The analytics team at RiverTraffic shares fresh insights into the shifting landscape of digital marketing in 2025. As privacy regulations grow stricter and tracking becomes more limited, traditional ad channels are losing effectiveness. Yet push notifications continue to deliver solid results and remain one of the most reliable tools on the market.

What’s happening in the industry?

• Since early 2024, banner ad conversion rates have dropped by 17%

• Over 60% of browsers now block third-party cookies

• More than 79% of iOS users have opted out of IDFA tracking

This means that traditional advertising approaches no longer work as they used to.

Why push notifications still work

According to internal RiverTraffic analytics:

Reasons for stable performance:

• Users explicitly opt in to receive notifications

• High visibility and instant delivery

• Independent of cookies or IDFA

• Compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations

GEOs where push performs best

Q2 2025 data highlights strong performance in:

• Philippines — CTR up to 12%, high engagement

• India — affordable mobile traffic with excellent scalability

• Brazil — large subscriber base and strong LTV

• Vietnam & Nigeria — consistent growth of 25–30% QoQ

Recommendations from our analysts

• Segment by time, geo, and device

• Refresh creatives regularly to avoid fatigue

• Localize messaging — increases CTR by up to 27%

• Use A/B testing and automate creative rotation

Push is compliant and safe

Unlike many formats, push notifications:

• Don’t rely on cookies

• Require direct user consent

• Respect personal data and privacy

Conclusion

Push remains a strong performer in today’s privacy-first marketing environment. It’s an effective, transparent, and regulation-compliant way to reach and retain users — ideal for both advertisers and publishers.

For businesses looking for stable, scalable user acquisition, push is still one of the most powerful tools available.