, such as restock alerts, before requesting permission.
- Separate campaign and automation results: Tag back-in-stock, price-drop, and cart messages separately in your analytics. This reveals which flow earns its place rather than letting automated conversions mask weak campaigns.
- Test send frequency: If you send 12 broadcasts monthly, test 8 for a month on a comparable audience. Track clicks, orders, and unsubscribes to see whether fewer messages protect engagement without sacrificing sales.
- Use a contribution-margin target: If a product’s gross margin falls from 55% to 35% after a discount, recalculate push ROI before promoting it. Revenue can rise while profit falls.
- Review attribution and consent: Check the platform’s attribution window and avoid counting the same purchase as a push, email, and ad conversion without a consistent rule. The FTC’s guidance on advertising and marketing online explains that digital promotions still need to be truthful and not misleading.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate push notification ROI?
Push ROI = ((Gross Profit from Push - Platform Cost) / Platform Cost) × 100. Unlike email and SMS, push notifications have no per-message cost — you only pay the platform fee. With $2,000 push revenue, 60% margin, and $49/mo platform cost: (($1,200 - $49) / $49) × 100 = 2,349% ROI.
What is a good push notification click rate?
Average web push click rates are 4-8%, significantly higher than email (2-4%). Automated pushes (back-in-stock, price drop, cart abandonment) typically see 8-15% click rates. Mobile app push click rates are even higher at 7-12%; personalized and time-sensitive pushes tend to perform best.
How much do push notification platforms cost?
Push notification platforms for Shopify include PushOwl ($19-$79/mo), OneSignal (free up to 10K subscribers, then $9-$99/mo), Firepush ($15-$29/mo plus an SMS add-on), and iZooto ($85-$250/mo). Push typically has no per-message fee, unlike SMS, which may cost $0.01-$0.03 per message; check each provider’s current pricing and plan limits.
What is a good push notification opt-in rate?
Average web push opt-in rates are 3-8% of site visitors, while well-timed, contextual prompts can reach 10-15%. Test delaying the prompt by 10-30 seconds, showing it on high-intent pages, and explaining the benefit before the browser prompt appears. Measure opt-ins against visitors who actually saw the prompt.
How does push compare to email and SMS for ecommerce?
Push has a low marginal message cost, fast delivery, and typical web click rates of 4-8%, but its subscriber base is usually smaller than an email list. Email supports longer content, and SMS reaches customers through a different channel but can carry per-message costs. Use push alongside those channels for time-sensitive alerts rather than treating it as a replacement.
About This Calculator
The Push Notification ROI Calculator was built by Luis Dev Studio for Shopify merchants evaluating campaign and automated push performance. For help applying the results to your store, contact us or explore our Shopify services.
Updated by Luis Gonzalez · Apr 11, 2026