How to design exit popups that recover visitors without annoying them.
Exit-intent popups are powerful, but only when done well. Follow these best practices to recover more visitors and keep the experience positive.
Note: exit-intent triggering is on the Pop Up Discount roadmap and not available yet. The principles below apply to any popup, and you can start today with our email and discount popups.
Don't ask for an email with nothing in return. Offer a discount, free shipping, or a giveaway — one clear reward, not a menu.
Trigger only on genuine exit signals. Avoid firing the moment someone arrives, and don't re-show the popup on every page.
One field converts best. Ask for the email first; collect anything else later.
Show cart-recovery offers on cart and checkout pages; show list-building offers on blog and product pages.
Use scroll-based exit detection and a less intrusive format on small screens to avoid Google's interstitial issues.
Run A/B tests on your offer and copy. Small changes can meaningfully lift recovery rates.
Only on real exit signals — cursor toward the tab bar on desktop or fast upward scroll on mobile — and not repeatedly on every page.
A discount code or free shipping usually performs best. Test a couple of offers to see which recovers the most visitors.