Popups should be one of your top priorities if you’re a Shopify merchant and you’re eager to turn visitors into customers.
We’ve seen firsthand just how much Shopify popups can transform a storefront almost overnight.
Heck, look no further than success stories like BlendJet. Their Shopify store generated a staggering 39.2% extra revenue and 190,000+ new subscribers in just four months by implementing pop-ups.
And recreating these positive results doesn’t have to be a pipe dream.
Shopify pop-ups can help hugely, whether you want more email subscribers or revenue (or both!).
In this blog, you’ll learn:
- What Shopify popups are (and exactly why you need them)
- Six effective types of Shopify popups (and when to use them)
- Popup best practices (via real-world examples of high-performing ads in action)
And with that, let’s dive in!
What is a Shopify Popup?
A popup is an overlay that appears on a website and displays an offer to visitors based on their behavior.
Popups can target shoppers based on factors like:
- How many seconds a visitor has spent on a page
- How much someone has scrolled through a page
- Pages visited, and products viewed by the visitor
Shopify popups are tailor-made for eCommerce merchants who are using the Shopify platform.
Chances are you’ve seen your fair share of discount codes and special offers while browsing products online. See the example below:
For Shopify specifically, popups are typically used to achieve a combination of three goals:
- Encourage first-time visitors to buy.
- Stop cart abandonment and push shoppers to complete purchases ASAP.
- Grow your email list by convincing shoppers to opt-in.
Here’s a Shopify popup example BlendJet made using OptiMonk. Not only does it keep visitors from leaving—but it also drives them to make a purchase.
And below is an example of a mobile pop-up by Honeygirl Organics. This sort of “subscribe and save” offer is all the rage and likewise does double duty of growing your email list and entices new customers.
When done right, popups represent a proactive way to collect email addresses and grow your business. That’s why they’re so common among Shopify stores and eCommerce brands at large.
Why Should You Use Popups for your Shopify Storefront?
We’ll bite: popups have a bad reputation among some consumers and merchants alike.
That’s because they can definitely be annoying when used the wrong way.
But popups are still a staple of digital marketing and ecommerce at large.
In fact, over 50% of all consumers willingly exchange their information with websites for discounts and personalized offers.
With modern popups, you don’t have to send spammy, one-size-fits-all messages to visitors anymore. Instead, you can set up targeting and triggering options. This makes your offers feel personal and tailor-made for shoppers.
Not only that—the creative options available to merchants today are seemingly endless. You can put together stylish, eye-popping offers that don’t feel like ads at all.
Here are just a few examples of positive results. We pulled some of our own raw data from these OptiMonk clients:
- Tapestry Girls achieved a 50% increase in conversions since using popups.
- BOOM by Cindy Joseph increased revenue by 18.2% in just one month.
- Bullets2Bandages reduced cart abandonment rates by 31%.
And if you’re looking for ideas for your own popup campaigns to create similar results, we’ve got you covered.
6 Effective Types of Shopify Popups You Should Use in your Store
Let’s say you like the idea of rolling out popups in your Shopify store.
Good! Now, let’s review some of the most popular use cases and real-world examples.
1. Enticing discounts in exchange for newsletter sign-ups
Building your email list requires a conscious effort on your part. In short, you need to provide something of legitimate value to your prospects.
Asking for visitors’ email addresses in exchange for a deal or discount is a proven, time-tested way to grow your subscriber count. It’s also a great way to introduce yourself to visitors and make a positive first impression.
Check out this example from ZooShoo. They offer new customers a sizable 20% off of their first purchase. This sort of discount is perfect for winning over new buyers.
That said, you need to be mindful about the timing of your popup if you want it to work.
Some Shopify stores use this type of popup as a welcome message for new visitors, making the mistake of being too aggressive and in-your-face with their offer.
In our experience, this popup has the best results when it’s displayed for new visitors who spent some time browsing your on-site (think: 30 seconds). Alternatively, it’s a safe popup for people who are at risk of bouncing without taking action.
2. Use limited-time offers to reduce cart abandonment and keep visitors from bouncing
Cart abandonment is a massive challenge for most Shopify merchants.
The good news: Popups can be used to fight cart abandonment directly. If getting visitors to your site isn’t a problem but converting them is, consider a popup that targets would-be lost shoppers.
Urgency is a proven motivator for shoppers. It encourages them to stick around and take action rather than leave your site. This explains why countdown timers are popular and often result in higher conversion rates.
For example, Tapestry Girls hooks their visitors up with a 10% discount if they complete their order within the next 15 minutes:
Tapestry Girls also couples their abandonment offer with a stickybar that reminds customers not to pass up a good deal.
Stickybars follow visitors from page to page until they check out. This s a proven tactic to increase coupon usage and ultimately more completed orders.
3. Personalized messages to “wow” returning visitors
Visitors that have browsed your site but didn’t make a purchase aren’t lost causes.
Not even by a long shot. These visitors often return after they’ve browsed other merchants or they’re looking for more information to influence their final purchasing decision.
But you can’t afford to treat returning visitors like new ones. Through smart behavior-tracking and retargeting, you can present personalized offers to repeat visitors to show that you “remember” them.
Check out this example from Tiny Beast Designs. Using OptiMonk’s Dynamic Product Recommendation feature, they’re able to help returning visitors navigate back to products they were previously interested in.
Food for thought: 80% of consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that deliver a personalized experience. Something as simple as a recommendation popup can do just that.
4. Boost your subscription rate with interactive, multi-step popups
Multi-step popups are valuable because they do the double-duty of gauging visitors’ interest in your products as you gather meaningful information about them.
Presenting a “YES” or “NO” prompt will set your visitors up with a simple choice. Gearing them toward “YES” puts your visitors in a positive mindset and ultimately makes them more receptive to your offer.
BOOM! created a three-step Shopify popup by asking first-time visitors to join their VIP list before directing them to a product page and a sale.
The first step of the popup serves as an invitation to become part of the brand’s community. Note how the bright pink button naturally draws the visitor in to say “yes.”
Then, the popup hypes up the benefits of opting in and provides a simple, single-field form. The “Final Step” header reminds visitors that they’re almost done with the process.
Finally, the new subscribers are greeted with an invitation to check out a popular product. This serves as a natural next step to keep visitors browsing.
See how that works? This kind of popup emulates back-and-forth conversations with customers versus a spammy ad.
5. Capitalize on shopping fever with seasonal and holiday offers
As holiday ecommerce spending continues to boom, seasonal promotions are arguably more important than ever. Using Shopify popups, you can make sure your holiday offers are can’t-miss.
Seasonable promotions are a brilliant opportunity to take advantage of consumers’ existing shopping fever.
For example, Avon put together a Children’s Day offer and created a popup where visitors could win a prize game after making an order.
6. Entice your visitors with interactive, gamified popups
Interactive offers take away the painstaking process of opting in. Instead, it becomes a fun minigame. This explains why gamified pop-ups are so popular.
For example, “lucky wheel” popups offer shoppers the chance to win discounts and freebies in exchange for a digital spin and their email address. This is a win-win for both merchants and shoppers alike because nobody goes home empty-handed.
Below is a great example of a gamified popup from The Body Shop. They drive opt-ins with a Christmas-themed lucky wheel.
Which Shopify pop-ups are you using to reel in new subscribers?
There’s no denying that pop-ups are an effective way to build your list and drive new business.
You can put together offers that align with your brand’s voice and goals with the tons of Shopify pop-ups you can choose from.
If you’re looking for more pop-up inspiration, look no further than this OptiMonk article where we collected 19 popup examples (plus a free swipe file with 23 more examples).
Author Bio:
Nikolett Lorincz is a Digital Marketer at OptiMonk, the #1 eCommerce pop-up tool. She is obsessed with content marketing and loves creating educational content for marketers and eCommerce stores.
Ricky Hayes
