Stop Using Regular Shopify Email Popups—Try these 3 Alternatives Instead

If you're a Shopify seller, you probably know that the right email popup can do wonders for growing your email list. Popups work. In fact, their conversion rates go from 3.09% for the average email popup performance to 9.28% for high-converting email popups. It's one of those things people hate but works anyway.

G2 – the business software and services peer-to-peer review site – found in a 2019 survey of 400 Americans that 82.2% of respondents don't like popups at all.

What people dislike the most about these intrusive little windows is that:

• They're everywhere every single time you visit a site
• They show up as soon as someone land on a website
• And their design is boring, which is different from minimalist

So, the question would be, is there anything you can do to use email popups to your advantage while avoiding making visitors' surfing miserable? Absolutely yes. That's why you're here. Not all techniques to collect email addresses are created equal.

It's time to rediscover alternatives, types, tips and examples for email popups on Shopify. By the end, you'll be able to choose the best option for your store.

What is an email popup in the first place?

An email popup is a type of lead capture method that appears as a popup window asking for an email when someone visits your online store. Then an exchange of value happens, where you offer an incentive, such as discounts, exclusive content, or downloadable eBooks in exchange for people's email addresses.

It usually looks like this…

The whole point of implementing an email popup is to:

• Build a robust email list to do email marketing down the road
• Gather more newsletter subscribers and visitor feedback for social proof
• Promote new product launches/collections to drive sales

So, are traditional email pop-ups the ONLY way to collect emails effectively?

Fortunately, they're not. Let's dive into more surefire options.

3 Shopify email popup alternatives in no particular order

Disclaimer: We recommend competitors' plugins. At the end of the day, our goal is for your store to make more money. Whatever works best for you should always be the top priority. Here's a list of three alternatives to start collecting those emails.

1. Email signup bar – Attrac Announcement Bar Banner

This collapsible email signup bar features a simple email pop-up form you can place at the top or bottom of your website without interrupting your visitors' navigation.

The app is easy to use and customizable, so you can create a bar that matches the look and feel of your store. Unlike common pop-ups, it's responsive, so it'll work on all devices.

Once you have a list of subscribers, you can send them offers and news about your products. The better the content, the more likely they'll stay subscribed.

Pros

• Possibility to combine email signup bar with other campaigns.
• Fully customizable and responsive for multiple devices.
• Integrates with leading 3rd-party email marketing apps.
• User-friendly and intuitive admin panel interface.
• Unlimited total number of contacts and charges for new contacts only.
• Affordable prices for paid subscriptions. Free plan available.

Cons

• Analytics and targeting are available under paid plans only.
• Can't add custom fields in addition to the name and email fields.

2. Email quiz – Presidio: Quiz Kit

With Presidio, you can create interactive custom quiz templates or choose from pre-designed ones. Both include an email capture option after quiz completion. That way, you can engage with your audience, get them involved in your store, and eventually turn them into customers.

Quiz Kit does an outstanding job on the dynamic side of things. And that resource often has a massive positive impact on the shopper experience and revenue.

Pros

• More engaging than the average email popup app.
• Works for simple and complex online stores alike.
• Has a wide variety of third-party integrations.
• Shows usage analytics and revenue metrics.

Cons

• Ideally, you'll have to hire a copywriter to make your quiz magnetic.
• Significantly more expensive than other Shopify plugins.

3. Email capture forms – Shopify Forms

The exception to the rule. This is what the marketing industry calls a polite popup. Not a bar, not a quiz. What makes it different? Well, it doesn't blow up on your screen like the regular ones and is often placed on a website's left or right side.

Shopify Forms, as the name suggests, is a tool for making email capture forms solely. They're less intrusive than a standard or fullscreen email popup but still visible and persuasive. It won't interfere with your customers' shopping experience.

Even though it was recently launched and seems to be in some sort of beta phase, it has potential and a promising future as an email popup alternative plugin, at least for those looking for a simple and straightforward email capture app.

Pros

• Completely free. No paid version at the moment.
• Email capture forms are the specialty of the house.
• Shopify native solution. Fast upgrades are likely.
• Ridiculously easy to use. You won't believe it.

Cons

• Quite new. More updates will be needed.
• Limited customization options right now.

Good, bad, and ugly types of email pop-ups

Do appearances matter or not? Well, in eCommerce, they do. Most popups are annoying. And don't take our word for it; a study by Nielsen Norman Group described pop-ups as one of The Most Hated Online Advertising Techniques.

Does this mean you should never ever place the typical email popup? Not really. But there are other things you can use in the email capture spectrum to increase your conversions. Let's take a closer look at these four types of email pop-ups.

Standard email popup (Bad)

The standard type is the most popular form of an email popup. It appears as a small lightbox window on top of the page, prompting the visitor to enter their email. This one has no bells and whistles – it's straightforward and to the point. Right in your face.

Sidemessage email popup (Good)

Less intrusive pop-up on the sides of the screen that doesn't hurt that much the user experience. That's what the sidemessage email popup is. Because they're less likely to interfere with browsing, their effectiveness in grabbing attention is higher.

In terms of strategy, consider placing this email popup when the user is taking an action that is relevant to your offer. E.g., clicking products in a certain category.

Fullscreen email popup (Ugly)

The type of email popup that covers the entire screen. Impossible to miss. Good at getting attention but extraordinarily intrusive and may cause people to leave your site. If you're planning to use it, set it up to show up only once per user and test its performance – that way, users won't be driven away by overbearing popups.

Sticky bars email popup (Good)

A sticky bar popup is an email popup that "sticks" to the top or bottom of the screen and stays in place as you scroll through a landing page or any other web page. So it's always visible no matter where someone is on your site, but not in the way a traditional popup might be, so you're likely to get a good number of subscribers.

How to add an email popup on Shopify

Making an email popup from scratch varies from platform to platform. So check the instructions on the app of your choice. In Attrac's case, here's the three-step process.

Step 1 – Create a new campaign

Install Attrac on Shopify, open the Dashboard, and then click on Create campaign.
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Step 2 – Select a display and campaign type

For the display and campaign type, choose Bar > Email Signup Bar.

Step 3 – Define the settings and save the changes

Configure the signup form details, style and position, and targeting.

Things to keep in mind when creating an email popup

At this point, you have a Shopify store up and running. But a couple of tips never hurt when it comes to increasing your sales with alternative email popups.

1. Keep it short and sweet

If there's one mission to accomplish, it's not to overwhelm potential customers, or they'll simply close the popup without even reading it.
Instead, focus on creating a short and to-the-point message. Not too long, not too wordy – as this will deter people from subscribing.
Only ask for the minimum amount of info you need to run an email campaign.

The Sleeknote team, now acquired by Drip, analyzed 1B+ pop-up windows to find that the optimal number of input fields is two, as shown in the graph below.

2. Offer an "I wouldn't say no" incentive

In order for people to sign up for your email list, you need to give them something of value in return. This could be a discount or early access to new products. Make sure it's something that your target audience will actually find valuable.

Here are some other ideas to think about:

• Bonuses
• Coupons
• Free samples
• Free shipping
• Bulk discounts
• Donation to causes
• Tutorials and guides
• Appreciation gift cards
• Discounts on next purchases

Worth reading: 20 Best Incentives for Your E-Commerce Site.

3. Create a clear call-to-action

One call-to-action per popup. Meaning stating exactly what you want your website visitors to do, such as signing up for your newsletter or downloading your eBook. But not both at the same time, or you'll end up with a weak and unspecific CTA altogether.

4. Timing matters, so slow down

You don't want to show your email popup too soon or too late. Too soon, and the visitor might need more time to scan your store. Too late, and the visitor may already be gone. Try showing the popup after eight seconds or after 50% page scroll.

It's also a good idea to test different timing intervals to see what works best for your audience. Then, slowly increase the interval until you find the sweet spot.

5. Use a visually appealing popup design

The design must be aligned with the website's overall look and feel. Same colors, fonts, and imagery to look like a natural extension of your brand.
A photo, an eye-catching graphic, or any other visual that's easy to understand at a glance, reflects your brand identity, and speaks to your target audience will make your email popup stand out.

6. Personalize your email popups

Making your email popup personal shows how invested you are in your audience's experience. This recommendation is more creative-oriented but still data-driven.

Let's imagine that TikTok is a major source of traffic for your store—as it is for many business owners these days. In that case, you can brainstorm ideas to come up with something that targets that specific segment of potential customers.

With Attrac's Pro and Max plan, you can access audience, device, and page and domain targeting features. All designed to personalize your marketing like a pro.

7. Test, test, test

Before launching your email popup, test it to ensure all the links and forms work. For instance, you know what would be awful? Crafting a good copy, matching the brand identity, and then realizing that it doesn't look right on all devices or, worse yet, that you didn't set up Mailchimp properly to host all the emails in your database. *Sigh*

Alternative email popup examples

A badly designed or poorly timed email popup can be annoying and off-putting for new potential customers, which will do more harm than good. So how can you make sure your email popup alternative is powerful enough?

Check out these examples for some inspiration.

Waterproof clothing store with email signup bar

After one minute, this store offers a sleek email signup bar that you can close at any time by clicking the [x] in the upper right corner, making the approach less pushy. When someone is ready to subscribe, they'll enter their email and get a 10% discount.

Like, "Hey, thanks for stopping by. We offer discounts in exchange for emails. Do you want some? If not, that's fine too, you can keep exploring our site." See the difference?

Coffee brand with email capture option after quiz completion

Bulletproof is a great example of the email capture quiz in action. Once someone finishes the quiz about coffee preferences, the store gives the option to sign up for the brand's newsletter and claim a 15% off. That's a smart move to engage with potential customers and get them interested in your product.

Small local clothing store with popup email form

This email popup example shows a sidemessage email signup form with a 10% discount for first-time buyers. The email capture form includes fields for the customer's name, last name, and email address.

But remember, name and email are more than enough. You encourage more people to sign up by offering product updates and discounts.

Start capturing emails with Attrac's email signup bar

Email popups are undoubtedly an effective tactic in a marketer's toolkit to increase leads, subscribers, and conversions on a Shopify store.
You could be missing out on potential sales if you're not using a polite email popup or some mechanism to push your email list growth.

Try Attrac's email signup bar for free.

While there are drawbacks to using email pop-ups, when used thoughtfully, they convert. Attrac is a no-brainer for capturing emails because it allows you to create customizable forms that match your brand aesthetic. Without the annoying part.

Any of the email pop-up alternatives mentioned above are good to go. We say Attrac because – besides being the product we've been building for years – today, it helps 10,000+ online stores around the world. You'll count on a 24/7 support team. And if something gets unclear, you can always let us know, and we'll take care of it.