Email popup for an online store: signup discounts and exit intent

In short: an email popup is a signup form that appears over your store and asks a visitor for their email before they buy, usually in exchange for a discount. The average popup signs up 2.1% of the people who see it, and a popup with a discount signs up 2.4% against 1.7% without one (Omnisend, 1.24 billion displays in 2025). In CloudCart the form appears right away, after a set number of seconds or on exit intent, and it records GDPR consent.

Written by the CloudCart team, the Bulgarian ecommerce platform, for stores selling in or from Bulgaria and across the EU. CloudCart facts come from the platform documentation and the Subscribers and segments and Pricing pages; the benchmarks come from the Omnisend popup study.

What an email popup is and why your store needs one

An email popup (also called a signup or newsletter popup) is a form that opens on top of a store page and asks for an email or phone number, so a first-time visitor becomes a subscriber before closing the tab.

A visitor who leaves without an order or an email comes back only through paid ads. The form is the entry point to your email marketing: emails reach only the people on your list.

The same goes for abandoned cart reminders: only a registered customer or a subscriber can get one. The reward for the email is called a lead magnet.

When to show the popup: right away, after a few seconds or on exit intent

A popup shown after 6 to 10 seconds on the page signs up the most visitors: 2.4% of displays, against 1.9% for a popup shown in the first second, according to Omnisend's analysis of 1.24 billion displays in 2025.

Exit intent means the form appears when the mouse cursor moves towards the top edge of the browser window, where the tabs and the close button are. In the same study, exit intent converted at about 1.8%, because people who are leaving are often in a hurry. Use it as a second trigger next to the timer.

The CloudCart signup form has three triggers. You can choose one or several, and the form appears as soon as any of them fires.

Trigger in CloudCart	When the form appears	When to use it
Immediately (auto)	When the page loads	Embedded forms and a bar at the top; usually too early for a centered popup
Time on page (timeOnPage)	After a set number of seconds	The main trigger for a centered popup; start with 6 to 10 seconds
Exit intent (exitIntent)	When the cursor heads for the close button or tabs	A second trigger for desktop; it does not fire on phones, where there is no cursor

There are no scroll, page-count, click or inactivity triggers. Once a visitor closes the form, a cookie keeps it from showing again in that browser.

Important: if one form has both "time on page" and "exit intent", only the timer works on a phone. Exit intent does not fire on mobile devices.

What discount to offer for signing up

A signup discount lifts signups: a popup with a discount converts 2.4% of displays, without one 1.7%, which is 41% more (Omnisend, 2025). How big the discount should be depends on your margin.

With a 40% margin, 10% off takes a quarter of the first order's profit, fair for a subscriber who keeps buying. With a 15% margin, offer free shipping or a gift.

Signup reward	Which store it suits	How to set it up in CloudCart
Percentage off (for example 10%)	Margin above 30%, average order up to about €80	A percentage discount with a promo code in Marketing → Discounts
Fixed amount (for example €5 off orders over €40)	Higher average order; protects the margin on small orders	A fixed-amount promo code discount with the condition "orders over" €40
Free shipping on the first order	Low margin, heavy or bulky products; in Bulgaria, delivery to an Econt or Speedy office (Bulgarian couriers) is an easy reward to explain	A shipping discount with a promo code
Early access to a sale	Brands with strong seasonal promotions (Black Friday, Christmas)	No code: a segment built from the form and a campaign before the start
A guide or useful content	Products that are hard to choose (skincare, electronics, food)	A link on the form's confirmation page or in the welcome email

In CloudCart the code can appear right after signup. The form's confirmation page has an open text area where you write the code, for example WELCOME10, and you create the code itself in Discounts so it works in the cart.

That is one shared code. A personal, single-use code per subscriber needs generated codes and an automated campaign that sends each one. The code generator (PRO) is in CC Pro (up to 5,000 codes) and CC Master (up to 10,000 codes), while promo code discounts are capped at 3 in Baby Pack, 5 in Starter Pack and unlimited in CC Pro and CC Master (see Pricing). The types of codes are covered in the guide to discounts and promo codes.

Spin to win popups: do they work, and does CloudCart have one?

A spin to win popup (a wheel of fortune) asks for an email and lets the visitor "spin" for a prize: 5%, 10%, free shipping. Gamified formats sign up more people: 3.5% against 2.0% for standard forms, according to Omnisend.

CloudCart signup forms have no wheel, scratch card or other game. Every form has two pages: the form with its fields and the confirmation page.

The wheel works because the reward is clear and instant. A standard form gets close: the reward in the headline, the code on the confirmation page and a deadline ("valid for 7 days").

How to create a popup form in CloudCart, step by step

You build the popup in Marketing → Subscribers → Subscribe forms, in a visual editor with no code. Forms are part of Marketing Suite, and the number you can have depends on the plan: none in Baby Pack, up to 3 in Starter Pack, up to 10 in CC Pro and up to 25 in CC Master (see Pricing).

1. Open the forms. Marketing → Subscribers → Subscribe forms → add a form.
2. Pick a template. The editor starts with "Choose a template": centered popup, bar, corner panel, sidebar or full screen.
3. Make only the email required. There are four built-in fields (email, phone, first name, last name) plus custom fields; email and phone show only if that channel is enabled in your store. Forms with 1 to 3 fields convert at 2.1 to 2.2%, with 4 fields at 1.5% (Omnisend), so keep it short.
4. Write the headline and the button. The headline is up to 200 characters and names the reward: "10% off your first order". The button names the action: "Get my code". For the button, choose "Submit the form and show confirmation".
5. Fill in the confirmation page. Write the code and its deadline, for example "Your code: WELCOME10, valid for 7 days". The button there closes the form or leads to a category.
6. Choose when it appears. Set "time on page" to 6 to 10 seconds. For desktop visitors, add exit intent as well.
7. Choose where it appears. List the URLs where the form shows and those where it must not (the cart and checkout). Forms targeted by URL convert at 2.4% against 2.0% for forms shown on every page (Omnisend, 2025), so a "Face creams" category can have its own form with a skincare reward. By default the form is not shown to someone who is already a subscriber.
8. Add consent. Attach your marketing policy page to the form as a required checkbox (see the GDPR section below) and choose whether the email is confirmed with a link.
9. Add a tag and go live. The tag (for example "popup-10") is added to everyone who signs up. Turn the form on with the "Active" switch.

A form can also be embedded in a page (the "Embedded subscribe form" module or the embed code); it shows immediately, without a trigger.

GDPR and consent for email marketing: what the form needs

To send marketing emails to a popup subscriber, you need their consent, given freely, for a specific purpose, on an informed basis and by a clear affirmative action. That is how Article 4(11) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which applies across the EU since 25 May 2018, defines consent. Article 7 adds two more conditions: you must be able to prove the consent, and withdrawing it must be as easy as giving it.

• The checkbox is not ticked in advance. A pre-ticked box is not valid consent. The Court of Justice of the EU ruled so in Planet49 (C-673/17), and the European Data Protection Board's Guidelines 05/2020 on consent repeat it.
• It is clear what the person signs up for. Next to the checkbox: "offers and news by email" and a link to the policy.
• Every email has an unsubscribe link, and someone who unsubscribes gets nothing more on any channel.

Article 13 of the ePrivacy Directive requires prior consent for marketing email, except to existing customers about similar products with an easy opt-out.

In CloudCart the proof is recorded automatically. For each policy the subscriber ticks, the platform stores the email, IP address, browser, time and the policy text at that moment. You set the marketing policy page in the GDPR app (Apps → GDPR). If the subscriber does not tick it, the record is still created, but marketing is switched off for that person and campaigns do not reach them.

Important: the form has a cookie consent setting that works the opposite way to what its name suggests. When it is on, the form also shows to visitors who have not yet accepted targeting cookies. When it is off (the default), the form waits until the visitor accepts cookies in the banner. If your popup does not appear, check this setting first.

The cookie banner, the privacy policy and data deletion requests are covered in the guide to GDPR, cookies and your store's legal pages.

Single or double opt-in: when the subscriber starts getting emails

Single opt-in means the subscriber is confirmed right after signing up. Double opt-in means they receive an email with a link and are confirmed only after they click it. CloudCart campaigns reach confirmed subscribers only.

In the form, choose one of the two: "Mark as confirmed" (single opt-in) or "Send a confirmation link by email" (double opt-in). With both off, the subscriber stays unconfirmed and no campaign reaches them.

	Single opt-in	Double opt-in
When the subscriber is confirmed	Right away	After clicking the link in the email
List size	Larger	Smaller, some people never click
Better choice when	The code is shown on screen; a small store that wants fast growth	Lots of paid traffic, a valuable reward, a store that protects its sender reputation

Subscribers in Marketing Suite are capped by plan: 50 in Baby Pack, 100 in Starter Pack, 500 in CC Pro and 1,000 in CC Master (see Pricing). At the limit, campaigns reach the earliest subscribers and newer ones wait; deleting unsubscribed and bouncing addresses frees places within about 10 minutes.

What happens after signup: a segment and the welcome email

A popup subscriber should get the first email the same day. In CloudCart you do this with an automated segment and an automated campaign that starts as soon as someone joins the segment.

1. Create a segment by form. In Marketing → Segments, create an automated segment with the condition "signup form" and select your popup.
2. Start a welcome campaign. In Campaigns, choose an automated campaign. The ready-made campaigns include a series for new subscribers, and the trigger is joining the segment. A campaign has up to 5 steps with delays between them.
3. Repeat the code in the email with a button to the store, and after 3 days add a reminder for those who have not ordered yet.

Templates, sending and statistics are in the guide to an email campaign in CloudCart, step by step.

A popup on mobile that does not hurt SEO

On a phone, the popup should cover a small part of the screen. Google advises using banners that take up only a small fraction of the screen instead of full-page interstitials, and says these small containers work for newsletter signup prompts too (Google Search Central).

Forms built for mobile as well convert at 2.2% of displays, and desktop-only forms at 1.4% (Omnisend, 2025). In CloudCart the position is set separately for phones, so you can show a centered popup on desktop and a bar or panel at the bottom on mobile.

• Width and height are in pixels. The form does not shrink by itself; check it on a phone after each change.
• There is no hiding by device. You can choose a different position and image for mobile, but you cannot hide the form there.
• Avoid full screen on mobile. The template sets the starting position per device: the centered popup stays centered, the panel becomes a full-width strip at the bottom, and the "sidebar" becomes full screen on a phone, so choose a bar or panel there.

The rest of the mobile checklist is in the guide to the mobile version of an online store.

How to measure whether your popup works

The signup rate is signups divided by displays. The CloudCart list of forms shows both numbers for every form: 2,000 displays and 50 signups means 2.5%.

Omnisend's benchmark for 2025: below 1.5% the form is underperforming, 1.5 to 3% is average, 3 to 5% is good and 5% or more is excellent.

• A/B testing is manual. Run two forms on different pages and compare the rates after 2 to 3 weeks.
• Measure revenue through the segment. A segment by signup form shows which subscribers came from it, and their orders show what the form brought in.
• Pixels get no event. A signup through the form does not send a Lead event to the Facebook Pixel or generate_lead to Google Analytics.

Mistakes that cost you subscribers

• A popup in the first second. 1.9% against 2.4% after 6 to 10 seconds.
• Exit intent only. It never fires on phones. Add a timer.
• Four or more fields. Signups drop to 1.5% (4 fields) and 1.4% (5 or more). Ask for the name later.
• The form shows in the cart. Exclude the cart and checkout URLs.
• A pre-ticked consent box. It is not valid consent under GDPR.
• No confirmation method selected. The subscriber stays unconfirmed and gets no campaigns.
• The code fails in the cart. Create the discount first and test it with a test order.
• No welcome email. After a week of silence, the subscriber forgets the code.

You pay a fixed plan and 0% commission on sales, and prices are on the Pricing page (billed annually, excluding VAT): from €14 a month for Baby Pack, while signup forms start with Starter Pack at €33. Create a store for €1 and launch your first form this week. Questions: support@cloudcart.com.

Frequently asked questions