Marketing Cloud Engagement | Types of Messages Available in MobilePush

The standard push notification. Marketing Cloud sends a remote notification request to the message provider (FCM/APNs) for each device. This allows you to notify users in a timely manner even when they are not actively using the app. In this product, this is also referred to as an Alert or push notification.

This message type uses a different mechanism from Outbound push notifications. Specifically, the Salesforce SDK requests and downloads messages from Marketing Cloud when the app is launched or brought to the foreground. After downloading, messages can be displayed within the app using a list view or similar interface. This is commonly used for in-app notification feeds. Tapping a notification can also redirect users to a specified URL within the app and display personalized content. In addition, it is possible to send an Inbox message simultaneously with an Outbound push notification (referred to as Inbox + Alert).

Furthermore, for apps using SDK version 9 or later, the Inbox 2.0 feature is available. With Inbox 2.0, tapping a message supports various call-to-action (CTA) options beyond CloudPages, such as launching the app, opening a web URL, or taking no action.

Reference: Get More Send Message Options with Inbox 2.0

 

Displays messages within the app in the form of modals, full-page overlays, or banners while the user is actively using the app. Since messages are shown while the user is engaged, they can be displayed at the moment the user is most attentive. Use cases include triggering a message when navigating to a specific page within the app or when a specific action such as adding an item to a cart is performed. Like Inbox, messages are downloaded from Marketing Cloud via the SDK and can be delivered to devices with notifications disabled.

Mechanism:
Messages are generated when a contact passes through the In-App Message activity in Journey Builder. At that point, a silent push is sent to opted-in devices to notify them that a new message is available. When the silent push is processed on the device, the message is fetched from MCE. Opted-out devices retrieve the message the next time the app is launched.

Unlike Inbox, messages are delivered on a ContactKey basis, and each message is displayed only once per contact*.

*If multiple devices are associated with a contact, the message is displayed on only one device. However, due to sync timing between Marketing Cloud and each device, it may be displayed on multiple devices during testing.

For more details on use cases and differences from other message types, refer to this article.

• Geofence Messages: Define a geofence in Marketing Cloud and trigger a notification on the device when the user enters or exits the defined area. For example, you can define a 500-meter radius around a specific store and trigger a notification about an event or sale when a user enters that area.
• Beacon Messages: Define beacon information (UUID, major, minor) in Marketing Cloud and trigger a notification when a user's device detects the beacon. For example, you can trigger a notification when a device detects a beacon placed near a specific in-store display during a sale.