12 ways to improve conversions using exit intent pop-ups

The use of exit intent pop-ups has been growing in popularity over the last few years, as eCommerce sites have exploded onto the scene. Essentially, exit intent pop-ups are small windows that appear within an eCommerce site when the person browsing shows signs of preparing to leave. These pop-ups are intended to engage visitors so that they don’t leave, but rather return and purchase something. Research shows that exit intent pop-ups succeed in convincing 35% of your customers to remain on your site.

There are many platforms that give you exit intent pop-up functionality, with some being more intuitive and user-friendly, and others being rather clunky and challenging to leverage. This functionality often comes with a marketing automation solution. One of our favorites is Agile CRM, because it also provides you with complete customer relationship management (CRM) features, a full sales automation module, and a customer support suite… all for free. Check out Agile CRM to learn more about marketing automation.

When looking at solutions and weighing your options, it’s important to fully understand how such a solution can help your eCommerce site. You’ll want to fully understand the benefits involved so that you can select a solution that’s the right fit for your business. Here we discuss some of the ways that exit intent features can help you retain leads and turn them into customers. By understanding how exit intent works, you’ll better understand the benefits and be armed with the insight you need to select the right solution for your business.

1. Remind them about Items in their cart

With the right solution in place, you can alert customers about the items that are still left in their cart, just as they are about to leave your eCommerce site. The system knows when this is the case, and you can tell it to display a message reminding the visitor that they didn’t check out and are about to leave their cart. Sometimes, the visitor may have intended to make a purchase, but was distracted and forgot to complete the process. Other times, they may have been on the fence and not sure about making the purchase—when that’s the case, your reminder pop-up might be all they need to commit to making a purchase. Learn more about exit intent features.

2. Invite them to sign up to your newsletter

Just as they are about to leave, your pop-up appears and offers them the chance to sign up for your newsletter. It will keep them informed about what’s new and great at your eCommerce store. If they choose to subscribe to your email newsletter, you will have captured their contact information, which means you just generated a new lead that you can market to in the future. Even if they then leave your site, you can still consider that a success. Or, it’s possible that that extra nudge of engagement will motivate them to return and make a purchase. Research shows that 20% of exit intent pop-ups are used for newsletter sign up forms, so this is one to take seriously. 

3. Offer helpful content

The overarching purpose of exit intent pop-ups is to engage a visitor who is on their way out the door, with the hopes that the added engagement will help keep your brand front of mind for them in the future. If you have eBooks or blogs that offer helpful information that will improve the life of your visitor, you should use exit intent pop-ups to share that with them. You can choose to give it away for free or ask for their contact information in exchange. Regardless of that, if your content does in fact help them solve some kind of problem in their lives, you will have established brand recognition with that lead, meaning that the next time they think of buying the kind of product you sell, they will think of your first and be more likely to return to your eCommerce store.

4. Alert them next time you have a sale

When they are about to leave, offer to send them an email to notify them the next time you have a sale on the type of product they were browsing for. You will ask for their email address in order to communicate this to them. When they provide it to you, you will have captured a new lead. They may go ahead and leave your site, but you will be able to market to them in the future.

5. Offer a limited-time discount

If they were browsing your eCommerce site, but are now preparing to leave, you may be able to convince them to stay and make a purchase if you offer them a one-time discount. Maybe they wanted to buy something but the price turned them away. Offering them a discount can bring them back to the site and maybe all the convincing they needed to move forward and buy something. Plus, offering discounts is the most common method (at 40%) of using exit intent pop-ups, so it’s hard to go wrong here. 

6. Display social follow buttons

Display a pop-up that invites them to follow you on social media. Tell them that they can stay up-to-date on what’s going in at your eCommerce store by following you on their favorite social platform. It’s a tactic that doesn’t generate the same concern as asking them for their email because they can always unfollow you at any time. Once they are following you, you will be able to engage them with discounts, promotions, and updates about new products or offerings. The point is to not lose them for good, and if they commit to following you on social media, it means you’ll have another chance to convince them to buy in the future.

7. Offer a free product demo

Maybe they are interested in your product, but they are still unsure how it will help them, or if they even need it. By offering them a free demo, you get the chance to prove to them that they do in fact need your product. You’ll want to make sure that the demo you offer is helpful and informative, and is focused on conveying the benefits your product delivers. If the demo is not valuable, you’ll likely lose them in the end.

8. Display related products

It’s possible that they found something close to what they were looking for, but didn’t find exactly what they were looking for. Maybe they didn’t search very long, or maybe they didn’t realize that you even offered the product that fits their needs. Use pop-ups to show them related products and you might just turn an exit into a purchase.

9. Re-engage them with a video

Nothing engages people quite like video. You can say a whole lot—and even better, show a whole lot—with a short video. If you take this route, you’ll want to make sure that the video you display is highly relevant to what they were looking for on your site. You’ll also want to ensure that your video is short and concise because a long, drawn-out video will bore them and they will end up leaving your site.

10. Offer a discount on their next purchase

Take the opportunity to show them that you value their business by saying: hey, we know you are leaving, but when you come back, you can have 20% off your next purchase. They will either

1) navigate back to your site and take the opportunity to use the discount in that moment, or

2) appreciate the offer, save it, and potentially use it the next time they want to go shopping online. People love discounts almost as much as they love free stuff, so use this tactic when it makes sense.

11. Showcase a new product or service

Do you have a new product that’s just become available on your eCommerce site? It’s probable that your visitor does not yet know about it. So, tell them about it! It’s possible that the new product is something that they need, but were not aware that you offered it. Even if they don’t take you up on the offer, they will at least know that you offer that product, so if they ever need it in the future, they will likely think of your site first and foremost.

12. Engage them with a question

This is a very effective exit intent strategy. You can use this to ultimately link back to some of the great content you have on your blog or in eBook format. Use a question that intrigues them, but make sure it’s relevant. For example, if you sell health products, you could display a question like: Want to learn how to drastically lower your cholesterol? Then, when they click the pop-up, you can send them to a blog article that you wrote about a new product that has been shown to reduce cholesterol. It’s a great way to keep their attention, which, after all, is the underlying purpose of exit intent pop-ups.

Bottom line

In an ideal world, you wouldn’t need exit intent pop-ups because no one would want to leave your site. But in reality, attention spans are short and as marketers we need to use every tactic available to us to convert leads to customers. As artificial intelligence weaves its way deeper into marketing automation, you’ll see more of these. So, if you’re not using them, now is a good time to start. Remember to make them engaging, otherwise they’ll simply be an annoyance.

Do you have an anecdote around how exit intent pop-ups have helped you? If so, please share in the comments section below. And, as always, if you want to stay up to date on emerging trends in marketing automation, subscribe to our blog on the right hand side panel of this page.