How To Improve Your Email Popup Strategy To Get More Conversions

An email popup has been one of the most effective conversion optimization strategies for online stores. But with the increasing number of brands going online and using the same tactic to convert shoppers into subscribers or customers, the tactic no longer seems too appealing to the millennial shopper. It’s not that popups are dead; the way you have been using them is. 

Tips to improve your email popup conversions 

  1. Gamify your popups 

First things first, it’s time to get over the usual email popup format. Imagine the number of times an online shopper has seen a popup where they get a discount coupon in turn of their email address. Even they now know the tactic is only to grow the store’s email list and find the one-time discount not good enough to share their contact details. In most cases, they just close the popup before even interacting with it – let alone read what it has to say.

That’s where gamification comes in. It uses 75% psychology and 25% of technology to engage the shopper before asking them for their email address. 

Take for instance this email popup used by Ikonick. The store engages the shopper in a game of cards on the popup, using WooHoo. By shuffling the cards, the shopper can unveil the biggest of discounts. ‘Winning’ the discount creates a positive stimulus for the shopper, that makes them willingly subscribe and even complete a purchase to celebrate. 

  1. Personalize your email popup

80% of consumers will interact with a brand that personalizes their shopping experience. It makes them feel welcome, valued and creates a seamless shopping journey for them. When asking a consumer to trust you enough to share their email address, why not make them feel valued first? 

One of the most effective ways to personalize your email popup is base on the referral source. Identify where the shopper is coming from, what campaign they interacted with and target them with a message that is in-line with the same. The consistency wins the shopper’s trust and nudges them to make an interaction.  

For example, if you’re seeing a lot of traffic come in from Pinterest, offer them a special discount to grow your social community of shoppers. 

  1. Time your email popup well 

One thing that has a direct impact on the conversion rate of your popup is its timing. Too soon might feel intrusive and too late could risk losing the shopper’s attention to a competitor store. 

Take for instance a shopper who has just discovered your store. In this case, they would want to first explore the products you offer. If you bombard them with an email popup before they even know what to expect from your brand, there is a high chance they find you too pushy and leave. 

Similarly, if a shopper has browsed a few products, added some to the cart and is leaving without making a purchase, you want to engage them with one last time. In this case, if you don’t trigger the popup at exit intent, they’ll simply close the site and move to another. 

So what is an ideal time for a store to trigger an email popup? It depends entirely on your goal. 

Take, for example, you want to make a welcome offer. For this goal, you need to trigger the popup just as the visitor lands on your store. If it’s cart recovery, triggering the popup at exit intent is a good way to prevent a lost sale.  

Now if you’re wanting to promote a new range of products or other deals on the store, a good idea is to wait for the shopper to visit at least a few pages. This lets them explore what you have on the store and trust your brand a little before being asked to share their email address. 

  1. Set up targeted email popups for desktop and mobile 

It’s not just SEO that varies for desktop and mobile sites. Your store needs to also keep in mind the shopping experience it has to offer to the two segments of shoppers. For instance, mobile users are limited to lesser screen bandwidth and touch controls. So if you have a massive full-screen popup in landscape mode, there is a high chance you lose the shopper. 

That’s why you should set up different email popup campaigns for desktop and mobile. On desktop, you have the freedom to play with the design and the information you want to ask from them. On mobile, you want to make sure that no matter what the goal is, it is easier for the shopper to make an interaction. 

Let’s take an example. This popup here offers multiple calls to actions to the shopper. It is asking them to either subscribe to their newsletter or follow them on social media to get the coupon code. 

While on desktop, each call out is clear, the same popup on mobile will be distorted and too overwhelming for the shopper to interact with. 

  1. Make your offer irresistible 

Now, this tip might seem a little too usual, but that’s exactly how you can grab a shopper’s attention using an email popup. If your offer isn’t irresistible, there is a high chance that the shopper doesn’t engage with the popup. You lose the possibility of getting another subscriber or a social media follower in just seconds! 

The best way to ensure that your email popup has something valuable to add to the shopper is to understand who they are. Dive into your store’s data to identify the type of shoppers that come to your store. Are they price-sensitive? Are they looking for a great shopping experience? Are they comparing prices between two stores simultaneously? It’s always important to have more intel on who you’re talking to. 

For example, a price-sensitive shopper is one that is sure to respond to a 25% discount message on the popup. On the other hand, an experience-shopper will feel that the products you’re willing to offer at 25% less are actually not as worthy and that’s why you’re offering the deal! 

Ready to create a high-converting email popup? 

Using an email popup can be tricky. Even though it is an effective tactic when it comes to bringing the shopper’s attention to something, there is a high chance that some find it intrusive. 

That’s where you need to bring in the design psychology and best practices to merge with the above conversion optimization tips. Your design doesn’t just need to look appealing, but also easy to interact with and if the shopper chooses not to, easy to exit. The idea is to be able to nudge an action out of the shopper visiting your store without breaking their natural flow of shopping. 

Ready to set up your first high-converting popup?
Let’s make it more engaging with gamification using WooHoo.

About the author 

Liran Tadmor is the Founder and CEO of WooHoo, a Shopify app that enables stores to set up gamified popups. As a conversion optimization expert, you will always find him testing strategies for better shopper engagement. Connect with him on LinkedIn

Leave a Reply

