@peterac_What counts as a popup
This collection covers email capture popups, add-to-cart upsell popups, country and currency popups, and small info popups opened from a product page. Ideas also include cart popups that replace a side cart. The evidence on spin-to-win and exit-intent popups is ideas only; no measured result in this archive covers them.
The win/loss record
4 results: 3 won, 1 lost. All 4 kept or added a popup; the only loss came from taking one away. Dave Diederen ran 3 of the 4 and Kasper Dolk ran 1.
Where popups were tested
- Site-wide: 2
- Product page: 1
- Collection page and product page together: 1
The loss: removing the email popup
Dave's removal test dropped conversion rate 12.18%, revenue per visitor 20.51%, profit per visitor 19.99% and AOV 9.49%. Dave's explanation is that store owners find popups annoying but shoppers act on the offer. Dave advises fixing a weak popup (offer, timing, easy close on mobile) rather than deleting it, and describes one that fires after 8-10 seconds with 10% off as the kind that works.
Want results like this on your store?
Dave Diederen at Syntra Labs. Dave builds and tests Shopify stores at Syntra Labs, and shares most results in public.
Biggest wins and their numbers
- Geo-detection popup asking visitors to confirm country and currency: +12.32% CVR, +13.01% RPV, AOV unchanged (Dave Diederen). It offered no discount and collected no email.
- Two different upsell products in the same add-to-cart popup: +4.37% CVR, +7.80% RPV, +3.28% AOV (Dave Diederen). The placement stayed the same; the product choice made the difference.
- Retail-price comparison popup on the product page: +€30,554 revenue lift over 6,302 visitors at 94% confidence (Kasper Dolk), shared alongside a swipeable collection image test.
Design patterns that worked
- Keep the email popup, but test its offer and timing.
- Ask one question or show one thing per popup.
- For upsells, pick a product that is an obvious next step for the hero product.
- Use popups to answer questions shoppers already have, such as price in their currency.
Ideas worth testing next
Dave Diederen suggests a popup that asks what the shopper is looking for before the email field, so follow-up emails can be tailored, and a spin-to-win wheel that keeps spinning until an email is entered. Kasper Dolk suggests turning dead clicks into info popups: if heatmaps show people clicking "Free Shipping" text, make it open shipping and returns details. Kasper also suggests a "find your fit" popup for stores with many compatible options.
Several ideas cover cart popups: placing them within thumb reach on mobile, opening with "Great choice!", and repeating savings, item count and shipping price. Dave suggests testing a full-screen cart popup in place of a side drawer.
How to add or change popups on Shopify
Email popups usually come from your email platform or a popup app; see the Shopify popup apps comparison. Add-to-cart upsell popups usually come from an upsell app. Geo and currency prompts depend on Shopify Markets and your theme.
How to test it on your store
Hypothesis: a better offer or later trigger on the email popup will raise revenue per visitor. If you plan to remove it, test the removal first instead of assuming. Measure revenue per visitor, not signups, and size the test with the sample size calculator.
Questions
Do email popups hurt conversion rate?
Not in the evidence here. Dave Diederen removed an email popup and conversion rate fell 12.18% and revenue per visitor fell 20.51%, and Dave reports the removal lost on a second store too.
What popups won in A/B tests?
A geo-detection popup asking international visitors to confirm country and currency won +12.32% conversion rate, and an add-to-cart upsell popup with a better product won +7.80% revenue per visitor. Both tests are Dave Diederen's.
Do spin-to-win popups work?
There is no measured result for spin-to-win in this archive. Dave Diederen lists a spin-to-win popup that keeps spinning until an email is entered as an idea worth testing.