Welcome pop ups: Why and how should you use them?

Welcome!

Isn’t it nice to be welcomed when you walk into a store? But what about entering an online store – how do you greet visitors exactly?

Here is where the welcome pop up comes in handy. It is a type of on-site message that appears shortly after a user lands on your web page.

Maybe you think it’s all the same with or without it, but in fact, there have been many case studies showing you can significantly increase your conversion rate with the help of website popups. Read on to find out about the many uses of the welcome pop up and how it helps you grow your business, gain subscribers and more.

Different types of welcome pop ups

Here are some of the main types of welcome pop ups that are most frequently used by different websites and businesses.

A coupon or discount for first-time visitors

Think about it – if you’re visiting an online store for the first time, you might not necessarily buy anything. However, if a visitor arrives and is welcomed with a pop up offering a discount or free shipping on their first order, this completely changes things.

A similar welcome pop up will make consumers stay longer on your website to look at your products or services and even make a purchase.

If it’s a time-limited offer, this will create urgency and incite them to act now so that they can take advantage of your offer. A similar approach is used when a customer is about to abandon their shopping cart – but in that case, they’re called exit intent popups.

What’s more, if you ask for users’ email addresses in exchange for a discount code, you’ll easily collect more emails of potential customers that you’ll be able to reach again later.

However, make sure you display this welcome pop up only to new visitors.

A subscription pop up

As we mentioned above, a welcome pop up is one way to encourage people to subscribe to your newsletter and grow your email list.

However, you should give them at least some time to take a look at your website before you display this pop up. Otherwise, your website visitors won’t have any idea what they’re subscribing to and will certainly decline.

Customize the pop up so that it appears after the user has done some scrolling or after some time has elapsed. That way you’ll know the visitor is interested in your content and you can show a pop up promising more similar content and additional useful information if they subscribe.

Another idea is to let them download a relevant PDF, an e-book or something else in exchange for their email.

The key is to always offer something valuable to the consumer and not to demand too much out of them. Only then your subscription rates will increase.

A helpful / informative pop up

Another strong welcome pop up would be one that briefly presents your brand in a creative and informative way that will catch the user’s attention. This is your chance to introduce yourself (or your business) in the best possible way and make a good impression.

But remember to add something of value to the visitor. For example, inform them of an ongoing sale on a category of products or present your most popular products or services based on other customers’ purchases and reviews. That will help your visitors orient themselves quickly before they lose attention and might help them decide on what they want to buy.

Moreover, use an entry popup as a notice about an upcoming Christmas/Black Friday sale. That way visitors will have it in mind and come back for your holiday deals. Even better – suggest to them to leave their emails and you’ll remind them when it’s time so that they don’t miss out.

A greeting for returning customers

Why not implement a welcome back type of popup for your returning visitors? Again, use it to point them to your latest products, sales and special offers, or get even more creative.

A targeted welcome pop up

Which country is your visitor based in? Use a targeted welcome pop up to automatically detect where they’re currently accessing the site from and display useful information such as clothing size charts, delivery and return policies, and so on. Some of the consumers’ main questions will be immediately answered that way, without them having to waste any time. It’s like you’re reading their mind. Great customer experience and a lower chance of them leaving because of lack of (or inability to find) enough information.

A giveaway welcome pop up

Why not use a welcome pop up to incite visitors to enter your online contest or giveaway in exchange for an email? This is similar to a discount pop up but in this case, the user will enter a raffle for the chance to win a product from your store, for example. Everyone likes games and trying out their luck, so most people won’t be able to resist. And you’ll effortlessly get one more valuable email address.

A different welcome pop up

There are many different ways in which you can use pop ups to collect emails, gain subscribers, increase conversions and sales rates. Welcome pop ups present you with a great opportunity to grab your visitors’ attention right from the beginning.

Experiment and get creative. How are your competitors doing it and how can you do it better? Customize your pop ups to get the best possible results.

Are you still unconvinced they work that well? Check out our article on the mind-blowing advantages of pop up ads.

Mistakes to avoid when using welcome pop ups

There are some mistakes you need to be careful to avoid if you want your pop ups to work properly. Otherwise, you might leave visitors with a bad impression and lose their interest.

Here are the do’s and don’ts of welcome pop ups:

1. Always optimize for mobile devices and test everything.

Always test your pop ups yourself. Go through the whole process as if you’re a new website visitor. Make sure they work equally well on mobile devices since, as we all know, the majority of users nowadays access websites on their mobiles. If you don’t do that, this can lead to poor user experience and be the unfortunate reason for you to lose potential customers.

2. Don’t ask for too much information (or any).

If your pop up contains too many fields, asking for information such as email, name, address, phone, age, gender, and so on and so forth, users will get impatient and discouraged, and you won’t achieve anything except driving them away. They don’t even know you yet – why would they oblige and waste time to fill out all that private info?

Make sure you ask only for the most important one or two pieces of information – and that is only if you’re providing something desirable in exchange, like a discount code.

3. Don’t display the welcome pop up too soon.

About 5 seconds after a visitor enters your online store is a good time to display your pop up. Give them a chance to have a look around and see what you’re selling; otherwise, you might overwhelm and scare them away.

Do you need more ideas on how to use different types of pop ups on your website? Read our article to learn the best tips on increasing conversions and sales with pop ups.

To sum up

Now that you know all the benefits of welcome pop ups, we are sure you can’t wait to start using them and see the magic for yourself.

Wondering how to start?

It’s easier than ever – with Cathfull, our brand new digital marketing tool, you can create amazing pop ups, page banners and on-site messages in minutes. Catchfull is bound to help you boost lead generation, conversions and sales. Subscribe now and you’ll get a 3-month free trial!