Windows 10 app devs will soon be able to send notifications to select users

Brad Stephenson

Man and woman in an office using Microsoft Continuum on a Windows Phone and monitor

Windows 10 apps will soon allow developers to send push notifications to specific groups of users via an upcoming customer segmentation feature that’s currently being tested in the Windows Dev Center Insider Program.

This new functionality, once enabled, will categorize app users based on pre-selected criteria that can be customized by the app’s developer. For example, a business may want to target a specific gender or age group or maybe even all of the app users who have or haven’t made a product purchase through the app. Once the categories are created, the app can send push notifications (if enabled by the user) to each group. It will create a more targeted marketing experience.

Once the feature rolls out, it should be very easy for developers to take advantage of. “When defining a customer segment, you first select a specific app. Then you can create AND/OR queries that include or exclude customers based on attributes such as app acquisitions, acquisition source and demographic criteria, with options to refine further,” The Windows App Team explains. “You can also select criteria related to first time purchase status, total Store spend, and total spend within the app you’ve selected.”

The segment will only include customers who have acquired your app on Windows 10

There is a limit to the data that can be collected from all of the app users though. If someone is running the app on a pre-Windows 10 operating system, for example, the feature won’t work at all. The Windows App Team explains, “The segment will only include customers who have acquired your app on Windows 10; if you support older OS versions, downloads on those older OS versions will not be included in any segments you create.  You won’t be able to create customer segments that don’t meet a minimum size threshold, and only adult age groups are included in any customer segment.”

What do you think about app user segmentation? Like it or hate it, let us know in the comments below.