Introduction

In-app native displays represent a sophisticated approach to user engagement that goes far beyond traditional pop-up notifications. Unlike intrusive pop-up style in-app nudges that interrupt the user experience, native displays are seamlessly embedded within your app's interface, appearing as a natural and integral part of the user journey. These notifications blend harmoniously with your app's existing design language, typography, and visual hierarchy, creating promotional cards, feature callouts, and contextual nudges that feel authentic rather than disruptive.

The power of native displays lies in their ability to deliver targeted messaging without breaking user immersion. Instead of jarring overlays that demand immediate attention, these displays integrate smoothly into content feeds, dashboard sections, or navigation areas where users naturally expect to find relevant information. This approach significantly improves user acceptance rates and reduces the likelihood of notification fatigue, as users perceive these messages as helpful suggestions rather than marketing interruptions.

Native displays are particularly effective for showcasing new features, promoting premium subscriptions, highlighting special offers, or guiding users through onboarding processes. Their contextual nature allows for precise timing and placement, ensuring that promotional content appears at moments when users are most receptive to engagement. This guide will walk you through the complete process of creating, configuring, and optimizing in-app native displays using the NotifyVisitors platform.

Prerequisites

• Account access: Ability to log in to your NotifyVisitors workspace.
• Admin permissions: Create/edit permissions for In-app campaigns.
• Required software: Latest NotifyVisitors SDK integrated in your Android/iOS app with user/attribute events you intend to target (screen names, custom props, etc.).

Step-by-step process

To use this feature, navigate to the “Optimize” section in the NotifyVisitors console. Subsequently, under the “In-app” section, click on the “Popups/Nudges” tab.

Next, open the Notifications area and choose your platform—Android or iOS—since in-app native displays are supported on both. You’ll land on the notifications list, where you can view/edit notifications you’ve already created (with columns for type, platform, status, mode, and last updated). Use the filters or search if you need to find something specific.

To start from scratch, click Create New Notification and proceed to set up your native display.

On the screen, you’ll see several in-app notification types. Choose Native Display, designed to blend seamlessly with your app’s UI for promotional cards, feature callouts, or contextual nudges. Click Create under this tile to start building your message. 

After you click Create, you’ll enter the in-app notification editor, which is organized into four tabs: Themes, Basic, Targeting Rules, and Postback.

1. Themes

Start in Themes to choose your layout. This gallery offers ready-made templates like subscription promos, deal banners, spotlights, and more, offering a quick start. Pick the one that fits your use case and click Use This, or select Create Your Own if you prefer to design the native card from scratch.

2. Basic

In the Basic tab, add your foundational settings: give the notification a clear name (so your team can find it later), choose the Time Zone, and if you want the campaign to run on a schedule, set the Run Time window. Click Update to save.

Notification designer

Scroll down to Notification Head Content to design what users will see. You can build the content visually with the rich-text editor (headlines, body copy, images, buttons, links, and formatting) or switch to code and paste your own. Use Choose Token to personalize content with attributes like name, location, and more. Keep the message concise, place CTAs, and preview as you go. When the content looks right, hit Update to lock in the changes.

3. Targeting Rules

In the Targeting Rules tab, define exactly who should see the message and when. This includes

A. Basic Rule

Start with Basic Rule to set frequency caps—how many times per day and per app launch a user can see the notification—and add an optional delay after a certain number of app launches to avoid showing it too early in a session.

B. Android/iOS Property

Use Android Property (or the equivalent for iOS) to target by app-level attributes you pass to NotifyVisitors, such as screen name, plan type, or any custom property. Use Add More Field button to add multiple properties.

C. Time of Day

Use Time of Day to schedule delivery in either your timezone or the user’s, and limit display to specific windows (for example, weekdays 09:00–21:00).

D. Location

In Location, filter by country and region for geo-specific offers or compliance needs.

E. App & OS Version

The App & OS Version section lets you include only certain builds—handy for feature rollouts or excluding legacy OS versions.

F. Audience

Finally, set your Audience by choosing the segments to include, and optionally exclude others (e.g., hide a coupon from “Paid Subscribers”).

Click Update after each change.

Activate In-app native notification

When everything looks good, publish the campaign by clicking Activate Now in the blue banner at the top of the editor. The notification will move from inactive to live using the settings you configured. You can return here at any time to pause, edit, or reactivate the campaign.

Additional actions

After you create a notification, it appears in the list view.

From this screen, you can manage it end-to-end:

• Activate / Pause: Use the Status toggle to move a notification between Active and Inactive. If you didn’t activate it in the editor, you can do it here.
• Debug / Live mode: Switch the Mode control to preview in Debug (for QA on test devices) or push to Live for all targeted users.
• Edit: Click the pencil icon to reopen the editor and update Basic Details orTargeting Rules.
• More: Open the menu to Duplicate (best for A/B or regional variants), Clear Stats, or Delete the notification if it’s no longer needed.

Troubleshooting & common issues

Native display doesn’t show:

• Confirm the campaign is Active and within the Run Time window.
• Check Audience and Targeting Rules (geo, time of day, app/OS version).
• Verify the app is sending required properties/events (e.g., screen name) and that they match what you target.
• Make sure SDK version is current and properly initialized on app launch.

Shows too often or too rarely:

• Revisit Basic Rule frequency caps and “after X app launches” delay.
• Look for overlapping campaigns targeting the same audience and screen.

Layout looks off on certain devices:

• Double-check your Theme and custom code. Avoid fixed widths; test on common screen sizes and both orientations.
• Update app/OS targeting to exclude legacy versions if rendering quirks persist.

Conclusion

Creating effective in-app native displays with NotifyVisitors provides a powerful way to engage users without disrupting their natural app experience. The comprehensive configuration options—from theme selection and content design to sophisticated targeting rules and real-time postback notifications—give you complete control over how, when, and to whom your messages are delivered.

The seamless integration of native displays with your app's interface, combined with NotifyVisitors' robust targeting and analytics capabilities, creates an ideal environment for driving user engagement, feature adoption, and revenue growth while maintaining the high-quality user experience your audience expects.