Fix Your Pop-Up Strategy and Hit Over 10% Opt-In Rates

Most eCommerce brands settle for pop-up opt-in rates of 3-5% whilst competitors achieve 10-15%. Shaan Arora, CEO of Alia Popups, reveals the systematic testing approach used by 3,000 brands including Peloton and Nike to dramatically improve email collection without destroying margins.

We explore why copy matters more than design, how mystery discounts outperform fixed offers, the difference between mobile and desktop timing, and why holdout tests prove pop-ups increase both conversion rates and AOV despite the annoyance factor. Shaan shares data-driven insights from 100 million monthly pop-up views.

Key Point Timestamps:

02:17 - The biggest pop-up problem brands face

04:55 - Mystery discount strategy that increases opt-ins

08:08 - Alternative offers beyond discounts

18:59 - Testing discount percentages systematically

24:17 - What's a good opt-in rate?

26:42 - Segmentation and personalisation

28:36 - Are pop-ups worth the annoyance?

37:06 - Copy, timing, and design priority order

46:23 - Building a personal brand as founder

The Mystery Discount Strategy (04:55)

One of the easiest wins comes from a simple copy change that doesn't touch your margins at all. Instead of revealing your 10% discount upfront with "Get 10% Off Your First Order", try copy like "Unlock Your Mystery Discount" or "Claim the Discount You've Earned."

"A lot of brands believe that in order to get a really good opt-in rate, you need to give a pretty crazy offer," Shaan explains. "We've seen brands that have early access pop-ups without even an offer that gets to about 10% opt-in rates."

Same 10% discount. Different psychology. Brands see large increases in opt-ins without changing the actual offer because humans can't resist finding out what they've "earned." The curiosity gap works.

Testing Discount Percentages (18:59)

Before assuming you need to offer 20% or 30% off to achieve decent opt-in rates, test. Shaan urges brands to test 20% against 15%, or 15% against 10%. Track not just opt-in rates but also conversion rate, bounce rate, AOV, and revenue from codes.

"We've had brands that have done 20%, gone down to 15% and pretty much had the same results for opt-in rates," Shaan shares. That's a 5% margin improvement without losing performance.

The data shows that when cashback is tested against discount, discount wins but sometimes only by 30% - not such a huge percentage that it's definitively worth the margin hit.

The Priority Order: Copy, Timing, Design (37:06)

Most brands obsess over design first, which is the wrong priority. Shaan's data from 3,000 brands reveals a clear hierarchy.

"Copy is number one by far and away the most important thing to test," Shaan emphasises. "What copy can resonate well. Like 'You've got 15% off,' 'You've earned 15% off,' 'Here's 15% off,' 'Here's a mystery discount.' All of these things are the biggest thing to move it."

Timing comes second - when exactly the pop-up appears matters, especially across mobile versus desktop. Design lands third, including what creative to show and whether to show creative at all.

The Holdout Test Everyone Should Run (28:36)

Shaan's team makes it extremely easy to run holdout tests: pop-up versus no pop-up, measuring conversion rate and average order value. The results are clear.

"Across the board, on pretty much every single test we've run with this, we see CVR and AOV go up when you have a pop-up versus when you don't have a pop-up," Shaan reveals.

Even people who immediately close the pop-up benefit from knowing a discount exists. They're aware that when they're ready to check out, a code is waiting for them somewhere, and just knowing that increases purchase likelihood.

Today's Guest

Today's guest: Shaan Arora

Company: Alia Popups

Website: aliapopups.com

LinkedIn: Connect with Shaan on LinkedIn