Want More Email Subscribers? Start Using Popups In Your Online Store (even if you don't like them!)

Let’s get something out of the way.People don’t hate ALL types of popups.  They hate the ones that show up at the wrong time with the wrong offer.When used properly, opt-in popups will help you acquire lots of email subscribers for your eCommerce newsletter.In this article, you will learn about:

1. Why people hate popups
2. Why I love and recommend you start using popups
3. What my favorite experts have to say about popups
4. Why would you want to use a popup for your online store
5. Which retailers are having success with popups
6. My Opt-In Popup Framework
7. What you need need to consider when using opt-in popups

Let's get started!

1. Why People hate popups?

I recently asked my Facebook friends to complete this sentence: "I hate website popups because..."Here's what they had to say:

• "I associate them with viruses or other bad things towards my computer…"
• "Bc I don't like being forced to do anything."
• "They're annoying"
• "I hate pop-ups on mobile because the x is always too small and sometimes are to find."
• "Because they interrupt the "experience" of what I'm doing."
• "I didn't ask for it !"

As you can see from these answers, popups have a bad reputation.  Nonetheless, we shouldn't generalize and assume that all popups are bad for our website.

2. Why I Love & Recommend You Start Using Popups

From my experience, I always say that opt-in popups will convert for online stores when they...

"Target the right shopper with the right offer at the right time."

Continue reading this article because I will share with you the exact framework I've developed to help create popups that convert.

3. What My Favourite Experts Have to Say about Popups?

I follow many experts in the digital marketing industry but the two I respect most are Neil & Derek - and here's what they have to say about popups.

"Popups still work if you use them upon someone leaving your website." - Neil Patel

"If you’ve got an email list, and you want to grow it, you NEED a popup." - Derek Halpern

4. Why Would You Want to Use An Opt-in Popup for Your Online Store?

When you think about popups, most of us assume they're being used only to collect emails.  That's not the case for online stores since there are numerous reasons as to why website owners and digital marketers might consider using them.You can use popups to:

1. Grow your subscriber list by collecting emails.
2. Highlight specific website promotions (ex: get 30% off using this coupon).
3. Showcase products & collections (ex: new arrivals).
4. Crowdsourcing ideas & feedback (ex: what they think of an upcoming product design)
5. Provide valuable answers to shoppers (ex: is shipping free to USA?)

When used properly, popups can deliver a lot of value to the shopper and help them get what they want.

5. Which Retailers Are Having Success with Popups

Win in Health, online supplements & vitamins store - Using this one exit-intent opt-in form, they have added almost 3500 new subscribers to their list, and increased their revenue by 300%. Learn more here.

ZooShoo, women’s fashion online store, overall revenue for ZooShoo increased by 7.35%. In the same period, they got over 5,000 extra subscribers, 1,129 of whom went on to purchase one of their available products. Learn more here.

Nature TTL, Nature Photography Tips, Tutorials & Shop, After installing the a welcome gate opt-in form, they saw a conversion rate of 4.54%. That’s an increase of 808%! Learn more here.

By now, I hope I've convinced you to start using them for your online store.  To help you get started, I want to share with you my framework.

6. Introducing...

The Opt-In Popup Framework7 Steps to Create Ecommerce Opt-in Popups That Convert

I've created this simple framework to help online retailers create popups that shoppers will like and use to submit their email address.Remember, if you want popups to work for you, you need to target the right audience with the right offer at the right time.

Step 1 - Define Your Target AudienceFirst, you need to know who do you want to get emails from. For example, you may want to target new website visitors.

Step 2 - What Information to Ask ForFigure out what information would you like to gather from this target audience. I recommend you don’t ask for too much. Start by asking for an email address.

Step 3 - What’s Your OfferDecide what incentive or bonus offer are you going to provide in exchange for an email.  Remember that it must be perceived valuable, must be relevant and specific.  For example: you might offer a coupon for new customers that gives them 15% off their first purchase in the next 3 days.

Step 4 - What to DisplayDecide what type of popup you want to use. A popup can be a welcome gate, an standard popup window, a side scroll popup or a bar within the browser.

Step 5 - Design Your PopupUgly popups will not help conversion.  Design a professional popup that's beautiful, clear and user friendly.

Step 6 - Set TimingDecide when to display this popup. You can trigger it after a specific amount of time (ex: 15 secs), when they visit a specific page (ex: product category) or when they perform a specific action such as when they're about to leave your store.  The options are endless.

Step 7 - Monitor Performance & TestDon't simply create a popup and leave it.  You will need to monitor the performance such as how many times it was displayed and how many people have submitted their email address.  You should also consider testing different variations of the offer, the design, timing and display type.

7. What You Need to Consider When Using Opt-in Popups

If you decided to use an opt-in form in your online store, here's a couple things you need to be aware of.A thank you pageConsider creating a thank you page where you will redirect users after they submit their email.  This helps communicate the offer as well as help shoppers take next steps.Email series campaignWhen someone signups up to your opt-in form, have them take part in an email welcome series.  This helps communicate the offer as well as introduce your brand to new subscribers.Retargeting campaignsWhen shoppers submit their email address, start retargeting them with ads as they move down your sales funnel.  You can retarget them on the web or on social media.Page load timesIf you're thinking about using popups, make sure they don't slow down your website.  Performance load time is very important and you shouldn't sacrifice it for popups.Device & Screen CompatibilityWhen using popups, make sure you test them on all sorts of devices and browsers.  The last thing you want is display a popup that people are having a hard time closing.Mobile popupsI always recommend you use separate popups for desktop, tablets and smartphones.  Mobile users behave differently and you might want to test different variations of your popup on mobile traffic.Google Traffic + PopupsGoogle has recently announced that certain popups showing up on mobile devices may impact your search rankings.  Make sure you read all about it and follow recommendations.A/B TestingIf you plan on using opt-in popups in your online store, make sure you use a software solution that allows you to A/B test popups.  This is very important because it will help you gain insights about what's working and what's not.

Final Words

I hope by now, I've convinced you to use opt-in forms if you want to grow your email list.  Again, remember to always test everything since every website is different.Launch popups using my Opt-in Popup Framework. It will help you increase conversions.Your TurnWhy don't you like popups?