Table of Contents
Thinking about adding an exit popup to your Shopify store? Great idea!
Exit popups are more than just flashy interruptions—they’re powerful tools that can help you recover abandoned carts, grow your email list, and boost conversions. But like any tool, their effectiveness depends on how you use them.
In this article, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Shopify exit popups, from why they work to exactly how you can set one up on your Shopify store. Plus, we’ll share some real-life examples and tips to ensure your popups are as effective as possible.
Let’s dive in!
What is an exit-intent popup?
An exit-intent popup is a website overlay that appears when a visitor is about to leave your site.
It uses exit-intent technology, which detects when the user’s mouse moves toward the browser’s close button or the back button and triggers a popup with a targeted message.
The goal? To grab visitors’ attention one last time—whether it’s by offering a discount, asking for feedback, or encouraging them to sign up for your email list.
Why should you use Shopify exit-intent popups?
Exit-intent popups can be a game-changer for your Shopify store. Here’s why:
1. Recover abandoned carts
Creating exit-intent popups can remind customers about items they left in their cart and offer an incentive like a discount to complete their purchase. This can significantly reduce cart abandonment rates.
2. Grow your email list
Offering something valuable, like a discount, eBook, or exclusive content in exchange for an email address, can help you build a robust email list for future marketing efforts.
3. Reduce bounce rates
If visitors are about to leave, it’s often because they didn’t find what they were looking for. An exit-intent popup can offer additional information, recommendations, or incentives to keep them engaged.
4. Promote special offers
Running a flash sale or a special promotion? Use an exit popup to highlight it and encourage visitors to take immediate action before they leave.
5. Understand customer behavior
Popups can also be used to gather feedback. Ask visitors why they’re leaving, and use those valuable insights to make improvements to your store.
How to create an exit-intent popup for your Shopify store?
Ready to create your own exit-intent popup? Follow these steps to get started.
Step 1: Install the OptiMonk app
First things first, you’ll need a great app to create your popup.
Some popup apps offer a free plan, making it easy for new users to get started without any upfront cost.
OptiMonk is one of them, and it’s also one of the most popular Shopify exit-intent apps.
Head over to the Shopify App Store and search for “OptiMonk,” or simply click here and then click “Add app.” Follow the prompts to install it on your Shopify store.
Step 2: Select a template
Once the popup app is installed, it’s time to pick a template.
OptiMonk offers a variety of popup templates designed to match different brand aesthetics and campaign goals. Choose one that aligns with your brand’s look and your objectives.
Take a look at some of our most popular exit popup templates:
Step 3: Design your popup
Now for the fun part—designing your Shopify exit-intent popup!
OptiMonk’s drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to customize your popup’s layout, colors, and fonts. You can add elements like countdown timers to create urgency or include a coupon code to sweeten the deal.
Make sure your message is clear, concise, and aligned with your goals.
Step 4: Set up triggering and targeting rules
To ensure your popup only appears when a visitor is about to leave, set the trigger to “exit-intent.”
You can also add multiple triggers to your popup. For example, you can set up a trigger that displays your popup after 30 seconds of inactivity or on exit-intent.
You can also define targeting rules, which give you control over things like which pages the popup appears on and whether it should only be displayed to new visitors.
This level of customization helps ensure your exit-intent popup is effective without being intrusive.
Step 5: Launch your campaign
With everything set up, it’s time to launch your campaign. Save your settings, activate the campaign, and monitor its performance through OptiMonk’s analytics dashboard.
Keep an eye on metrics like conversion rate and number of orders to see how your popup is performing and make adjustments as needed.
Best Shopify exit popup templates to get you started
OptiMonk offers a variety of pop-up templates to suit different needs and goals.
Whether you’re looking to recover abandoned carts, grow your email list, or promote a special offer, there’s a template that can help you get started quickly and easily.
7 tips for creating high-converting exit-intent popups
Creating an exit-intent popup is one thing—creating one that converts is another.
Below, you’ll find seven tips to help you craft exit-intent popups that not only capture attention but also drive sales.
1. Keep it simple
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with an exit-intent popup is overwhelming your visitors with too much information.
Remember, they’re already on their way out, so you only have a few seconds to grab their attention. Keep your message clear and concise!
For example, if you’re offering a discount, a simple message like “Congratulations, you’ve unlocked a mystery discount!” can be far more effective than a long-winded explanation. The key is to communicate your offer in as few words as possible while still being persuasive.
2. Offer value
Why should a visitor stay on your Shopify site when they’re about to leave? The answer lies in offering them something valuable that makes them reconsider.
This could be a discount, free shipping, or access to exclusive content. For instance, an exit-intent popup that says, “Don’t leave empty-handed! Here’s 15% off your first order,” gives the visitor a compelling reason to stay.
Value-driven incentives like these can dramatically reduce your bounce rates and convert hesitant visitors into loyal customers.
3. Use strong CTAs
Your call-to-action (CTA) is the most critical part of your exit-intent popup. It’s the button that translates visitor interest into action.
Use clear, actionable language in your CTA buttons, like “Claim Your Discount” or “Show Discount Code.” Avoid vague or passive phrases like “Click Here” or “Learn More.”
The CTA should create a sense of immediacy and clearly indicate what the visitor should do next.
4. Create urgency
Urgency is a powerful motivator. When people feel like they might miss out on something, they’re more likely to take action.
You can create urgency in your exit-intent popups by including countdown timers or highlighting limited-time offers.
Urgency works particularly well for promotions and flash sales, encouraging visitors to act fast before the opportunity slips away.
5. Personalize
Personalization can significantly boost the effectiveness of your exit-intent popups. By tailoring the message to the visitor’s behavior, you can create a more relevant and engaging experience.
For example, if a visitor has been browsing a specific product category, your popup could feature a discount on those items with a message like, “We noticed you’re interested in our winter coats. Here’s 10% off just for you!”
Personalization makes the popup feel more like a helpful suggestion than a generic sales pitch, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
6. A/B test
No matter how good your exit popup looks, you won’t know how effective it is until you test it. A/B testing allows you to experiment with different designs, messages, and offers to see what resonates best with your audience.
You might test two versions of the same exit-intent popup—one offering free shipping and another offering a 10% discount. By comparing their performance, you can determine which incentive drives more sales.
Regular A/B testing helps you fine-tune your popups, ensuring they continue to perform well over time.
7. Optimize for mobile
With more and more people browsing on their smartphones, it’s crucial that your pop-ups are mobile-friendly. A popup that looks great on a desktop but is clunky or hard to close on a mobile device will frustrate visitors and drive them away.
Make sure your popup design is responsive, with buttons that are easy to tap and text that is readable on smaller screens.
5 real-life exit-intent popup examples to inspire you
Let’s take a look at some examples. As you’ll see, exit-intent popups can be used for many different use cases.
1. Vegetology’s email popup
Vegetology’s email pop-up is a masterclass in simplicity and effectiveness.
This Shopify exit popup is designed to encourage email subscriptions by offering visitors a mystery discount in exchange for their email address. The mystery element adds an touch of surprise, which can be highly engaging for visitors who love a good deal.
This popup is only shown to new visitors, making it feel exclusive and targeted. Additionally, the “February Special” headline ties the offer to a specific time frame, creating a sense of urgency.
The seasonal angle encourages store visitors to act quickly before the deal disappears, making it an excellent example of how to combine urgency with a compelling offer.
This email pop-up from Vegetology achieved a 13.8% conversion rate.
2. Millie n Me’s product recommendation popup
Millie n Me takes personalization to the next level with their product recommendation popup. Instead of showing a generic message, this Shopify exit popup dynamically generates product suggestions based on the visitor’s browsing history.
For instance, if a visitor was checking out maxi dresses, the popup says, “We found you 3 stunning maxi dresses you’ll love,” accompanied by images of those dresses.
The personalized headline and product recommendations make the visitor feel understood and catered to, which can significantly increase the chances of conversion.
Millie n Me’s pop-up not only achieved a 10.25% conversion rate, but also helped to boost sales by 5.65%.
3. Craft Sportswear NA’s SMS popup
Craft Sportswear NA uses exit-intent popups to grow their SMS marketing list, offering an enticing discount in exchange for signing up.
What’s unique about this Shopify exit-intent popup is its strategic targeting—it’s only shown to visitors who have already subscribed to the email list. This ensures that the popup doesn’t come across as redundant, but rather as a valuable next step in the customer journey.
By focusing on visitors who are already engaged with the brand via email, Craft Sportswear NA can effectively build a multi-channel communication strategy. The discount incentive sweetens the deal, making it more likely that visitors will opt in to receive SMS updates.
How great was this targeted marketing strategy? They achieved a 40.44% conversion rate with this pop-up.
4. The Turmeric Co.’s countdown timer popup
The Turmeric Co. effectively leverages urgency with their cart abandonment popup, which features a countdown timer that pushes visitors to complete their purchase before the offer expires.
This popup offers new customers 20% off their order, but the catch is that the discount is only available for a limited time.
The ticking countdown timer adds a visual element of urgency, reminding visitors that time is running out. This strategy is particularly effective for cart abandonment scenarios, as it encourages visitors to complete their purchase quickly to avoid missing out on the discount.
This pop-up campaign had a 28.76% conversion rate, which shows just how effective it was!
5. Obvi’s seasonal popup
Obvi’s seasonal exit pop-up is designed to increase sales during the high-stakes shopping season of Black Friday. This popup promotes a 25% discount along with free gifts, making it an irresistible offer for bargain hunters.
The language used in the popup—“Hurry, stock is limited!”—further boosts the sense of urgency, encouraging visitors to act fast.
By tying the offer to Black Friday, Obvi taps into the heightened shopping mentality that accompanies this annual event. The mention of limited stock creates a fear of missing out (FOMO), which can be a powerful motivator for customers looking to snag a deal before it’s gone.
Obvi’s pop-up achieved a 7.23% ecommerce conversion rate during their Black Friday sales event.
FAQ
How do I trigger an exit-intent popup?
Triggering an exit-intent popup involves using exit-intent popup technology that detects when a visitor is about to leave your website. This usually happens when the user’s mouse moves toward the browser’s close button or back button. To set this up on your Shopify store, you can use an exit-intent popup app like OptiMonk, which allows you to configure the popup to appear only when exit-intent is detected. You simply choose “exit-intent” as the trigger option in the app’s settings, and your popup will appear just as visitors are about to leave.
Are exit popups good?
Yes, exit popups are highly effective when used correctly. They’re particularly good at capturing the attention of abandoning visitors. By offering an incentive like a discount or asking for feedback, these pop-ups can help you recover abandoned carts, grow your email marketing list, and even gather valuable insights about why visitors might be leaving. However, the key to their success is in the execution—keeping the message clear, relevant, and non-intrusive is essential to ensure they’re seen as helpful rather than annoying.
What are the best apps for exit-intent popups?
There are several great popup apps in the Shopify App Store that can help you create popups:
- OptiMonk: Known for its user-friendly interface and robust features, OptiMonk offers a variety of pop-up templates (including exit pop-ups, email pop-ups, gamified pop-ups, and more) and advanced targeting options. OptiMonk is one of the easiest pop-up creators, and you can get started for free.
- Privy: A user-friendly app that not only handles exit-intent popups but also offers email marketing features.
- Poptin: Ideal for those looking for a straightforward exit-intent popup app with a drag-and-drop editor, making it easy to create and customize popups without any coding knowledge.
These popup apps provide a range of features to help you tailor your pop-ups to your specific goals, whether you’re focused on reducing cart abandonment, growing your email list, or promoting special offers.
Wrapping up
Shopify exit-intent popups are a powerful tool for your online store.
When done right, they can significantly boost conversions, grow your email list, and reduce cart abandonment.
By following this guide and implementing best practices, you’ll be well on your way to creating popups that not only capture attention but also drive results.
So go ahead—give your visitors a reason to stay just a little bit longer with these exit-intent popups:
What should you do next?
Thanks for reading till the end. Here are 3 ways we can help you grow your business:
Boost conversions with proven use cases
Explore our Use Case Library, filled with actionable personalization examples and step-by-step guides to unlock your website's full potential. Check out Use Case Library
Create a free OptiMonk account
Create a free OptiMonk account and easily get started with popups and conversion rate optimization. Get OptiMonk free
Get advice from a CRO expert
Schedule a personalized discovery call with one of our experts to explore how OptiMonk can help you grow your business. Book a demo
Share this article
Written by
Barbara Bartucz
Barbara is a Content Marketer at OptiMonk. She takes pride in creating different forms of content, whether it’s an article, a video, or an e-book.
You may also like
- Posted in
- Ecommerce
Product updates: September Release 2024
