Your first store popup: choosing the type, timing and offer
New to popups? See which popups suit which goals — welcome offers, exit intent, spin to win, waitlists — when to show them, what to offer, and how to preview before going live. No code needed.
A popup is the most direct way to turn store visitors into email subscribers. In Zalify there's no code involved: start from a template, change the words and the offer, then publish and switch it on, and it appears on your store. Before you start, decide three things: which popup, when it appears, and what you offer. For the step-by-step, see Create a signup popup.
Choose the type of popup
| Your goal | Popup to use | Templates |
|---|---|---|
| Get new visitors to place a first order | Welcome offer: a first-order discount or free shipping | Page-turn welcome, Pick your gift |
| Make signing up more fun | Gamified: spin to win, mystery number | Mystery number, or add a Spin to win wheel |
| Win back visitors who are leaving | Exit intent: one more offer before they go | Cart rescue |
| Build buzz for a launch or restock | Waitlist: tell people first when it's available | First in line |
| Raise order value | Spend-more-save-more announcement | Spend-tier ladder |
| Learn what visitors want | One question: what they're shopping for, how they found you | One-question quiz |
| Get email and phone number | Two steps: email first, then phone | Email, then text |
If you're just starting, make a single welcome offer popup. It reaches most new visitors and its results are the easiest to measure.
Choose when it appears
A popup that's on shows on every page by default, once per visit. To be more precise, adjust it under Pixel → Triggers:
- After a few seconds or a scroll: let visitors look at products first, rather than interrupting them as the page opens.
- When a visitor is about to leave: ideal for win-back popups.
- Only on some pages: for example, product pages or the cart.
- How often: once per visit, once per page, or every time.
Only one popup appears automatically at a time. If you switch on several, use triggers to give each its own pages and timing — see Triggers.
Choose what to offer
- A first-order discount or free shipping is the most common offer and the most persuasive for first-time visitors.
- Create the discount in Shopify, then choose it under Offers in the popup. Turn on A unique code for each subscriber so everyone gets their own code and it can't be shared around.
- Show the code on the step after signup, with a Copy button so visitors can grab it in one tap.
You don't have to offer a discount — waitlists and newsletters work too, as long as you say what subscribers get.
Features that help
- Teaser tab: after a visitor closes the popup, a small tab stays on the edge of the page so they can reopen it whenever they're ready to claim the offer.
- Several steps: email on the first step, the code or a phone number on the second — each step stays simple.
- Phone layout: set the card width and position on phones separately so the popup doesn't cover your products.
- Brand style: templates pick up the colours and fonts from your Brand Kit.
- AI editor: describe a change in a sentence — "make the headline more urgent".
Test before you go live
- Click Check at the top of the editor to catch anything that would break or miss sign-ups.
- Open Tools → Preview to see it on your store. Only you can see the preview.
- Once it's on, open your store in a private browser window to see what shoppers see.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to code to make a popup?
No. On Shopify, turn on the Zalify app embed in your theme editor, then design, publish and switch on the popup in Zalify. Other sites need the Zalify Pixel first.
Will a popup slow down my store?
No. The popup only loads when it's about to show, and it's small, so your pages open just as fast.
Will the popup clash with my theme's styles?
No. The popup's styles and your theme's styles don't affect each other, so changing your theme doesn't mean redoing the popup.
How often does the popup show?
Once per visit by default. Under Pixel → Triggers you can change it to once per page or every time, and set start and end dates to match a promotion.
Will the popup be too intrusive on phones?
Delay it, narrow the card on phones, move it towards the bottom of the screen, and add a teaser tab so visitors can close it and come back later. Popups that cover the whole page on phones make for a poor experience and can hurt search performance.