How to Create an Effective Coupon Popup in WordPress (2024 Guide)
As an ecommerce business, offering coupons and discounts is one of the most effective ways to drive sales, conversions, and customer loyalty. In fact, studies have shown that 60% of online shoppers actively search for coupons before making a purchase, and 50% say they won‘t complete a purchase without a discount.
One of the best ways to offer coupons to your website visitors is through a coupon popup. Popups allow you to prominently display your offer and capture your visitor‘s attention at just the right moment, such as when they are about to leave your site or add an item to their cart.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll show you everything you need to know to create an effective coupon popup campaign in WordPress, including:
- The benefits of using coupon popups vs. other methods
- How to create a coupon popup step-by-step using OptinMonster
- Design and copywriting tips for maximizing conversions
- Best practices for targeting, triggering and delivering your coupon codes
- Measuring results and optimizing your campaign over time
By the end of this guide, you‘ll be able to create irresistible coupon pop-ups that skyrocket sales and turn visitors into loyal customers. Let‘s dive in!
Why Use a Popup to Offer Coupons?
There are several different ways you can offer coupons and discounts on your ecommerce site, from general sitewide sales to unique coupon codes distributed via email or social media. So why use a popup?
Here are a few key benefits of coupon popups compared to other methods:
Prominent placement: Unlike a banner or bar at the top of your site, a popup demands attention and is impossible for your visitors to miss. This ensures maximum visibility for your offer.
Perfect timing: With popup display rules, you can trigger your coupon at the optimal moment in the customer journey, such as when a visitor is about to abandon their cart or exit your site. This improves the odds of conversion.
Highly targeted: Popup targeting allows you to show specific offers to specific audiences, based on factors like traffic source, pages viewed, items in cart, and more. Personalized offers convert better than generic ones.
Quick to implement: With the right tool, you can get a coupon popup live on your site in a matter of minutes, without touching any code. This is much faster and easier than building a custom promotion or campaign.
Automated delivery: Popups allow you to automatically generate and deliver unique coupon codes to each user. You can also integrate with your email service provider to instantly send the code via email for easy retrieval.
Now that we‘ve covered some of the benefits of coupon popups, let‘s look at how to actually create one on your WordPress site.
How to Create a Coupon Popup in WordPress
To add a coupon popup to your WordPress site, we recommend using the OptinMonster plugin. OptinMonster is the leading conversion optimization toolkit, used by over 1.2 million websites. It makes it incredibly easy to build all kinds of campaigns like popups, banners, slide-ins and more.
Here‘s how to create a coupon popup in WordPress using OptinMonster:
Step 1: Sign Up for OptinMonster
To get started, you‘ll need to sign up for an OptinMonster account. Plans start at just $9/month, and you can use this link to get 50% off your first year.
Once you‘ve signed up, log into your account dashboard.
Step 2: Create a New Popup Campaign
From your OptinMonster dashboard, click the "Create New Campaign" button. On the next screen, select "Popup" as your campaign type.
OptinMonster offers a library of 100+ pre-built templates you can use to create your popup. To save time, we recommend choosing the "Coupon" template. You can then customize the design to match your site.
Give your campaign a name and click "Start Building" to launch the campaign builder.
Step 3: Design Your Coupon Popup
The OptinMonster campaign builder uses a visual, drag-and-drop interface, which makes it easy to customize the look and feel of your popup.
To edit any element, simply click on it and make your changes in the left-hand panel. For example, you can edit the headline, body copy, coupon code, and call-to-action button text. You can also change colors, fonts, and styling.
The "Coupon" template has placeholder images and text, so be sure to replace those with your own. For the coupon code field, you can enter a generic code or use OptinMonster‘s Dynamic Text Replacement feature to generate unique codes for each visitor.
Feel free to play around with different designs until you find one that matches your brand and offer. You can even create multiple variations to split test!
Step 4: Configure Your Display Rules
Once you‘re happy with the design of your coupon popup, it‘s time to set your display rules. Display rules control where, when, and to whom your popup appears.
To set your display rules, open the "Display Rules" tab in the campaign builder. By default, your popup will be set to appear after 5 seconds on any page of your site.
However, we recommend triggering your popup based on user behavior for best results. Some effective display rules for coupon popups include:
Exit-Intent: Capture abandoning visitors just before they leave your site forever. OptinMonster‘s patented Exit-Intent technology can detect when a user is about to leave and pop open your coupon at exactly the right moment.
Time on Site: Show your popup to engaged visitors who have been browsing your site for a certain amount of time. The more time a user spends on your site, the higher their purchase intent.
Cart Amount/Contents: Trigger your popup when a user has a certain dollar amount or specific products in their cart. For example, you could offer a $20 off $100 coupon or a bonus gift if they purchase 2 or more items.
Referral Source: Show targeted popups to visitors coming from specific sources, like Google ads, affiliate links, or competitor sites. The more relevant your offer, the higher it will convert.
You can get even more granular by combining different display rules. For instance, you could trigger an exit popup only to first-time visitors who landed on a specific product page and have over $50 in their cart. The possibilities are endless!
Step 5: Deliver Your Coupon Code
The final step is to set up coupon delivery. There are a few different ways to do this with OptinMonster:
Instant Delivery: The simplest option is to display the coupon code directly on the popup. When a visitor clicks the CTA button, they‘ll be shown a success message with the code, which they can copy and apply at checkout.
Email Delivery: For better tracking and repeat usage, you can automatically send the coupon code to the user‘s email address. To do this, you‘ll need to integrate OptinMonster with your email marketing service. OptinMonster supports direct integrations with 30+ popular ESPs.
WooCommerce/Shopify Integration: If you‘re using WooCommerce or Shopify, you can automatically generate a unique coupon code for each visitor and apply it to their cart. This lets you track individual coupon usage and prevent code sharing.
We recommend combining instant and email delivery for maximum convenience and tracking. You can learn more about coupon delivery options in this guide.
Once you‘ve configured your coupon delivery, don‘t forget to click "Publish" to make your popup live!
Maximizing Conversions: Coupon Popup Design & Copywriting Tips
Getting your coupon popup live is a big milestone – but there‘s still work to be done to maximize its performance. Here are some tips for creating a popup that converts:
Use a clear, benefit-driven headline: Your headline is the first thing visitors will read, so it needs to grab their attention and communicate the value of your offer. Focus on the benefit of the coupon, not just the amount. For example: "Unlock 20% Off" or "Get Free Shipping on Your First Order" or "Treat Yourself to $50 Off".
Keep copy concise: Don‘t overwhelm visitors with too much text on your popup. Stick to the essentials and use short, punchy sentences. If you need to communicate more details, consider linking to a separate landing page.
Make your coupon code prominent: The coupon code should be the star of your popup. Use a large, bold font and a contrasting color to make it stand out. You can even put it inside a dashed-line box to mimic a traditional coupon.
Create urgency: Coupon popups tend to perform better when there‘s a sense of urgency. Consider using a countdown timer or adding an expiration date to your coupon. You can also emphasize limited quantity with phrases like "while supplies last".
Simplify your CTA: Your call-to-action button should be highly visible and intuitive. Use action-oriented words like "Get My Coupon", "Claim Offer", or "Apply Discount". Avoid vague phrases like "Submit" or "Sign Up".
Respect user experience: While popups are highly effective, they can be annoying if used improperly. Follow popup best practices like setting a frequency cap, providing an easy way to close, and excluding existing customers and subscribers. You should also consider page-level targeting to avoid disrupting key pages like checkout.
By following these tips and best practices, you can create a coupon popup that delights your visitors and drives a major lift in sales.
Measuring Results and Optimizing Your Coupon Popup Campaign
Launching your coupon popup is just the beginning. To get the most out of your campaign, you need to continuously measure your results and optimize for better performance.
OptinMonster provides built-in analytics that let you track key metrics like views, conversions, and conversion rate for each campaign. You can see how your popup is performing over time and even monitor results by device, referral source, and more.
To access your popup analytics, simply log into your OptinMonster account and select your campaign. You‘ll see an overview of your results on the "Analytics" tab.
Look for opportunities to improve your metrics over time. Some ideas:
Test different coupon amounts and types to find the sweet spot for your audience. For example, free shipping might convert better than a 10% discount.
Experiment with different headlines, copy, and designs to see what resonates best. Even small tweaks can have a big impact.
Try new display rules and targeting options to reach more qualified visitors. For instance, you could create a special offer for repeat customers or high-value cart abandoners.
Layer on other campaigns like slide-ins, floating bars, and gamified wheels to engage visitors at different touchpoints. The more chances you give people to convert, the better.
Integrate your popup with other channels like email, SMS, and push notifications to create a cohesive cross-channel experience. The goal is to be present wherever your customers are.
Remember, optimization is an ongoing process. Keep testing and iterating to unlock continuous growth for your ecommerce business.
Coupon Popup Case Study: How One Brand Increased Sales by 35%
To illustrate the potential of coupon popups, let‘s look at a real-life success story from OptinMonster customer Skates.co.uk.
Skates.co.uk is the UK‘s largest inline and roller skate store. They were looking for a way to convert more of their website traffic into sales and subscribers.
The team created an exit-intent popup offering a 10% discount on visitors‘ first orders. The popup was targeted to first-time visitors only and excluded anyone who had already made a purchase or signed up for the email list.
Here‘s what the final popup looked like:
[Insert example popup image]The results speak for themselves. After launching the coupon popup, Skates.co.uk saw an instant boost in conversions. The popup converted 4.97% of all visitors into email subscribers. But more importantly, it generated a 35.7% increase in sales!
By presenting the right offer to the right visitors at the right time, Skates.co.uk was able to turn abandoning browsers into loyal paying customers. This is the power of coupon popups in action.
Frequently Asked Questions About Creating Coupon Popups in WordPress
Still have questions about creating an effective coupon popup campaign? Here are answers to some of the most common ones we hear:
Q: Do I need a developer or special skills to create coupon popups with OptinMonster?
A: Not at all! OptinMonster is a 100% codeless solution. Anyone can create professional-looking popups using our drag-and-drop builder and pre-made templates – no coding or design skills needed.
Q: How many coupon codes can I generate with OptinMonster?
A: OptinMonster lets you generate an unlimited number of unique coupon codes for your popups and other campaigns. You can easily create bulk coupon codes right from your account dashboard.
Q: Can I show different coupons to different audiences?
A: Absolutely. OptinMonster offers advanced targeting and segmentation options that let you show the right popup to the right user at the right time. You can create different coupons for new vs. returning visitors, cart values, traffic sources, locations, and more.
Q: Will coupon popups work on mobile devices?
A: Yes, all OptinMonster popups are fully mobile responsive out of the box. We also offer mobile-specific display rules like "After X% Scroll" to create popups that convert well on smaller screens. Over 50% of online shopping now happens on mobile, so it‘s critical to optimize for these users.
Q: How can I prevent coupon abuse and fraud?
A: OptinMonster offers several features to help you combat coupon abuse, such as unique code generation, one-time use codes, expiration dates, and domain restrictions. You can also use our Success Tracking feature to verify that a purchase was made before delivering a coupon.
Q: What kind of results can I expect from coupon popups?
A: Every business is different, but we‘ve seen customers consistently achieve double-digit lifts in sales and conversions with coupon popups. It‘s not uncommon to see conversion rates of 5-10% or higher with a well-timed offer. The key is to test and optimize over time to find what works for your unique audience.
Ready to start boosting conversions with coupon popups? Sign up for your risk-free OptinMonster account today. Our 14-day money-back guarantee lets you try out all the features with no commitment. Join 1,213,437 websites using OptinMonster to convert and monetize their traffic!