How to Create a Smart Shopify Discount Pop Up? A Step By Step Guide

Shopify discount pop up is one of the most popular and effective widgets for online store owners. Among powerful tools like banners, countdown timers, auto menu, etc., a pop up can easily capture customer attention and entice them to make a purchase.

So, how can a Shopify merchant create a discount pop up? The best solution is to use Shopify native discount to create a code and customize a pop up for that code with third-party software.

This article will help you with this process to run attractive, sales-triggering pop ups.

1. How To Create A Shopify Discount Pop Up?

Merchants need to generate a Shopify discount code using Shopify native discount first. Then, you create a pop up to show that offer to qualified customers.

The buyer will save that discount and apply it at checkout for later use.

Step 1: Choose a suitable Shopify pop up app

The first step to creating Shopify discount pop ups is selecting an effective third-party app since Shopify internal settings do not support creating this type of widget.

Here are some tips for choosing a pop up app that aligns with your promotional goals:

Easy integration with Shopify

The app should integrate seamlessly with Shopify for a smooth workflow. It should also integrate with other tools in your store, such as CRM systems, analytics tools, or email marketing services.

Support multiple campaign types

A functional app should support diverse types of pop ups, including:

• Discount and coupon codes to boost conversion
• Product recommendations for upsell and cross-sell
• Email collection forms to grow the email list

Various customization options

Look for Shopify apps with easy-to-use templates and other customization features (fonts, images, colors) that align with your store branding.

Targeting and segmentation

Shopify discount pop ups should be highly personalized based on customer segments. Several key criteria, such as new vs. returning buyers, location, referral source, etc., help you deliver customized messages to each group.

Step 2: Create a discount code with Shopify native discount

This step guides you in creating a discount code to be promoted on your pop up.

Step 3: Choose types of discount pop up

Store owners should know about these 2 common types of pop ups to apply them smartly in different cases.

Offer coupons for free

A popular Shopify discount pop up that most online shops offer is the free welcome coupon. This pop up is often used to attract new buyers with a discount for their first purchase.

It usually appears right after the customer lands on the homepage. To prevent discount code abuse, you can customize it for a one-time application per customer.

Subscriber-based discount

On the other hand, this discount requires shoppers to take the desired action to claim it. For example, customers need to provide their email addresses to receive the code via email.

This pop up should appear when the customer has been browsing your site for a short while. If they are interested in purchasing, they will take action to get the discount.

Step 4: Design your discount pop up

The key to an attractive Shopify discount pop up is to grab attention and convert visitors into buyers without being intrusive. Check out our advice to create pop ups that drive sales and engagement effectively:

Eye-catching design

Keep the pop up visually clean and minimal since itself might sometimes be seen as a disruption. Use large fonts with minimal text and a strong CTA (call-to-action), meaning you should only highlight important information.

The pop up will have more appeal with high-quality images, especially if they are relevant to the discounted products.

Compelling offer

The discount or promotion should be clearly stated in your pop up, such as “Get 15% off your first order.” Your offer ought to be something valuable that immediately catches their interest, whether it is a discount, limited-time, or free shipping.

Certain phrases like “Today only” or “Limited time offer” are especially triggering to encourage quick decisions.

Strong CTA

The CTA must be clear and bold to intrigue buyers to take action. Try direct phrases like “Get my offer” or “Claim your discount” in a large button that stands out.

Place the CTA button in a prominent location within your pop up, so customers can act quickly without scrolling or thinking too much.

Timing and triggers

One of the most crucial factors for Shopify discount pop up is when to trigger it for the best result. Here are some of our best tips:

• Exit-intent pop up: The exit-intent technology shows the pop up as the visitor is about to leave your site.
• Delayed pop up: Display a pop up after the buyer has been on your web for a certain amount of time or after scrolling through a percentage of pages.
• Page-specific: Use pop ups on the cart page or product pages where visitors are most likely to be in a shopping mood.

Minimal disruption

Make sure the pop up does not disrupt customer experience or block their view. 

Full-screen pop ups can sometimes be overwhelming and disturbing, so apply this variation wisely. Therefore, consider using slide-ins or smaller windows for less intrusiveness.

Also, it is crucial to add an exit button (“X” or “Close”) on the pop up. This helps prevent customer frustration from being trapped and improve their satisfaction.

Read more: An Ultimate Guide on How to Increase Sales on Shopify?

Step 5: Create a trigger

Regarding the importance of timing for the Shopify pop up, you should take into account these activation key points:

After some time

Give your visitors a specific amount of time on the site before triggering a pop up, for example, 30 to 60 seconds. This can prompt discounts to those exploring the store but have not yet taken action.

After scrolling

Let the Shopify discount pop up appear when customers have scrolled a certain percentage of the home page. It indicates that they are engaging with your content, making it a good opportunity to offer a discount.

Exit intent

A way to detect when potential buyers are about to leave your site is them move the cursor to the browser’s close button. At this moment, a pop up will help recover abandoning visitors and compel them to stay for a purchase.

2. How To Create A Shopify Discount Pop Up After Adding Specific Products To a Cart

In some cases, a Shopify discount pop up should appear after customers add products to their carts but have not proceeded to checkout. This incentive can motivate them to finalize the order.

However, current pop up apps on the market have yet to support this feature. That is why you need a promotion-focused software to trigger pop ups after customers add assigned products to their carts.

We recommend BOGOS, a high-performance Shopify app for creating and managing advanced Shopify discounts and free gift offers. The app has an internal gift slider tool that acts like a pop up, showcasing free gifts when certain items are in the shopping cart.

For example, if your customer purchases 2 bathroom sets, the system identifies them as trigger products, and a pop up (gift slider) will appear to show 2 free moisturizers. Thanks to this feature, buyers are notified of incentives and automatically receive them.

Read more: How to create discounts for abandoned cart users?

3. The Downsides of Using Shopify Discount Pop Ups You Need To Know

Despite the diverse advantages of Shopify discount pop up, they have certain downsides that also relate to discount codes. The possible disadvantages of combining a discount code and pop up include:

Entering the wrong code

Since buyers are required to remember the code for later use, there are potential risks of mistyping (e.g., enter SUMMER only instead of SUMMER10).

If they are unable to take advantage of the discount, it will lead to frustration and reduce customer engagement with your store.

Moreover, many shoppers have the habit of closing pop ups as soon as they appear. That way, they will likely miss out on the displayed discount code.

Dysfunctional setup

In some cases, you may fail to set up the pop up activation appropriately. This may cause the widget to show up constantly, making it a nuisance for visitors.

When they are not happy with the initial browsing experience, you will lose. 

Only one discount code per order

Store owners can only promote one discount code per Shopify discount pop up at a time. We do not recommend displaying more than one code on the pop up since it confuses customers.

Plus, there is a possibility that buyers will overuse your discount codes if they are not configured properly. That is why you should utilize automatic discounts with a robust third-party app.

BOGOS can be a reliable assistant in helping you create, track, and manage enticing promotions and discount offers, such as buy X get Y, free gifts, product bundles, etc. Its high level of automation and customization is effective in increasing sales revenue.

4. Conclusion

That is our instruction on how to create pop up discounts on Shopify and personalize them to support promotional campaigns. Undoubtedly, this widget is effective in promoting active discount codes to potential buyers and compelling them to purchase.

In addition to knowing how to create a functional Shopify discount pop up, you should focus on the right timing to trigger it. Segmenting your customers into specific groups is also crucial in determining their interests and needs for different promotion offers.

However, if discount pop ups are rather disadvantageous, try using automatic discounts instead. Configuring an automatic deal with a third-party app like BOGOS can be a game-changer.

5. FAQs