Website pop-ups have been around since the dawn of web browsing and as a result, have acquired a reputation for themselves as a common internet annoyance. But when done right, pop-ups can help you grab your audience's attention, drive conversions, and greatly impact your revenue short and long term.
Whether you're promoting a holiday sale or launching a new product, you’ve come to the right place for inspiration. In this article, we’ll cover:
Without further ado, here’s how you can turn pop-ups from an average annoyance to an engaging part of your customer experience.
Pop-ups are a necessity if you want to build an email list, generate leads, boost sales with special offers, or many more different case scenarios. It’s reported that the average pop-up conversion rate is %11.09, meaning that if a site has just 1000 visitors a month, it can expect to convert roughly 110 visitors with a pop-up.
That’s no small number, and when traffic reaches the hundreds of thousands or millions, a single pop-up can exponentially grow email lists or greatly boost revenue.
Of course, since pop-ups come in all shapes and sizes, there are likewise many different use cases for them. Here are some common reasons why you should use pop-ups on our site:
We’ve all had to deal with annoying pop-ups at one point or another. However, with the right tools, tactics, and examples in this article, you can easily leverage pop-ups to your advantage to drive sales.
There’s a pop-up for every occasion, but having too many on your site, especially per session, is a fast way to make shoppers bounce. Sticking to one pop-up per browsing session is considered the best, which is why you want to make it as effective as possible.
Here are some successful examples to help you get inspired.
Spin-to-win pop-ups are a fun way to get shoppers to engage with your offer and encourage them to exchange their emails for a potential prize.
Here BBQing uses a straightforward spin-to-win pop-up that is concise in terms of text but with stand-out visuals. This is a form of gamification and can lead to a potential 12 – 25% increase in conversion. It’s also a way to stand out from other eCommerce sites by using a pop-up that is rarely seen.
Other examples of pop-up gamification are:
The beauty of gamified pop-ups is that they work with most age groups and help boost engagement with their non-traditional approach.
Customers visiting sustainable fashion brand Allbirds are quickly prompted to sign up for their newsletter, which covers new products, offers, and news on innovations in the industry.
The pop-up is simple in structure, has an image showcasing their designs, and includes only one form field for users to fill out.
What makes this pop-up so effective? Since Allbirds shoppers are likely to be interested in sustainable and renewable fashion, it’s more likely customers would be willing to sign up to a newsletter that aligns with their values and keeps them up-to-date.
Allbirds understand their customer base. Instead of offering a discount or free giveaway, they present value that resonates with their ideal customer profile.
Giveaway pop-ups are a type of lead magnet that helps brands build an email list or generate leads. From free shipping offers to a buy-one-get-one-free deal, giveaways are an easy way to get prospects to opt-in with their emails.
Here TOMS offers shoppers a 10% discount and free shipping that can be activated in exchange for an email. The text is large, bold, and easy to read off the bat. The option to opt-out is simple, and the terms are laid out clearly above the email field. Overall, it’s straightforward and makes it abundantly clear what the customer has to gain.
Social proof is a major factor determining whether a customer takes the leap or turns away. Nearly 90% of consumers trust user reviews as much as personal recommendations, which is where social proof pop-ups can come in handy. Skincare brands, pet supplies, and many other eCommerce stores can leverage social proof to their advantage with the right pop-ups.
Here popular eCommerce brand Pressed uses a customer review to answer common objections a new customer might have. Aspects of the product, such as taste and effectiveness, are touched upon, and the CTA builds on FOMO (fear of missing out) as a final touch.
Media mentions are a great way to showcase your brand’s popularity and quickly build credibility. Hug Sleep takes advantage of being featured across popular media from the get-go with its discount offer.
Hug Sleep quickly rose to fame after their successful debut on Shark Tank and has since been featured on many popular news outlets. Even without being featured on a large scale, small eCommerce brands can still showcase mentions or where they were featured by adding brand logos to their site and pop-ups.
Upselling and cross-selling products to customers is an excellent way to boost your average order value (AOV) and let customers enjoy a bundle of suitable products.
The above example is an upsell template for gift wrapping. If it’s the holiday season and shoppers are buying gifts, gift wrapping is an obvious and convenient upsell that saves buyers time and makes your brand stand out.
Allowing buyers to customize their upsell in this case, also helps convert more people to explore their options at a minimal overall cost.
The beauty of pop-ups is that they can be activated based on certain triggers, be it time, scroll-based, before checkout, or even when leaving a site. That’s where exit-intent pop-ups come into play.
Exit-intent pop-ups are one of the best ways to boost conversion rates and lower cart abandonment. On average, exit-intent pop-ups increase conversion rates by 4 – 5%, which may not seem like a large number, but depending on your level of traffic and sales, it can be a game-changer.
There are several incentives exit-intent pop-ups can offer, such as:
You can use various tools and data to optimize your exit-intent pop-up or simply ask customers why they’re leaving. Metrics such as session time, heatmap tools, or a pop-up survey like the one above are examples of ways that can help you gauge if the issue is price, fashion style, or something else.
Of course, you can’t please everybody, but the more data you can gather, the better it will allow you to recoup abandoned carts, boost revenue, and build better offers in the long run.
Now that you’ve seen some great examples of eCommerce pop-ups, you’re undoubtedly ready to create an awesome pop-up for your shop. Before you do, here are some best practices to consider that will help you craft a pop-up with optimal conversions.
Some eCommerce owners may get caught up trying to convey how much value they are offering or the significance of the event being promoted. But like many instances in the world of eCommerce and sales, less is more in this case.
Looking to offer a 10% discount that visitors can claim by submitting their email? All you need is:
It’s best to assume that the automatic impulse of shoppers is to close the pop-up, so everything should be clear and understandable at a glance.
Think about what your shoppers would like when visiting your store. A discount? A product bundle? Or perhaps both? There are multiple pop-up tools you can find in the Shopify app store that allow you to target new customers with one set of pop-ups and repeat buyers with another.
The ideal pop-up entices customers and answers the fundamental question consciously and subconsciously in their minds, which is “what’s in it for me?”
Images are a must-have when it comes to pop-ups. A study conducted by Drip that analyzed over 20 million pop-ups found that pop-ups with images convert better than pop-ups without images by 83.57%.
While it seems obvious, consider using images that add to the overarching theme of your pop-up. If you’re offering a bundle pack for men’s winter wear, include an image that highlights the bundle in all its glory.
The number of mobile users shopping online continues to rapidly grow. Still, as many as 67% of mobile users state that “pages and links being too small to click on” is a barrier to mobile shopping.
On that note, there’s nothing worse than a pop-up poorly optimized for mobile ruining a shopper's experience as they try to find the close button or can’t tap away because it fills the screen. Here are some tips to consider when optimizing your pop-ups for mobile:
With the above taken into consideration, you can even expect a higher conversion rate from mobile pop-ups compared to desktop ones. It’s reported mobile pop-ups have an average 11% conversion rate, which is a few percent more than desktop pop-ups.
Last but not least, make sure your pop-ups are timed just right. Many websites make the mistake of throwing pop-ups either too soon or too late. There are several key things to consider when timing pop-ups, such as:
The same Drip study mentioned above concludes that using a 35% scroll trigger works best in increasing conversion rates. By considering the goal of your pop-up and its location on your site, you can A/B test when are the best times to add them without being intrusive or taking away from the experience.
For many, pop-ups have become synonymous with being annoying online nuisances that should be quickly brushed away. But that’s quickly changing as more brands adopt the right strategies with their pop-ups by adding value and engaging with shoppers.
When looking to add pop-ups to your eCommerce store, be sure to:
If you run an eCommerce shop and are looking for new and creative ways to boost sales, then be sure to check out how Zoko combines the best of both email and SMS marketing to help scale your brand!
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