.png){kind=small}
What is a Shopping Deals Popup?
A shopping deals popup or promotional popup aims to increase conversions and sales by offering incentives like discounts, free shipping, coupon codes, or collecting customer emails for future marketing efforts.
These promotion popups play an essential part in maximizing revenue and keeping customers engaged. Hence, they serve the core aim of e-commerce; getting customers to buy your products.
To stay ahead of your competitors, you need to boost your average order value (AOV) and convert more visitors into customers.
Luckily, popups are designed to do just that and more.
However, the thing is… Many website owners are worried about using popups for promotion. It’s true that there are lots of eye-hurting and intrusive popups out there. Nobody likes those kinds.
But if you design and target it the right way, popups can convert 3.09% on average!
Shopping deals popups are one of the most common ways of onsite retargeting and conversion optimization. Some of the popular uses are:
- Reducing cart abandonment
- Offering free shipping or discounts
- Upselling and cross-selling products
Let’s take a look at creative popup ideas for sales promotion that’ll boost your business’s bottom line and finally discuss the dos and don’ts of high-converting shopping deals popups.
Creative Shopping Deals Popups You’ll Want to Steal
1. Offer Discounts & Coupon Codes
Coupon and discount popups work wonders when it comes to driving short-term sales for your e-commerce store, especially if you implement urgency. You can highlight the expiration date of a coupon code and get more people to use it in a set time frame.
Another method to increase the effectiveness of your offer is to show a coupon popup once the user lands on your landing page.
It can prompt them to use the coupon or discount to make their first purchase. However, always make sure to present such popups once to the same user and never multiple times.
You can easily set up the targeting options of your popup campaign with advanced popup builder tools like Popupsmart. Here are some valuable tips for targeting smarter:
- Try setting up your popup to display a few seconds after landing on the page so that it doesn’t look annoying.
- After the initial popup on the homepage, show your offer on a bar-type popup on every related page. Sticky bars are less intrusive but enough to catch the eye.
The picture above shows a makeup brand, Makeup Forever’s homepage. They use a top sidebar popup to make a discount offer in return for the user’s email address. Growing email lists is a vital asset for email marketing and retargeting.
What this popup does well:
- Makes a contrast with the vibrant colors of the landing page
- Catches the eye
- Optimal CTA
What could be optimized:
- Colors used in the popup could be more brand-related and vibrant to draw attention
- The brand could A/B test different fonts, specifically a less alarming one and a more casual one. Otherwise, it may look like a Windows alert box. (There’s a fine line.)
2. Welcome with a First-Time Purchase Offer
First-time incentives like discounts and free shipping are popular ways to capture newcomers’ email addresses and turn them into customers.
Even famous brands use this tactic in their marketing effort.
Kate Spade is one of those brands. They offer a 10% discount on the first purchase and ask new users to sign up for their newsletter.
What this popup does well:
- Clean design with a dual-color palette
- Clear call to action (CTA)
- Optimal text to reject the offer
- Easy-to-see exit button
What could be optimized:
- An eye-catching image can be used.
- The brand can A/B test a sidebar popup instead of a lightbox popup because there is a lot of white space in the design.
3. Recommend Products with Cross-Sell Popups
Want to sell more products instead of selling one? You can use promotional popups to recommend related products to your customers.
Cross-selling is an effective method to convince buyers who add a product to their cart to spend more. You can present your popup on the product page or on the shopping cart page if the product is in the cart. The latter is a better option since the user will purchase the product already.
Here’s a cross-sell popup example made with Popupsmart:
4. Collect Email Addresses Before They Leave
Every marketer knows how precious email leads are. You can keep your brand related to your customer base, engage them, strengthen your relationship with welcome and apology emails, and most of all, you can send a follow-up email when they leave a product in their cart.
To send abandoned cart emails, first, you need to convince customers to subscribe before they leave.
The best method to manage that is to display exit popups that detect users’ exit intent.
Pro tip: Making a special offer in return for your customers’ email addresses will bring more leads.
5. Upsell Your Customers
What’s better than selling a product? Selling more! Upselling your customers can be quite lucrative for your bottom line. To upsell a product, you can:
- Convince customers to purchase the product in more numbers.
- Recommend them a higher and more expensive product with better features.
As you can see from the image above, Dollar Shave Club upsells its hair gel by displaying a full-screen popup.
The user can select the auto-restock option that ships every two months, highlighted more than the “buy now” option. That’s actually a trick to make people select that option!
Additionally, consumers can increase the number they add right on the popup.
6. Reduce Cart Abandonment with Exit Popups
According to shopping cart abandonment stats show that 69.80% of consumers abandon their carts on average.
You can reduce your cart abandonment losses by making an offer that can’t be refused. Display an exit popup right before a user attempts to leave and convince them to complete their purchase.
Another option can be making an offer in return for their email address. That way, you can send a follow-up email and remind them of the items left in their cart.
Although not for fighting cart abandonment, Really Good Emails uses an exit popup with a funny tone to collect emails before users leave their site.
7. Skyrocket Sales with a Limited-Time Offer
FOMO (fear of missing out) is a powerful driver in consumer behavior. AND marketers know that.
By making your special offers available for a limited period, more online shoppers can be prompted to buy before the deal’s off.
Free Shipping for a Limited Time
Providing free shipping gets you a step ahead of your customers since shipping prices are one of the most common reasons why consumers abandon their carts.
Highlight that limited time on your popup or sticky bar to encourage users to convert into customers quicker. Also, you can add a countdown timer on it to poke that feeling of urgency even more.
Limited-Time Discounts
The same rule applies to discount offers. Use phrases like “limited time only,” “for limited stock,” and “for orders until X” and watch your revenue grow.
8. Gamify Incentives to Increase Your Revenue
People are all in for a challenge! Give them one with a gamification popup to make it fun for them to win. You can always set up what you will offer and how often a reward will come up.
Here’s a shopping deals popup in spin-to-wheel form by Tarte:
Gamification popup campaigns are excellent to increase your sales because:
- They are fun.
- They encourage visitors to make a purchase with their reward.
- They increase the user engagement.
Time to Create Your Own Promotion Popup
There are more ways to use shopping deals popups than what we listed here. For example, you can:
- Give away free content
- Advertise a sale campaign
- Hold a competition
- Encourage social engagement
- Offer a free e-book and more
The essential parts you need to pay attention to are your popup design, targeting settings, popup copy, and CTA. To make sure you achieve all of these quickly, we recommend that you use a simple popup builder with advanced targeting features and plenty of design options.
Once you build the perfect popup, you can sit back and watch your conversions grow!
More on your plate:
- What Is a Good Conversion Rate? (With Industry Averages)
- Increase Average Order Value 3X with Product Recommendation Popups
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a pop-up usually cost?
A pop-up’s cost depends on what kind of “pop-up” you mean: for an e-commerce website popup (like a discount or free-shipping offer), many tools range from free plans to roughly $20–$200+ per month depending on traffic limits, advanced targeting (exit-intent, cart-based triggers), A/B testing, integrations (Shopify, Klaviyo, Mailchimp), and support; custom-designed popups or fully managed conversion optimization can add one-time creative and setup fees (often a few hundred to a few thousand dollars) if you hire a designer or agency. For a physical pop-up shop, costs are usually higher and more variable—think short-term rent, insurance, permits, staffing, fixtures, signage, payment processing, and inventory—so a weekend activation might run from a few hundred dollars in a shared market booth to several thousand (or more) in a prime retail location. The best way to estimate cost is to list your must-haves (design, targeting, integrations, duration/location, staffing) and then compare options based on expected ROI, not just the sticker price.
What is a popup sale?
A popup sale typically refers to a limited-time retail event where a brand sells products through a temporary setup—most commonly a physical pop-up shop in a short-term location (like an empty storefront, a department store “shop-in-shop,” a mall kiosk, or an event venue), but sometimes the term is also used for a short, time-bound online promotion. The defining features are urgency and exclusivity: it runs for a set window (a day, weekend, or a few weeks), often includes special deals or limited-edition items, and is designed to create buzz and drive fast purchases. For example, a DTC clothing brand might run a three-day pop-up sale in a high-traffic neighborhood to move seasonal inventory, collect emails/SMS signups, and give shoppers a chance to try items in person before buying.
What are the rules for pop-up shops?
Rules for pop-up shops vary by city, state, and venue, but most operators need to plan for legal, safety, and tax requirements before opening: you may need a temporary business license, seller’s permit/sales tax registration, vendor permit (especially for markets and events), and possibly zoning approval or a certificate of occupancy depending on the space and how it’s being used. Landlords and venues often require general liability insurance and may ask for an additional insured certificate; you may also need permits for signage, music, food/beverage sampling, or sidewalk use, and compliance with fire codes, occupancy limits, and ADA accessibility. Operationally, you’ll want clear contracts covering rent, dates, utilities, setup/tear-down responsibilities, and security, plus point-of-sale compliance (payment processing, receipts, return policy disclosures) and proper handling of customer data if you collect emails or SMS signups. Because requirements can change quickly by location, it’s smart to check with the local city clerk/licensing department and the property owner or event organizer well in advance and budget time and money for permits and inspections.
What is the point of a pop-up shop?
The point of a pop-up shop is to create a high-impact, low-commitment retail experience that drives sales while building brand awareness and customer relationships. Because it’s temporary, a pop-up can generate urgency (“only here this weekend”), attract foot traffic and press, and let shoppers experience products in person—touching materials, trying on sizes, testing demos—which often increases conversion and reduces returns compared to online-only shopping. Pop-ups are also powerful for market testing: brands can validate demand in a new city, experiment with pricing or merchandising, gather real-time feedback, and capture email/SMS signups for future marketing without signing a long lease. For established brands, pop-ups can support product launches, collaborations, and seasonal promotions; for smaller businesses, they provide a more affordable way to reach new customers, partner with complementary brands, and turn online followers into in-person buyers.
What is Clothing shopping deals popups?
Clothing shopping deals popups are on-site promotional popups used by apparel and fashion e-commerce stores to increase conversions and average order value by offering incentives tailored to clothing shoppers—such as a first-order discount, free shipping over a threshold, a limited-time coupon code, bundle deals (e.g., “buy 2 tees, get 1 free”), or a cart-saver offer when someone is about to leave. The most effective clothing popups are targeted and well-timed: for example, a new visitor might see a “10% off when you join our list” popup after browsing for 15–30 seconds, while a shopper with items in their cart might see an exit-intent popup offering free shipping or an extra 5% off to reduce abandonment. Apparel brands also use popups for size/fit guidance (“Need help choosing your size?”), upsells (“Complete the look” accessories), and seasonal promos (end-of-season clearance), all designed to feel helpful rather than intrusive while nudging shoppers toward checkout.
What are the Best shopping deals popups?
The best shopping deals popups are the ones that match the shopper’s intent, appear at the right moment, and offer a clear, valuable incentive without disrupting the experience; top-performing types include discount/coupon popups (welcome offers for new visitors), free shipping threshold popups (to lift AOV), exit-intent cart abandonment popups (last-chance offers or reminders), limited-time urgency popups (countdown timers for flash sales), spin-to-win or scratch-to-reveal gamified popups (to boost engagement and email capture), personalized product recommendation popups (upsells and cross-sells based on browsing/cart contents), and lead-capture popups for email/SMS with a strong value exchange (exclusive deals, early access, or VIP perks). What makes these “best” isn’t the template alone—it’s smart targeting (new vs. returning visitors, cart value, product category), frequency caps so users aren’t bombarded, mobile-friendly design, and a single, simple call to action (e.g., “Reveal code” or “Apply discount”). For example, a store might show “Free shipping over $50” to someone at $42 in cart, or an exit-intent popup with “Save 10% if you checkout in the next 20 minutes,” both of which directly connect the offer to the shopper’s current behavior.
What is Discount pop-up examples?
Discount pop-up examples include a welcome coupon popup (“Get 10% off your first order—enter your email to receive a code”), an exit-intent offer (“Wait—here’s 15% off if you complete checkout today”), a threshold-based deal (“Add $12 more to unlock free shipping”), a category-specific discount (“Extra 20% off outerwear this weekend only”), a time-limited flash sale popup with a countdown timer (“Sale ends in 01:59:59—use code FLASH20”), and a loyalty/VIP popup for returning customers (“Welcome back—claim your member-only $10 credit”). You can also use interactive formats like spin-to-win (“Spin for a chance to win 5–20% off”) or a “mystery discount” reveal to increase engagement, as long as the terms are clear and redemption is easy (copy-to-clipboard code, auto-apply at checkout). The strongest examples align the discount with the shopper’s stage—new visitors get a first-order incentive, cart abandoners get a nudge to finish, and high-intent shoppers get an offer that increases order size rather than just cutting price.
