Revenue popups vs email popups

Two popups, two jobs

An email popup offers the shopper something, often a discount, in exchange for an email address or phone number. The payoff comes later, when your emails or texts bring that shopper back. Most popup apps on the Shopify App Store are built around this: grow your email and SMS list.

A revenue popup skips the exchange. The shopper plays a quick game, wins a real discount code and can shop with it straight away. The payoff is an order now. That's what Winky is: a popup built to increase sales, measured in orders and sales rather than sign-ups.

Neither is better everywhere. They answer different questions: "how do I reach this person again?" and "how do I help this person buy today?"

What each one asks of the shopper

An email popup asks for something before it gives anything. For a shopper who already loves your brand, typing an email is no trouble. For a first-time visitor who just wants to look around, it's a decision they have to make before they can carry on.

A revenue popup asks for a tap. Winky's games, from the spin to win wheel to the scratch card, hand over a real single-use Shopify code the moment the shopper wins. "Shop with my prize" applies it to the cart in one click, and a countdown gives a reason to buy now. Nothing personal is collected: no names, emails, phone numbers or addresses.

What you measure

With an email popup, the first number is sign-ups. The sales come later and are spread across the emails you send, so it takes time to see what the popup was worth.

With Winky, the number is orders. Analytics shows views, plays, clicks, orders and sales for each campaign, read live from your Shopify orders. An order counts when the shopper used the popup's button, a Winky prize code or a Winky link. So you can see how a campaign is doing without waiting on later emails.

When an email popup is the right tool

• Your shoppers take weeks to decide, and a series of emails helps them get there.
• You launch products or drops often and want an audience ready for each one.
• Email already brings in a large part of your revenue, and a bigger list means more of it.

When a revenue popup is the right tool

• You want more orders from the traffic you already have, especially paid traffic you've just paid for.
• You're running a sale and want shoppers to act during it, not after.
• You'd rather not collect personal data in a popup, or you don't want another list to manage.
• You want to pay only when the popup sells. See Winky pricing.

Using both together

Many stores will want both, and they don't need to compete. Winky pairs with whatever email tool you already use: keep its signup forms for your list, and let Winky handle the in-the-moment sale.

• Give each its own place. Keep the email signup in your footer or on a dedicated page, and show Winky on product and collection pages, or only on the cart page.
• Don't stack them. Decide which one a shopper sees first, so nobody is asked to sign up and play at the same moment. Winky's timing, pages and frequency settings help; our timing guide has recipes.
• Keep offers distinct. If your signup form already gives a discount, consider different prizes on the game, such as free shipping through "My own discount code".