Email Pop-Up Benefits and Examples

What is an email pop-up box?

An email pop-up box is a message that appears to website visitors as they browse your online store. A visitor’s behavior triggers these automated messages, which are designed to compel the visitor to engage further with your brand through explicit calls to action (CTAs). Pop-ups ask for website visitors’ email addresses in exchange for a desirable benefit, such as a promo code or access to exclusive content. They can also encourage a shopper to complete their purchase. Many of the best email marketing services can help you create and manage pop-ups and control subscriber lists.

Email pop-up benefits

Pop-ups are a compelling e-commerce marketing strategy that can boost brand awareness and business growth. Here are some of the benefits of an email pop-up campaign: 

• Pop-ups can compel website visitors to stay and buy: Pop-ups are presented to potential customers at a key decision-making moment as they explore your website. Seeing a pop-up at the right time can make the difference between further engaging with your site and moving on.
• Pop-ups grab customers’ attention: Pop-ups are an excellent vehicle for attention-grabbing images, headlines and offers. Because customer attention can shift in seconds, businesses must prove their value quickly. Pop-ups are a great way to accomplish this.
• Pop-ups improve retention and conversion: When done well, pop-ups give digital marketing campaigns the power to drastically improve customer retention and increase successful conversions.
• Pop-ups are hard to ignore: Pop-up messages are front and center and nearly impossible to ignore. Customers see your subscription messaging clearly. In contrast, traditional websites typically embed subscription forms at the bottom, where web users seldom scroll.
• Pop-ups help you build your email marketing list: Pop-ups are an inventive way to grow your email list and provide an easy way for visitors to become subscribers. You gain access to their inboxes and can reach out to them with lead-nurturing campaigns.
• Pop-ups have segmentation and targeting options: Pop-ups have robust segmenting and targeting options that allow you to direct specific offers to particular audiences. Better offers make it more likely that a website visitor will sign up for your emails or complete a purchase.
• Pop-ups help you generate leads: By presenting strategic offers that draw in qualified buyers, pop-ups can help you generate more sales leads.
• Pop-ups are easy to create: Email marketing solutions provide numerous pop-up templates that you can customize to maximize conversion rates.

Best practices for adding email pop-ups to your website

To maximize the effectiveness of your email pop-ups, you must follow best practices and avoid alienating your customers. For example, Brock Messner, digital marketing manager at Element, noted that situational relevance is key. “Only use them when you have something of value for the visitor,” Messner advised. “For example, they are popular in e-commerce for discounts with email sign-up.”

Consider the following additional tips for creating effective pop-up campaigns.

Don’t overwhelm customers.

A poorly timed or intrusive email pop-up can alienate potential customers. Messner emphasized the importance of minimizing interruptions. “Do not continue to show them to the same user if they’ve already filled out or closed out the form,” Messner advised. “Also, don’t load the pop-up immediately when users visit the website. This can create a bad experience for the user and also potentially block search engines from crawling and ranking your site.”

Ensure pop-up usage is appropriate.

Additionally, you must ensure pop-ups are appropriate for your brand and business. Katie Gray, principal and fractional marketing leader at Kinetic Marketing Communications, noted that website type is particularly important. “Pop-ups are useful for member- and subscription-based services such as online publications, software services and retail and event promotions,” Gray explained. “However, they are only intended for transactional purchases and should not appear in spaces where the buying decision is serious, sensitive or emotional in tone, like healthcare and finance.”

Choose the right pop-up genre for your digital marketing strategy.

Many types of pop-up messages exist and choosing the right type for specific purposes is crucial. Here are some examples:

• Pop-ups for capturing lead information: If your goal is to capture a website visitor’s contact information for your email marketing list, a straightforward email capture form may work well if they’re already engaged with your brand. You could also provide tantalizing incentives for them to subscribe to your email list, including free content, discounts and entry into giveaways or contests.
• Pop-ups for encouraging purchase completion: If a customer is about to leave your website without subscribing or purchasing, you can trigger a pop-up designed to encourage them to complete their purchase or sign up for a subscription before they leave. You may include an incentive, like free shipping, to keep them on the site and stop them from abandoning their shopping cart. 
• Pop-ups designed to further engagement: One popular pop-up genre presents the visitor with a yes-or-no option. For example, the pop-up may read, “Do you want the best product ever?” Below the proposition, you’ll see two buttons: one indicating agreement and the other rejecting it. One of the buttons might feature text like “Yes and now!” and the other will reject the offer with words like “No, I don’t want the best product ever.” This is an excellent way to prime website visitors for further engagement.

Intentionally target website visitors at pivotal moments.

When targeting website visitors with a pop-up message, two components to consider are timing and segmentation:

• Timing: Create different pop-ups for specific moments in your website visitors’ experience. For example, you can create different pop-ups for visitors just entering the site, customers about to leave the site, visitors who navigate to a specific page of your site and those scrolling to a certain point on a webpage. It’s best to wait at least 10 seconds after a visitor has arrived on your company’s website before triggering a pop-up.
• Segmentation: It’s crucial to personalize pop-ups through segmentation. Target visitors from specific locations or sources with messaging that aligns with their beliefs, situational understandings and desires. Your business can also create different email pop-ups for new and returning visitors to increase customer retention and growth.

Consider your strategic offers carefully.

If your pop-up aims to incentivize a purchase or a subscription sign-up, considering your offer carefully is crucial. It must be compelling, create a sense of urgency, make the visitor feel special and align with your brand’s voice. 

Depending on the nature of your business and the timing of your pop-up, you may offer coupons, a sweepstakes entry, a free product, a mystery offer or a promise of future benefits. Some brands present a spinning wheel with various discounts that a user can “win,” but this may be inappropriate for a higher-end brand. 

Safia Marmon, Shopify store project lead at Sunbowl, emphasized the importance of using effective and appropriate triggers. “For instance, if you are offering a promotion regarding a certain product, set the pop-up to only display after the customer has visited the product page,” Marmon recommended. “This guarantees that the pop-up is relevant but, more importantly, well-timed.”

Be mindful of the visitor’s perceived barriers to engagement with your business and use the offer to overcome those anxieties.

Choose words that compel visitors to act.

The messaging of a pop-up is crucial; it should be designed to eliminate different uncertainties people experience at various points throughout their website visits. Include the following elements in your pop-up messaging: 

• A clearly defined benefit: A website visitor should immediately notice the specific benefit they can obtain. For example, leverage inclusion in an exclusive community by inviting them to “join the club.” 
• A sense of urgency: Create a fear of missing out to incentivize the reader to follow the pop-up’s directions. 
• A compelling call to action: Seek out CTAs that go beyond “submit.” For example, a pop-up may ask a reader to click a button that reads “Count me in” or “Claim my surprise.”
• A purchase incentive: If a visitor is about to exit your company’s website, a pop-up notifying them of the items they left in their cart, paired with a free shipping offer, may incentivize them to complete their purchase. 

Consider website visitors’ viewing platforms.

Many people navigate the web via mobile devices. Just as mobile-friendly e-commerce websites are essential, mobile-friendly pop-up design is also important. Avoid annoying customers by placing pop-ups as sidebars or floating bars at the top of your mobile website. Google has precise guidelines for pop-up messaging; if your business wants to avoid an SEO penalty, your pop-up shouldn’t prevent visitors from accessing the page’s main content.

Pop-ups designed for desktop screens can be larger, making them harder for visitors to ignore. However, large pop-ups can be intrusive. Use full-screen pop-ups only when they’re triggered by a visitor’s intent to exit the website. 

Add images to your pop-ups.

Your pop-ups’ visual content matters just as much as the text. A strategically selected image can draw a viewer’s attention, reiterate the benefits of a subscription and reassure potential subscribers that it’s safe to share their contact information.

Consider the following tips for including images in your pop-ups:

• Feature photographs of team members to create a sense of human connection.
• Use product images to entice the viewer to make a purchase.
• Use social-proof images to convince potential subscribers to take action and enhance your brand reputation.

Be unique and irresistible.

You don’t want your pop-ups to look like those of your competitors. Your pop-up colors should coordinate with your website and grab website visitors’ attention. Consider choosing a vibrant color for the CTA button and a passive color for the button that allows a customer to decline your offer. 

Some marketers add “success” pop-ups to their strategy to show new subscribers that they’ve “joined the club.” Creating various pop-ups for new and returning users can also increase conversion rates. Be unique and creative to continue driving traffic and encouraging engagement.

Examples of fantastic email pop-ups

Consider the following pop-up examples to inspire your pop-up strategy. 

Anthropologie

Soon after a viewer enters Anthropologie’s website, a pop-up appears offering 10 percent off a purchase if they provide their email to the company. This tactic encourages viewers to stay on the website.

The viewer’s eyes are immediately drawn to the “10 percent off” text, enticing them to follow the explicit and straightforward directions below. Through a minimalist design, Anthropologie demonstrates the power of strategic colors and concise messaging.

Source: Anthropologie

Bed Bath & Beyond

Bed Bath & Beyond presents a pop-up on the viewer’s screen about 30 seconds after entering the website. It is front and center and its look fits seamlessly with the brand’s theme.

“Get 20% off” is the company’s simple, compelling offer. You enter your email address and click the Sign Up button to seal the deal. 

Source: Bed Bath & Beyond

Instacart

Potential new Instacart users are prompted with a compelling pop-up offering free delivery on their first three orders if they sign up for an account. A prominent email entry field and Continue button help get the ball rolling quickly.

Source: Instacart

Levi’s

The Levi’s website almost immediately presents a pop-up welcoming the viewer to sign up and get 20 percent off and free shipping on their first order. The messaging dangles the opportunity for exclusive special privileges and offers to anyone who joins the mailing list. Levi’s offers both an immediate deal and long-term benefits without using too much text.

Source: Levi’s

Michaels

The coupon pop-up on Michaels.com displays its product in a way that is playful and consistent with Michaels’ branding. The discount and subscribe buttons are clear and apparent and the incentive is compelling.

Source: Michaels

Under Armour

Under Armour’s pop-up invites you to join the brand’s loyalty program and earn rewards, highlighting benefits like early access to merchandise and other member exclusives. Selecting Join & Create an Account brings you to an easy registration page — the straightforward process helps ensure visitors won’t click away. 

Source: Under Armour

USA Today

This pop-up on the USA Today website appeals to potential subscribers with expert wording: “Get real news for real life — $1 for six months” invites the reader to a positive, compelling experience full of potential. The prominent Subscribe Now button takes you to a landing page with the newspaper’s digital and physical offerings, including a clear option to “cancel anytime.” 

Source: USA Today

Jennifer Dublino contributed to this article.