Exit Intent Popup: Can It Help You Grow Leads and Sales?

| | April 9, 2024

Are struggling to convert website visitors into leads? Have you considered using exit-intent popups? 

According to a research, utilizing these popups can result in a 341% increase in email list subscribers and a 290% increase in form building efforts.

But what exactly are exit-intent popups?

In short, they are a clever way to keep visitors on your site for longer periods by detecting when they are about to leave and providing a valuable offer or message to entice them to stay.

In this article, we will not only explain what is exit intent, how exit-intent popups works, what are the best popup software but also showcase some examples to inspire your next marketing campaign.

Whether you run a blog, an online store or a commercial website, these popups can help you increase conversions and ultimately, revenue.

So, let's dive in!

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Exit Intent Popup

What is Exit Intent?

Exit intent refers to a technique used in online marketing and web design to engage and retain website visitors who are about to leave a webpage. 

It detects when a user's behavior indicates an intention to exit the site, such as moving the cursor towards the browser's close button or navigating away from the page.

With this knowledge, website owners can trigger targeted messages or offers using exit intent popups to entice users to stay or take a desired action.

Thus, exit intent technology relies on JavaScript code to track the user's mouse movements and determine when they are likely to leave. Once the intent is detected, various strategies can be implemented to capture the user's attention. 

These include displaying pop-ups to offer discounts, providing free resources like eBooks, cheat sheets or guides, inviting users to subscribe to newsletters, or directing them to related content. 

Must Read: If you also want to create eBooks for your readers, check out these popular eBook creation software that can help you create eBooks from scratch or repurpose your existing content (blog articles, podcasts, videos) into eBooks.

Overall, exit intent technology offers website owners an opportunity to engage with visitors who would have otherwise left without taking any action.

By leveraging this technique, businesses can enhance user experience, increase conversions, and ultimately maximize the potential of their online presence.

What is Exit Intent Popup and How it Works?

Exit intent popups are a type of website popup that appears on the webpage when the user is about to leave the page. 

But how do they work? 

Simply put, exit intent technology tracks mouse movements and scrolling behaviors of website visitors with the goal of detecting when a visitor is about to leave.

An exit popup is then displayed, offering an exclusive offer or value proposition for a product. They work perfectly on landing pages, commercial websites, and online e-commerce stores.

The message shown on the exit intent popup can be customized according to the page the user is viewing.

For example, when a customer is about to leave without checking out, an exit popup can offer vouchers or discount codes to that specific customer. If a user is scrolling the website and decides to leave, the exit popup can be triggered, displaying a form to get users' information. 

The goal of the exit popup is to gather more information, increase email subscribers, and decrease cart abandonment. Companies should aim to target the right pages, at the right audience, and at the right time.

Overall, exit intent popups offer an excellent opportunity to present an exclusive offer for a product, and with the right design and implementation, they can be a successful method for raising revenue.

What is Exit Intent Popup Software?

Exit Intent Popup Software is a marketing tool that helps businesses display popups on a website to grab the attention of website visitors who are about to leave their site.

It's a trigger-based system that identifies when users are about to abandon a site and shows them a popup or message. This can be used to encourage visitors to sign up for a newsletter, take advantage of a special offer, or find more information about a product or service.

Below I have highlighted some of the best exit intent based popup software in the industry:

OptiMonk

OptiMonk is a freemium software that allows you to create exit intent popups for your website or blog. If you're a beginner you can join the OptiMonk's free plan and start collecting leads on your site by displaying exit intent popups.

The free plan comes with basic features and allows 15000 pageviews per month. For advanced features like A/B testing, smart tags, priority support and more, you would need to subscribe to any of its paid plans.

You can create exit intent opt-in forms either from scratch or customize any of the pre-built templates offered by OptiMonk to match your brand colors, logo and style.

It also allows you to customize your popups with different triggers like exit intent, time on page, scroll percentage, etc. Furthermore, it has advanced analytics that allow you to track the performance of your campaigns and optimize them for better results.

Furthermore, it has advanced analytics that allow you to track the performance of your campaigns and optimize them for better results.

Get started with OptiMonk for free using the link below.

Thrive Leads

Thrive Leads is another popular exit intent popup software solutions offered by Thrive Themes. It helps to drive more conversions by displaying engaging popups when a visitor is about to leave your website.

It offers a wide range of templates that you can use to create beautiful pop-ups. You can also customize these templates to match your website's branding.

Thrive Leads (read review) offers advanced tool that can be used to create different types of popups, including scroll boxes, welcome mats, floating bars, and more. It also allows you to set triggers for when the popups should appear, such as exit intent or page scroll.

You can also create mobile-specific opt-in forms and also set trigger exit intent specific to mobile devices.

For example, Thrive Leads allows you to display exit intent popups using conditions like - show after a certain period of time, show when the user scrolls to a specific part of a content, show when users reaches the bottom of the pages, and more.

Thrive Leads offers easy-to-use features and powerful customization options so you can tailor your popup campaigns for any audience. It also has built-in analytics so you can track the performance of your campaigns and optimize them for better results.

Thrive Leads offer a 30-day money back guarantee. So, get started with Thrive Leads risk-free the link below.

OptinMonster

Third popular exit intent tool on our list is OptinMonster. It also offer exit-intent technology that detects when website visitors are about to leave without making a purchase or providing their information.

With this technology, you have the opportunity to show them a targeted marketing message just before they leave forever. This helps you to convert abandoning visitors into subscribers and customers.

It can help you reduce cart abandonment and capture more leads. Another great feature of OptinMonster is their exit-intent for eCommerce, which allows you to reduce cart abandonment and increase conversions using an exit-intent popup.

If OptinMonster detects that your shopper is about to leave, you can show targeted campaigns like a discount offer, an invitation to chat with a support agent, or an invitation to download a lead magnet by joining your email list. With this feature, you can convert high-value users into loyal customers.

Also Read: Best OptinMonster alternatives to grow your email list.

OptinMonster doesn't offer a free plan, however, it offers a 14-day free trial on it paid plans. You can try OptinMonster risk-free for 14 days using the link below and upgrade later.

BottomLine:

Exit intent popups can be used on both desktop and mobile devices, but designing a separate popup for each is recommended. Popups should be designed to offer value to the visitor, rather than simply being promotional.

With the exit-intent popups, you can show targeted campaigns to the user after they read your content. These campaigns can include downloading a free e-book or case study or signing up for a free product trial.

By using marketing automation and an email autoresponder, you can convert these new subscribers into loyal customers.

Please note that each of these popup builder software also provides integrations with almost all popular email marketing tools like MailChimp, GetResponse, Aweber, ConvertKit, and more.

These popup software are also great for content marketing efforts because it can grow your email list and free-trial signups. 

I have using optin forms on my websites to collect leads and display offers to my readers for the last three years. I feel that exit intent popup is one of the most effective way to increase website engagement, to generate more leads, and to drive more conversions.

As long as the popup is timed and targeted correctly, it can be a useful tool for any business looking to improve their online marketing efforts.

Benefits of Using Exit Intent Popups

One of the major benefits of using exit intent popups is that they can help keep visitors on your site for longer periods, increasing your chances of converting them into customers.

According to research, the average time a person spends on a web page is not much, so utilizing an exit popup can be an effective way to capture their attention before they leave.

Exit intent popups can offer visitors an incentive to stay on your site, such as a coupon code or a free trial, thus boosting your chances of converting them.

Moreover, exit intent popups can be a cost-effective lead generation tool, helping you attract new leads without breaking the bank.

With the right timing and message, they can help increase your revenue and reduce cart abandonment and bounce rates, as well as provide visitors with immediate and easy-to-understand value.

However, it's important to use them judiciously and avoid irritating your audience with intrusive popups.

To sum up, exit intent popups can be an essential tool for any website owner looking to increase engagement and conversion rates.

By understanding their benefits and best practices, you can use them effectively to improve the overall user experience and grow your business.

Exit Intent Popups on Mobile Devices

Exit popups have been proven to be an effective way to keep visitors engaged on your website and increase conversions. However, with more than 50% of website traffic happening on mobile devices, it's important to consider how exit intent popups work on these devices.

Unlike desktop devices, tracking cursor movements on mobile devices is not a reliable way to detect when a visitor is about to exit a website.

This means that the triggers for exit intent popups on mobile devices vary. Some triggers could include staying on a page for a set amount of time or scrolling quickly up the page.

It's also important to consider the impact of Google's update in 2016, which penalized intrusive interstitials on mobile devices.

With the upcoming desktop evaluation in February 2022, it's essential to create a mobile-first approach for your exit intent popups. This means designing separate exit popup campaigns for desktop and mobile devices.

Despite these challenges, a well-designed exit intent popup can still be effective on mobile devices.

As long as they provide immediate and easy-to-understand value, they can keep visitors on your site for longer periods of time and increase revenue.

So, keep in mind the triggers and the design of your exit intent popups for mobile devices to create the best experience for your audience.

Exit Intent Popup Examples

Here are three examples of successful exit popups that demonstrate the effectiveness of this strategy:

Designrr Exit Intent Offer

Designrr is a popular eBook maker that specializes in converting blog articles, podcasts, old PDF, videos, Word documents into eBooks automatically.

It offers a paid subscription plan for its users. When a user check out its pricing plans but doesn't purchase it and move the mouse towards the exit button, Designrr intelligently displays a exit intent popup offering a free trial of its Pro plan for 7 days

It also highlight that if the user sign up for the free trial, he/she would have to pay only $97/year instead of the regular price of $468/year giving him a saving of $371.

It also highlights its 30 day money back guarantee on its popup form.

Thus, the key takeaways from this exit intent form were - free trial, discount on its subscription plans and a money back guarantee encouraging users to join Designrr risk-free.

OptinMonster Exit Intent Popup Example

OptinMonster is using exit-intent popups with a great effect to drive more sales to their business.

If you visit the home page of OptinMonster and try to move the cursor of your mouse towards the exit button or the back button, you will be greeted with a popup form which offers a guide on 12 proven ways to convert abandoning visitors into subscribers to its readers in return for their email address.

I have observed that on the same page, sometimes they are also displaying an exit intent popup with a discount offer of more than 35% on its paid plans.

I think both the forms were cleverly used by OptinMonster. The first popup will help them bring them more leads by offering a free guide and the second one with discount offer will bring them more sales.

Thrive Leads Exit Intent Popup Example

In the above screenshot, you can see that when a visitors visits the Thrive Leads page and tries to close the page, an exit intent popup with exciting offers greets him.

The message encourages the readers to claim the 50% discount on Thrive Leads and also show social proof (22500+ active subscribers), 98% average support satisfaction rate and also a 30 days money back guarantee.

The above exit intent popup example covers multiple selling points that encourages readers to claim discount and try Thrive Leads risk-free with its money back guarantee.

These successful exit pop-ups all have one thing in common: they offer visitors a valuable incentive for staying on the site or making a purchase. By providing visitors with something they want, you can increase conversions and build strong customer relationships.

I will try to add more successful exit intent examples so that you too can take advantage of this super powerful tool to boost your lead generate effort and sales.

Best Practices for Designing Exit Popups

When it comes to designing exit popups, there are a few best practices that can help you create effective popups that capture the attention of your website visitors and potentially convert them into leads or customers.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • Be bold and clear with your invitation: Your exit popup should clearly communicate the value proposition and the action you want the visitor to take. Make sure your messaging is attention-grabbing and easy to understand.
  • Make it responsive: As more and more people use mobile devices to access the internet, it's important to ensure your exit popup is mobile-friendly. Consider disabling the exit intent for mobile visitors and using a scroll-based or time-based popup instead.
  • Use A/B testing to optimize your design: Experiment with different variations of your popup to see what works best for your audience. Pay attention to conversion rates and adjust accordingly.
  • Consistently brand your popups: Your exit popup should be consistent with your overall branding and design. By doing so, you'll help ensure that visitors are more likely to engage with your popup and take the desired action.
  • Under-promise and over-deliver: Make sure your popup delivers on its promises. If the content doesn't live up to expectations, visitors are unlikely to become paying customers. Keep things clear, inviting, and realistic.
  • Consider using surveys: Adding a mini-survey to your exit popup can be a great way to gather feedback from visitors and learn more about their needs and preferences. This can help you optimize your marketing strategy and improve the overall user experience.

Customizing Exit Popups for Different Audiences

Customizing exit popups for different audiences is essential to make them more effective. While exit popups can work wonders to convert visitors into customers, they can also annoy some site users. 

Therefore, it is essential to customize exit popups for different audiences, ensuring that they aren't intrusive or irrelevant, and provide value to the visitors.

Here are a few ways of customizing exit popups for different audiences:

  • Personalize the message: By segmenting your audience and creating personalized messages, you can create relevant exit popups that offer the right value to your visitors. The ultimate goal should be to provide value and solve your visitor's problems or satisfy their needs.
  • Offer choices: Not every visitor will be the same, and hence, not everyone would want the same thing. Therefore, it's important to provide choices in exit popups so that the visitor can choose what suits them best.
  • Timing is everything: Timing is key when it comes to exit popups. You don't want to show them too early or too late. Understand your audience's behavior to get the timing right.
  • Make it visually appealing: Design matters. Ensure that your exit popups are visually appealing and not just a block of text. Use captivating images or graphics in your popups.
  • Language and tone: Use language that resonates with your audience. A friendly tone can help ease the tension and make your audience feel more comfortable.

Exit popups are not a one-size-fits-all solution, and customizing them for different audiences will maximize their effectiveness.

Remember to offer value, personalize the message, provide choices, time correctly, and design visually appealing popups for a better user experience.

Measuring the Effectiveness of Exit Popups

Me the effectiveness of your exit intent popups is crucial to understanding whether they are helping you achieve your conversion goals. It's not just about how many people are clicking on your popup or submitting their email.

Your exit intent popups should be designed to not only capture leads, but also to engage your site visitors and keep them on your site for longer periods. This improves the chances of them eventually converting and becoming customers.

Here are some metrics to consider when measuring the effectiveness of your exit intent popups:

  • Conversion rates: track the number of site visitors who are converting after clicking on your popup. This could be by signing up for an email list, making a purchase, or filling out a form.
  • Time on site: measure whether your exit popups are keeping visitors on your site for longer periods of time. This can be a good indicator of engagement and interest.
  • Bounce rates: compare the bounce rate of pages with exit intent popups to those without. If your exit popups are effective, you should see a decrease in bounce rates.
  • Feedback: ask site visitors for feedback on your exit popups. This can provide valuable insights into what is working and what needs to be improved.

One important thing to keep in mind is the timing and placement of your exit intent popups. If your popups are too aggressive or appear too frequently, they can actually have a negative effect on your site visitors.

Make sure to test different variations and analyze the data to find the sweet spot for your specific audience.

Are Exit Intent Popups Right for You?

After deep into the world of exit intent popup software and examples, it's time to ask yourself: are exit popups right for you? The answer is not a straightforward one, as it depends on various factors such as the nature of your business and your specific goals.

However, here are some key takeaways to consider before deciding whether or not to implement exit popups on your website:

  • Exit popups can keep visitors on your site for longer periods, which can increase the chances of conversion.
  • While the cost of acquiring new leads is growing, exit popups can be a cost-effective lead generation tool if timed and messaged appropriately.
  • The right exit intent popup can provide immediate value to your website visitors and lead to more revenue and engagement.
  • It's best practice to create separate exit intent popups for desktop and mobile devices to ensure the best user experience.
  • Timing and placement are crucial. Exit popups should be used sparingly and only when people haven't already taken action.

Before implementing exit popups, it's important to test and analyze their effectiveness using tools like Google Analytics. Always keep in mind the importance of providing value to your visitors and striking a balance between lead generation and user experience.

Wrapping Up

As online business owners, we all know the importance of keeping our website visitors engaged and converting them into customers.

However, despite our best efforts, some visitors leave our website without taking any action, resulting in missed opportunities. This is where exit intent popup software comes in. 

It may seem like a small addition to your website, but they can have a significant impact on your business. 

If you're looking to grow your email list by converting your visitors into subscribers or looking to make more sales, I would recommend you to try OptiMonk.

It is free for first-time users and if you see it fit for your business, you can easily upgrade to any of its paid plans.

Get started with OptiMonk today.

OptiMonk offers a completely free plan where you can try out its features to see if it is the right exit intent software for your needs. No credit card is required to join the free plan. You can even cancel your free trial any time. Get started for FREE using the link below.

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Deepak Choudhary

Deepak Choudhary is the founder of Technicalwall.com. He is a Blogger and an Affiliate Marketing Expert. He publishes useful articles for newbie bloggers related to the following topics - Affiliate Marketing, Email Marketing, Software Reviews, Software Tutorials, Blogging, WordPress, SEO, Passive Income, and more.