📱 Mobile

In-App Message

In-App Notification · In-App Messaging

Definition

An in-app message is a communication displayed during an active mobile app session, used for personalized offers, onboarding and announcements.

What an in-app message is

An in-app message is a communication that appears while the person is actively using the app. It is
not a lock-screen notification or a badge — it is an interface element arising inside the current
session.

The defining difference from push: no operating system permission is required. Someone who declined
push notifications will still see in-app messages while using the app.

The formats

Format	Description	When to use
Modal popup	Over the content, requires an action	Important offers, confirmations
Banner	Slides in top or bottom, non-blocking	Promotions, light notices
Full-screen	The whole screen	Onboarding, major campaigns
Tooltip	Points at a UI element	Teaching features, feature adoption
Feed card	Embedded in the content stream	Personal recommendations, new arrivals

The advantage of the moment

An in-app message appears at the point of peak engagement — the person has already opened the app,
is browsing the catalogue or holding an item in the cart. That makes the channel particularly
effective for conversion messages.

Typical e-commerce triggers:

Browsing products in a category → show a personal discount on a bestseller
Cart not ordered for five minutes → show a reminder with an expiring offer
First purchase just completed → show an onboarding message about the loyalty programme
Nth visit without a purchase → a personal offer based on viewed products

Tip: do not use the full-screen format for promotional messages at the start of a session — it
creates a poor experience. Full-screen is justified for onboarding new users or where the person
has opted into special offers.

Frequency capping

The main risk of in-app communication is fatigue. Frequency capping limits impressions per person:
no more than one in-app message per session and no more than three a week, for instance.

Practical rules:

One popup per session at most
After a dismissal, a pause of at least 24 hours for that person
Never show the same message more than three times without a conversion

In-app or push

An in-app message suits reinforcing an action in the current session. Push suits bringing someone
back into the app later. The best strategy combines them: push returns the person, in-app converts.

Frequently asked questions

How does an in-app message differ from a push notification?

A push is delivered when the app is closed or backgrounded, needs OS permission and can be switched off. An in-app message appears only during an active session, needs no permission and cannot be disabled in system settings. Click-through is usually higher because the person is already engaged.

Which in-app formats exist?

The main ones: a modal popup (covers content, requires an action), a banner (slides in from the top or bottom without blocking), full-screen (for major promotions or onboarding), a tooltip (points at a specific UI element) and a card embedded in a content feed.

When should an in-app message be shown?

Triggers: app open, navigating to a particular screen, adding an item to the cart (as an upsell trigger), 30 seconds of inactivity on a category screen, or reaching a milestone such as a first purchase or an Nth visit. The discipline is frequency capping.

Can in-app messages be personalized?

Yes — and that is their main advantage over broadcast push. The message can adapt to the segment, to in-session behaviour, to purchase history or to the affinity profile. A personalized in-app message at the right moment of a session is one of the strongest conversion instruments in an app.

Gravity Field

In-App Messages in Gravity Field

The Gravity Field mobile platform supports personalized in-app messages in several formats with targeting, A/B testing of content and triggered display on behavioural events.

✦Several message formats — banner, popup, full-screen

✦Targeting by segment and by behaviour in the session

✦A/B testing of in-app message content

✦Frequency capping for controlling cadence

✦Triggered display on behavioural events

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