Exit intent popup for Shopify

What exit intent actually means

On a computer, a shopper who is about to leave usually moves the mouse up toward the browser tabs, the back button or the address bar. Exit intent watches for that movement. When the cursor leaves the page through the top of the window, the popup appears. A cursor drifting off the bottom or the sides doesn't count, because that's usually just someone scrolling or reaching for something else.

That makes exit intent one of the politest triggers there is. The shopper has already browsed, read the product page and decided not to buy yet, so the popup doesn't interrupt anything. It's a last word, not a first impression.

Phones and tablets have no cursor, so there exit intent works differently: the popup shows once the shopper has browsed for 30 seconds and read halfway down the page. If you'd rather keep exit intent to computers, set the campaign's devices to computers only, and give phone shoppers their own campaign with a timed trigger or "Halfway down the page" if you want a different offer there. Our guide to popup timing and frequency walks through every option.

Set up "When they're about to leave" in Winky

1. Install Winky and switch on the app embed. Winky shows you the one switch to turn on in your theme editor. Nothing in your theme's code changes.
2. Create a campaign from a template. Choose a prize game or a simple offer popup, then write your headline and button text in the Message tab. Something like "Before you go, spin for a prize" sets the scene.
3. Set the prizes in the Game tab. Choose what each prize gives, how likely it is, an optional minimum order and how long codes last.
4. Open Show it and pick "When they're about to leave". Keep all devices, or pick computers only if you prefer, then choose pages. Product pages and the cart page are natural places to catch someone on the way out.
5. Choose how often, then Publish. The campaign goes live, and Analytics shows its views, plays, clicks, orders and sales.

Pair it with a prize game

A plain "Wait, here's 10% off" can read like a last-ditch plea. A prize game changes the tone: the shopper is invited to play, not begged to stay. The spin to win wheel is the classic choice because everyone understands it at a glance. The mystery gift box and the scratch card are just as quick if you'd like something different.

Whatever they win, the code appears with a countdown, and "Shop with my prize" puts it in the cart in one click. If the shopper still wanders off, a small reminder bubble brings them back before the code expires. That matters more on exit intent than anywhere else, because these are shoppers who were already halfway out of the door.

Keep it from getting annoying

Exit intent can fire every time a shopper reaches for their tabs, so frequency matters. A sensible starting point:

• Once per visit, up to 3 times a week for most stores. Shoppers who browse across a few days see it again, but not every hour.
• Once a day or once a week if your customers visit often, for example to check new arrivals.
• Only once ever for a one-off goodbye offer you don't want to repeat.
• On every page they visit is rarely the right match for exit intent. Save it for something like a sitewide sale notice.

Winky also stops prize hunting on its own: a returning winner gets their earlier code back instead of playing again. For ideas on what to put on the wheel, see spin to win prize ideas that protect your margins.