How to add a Shopify popup: 3 methods that convert in 2026

Shopify popups play an important role in converting browsers into buyers. Stores using targeted popups see an average conversion rate of 3-5%, compared to 1% for generic implementations.

A Shopify popup is a message that appears on your store page to capture attention and drive action. Particularly, a Shopify email popup helps you grow your subscriber list. Ecommerce brands also use popups to collect SMS opt-ins, promote flash sales, and reduce cart abandonment.

You can add a popup on Shopify using native tools, installing a popup app, or leveraging advanced marketing automation platforms like Omnisend. With the right tools, you can even add a Shopify popup to your store for free. 

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to add a popup on Shopify. You’ll also learn targeting strategies, optimization tips, and compliance best practices to ensure your Shopify popup converts in 2026.

3 methods to add popups on Shopify

Want popups on your Shopify store? There are three ways to do it: using a Shopify popup app, Shopify’s built-in tool, or writing code yourself.

Third-party popup apps

You can add popups to capture emails using a Shopify popup app from the Shopify App Store. You’ll find apps like Omnisend, Privy, OptiMonk, Justuno, Poptin, and Wisepops.

Most work the same way: install, pick a popup template, customize colors to match your brand, and publish. The fundamental differences show in triggers and targeting.

Exit-intent catches abandoning visitors, scroll percentage waits until they’re engaged, and time delays prevent annoying immediate popups. The best apps segment by location, device, or past purchases. They show different offers to first-time visitors versus returning customers.

Apps like Omnisend support both email and SMS capture, helping you grow across multiple channels from a single Shopify popup.

Expect to pay $20–$100/month for decent features. Free versions exist, but they limit impressions or add watermarks.

Pros

• Professional designs and ready-to-use templates
• Advanced targeting and trigger options
• Built-in analytics and A/B testing
• No coding knowledge required

Cons

• Monthly subscription fees add up
• Another third-party service to manage
• Limited customization due to app restrictions

Shopify Forms app

You can find Shopify Forms in your admin under Marketing > Shopify Forms. The templates cover basic popups: email sign-ups, discount codes, and age verification. 

Pick one, adjust the text, and change button colors. Your captured emails flow straight into Shopify’s customer list, ready for email campaigns.

Note: There are no exit popups, A/B tests, and “show after scrolling 50%” options. However, with its zero cost and easy setup, it’s perfect for testing whether popups work for your store.

Pros

• Completely free with Shopify
• Direct integration with Shopify
• Simple setup in minutes
• No external accounts needed

Cons

• Basic templates only
• No advanced triggers or targeting
• Limited design customization
• No performance analytics

Custom code implementation

Open your theme editor, create a new snippet called popup.liquid, and start coding. JavaScript handles behavior, such as delays and exit intent, while CSS handles layout and animations. Liquid pulls in dynamic content, such as product names or customer tags.

The learning curve is high if you’re not already comfortable with code. You’re responsible for testing across devices and ensuring your Shopify popup works smoothly on both desktop and mobile layouts. 

Most importantly, custom code can break during Shopify theme updates, requiring ongoing maintenance. However, you’ll never pay app fees or hit feature walls. 

Pros

• Complete control over design and functionality
• No recurring fees
• Integrate with any system
• Build unique features that apps don’t offer

Cons

• Requires coding knowledge
• Time-intensive to build and maintain
• You handle all debugging
• Risk of breaking your store

Method 1: Adding popups with Omnisend

Omnisend’s form builder creates popups, embedded forms, flyouts, and landing pages from the same interface. You’ll find templates for email collection, SMS capture, cart abandonment prevention, and product recommendations.

Popular Shopify popup types include:

• Wheel of Fortune gamified popups: Visitors spin for discounts and receive rewards, such as in this example:

• Multi-step forms: Ask “Save on your purchase” first, then collect emails after the micro-yes, like this:

Step 1

Step 2

• Teaser forms: Subtle tabs at screen edges that expand when clicked
• Birthday collectors: Gather dates for automated gift campaigns year-round
• Preference surveys: Quick questions like “Shop men’s or women’s?” for instant segmentation

Triggering options range from exit-intent (tracking mouse movements toward close buttons) to scroll percentage and time delays. You control when popups appear: after 30 seconds of browsing, halfway down product pages, or when carts hit $50.

Because Omnisend is certified for Shopify, you can install it with a single click and automatically create discount codes. You don’t have to upload codes manually, and your codes won’t be duplicated on coupon websites.

Form submissions flow directly into email workflows, triggering a welcome series based on which popup visitors completed.

Here’s how to add popups on Shopify with Omnisend:

Note: If you’d rather watch a video than read our tutorial, here’s our walkthrough guide:

Access the form builder

Navigate to Forms > Create form > Style > Popup on your Omnisend dashboard. 

Pick a template from the Forms library. Here’s a screenshot of Omnisend’s template library:

Clicking a template leads to the Form Builder interface.    

Customize the design layout

Click Theme settings to control your popup’s appearance. You can find Theme settings in the top right sidebar below the Enable form button:

The Fields section lets you customize input shapes, while Buttons controls global button styling.

Build your form content

Drag items from the left sidebar onto your form. Available blocks include:

• Email field: Add placeholder text, make it a requirement, customize error messages
• Phone field: Select default country, shows as flag + country code
• Legal block: Required for GDPR/TCPA compliance with privacy policy links
• Images: JPG, PNG, or GIF formats under 2000px dimensions
• Dropdown: Collect gender, country, or custom properties

Here’s an image showing all the available items you can add:

Click any block to access its settings. Then, adjust text, styling, and field requirements.

Configure triggers and targeting

Open the Behavior tab, located next to Theme settings, to set display rules:

• Page visits: Set the number of pages viewed before the popup appears
• Time on page: Delay in seconds before showing
• Scroll depth: Percentage of page scrolled
• Exit intent: Triggers on rapid upward scrolling (works on all devices)

You can set multiple rules using OR logic, so the Shopify popup appears if any one of the conditions is met.

The Targeting section in the Behavior tab controls who sees your popup and where it appears:

Visitor targeting options:

• All visitors: Show to everyone
• Don’t show to existing contacts: Target new visitors only
• Show to existing contacts: Display exclusive offers to subscribers
• Target by specific segment: Include or exclude custom segments

Page targeting options:

• Appears on URL: Display on specific pages or UTM parameters
• Does not appear on URL: Exclude certain pages
• Appears on out-of-stock product pages: Special trigger for inventory

Note: Page targeting uses AND logic. This means all URL conditions must match for the Shopify popup to display.

Set exit-intent and scroll triggers

An exit-intent popup on Shopify appears when a visitor shows signs of leaving your store. On a desktop, exit-intent detects rapid mouse movement toward the browser bar.

This timing makes exit-intent one of the highest-converting popup triggers. Our 2025 email popup statistics show that the average email popup conversion rate is 2.1%. However, stores that actively optimize timing, targeting, and format can reach 3.5%+.

Scroll triggers, on the other hand, activate after a visitor engages with your content, say at 40% page depth. 

To activate exit intent on Omnisend, click Display from the Behavior tab, then check the Exit intent box. 

Set reappearance frequency

In Frequency settings, choose intervals:

• Seconds
• Minutes
• Hours
• Days

If disabled, the form always appears to visitors. Enable frequency limits to avoid overwhelming store visitors and reducing user experience quality.

Create success messages

Click Success in the bottom menu. Edit the success message like the main form. Add text, images, buttons, or promotional content. Here’s an example:

Use the Subscribed section to create a separate message for returning subscribers who are already on your list. For instance:

Enable A/B testing

Toggle A/B test in Behavior settings to experiment with different Shopify popup versions. Clicking the A/B test will load this page:

It’s a popup best practice to test variations of content, timing, or design to optimize performance.

Preview and activate

Use Undo/Redo buttons to refine your design. Click Enable to make the Shopify popup go live immediately or Save & Close to save as a draft. You can access saved forms through the Forms dashboard to monitor performance metrics:

Method 2: Adding popups with Shopify Forms

Shopify offers built-in popup features via the Forms app and the Forms theme app embed. After adding these to your theme, you can create and enable popups.

What’s great about Shopify Forms is that it’s completely free. You also don’t need to leave your Shopify admin panel to create popups.

Follow these step-by-step instructions to use Shopify’s native popups:

Install and create your Shopify popup 

First, let’s access Shopify Forms:

• From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Apps
• Click Forms to open the Forms dashboard:

• Familiarize yourself with the Forms dashboard. It lists your forms, provides a status, and displays analytics, such as views and submissions.

Next, enable popup display on your store:

• Navigate to Online Store > Themes
• Find your active theme and click Customize
• Click the App embeds icon in the theme editor sidebar
• Toggle Forms to activate it
• Click Save

Without activating the Forms theme app embed, your popups won’t display even after you’ve created them.

Next, create your Shopify popup form:

• From the Forms app, click Create form
• Select Popup form (not Inline form):

• Enter a form name (for example, “Newsletter Signup” or “10% Off Welcome”)
• Click Create

Configure display and design your Shopify popup

Your form opens in the editor with the status set to active by default. It will display immediately based on your settings. 

Choose between two display options:

• Floating: Form appears as a corner popup with an optional teaser
• Overlay: Form displays centered with a darkened background

For floating forms, select the position (bottom-left, bottom-right). Overlay forms always appear centered.

The Styling box provides multiple settings for form customization. You can also edit your popup image and teaser.

Set display triggers and targeting

Shopify Forms lets you pick which devices and pages show your popup and set triggers based on different page views:

Trigger options:

• Page view count: Show on first, second, or third page view
• Time delay: Immediately or after specified seconds
• Exit intent: When the cursor moves toward the address bar (desktop only)

Visibility settings:

• Devices: All devices, desktop only, or mobile only
• Pages: All pages or specific types (product, collection, etc.)

Note: Shopify Forms can’t target specific URLs or exclude certain pages, such as checkout.

Add form fields

Use the editor to customize fields:

• Email field (required by default)
• Additional fields like name, phone, or custom questions
• Privacy consent checkboxes for compliance
• Success message after submission

To create announcement popups without email collection, remove all form fields and add only text/images with a button.

Save and monitor performance

Click Save to activate your Shopify popup:

New forms are automatically set to Active status and begin displaying based on your configured rules. You can monitor performance in the Forms app dashboard. It lets you view submission counts and manage multiple forms from a single location.

Method 3: Adding popups with custom code

While Omnisend and Shopify Forms are the best ways to add popups to your store easily, you can do it manually with code. 

This option is more advanced and best suited for people with coding knowledge or who can hire a developer. However, remember to back up your theme files before making any edits.

When to use custom code

Use manual code when you need unique popup behaviors for desktop or mobile layouts that apps can’t provide. With custom code, you can add custom animations, specific JavaScript triggers, integration with proprietary systems, or complete control over popup timing and styling.

Basic HTML popup structure

HTML is the simplest way to add a custom popup to your Shopify store. Here’s a free code you can grab and test:

Note: Adding a popup to your Shopify store with manual code works with any Shopify theme by editing the theme files. You should always test the code in a preview before publishing it to ensure it functions as intended.

Adding the popup to your Shopify theme

Once you have your form, you can add it to Shopify with these steps:

• From your Shopify admin, navigate to Online Store
• Click on Themes
• Click Customize
• Click the three dots at the top of the editor and select Edit code
• Under the Sections directory, click Add a new section
• Name it “Custom-HTML”
• Click Done

After adding this code:

• Go to your theme.liquid file
• Add this line where you want the popup to appear (typically just before the closing </body> tag): {% section ‘custom-HTML’ %}
• Click Save

You can then preview your store. Here’s how our form looks:

You can customize colors, form fields, buttons, content, opt-in boxes, and other elements by editing the code above.

For a functioning opt-in box in Shopify, you’ll need to connect it to the Shopify Customer Privacy API and, if applicable, to your email marketing platform. 

How to create a discount code popup on Shopify

A Shopify discount code popup remains the most popular way for top Shopify stores to grow email lists.

Recent popup statistics show that an email capture popup with a discount offer converted at 2.4%, compared to 1.7% for popups without discounts. That’s because visitors are willing to exchange their information if there’s a clear benefit.

Here’s how to set up a discount code popup:

Generate your discount code in Shopify

Before building Shopify discount popups, create the actual discount:

1. Navigate to Discounts in your Shopify admin

2. Click Create discount > Select discount type

3. Enter a unique code, such as “FIRSTORDER” or “20OFF”:

4. Set the discount type (percentage or fixed amount)

5. Choose Specific customers and select Customer gets a discount for signing up

6. Save the discount code

Keep this code handy, as you’ll need to add it to your popup’s success message.

Build your discount popup

It’s best practice to create discount popups that request an email address, as this allows you to target customers with additional messages. However, you could also create a Shopify popup without any data-capture fields if your only goal is sales.

The steps are similar:

Using Omnisend:

• Select a multi-step popup template from the popup library
• Edit the headline to specify the offer (“Get 10% off your first order”)
• Keep the form simple — just an email field and a subscribe button for the first step, and the discount code for the second step, or make the first step a yes or no, like this:

Using Shopify Forms:

• Create a new Shopify popup form
• Add headline text promising the discount
• Include only the email field to minimize friction
• Note: You’ll use one static code for all subscribers

Configure the success experience

There are two ways to show the discount code popups:

Immediate display (recommended):

• Edit the success message to show: “Thanks! Use code WELCOME10 for 10% off”
• Add a “Shop Now” button linking to your collections
• Include copy-to-clipboard functionality if your app supports it

Email delivery:

• Set up an automated welcome email containing the code
• Adds an extra step but ensures subscribers check their inbox
• Better for building long-term engagement

Set display rules for new visitors

Optimize the timing when your Shopify discount popup appears:

• New visitors only: Exclude existing customers who already received discounts
• Time delay: Wait five to 10 seconds so visitors see your products first
• Exit intent: Catch abandoning visitors with the discount as a last resort
• Frequency cap: Show once per week to avoid annoying return visitors

Test before going live

Run through the whole experience:

• Visit your store in incognito mode
• Wait for the popup trigger
• Submit a test email address
• Verify that the code displays correctly
• Test the discount at checkout

Popular types of Shopify popups

Popups can serve different goals in your customer journey, such as increasing signups, promoting new products, and testing different offers.

Here are the most effective Shopify popup types for your store:

• Welcome popups: The classic “Hey, new here?” greeting. Then, a 10%–15% discount dangled in exchange for an email address. 
• Email capture popups: These Shopify popups collect email addresses for list building in exchange for discounts, early access, or exclusive content. Advanced versions also collect SMS consent or use multi-step forms to improve conversions.
• Exit-intent popups: On desktop, it’s triggered when the mouse moves toward the close button, back button, or URL field. On mobile, it responds to fast upward scrolling or tab switching.

Because it appears at the last possible moment, an exit-intent popup on Shopify is used for free shipping offers at checkout, limited-time discounts, or email capture before visitors leave.

• Newsletter signup popups: No immediate offers, just “Join our list for insider access” 
• Spin-to-win gamified popups: Digital slot machines where visitors spin to unlock an offer, tapping into the same psychology that keeps people at the casino wheels
• Cart abandonment popups: “Leaving so soon?” interventions that appear when a product is added to the cart, but no checkout begins
• Upsell/cross-sell popups: “People also bought” suggestions that pop up when carts hit certain thresholds or specific products are added to the basket
• Countdown timer popups: Ticking clocks that create urgency for flash sales, product drops, or “ending tonight” promotions
• Back-in-stock popups: Waitlist builders for sold-out items, collecting email or SMS consent, and automatically notifying subscribers when inventory is restocked
• Survey popups: One-click preference collectors asking questions like “Shop men’s or women’s?”, connecting them to an automated workflow to segment visitors and personalize future offers instantly
• Announcement popups: Banner-style notices for shipping delays, holiday hours, new collection launches, or any new updates

Targeting Shopify popups for higher conversions

Without targeting, you’ll show the same Shopify popup to everyone. Returning customers see “new visitor” discounts, casual visitors get bombarded immediately, and conversion rates struggle to tick over a few percent.

Proper targeting creates relevant experiences that feel natural and pleasant for your customers. Additionally, you can test different segments (new vs. returning), timing (immediate vs. delayed), and contexts (homepage vs. product pages) to find what converts best.

In Omnisend, building a Shopify popup is just the first step. You’ll achieve your highest conversion rates when you align popup content with visitor intent.

Here’s how to approach Shopify popup segmentation via Omnisend:

Target specific visitor segments

You can choose exactly who sees your Shopify popup using Omnisend’s visitor targeting options. For example, you can choose to show the popup only to:

• Existing contacts
• New visitors and potential leads

Here’s an image showing the “all visitors” targeting option:

This is also where geo-targeting happens. If you’ve created segments based on customer location, you can show region-specific offers. Here’s how:

• Navigate to Behavior > Targeting in your form builder
• Under Visitor targeting options, select Target by specific segment
• Use the checkboxes to select Include or Exclude segments
• Search for segments and add them to your popup’s targeting conditions

Target by URL and page type

Omnisend lets you target popups to appear on specific URLs on your Shopify domain or similar URLs, such as Shopify collection pages. To do this, you must:

• Open your saved Shopify popup draft
• On the right side, you’ll find Targeting options under Behavior
• Define your targets under the Appears on URL or Does not appear on URL settings

This ensures that your Shopify popup content is relevant to the page visitors are on, effectively increasing engagement.

Target by visitor behavior

You can also direct popups based on visitor behavior by navigating to Behavior > Display. Here are some of the available options:

• Time on page: Show the popup after a certain time delay or when the visitor is about to leave the page
• Scroll depth: Display the popup after the visitor has scrolled a certain percentage of the page
• Exit intent: Your Shopify popup will display when visitors are about to leave

Most people shop from their mobile phones. That’s why it’s so important for Shopify popup targeting to be optimized for smaller screens and shorter attention spans. Consider:

• Using longer time delays on mobile to avoid immediate interruptions
• Prioritizing scroll-based triggers over aggressive time-based popups
• Designing mobile-responsive layouts that don’t block critical content

Combine targeting for precision

Layer these targeting methods for surgical precision. 

Real examples:

• Show a 15% welcome discount to new visitors on their second page view, but only on product pages
• Display a free shipping reminder to existing customers when their cart exceeds $50
• Trigger winback popups for past purchasers who haven’t bought in 60 days, exclusively via email campaign UTM parameters
• Present product recommendation quizzes to visitors who’ve browsed more than five items without adding to cart

You can edit your targeting settings any time. If you still don’t feel confident about doing this on your own, you’re welcome to browse Omnisend’s Knowledge Base whenever you need.

Shopify email popup best practices

A Shopify email popup helps you build an owned marketing channel. Unlike paid ads or social media, your email list is an asset you control. Follow these tips to ensure your Shopify email popups actually convert:

• Structure your layout: Place your main offer in the headline to communicate value and increase email capture rate. Then, place trust signals, such as a privacy policy link, near your CTA to encourage action.
• Optimize for mobile: Keep your Shopify popup under 320px wide and ensure buttons are thumb-friendly (at least 44px height). Use limited text and maintain readability across screen sizes.
• Match popup design to the page context: Align the message with where it appears to increase relevance and conversions. Promote discounts on product pages and in blog post newsletters. 
• Pick eye-catching images: Use product lifestyle shots over bland stock photos. Compress images to under 200KB for fast loading while maintaining sharpness.
• Craft concise copy: Your message needs to hit hard and fast. Lead with a benefit-focused headline, follow with one line of supporting text, and finish with a clear call to action.
• Use social proof in popup copy: Reinforce credibility by adding phrases like “Join 50,000+ subscribers” or star ratings. Social proof increases trust, boosting signup rates. 
• Create compelling calls to action: Replace “Submit” with powerful words like “Get My Discount” or “Unlock 20% Off.” CTAs with first-person language convert better.
• Test display triggers: Try different triggers to find what works for your store. Try combinations of time-based delays, page scroll depth, and number of page views.
• Target the right moments: Show welcome discounts before abandonment, on high-intent product pages, or after visitors browse multiple collections. Avoid interrupting checkout unless you’re running an urgent promotion.
• Set frequency caps appropriately: Show your Shopify popup at least once per session. Always exclude existing subscribers from seeing signup popups.
• Segment your audience: Target different offers for first-time visitors and existing customers. Combine behavior and email segmentation to personalize offers. 
• Pick the perfect position: Test between corner flyouts and centered overlays. Corner popups feel less intrusive, while centered versions can drive urgent action.
• Run A/B tests constantly: Test incentive vs. no incentive, single-step vs. multi-step forms, headlines, button colors, and images. Use data from a built-in A/B testing tool, which Omnisend offers, to guide decisions.
• Ensure compliance (GDPR, CAN-SPAM, TCPA): Include clear consent language, opt-in boxes, and consent for SMS. Provide easy unsubscribe options and clearly explain how data will be used. 
• Deliver on your promises: Send the promised discount immediately after signup and automatically trigger a welcome email series. Your Shopify popup should connect directly to your email marketing automation so new subscribers receive product recommendations and abandoned cart reminders.
• Try multiple popup apps: Test two to three different apps before committing. Each has unique features. Find what fits your needs and budget.

FAQs