Online retailer overstockArt.com is seeing that push notifications make a big difference in driving both traffic and sales for its application users.

The company actively began using push notifications earlier this year, contributing to a 40 percent increase in mobile sales in the past three months. In addition to the new findings, overstockArt.com has released a new version of its Oil Paintings app, which is available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices.

“The app downloaders who interact with the brand through the app have shown a high level of loyalty,” said Amitai Sasson, vice president of marketing and development at overstockArt.com, Wichita, KS.

“It is a level of loyalty that we are happy to see – the key to anyone creating an app is to get push in place,” he said.

OverstockArt.com is an online art distributor that claims to have more than 100,000 wall décor combinations.

Mobile masterpiece
OverstockArt.com’s mobile app has been updated to let users place pieces of art on a virtual wall to spark users’ creativity. Consumers can then share pictures of their walls to friends and family via Facebook and MMS.

To create a wall, users upload a picture of their space and can fill it with pieces of art. Consumers can also turn photos saved on their devices into paintings via the app.

Additionally, the app has added more products to let consumers shop via their handsets. OverstockArt.com’s sister company – ArtistsBe.com – is also integrated directly into the app to highlight specific artists.

The company claims that its app has been downloaded more than 15,000 times and generates 200 to 300 new downloads per week. The iPhone app was launched in June 2011, followed by an Android version in Nov. Earlier this year, the company released its iPad app.

The company also has a mobile-optimized site, which was rolled out in September 2011.

Mobile ambitions
This is not the first time overstockArt.com has reported numbers around its mobile usage.

For example, the company originally got into mobile after seeing 15 percent of its Web traffic being accessed through mobile devices (see story).

Additionally, two months after launching its mobile site last year, the company reported a 270 percent increase in mobile sales (see story).

Being able to track down traffic by platforms helps brands understand which channels they should be focusing on.

“Our overall strategy with mobile sites and apps has been trying to keep up with the times,” Mr. Sasson said.

“The strategy in the short term is to try to give our customers an experience to get more sales and interactions, but in the long term the big picture is to be an experience that equals or is at least equivalent to the desktop experience.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York