Email marketing has long been the go-to channel for Shopify merchants, but push notifications — especially those delivered through Apple and Google Wallet passes — are emerging as a higher-engagement, zero-cost alternative. This calculator compares the ROI of both channels side by side, helping you understand where to invest your loyalty program communication efforts. Whether you are deciding between email campaigns and wallet pass push notifications or optimizing a multi-channel strategy, this tool gives you the data to allocate budget effectively. To understand how wallet passes work in practice, check out our guide on wallet passes for fashion brands.
How to Use This Push Notification vs Email ROI Calculator
- Enter your email list size and push notification (or wallet pass) subscriber count from your Shopify dashboard and loyalty app.
- Set your open rates and click-through rates for each channel — use your actual data or start with the industry defaults provided.
- Input your average order value and store conversion rate from Shopify Analytics.
- Add your email cost per send from your email service provider — wallet pass push notifications are typically free.
- Compare the results to see revenue per campaign, revenue per subscriber, and overall ROI for each channel.
How to interpret: The most important metric is revenue per subscriber, not total revenue. Even if email generates more total revenue due to a larger list, push notifications often deliver 2-4x more revenue per subscriber. This means growing your wallet pass subscriber base is typically more valuable than growing your email list. If push revenue per subscriber is significantly higher than email, prioritize wallet pass enrollment in your loyalty program. The zero cost of push notifications via wallet passes also means infinite theoretical ROI — every dollar in revenue is pure profit from the channel perspective.
📈 Industry Benchmarks
| Industry | Typical Range | Good Target |
|---|
| Fashion & Apparel | Email: $0.10-0.25/recipient, Push: $0.30-0.60/subscriber | Push 3x email per-subscriber revenue |
| Beauty & Cosmetics | Email: $0.15-0.30/recipient, Push: $0.35-0.70/subscriber | Push 2.5x email per-subscriber revenue |
| Food & Beverage | Email: $0.05-0.15/recipient, Push: $0.15-0.40/subscriber | Push 3x email per-subscriber revenue |
| Health & Wellness | Email: $0.12-0.25/recipient, Push: $0.30-0.55/subscriber | Push 2.5x email per-subscriber revenue |
| Pet Supplies | Email: $0.10-0.22/recipient, Push: $0.25-0.50/subscriber | Push 2.5x email per-subscriber revenue |
📝 Example Calculations
Beauty & Cosmetics
A beauty brand with 8,000 email subscribers and 3,000 wallet pass holders generates similar total revenue from both channels — but push delivers $0.48 per subscriber versus $0.19 per email recipient. With only 37.5% of the audience, wallet pass push notifications produce nearly the same revenue, making each subscriber 2.5x more valuable.
Inputs
| email list size | 8,000 |
| push subscribers | 3,000 |
| email open rate | 25 |
| push open rate | 50 |
| email click rate | 4 |
| push click rate | 15 |
| average order value | 55 |
| conversion rate | 3.5 |
| email cost per send | 0.004 |
Results
| email revenue | 1,540 |
| push revenue | 1,443.75 |
| email cost | 32.00 |
| email roi | 4,712.5 |
| email rev per recipient | 0.19 |
| push rev per recipient | 0.48 |
Coffee & Specialty Food
A specialty coffee Shopify store sees push notifications outperform email 2:1 in total revenue despite having fewer subscribers. Coffee customers respond well to wallet pass reminders about points balances and rewards, driving a 55% open rate that translates to $616 per push campaign versus $307 per email blast.
Inputs
| email list size | 4,000 |
| push subscribers | 2,500 |
| email open rate | 20 |
| push open rate | 55 |
| email click rate | 3 |
| push click rate | 14 |
| average order value | 32 |
| conversion rate | 4 |
| email cost per send | 0.003 |
Results
| email revenue | 307.20 |
| push revenue | 616.00 |
| email cost | 12.00 |
| email roi | 2,460 |
| email rev per recipient | 0.08 |
| push rev per recipient | 0.25 |
Sports & Outdoors
A sports equipment store with a large email list of 12,000 but only 4,000 wallet pass holders finds that push notifications generate $1,428 per campaign versus $1,147 from email — with one-third the audience. The higher AOV amplifies push notification effectiveness, delivering $0.36 per push subscriber versus $0.10 per email subscriber.
Inputs
| email list size | 12,000 |
| push subscribers | 4,000 |
| email open rate | 18 |
| push open rate | 42 |
| email click rate | 2.5 |
| push click rate | 10 |
| average order value | 85 |
| conversion rate | 2.5 |
| email cost per send | 0.005 |
Results
| email revenue | 1,147.5 |
| push revenue | 1,428 |
| email cost | 60.00 |
| email roi | 1,812.5 |
| email rev per recipient | 0.10 |
| push rev per recipient | 0.36 |
💡 When to Use This Tool
Deciding whether to add wallet pass notifications
Quantify the revenue potential of push notifications before investing in wallet pass technology.
Allocating marketing budget between email and push
See which channel delivers better ROI per dollar and per subscriber to optimize spend.
Justifying loyalty app investment
Show that wallet pass push notifications generate comparable revenue to email at zero marginal cost. Pair this with the
loyalty ROI calculator for a complete investment case.
Optimizing loyalty program communication cadence
Use per-subscriber revenue data to determine the right frequency for each channel.
Measuring wallet pass adoption impact
Model how growing your wallet pass base from 1,000 to 5,000 subscribers changes total push revenue.
Comparing seasonal campaign performance
Run calculations for peak vs. off-peak periods to see how channel effectiveness varies.
FAQ
Why do push notifications have higher open rates than email?
Push notifications appear directly on the customer's lock screen, making them nearly impossible to miss. Email competes with dozens of other messages in an inbox and is often filtered to promotions tabs. Wallet pass notifications benefit from being associated with a saved loyalty card, adding context and trust to each message.
Are wallet pass push notifications really free?
Yes. Unlike email (which costs per send through ESPs) and SMS (which costs per message), Apple and Google Wallet pass updates are free to send. This gives wallet pass push notifications an inherent ROI advantage since there is no marginal cost per message, making every conversion pure profit from a channel cost perspective.
Should I replace email marketing with push notifications?
No — use both channels together. Email is better for long-form content like newsletters and detailed promotions. Push notifications excel at time-sensitive alerts like point balance updates, reward unlocks, and flash sales. The best Shopify loyalty strategies use wallet passes for high-frequency, short messages and email for deeper engagement.
How do I grow my wallet pass subscriber base?
Offer wallet pass enrollment during checkout, in post-purchase emails, and through your loyalty program signup flow. Incentivize adoption with bonus points for saving the pass. Many JeriCommerce merchants see 30-50% of loyalty members adopt wallet passes within the first 60 days when prompted with a clear value proposition.
What types of push notifications work best for loyalty programs?
The highest-performing notifications are point balance updates, reward unlock alerts, tier upgrade congratulations, and limited-time bonus point offers. Personalized messages referencing specific reward progress ('You are 50 points away from a $10 reward!') consistently outperform generic promotional blasts by 2-3x in click-through rate.
How often should I send push notifications?
For loyalty programs, 2-4 push notifications per week is optimal. This includes automated triggers (point earned, reward available) and 1-2 manual campaigns. Over-sending leads to wallet pass deletion, so monitor your unsubscribe rate. If deletion rate exceeds 2% per month, reduce frequency. Email can be sent 1-3 times per week alongside push.
Methodology: This calculator models a single campaign for each channel using a funnel approach: audience size * open rate * click-through rate * store conversion rate * average order value = campaign revenue. Email costs are calculated based on per-send pricing from ESPs, while push notifications via wallet passes carry zero marginal cost. Revenue per subscriber normalizes the comparison across different audience sizes. This model assumes a single-send campaign without multi-touch sequences or automated flows. For ongoing optimization, track these metrics monthly and adjust your channel mix based on actual performance data from your Shopify analytics. Understanding your
retention strategy by industry can help you choose the right communication mix for your store.
📚 Sources & Further Reading
Reach Customers Instantly with Wallet Pass Notifications
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