Loyalty Program Communication: Push vs SMS vs Email Comparison

You want to tell your loyalty members about a "double points weekend." Three channels stand ready: SMS, email, push notification. But which actually gets read? Three chains — 12, 4, and 1 location respectively — ran the same campaign across all three channels. The hierarchy that emerged was unambiguous.

A/B/C Test Results

Averaged across the three chains: SMS landed at 32% open rate with 8% conversion, email at 42% + 14%, push notification at 78% + 22%. Push wins both reach and persuasion — because users see the notification on the lock screen even with the app closed.

SMS underperforms because most users now auto-silence promotional texts. Email fights spam folders and promotion tabs. Push goes straight to the lock screen, and that single fact triples conversion versus SMS. Email sits cleanly in the middle: better than SMS for content-rich messages, worse than push for time-sensitive ones.

Cost and Scalability

• SMS: $0.01-0.04 per message. 10,000 members = $100-400 per campaign.
• Email: 5,000-50,000 sends costs $20-80/month via Mailgun or Sendgrid.
• Push: unlimited and free via PWA; only the backend hosting cost.

Pro-tier thMenu accounts use PWA push out of the box. When a customer scans the QR menu, the browser asks "Allow notifications?" — average opt-in is 38%. Once that pool grows, per-campaign cost trends to zero, which is why push scales economically as your member base grows.

Decision Matrix: Channel by Context

There's no single winner; context decides. Use push for urgent, time-sensitive campaigns (one-hour flash discount). Use email for long-form newsletters (new menu, brand story). Use SMS as a fallback for members who haven't opted into push but allow texts — especially the 50+ age segment.

The 12-location chain that benchmarked best ran a hybrid: push as primary, email for push opt-outs, SMS only when neither is available. Average monthly conversion hit 19% per campaign — a 50%+ lift over single-channel approaches.

FAQ

Does push require customers to install an app? No. thMenu is PWA-based; the browser can request push permission directly from the QR menu without "add to home screen."

When is SMS still worth it? Transactional messages — booking reminders, "order ready" notifications — not promotions. Open rates for transactional SMS stay above 90%.

How do I improve push opt-in? Don't show the prompt on first menu visit. Wait until after the first order or during account creation — opt-in roughly doubles.

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