How to Turn Push Notifications into a Powerful Engagement Tool in Business Banking

Push notifications represent a missed opportunity in business banking. They have the potential to be one of the most direct and immediate ways for banks to engage with their customers, yet most banks use them as a simple reporting tool. The challenge isn’t adoption—two-thirds of mobile banking users already receive push notifications. Rather, it’s that most notifications serve a narrow purpose. They deliver information but don’t engage; they notify but don’t empower with actionable insight. 

This Javelin Strategy & Research report explores how financial institutions can transform notifications from background noise into valuable business tools. It lays out how businesses use notifications at their bank today and what they think about them. And it outlines five priority areas for content improvement, providing tactical recommendations for message design and delivery. 

For business owners juggling an array of daily financial tasks, well-crafted notifications can facilitate transactions, enable spending oversight, and anticipate cash-flow challenges—all without requiring users to actively monitor their accounts. FIs that master notifications will solidify their position as a valuable partner in the financial lives of their customers.

Key questions discussed in this report: 

• How are businesses using alerts and push notifications from their bank?
• Where do push notifications fit in the broader landscape of alerts? What are their strengths?
• How can banks and credit unions make push notification content more engaging and useful for business owners?
• What are the guidelines for developing and communicating push notification content?
• How can FIs improve onboarding and encourage the use of push notifications?