Texts and push notifications are so similar that it can be tempting to lump them together and treat them the same way.  They both arrive on a user’s mobile device, they both have to fit within tight character limits, but they both have average open rates that are over 90%.
So, why would anyone argue that push notifications are better?
Well, one consideration is cost.  Many users do not have unlimited texting plans and will get charged for each text message you send.  It can irritate users and lead them to look at your message negatively.  Or, they may opt out of future messages altogether, which is bad for business.
The same is valid on the business end as well.  The cost of sending out many texts is relevant for many businesses, especially small ones, depending upon what service and platform are used to blast out messages.  Push notifications, in contrast, are unlimited and free when you build and manage your app using Mobilise Solutions!
The opt-in/opt-out dynamic also favours push notifications regarding user attitude.  Users have total control over which apps send them notifications and may even specify which types of information they want from each app.  Text messages, on the other hand, often come unsolicited.  In fact, due to the sale of phone number lists between companies, some users may receive spammy texts from time to time and view SMS as a lower-quality messaging channel.
Push notifications also increase engagement with your app and improve user retention rates.  Thus, they can help drive activity on the topic of your message; they also help increase the returns you see from your app.  Push notifications serve double duty and offer several benefits at once.
With Mobilise Solutions, we also enable you to send custom messages to your customers that entice them to come back into your business. For example, you can send a beautifully designed push notification message in seconds, offering people 10% off their dinner within the next hour if things are slow during certain business hours.
It will help bring in new customers and helps attract loyal customers back into your establishment. The return on investment here is staggering for a small business.

Conclusion
When a user gets a push notification, it’s a message from a company they know and want to hear from.  And from a business standpoint, the cost couldn’t be lower.  Considering their effectiveness and ability to address several goals at once, we find push notifications to be just as good as, if not better than, text messages.  (Of course, there’s no reason not to employ both in your marketing strategy, but if you can use only one, we know which one we prefer.)
Click here to see how incredibly easy it is to create an app for your café or restaurant with mobile food ordering with Mobilise Solutions.