Browser & device support
Understand where Pulse push notifications work, how they behave across devices, and what visitors need to subscribe.
April 20, 2026
Before relying on push notifications as a channel, it's worth understanding where these messages actually show up, and where they don't. This article covers the practical side of browser and device support.
Where push notifications work
Push notifications are supported on both desktop and mobile browsers that allow web push. In practice, this covers the large majority of visitors browsing your store on a modern browser, on either a computer or a phone.
Desktop vs. mobile behavior
On desktop, a push notification typically appears as a small pop-up in the corner of the screen, even if the visitor isn't currently looking at your website in their browser tab.
This is one of push's quiet strengths, it can reach someone even when they've moved on to a completely different site or task.
On mobile, notifications behave similarly to an app notification, appearing on the device's lock screen or notification shade, depending on the visitor's settings.
Why not every visitor can subscribe
A visitor needs to be using a browser that supports web push in order to see the subscription prompt at all.
Most modern browsers support this, but it's worth knowing that not every browser or every device configuration will show the opt-in prompt, so your push subscriber count will naturally represent a portion of your total visitors, not all of them.
This is normal and expected, it doesn't mean something is broken.
No impact on site performance
A common concern with adding any kind of tracking or messaging tool is whether it will slow down the store.
Push notifications run independently of your storefront, meaning there's no meaningful impact on page load speed or checkout performance from having this channel active.
What happens if someone doesn't interact with a notification
If a visitor doesn't click or respond to a push notification, there's no penalty and no automatic unsubscribe.
They simply won't count toward that particular message's click or conversion numbers, and they'll still receive future notifications from automations and campaigns as normal.
A practical takeaway
Because push reach depends on browser support, it's best treated as one channel among several, not a replacement for email or WhatsApp.
Used alongside those channels, it fills a gap they can't: reaching someone instantly, even when they're not actively on your site, without requiring any of their personal contact information.