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Around 70% of online shoppers abandon their carts, while even more leave without ever adding an item. This represents a significant loss of potential revenue. Exit-intent popups provide a final opportunity to capture these visitors by triggering a targeted message the moment they prepare to leave.
While average popups often underperform, top-tier designs achieve significantly higher conversion rates. The difference lies in strategic execution.
This guide breaks down high-converting examples from successful Shopify brands, detailing the specific design and psychological tactics used to turn departing traffic into loyal customers.
P.S. Most examples in this guide use Alia, the AI-powered popup app built exclusively for Shopify. If you want to skip the theory and start converting abandoning visitors today, you can install Alia free and launch your first exit-intent popup in under 10 minutes.
What Is an Exit Intent Popup?
An exit intent popup is a JavaScript-triggered overlay that appears when a user is about to leave your site. By detecting specific abandonment signals, it offers one final opportunity to convert a visitor before they disappear.
How It Works
- On Desktop: Sensors track cursor movement. When the cursor moves toward the browser’s top edge (address bar or close button) with upward velocity, the popup triggers.
- On Mobile: Since there is no cursor, the technology monitors signals like clicking the "back" button, switching tabs, rapid upward scrolling, or prolonged inactivity.
Why It’s Effective
The strategy relies on pattern interruption. By presenting a compelling offer just as a user mentally checks out, you force a moment of reconsideration. When optimized, these popups can recover up to 19% of abandoning visitors.
For a deeper dive into mobile-specific strategies, see our mobile popup best practices guide.
12 Exit Intent Popup Examples With Real Results
The following examples specifically use exit-intent triggers—popups that appear when visitors show signs of leaving. Each includes documented performance data so you can see what's achievable.
Exit Intent Discount Popups
The most common use case for exit intent popups is offering a discount to capture emails from abandoning visitors.
1. Hostage Tape: Exit-Intent with Sign-Up and Discount
Industry: Sleep and breathing optimization
By implementing full-screen popups, optimizing for exit-intent triggers, and leveraging Alia’s ongoing testing support, Hostage Tape transformed their email and SMS acquisition strategy.
Rather than a generic discount, the popup leads with a high-value offer: "YOU'VE GOT FREE TAPE." The design incorporates the founder’s story and educational content regarding the benefits of mouth taping for sleep. While the headline captures immediate attention, the supporting copy builds long-term value by inviting users to join a community of over 100,000 "mouthbreathers" for exclusive updates.
What makes it work: The exit-intent trigger catches visitors at the critical departure moment—after they’ve decided to leave but before they’ve clicked away.
For products that require explanation, this approach builds trust before asking for the email. Learn more about this strategy in the ultimate guide to customer education.
As the brand's head of growth noted: "When you look at the ROI, it's a no-brainer. Alia paid for itself almost immediately."
Read the full Hostage Tape case study →
2. Patrick Ta Beauty: Discount Popup
Industry: Beauty and cosmetics
To maintain a premium aesthetic while scaling leads, Patrick Ta Beauty utilizes a minimalist, high-intent exit popup. Their exit-intent popup uses minimal design matching the brand's sophisticated aesthetic—clean lines, ample white space, elegant typography.
A clear 15% discount offer is highlighted upfront, with minimal form fields (email only) for frictionless signup. Unique coupon codes are automatically delivered and applied at checkout through Alia's auto-apply feature—removing the friction that causes many visitors to abandon before redeeming.
What makes it work: The exit-intent timing catches visitors who have browsed but haven't converted—the exact audience most likely to respond to a last-chance offer. The luxury-aligned design doesn't feel like a desperate discount grab; it feels like an exclusive offer that matches the brand experience.
Read the full Patrick Ta case study →
3. Batch CBD: Wellness Segmentation
Industry: CBD wellness
Batch CBD replaced their standard Klaviyo popups with interactive exit-intent funnels. When visitors move to leave, the popup first engages them with targeted questions about their wellness goals (sleep, stress, mood, recovery) before requesting email information.
The slim, vertical sidebar design maximizes screen space without obstruction. A progress bar format ("Get $25 Off") visually tracks completion, motivating visitors to finish the signup process. This two-step approach is one of the most effective popup survey techniques for capturing both emails and valuable customer data.
What makes it work: Exit-intent timing catches visitors who were leaving without understanding which products matched their specific needs. The two-step approach uses commitment psychology—once someone answers a question, they're more likely to complete the signup. The wellness goal data enables hyper-personalized follow-up emails that convert at much higher rates than generic campaigns.
Read the full Batch CBD case study→
Looking for more discount inspiration? Check out our 13 discount popup examples and 20 discount code ideas for additional strategies.
Exit Intent Educational Popups
Not every abandoning visitor responds to discounts. Some need to understand your product better. These brands use exit-intent popups to educate at the moment of departure.
For more on this approach, see our guide on customer education for Shopify stores.
4. mindbodygreen: Sign-Up Pop-Up
Industry: Health and wellness
Alia provided a fully-managed approach to popup optimization, replacing mindbodygreen's small-box forms with a bold, fullscreen experience.
By offloading setup, styling, and A/B testing to Alia, the team achieved a premium brand feel without any internal resource drain. The high-impact visuals and smart copy led to an uplift in email and SMS opt-in rates.
What makes it work: The hands-off, managed model ensures the strategy is constantly iterated on by experts. Moving from generic boxes to bold visuals captures attention at the critical exit moment, while backend data enables a sophisticated and personalized customer journey.
Read the full mindbodygreen case study→
Read the full MiHIGH case study→
5. ZQuiet: Product Recommendation Quiz
Industry: Sleep wellness (anti-snoring solutions)
ZQuiet uses an exit-intent quiz to guide customers through its FDA-cleared anti-snoring product line. By replacing generic offers with personalized recommendations, they build credibility while reducing the friction of complex product choices.
When visitors show signs of leaving, the popup appears with educational content about anti-snoring solutions and sleep health.
What makes it work: Exit-intent timing catches visitors who were leaving confused about which product to choose. The quiz format provides immediate value—personalized recommendations—making the email signup feel like a fair exchange. The 32% conversion rate within 30 minutes shows that these leads have genuine purchase intent.
Read the full ZQuiet case study→
Also read our guide on creating effective quizzes for product recommendations for implementation tips.
Exit Intent Cart Abandonment Popups
When someone has items in their cart but shows exit intent, the stakes are highest. These visitors have already expressed purchase intent—they just need the right nudge. For more cart recovery strategies, see our guide on how to increase Shopify store conversions.
6. Bibado: Exit-Intent with Cart Value Threshold
Industry: Baby products
Bibado uses cart value thresholds on their exit-intent popups. When a visitor with items in their cart moves to leave, the popup shows how close they are to unlocking a better discount by adding more items. Understanding why AOV matters helps explain why this strategy is so powerful.
The popup also promises first access to limited designs and special offers, adding exclusivity appeal beyond the immediate discount.
What makes it work: Exit-intent timing catches visitors at the abandonment moment with a compelling reason to stay. The threshold approach doesn't just recover carts—it increases average order value by showing visitors they're close to a better deal. This turns exit intent into an upsell opportunity.
Read the full Bibado case study→
Exit Intent Zero-Party Data Collection
Smart brands use exit-intent popups to capture more than email addresses. These examples show how to gather valuable customer data at the moment of departure. Learn more about personalization techniques to enhance the shopper experience.
7. Essence Vault: Gender Segmentation
Industry: Fragrance
Essence Vault focused on zero-party data collection. Their exit-intent popup asks shoppers about the gender they're shopping for, enabling highly targeted follow-up campaigns.
The minimalist, elegant design aligns with their luxury fragrance positioning. A "Nearly There..." headline acknowledges visitors have already engaged, leveraging commitment psychology to increase completion rates.
What makes it work: Exit-intent timing catches high-traffic visitors (especially during BFCM) right before they leave. The gender preference question takes seconds to answer but enables completely different email journeys—men's fragrances vs. women's fragrances—that dramatically improve conversion rates.
Read the full Essence Vault case study→
Exit Intent Full-Screen Popups
Sometimes you need maximum impact. Full-screen exit-intent popups demand attention at the critical departure moment.
8. Create Wellness: Landing Page Recovery
Industry: Wellness (creatine gummies)
Create Wellness developed separate exit-intent strategies for landing pages versus their main site. They had previously disabled popups on high-traffic landing pages due to poor conversion impact, leaving 80% of traffic untapped.
Their new exit-intent approach reintroduced popups on landing pages without negatively affecting conversion rates. Alia's advanced targeting let them show different experiences based on traffic source, page type, and visitor behavior. Intent-based segmentation enabled precise welcome flow targeting based on which landing page triggered the signup.
What makes it work: Exit-intent on landing pages catches visitors who arrived with specific intent (usually from ads) but didn't convert. The separate strategy recognizes that landing page visitors have different expectations than organic browsers. The 200% increase in signups represents traffic that was previously being lost entirely.
Read the full Create Wellness case study→
For more examples of high-impact designs, browse our 18 email popup examples and 9 killer eCommerce popup examples.
9. Firebelly Tea: Exit-Intent Educational Journey
Industry: Premium tea
Firebelly Tea, the premium loose leaf tea brand founded by Shopify's president, created a three-step educational journey that boosted customer engagement with interactive content. When visitors move to leave, a floating button appears offering educational "lessons" about tea with progressive discount rewards (5% to 15% for continued engagement).
The journey covers brand origin story, product value, and sustainability education—transforming casual browsers into educated, engaged customers.
What makes it work: Exit-intent timing catches visitors before they leave forever, but the floating button approach is less intrusive than a full overlay. The progressive rewards create incentive to continue engaging rather than just grabbing a discount and leaving.
Read the full Firebelly Tea case study→
Exit Intent Popup Best Practices
After analyzing exit-intent campaigns across thousands of Shopify stores, these patterns separate high-converting popups from ones that get ignored.
For a comprehensive approach to your entire funnel, see our 7 steps to building a killer website conversion funnel.
Quick Optimization Checklist
Why AI-Powered Exit Intent Outperforms Basic Detection
Traditional exit-intent technology watches for one signal: cursor movement toward the browser bar. AI-powered systems analyze dozens of behavioral signals to predict exit intent before the cursor even moves. This is why Alia is 3x more effective than standard popup tools.
Predictive vs. Reactive Triggering
Basic exit-intent is reactive—it waits until someone is actively leaving, then scrambles to intervene. AI-powered systems learn patterns that precede exit: slowing scroll velocity, decreased click activity, idle time patterns, navigation between pages without adding to cart.
This predictive approach triggers popups at the optimal moment—when someone is losing interest but hasn't yet decided to leave. Alia's Smart Triggering adds 10-30% more signups compared to basic exit detection by catching visitors at the right moment.
Cross-Device Intelligence
Basic exit-intent often fails on mobile because there's no cursor to track. AI systems combine multiple mobile signals—scroll behavior, inactivity, app-switching patterns, back-button proximity—to detect exit intent accurately across all devices.
Given that mobile traffic exceeds 60% for most ecommerce sites, this cross-device capability significantly impacts total recovery potential. Alia’s mobile popup best practices guide covers the specific considerations for mobile exit-intent.
Continuous Optimization
Traditional exit-intent settings are static—you set the trigger sensitivity and leave it. AI-powered systems continuously learn from your specific traffic patterns, automatically adjusting timing based on what's actually converting.
This matters because optimal exit-intent timing varies by traffic source, device type, page type, and even time of day. Manual optimization can't keep pace with these variables.
Native Shopify Integration
Generic popup tools work across any website, which sounds like an advantage but often means they're not optimized for any specific platform.
Alia is built exclusively for Shopify—one-click install, native access to Shopify customer data, and seamless integration with your existing ESP and SMS providers like Klaviyo, Attentive, Postscript, and Omnisend.
Start Recovering Lost Revenue Today
Exit-intent popups can recover significant revenue from abandoning visitors. Brands achieving 15-25% conversion rates aren't using magic—they're using precise timing, compelling offers, and continuous optimization.
Every visitor who leaves your site without converting represents potential revenue lost. The brands featured in this guide were in the same position before implementing AI-powered exit-intent popups.
Now they're capturing thousands of emails, generating hundreds of thousands in attributed revenue, and turning abandoning visitors into loyal customers.
Here's what sets the highest-converting exit-intent popups apart:
- Smart Triggering that detects exit intent across desktop and mobile, showing popups at the moment of highest conversion potential
- Automated A/B testing that runs 24/7, continuously improving performance without manual intervention
- Native Shopify integration that connects seamlessly with your existing email and SMS providers
- Zero-party data collection that enables personalized follow-up campaigns
- Revenue attribution that shows exactly how much your popup generates
If your current exit-intent popups convert below 10%, there's substantial room for improvement. If you're not using exit-intent popups at all, you're leaving money on the table with every abandoning visitor.
You can have your first exit-intent popup live in under 10 minutes—no code required. Alia offers:
- 14-day free trial (30 days on Fully Managed plans)
- White-glove onboarding to get you set up properly
- No auto-upgrades, month-to-month pricing, cancel anytime
- Live chat support plus personal Slack channels for managed plans
Try Alia Free for 14 Days
The fastest-growing brands on Shopify use Alia. Ready to see what AI-powered exit-intent can do for your store?
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between exit-intent and other popup triggers?
Exit-intent specifically detects when visitors are about to leave—cursor moving toward browser controls on desktop, back-button behavior on mobile.
Other triggers include time delay (show after X seconds), scroll depth (show after scrolling X%), and click triggers (show when clicking specific elements). Exit-intent is unique because it targets the abandonment moment specifically.
For a complete breakdown of trigger options, see our popup timing and triggers guide.
Do exit-intent popups work on mobile?
Yes, but through different detection methods. Mobile exit-intent monitors back-button presses, rapid upward scrolling, tab switching, and inactivity patterns. AI-powered solutions like Alia combine multiple signals for more accurate mobile detection. Results are typically similar to desktop when properly optimized.
Should I use the same offer in exit-intent as entry popups?
Generally, no. Exit-intent represents your last chance, so consider making it your strongest offer. If entry visitors see 10% off and exit-intent visitors see the same 10%, there's no incremental motivation. Reserve your best discount, free shipping threshold, or exclusive bonus for exit-intent.
How do I prevent exit-intent popups from annoying visitors?
Set frequency caps so the popup doesn't appear on every page exit. Use cookies to prevent repeat displays to visitors who already dismissed it. Exclude pages where exit-intent doesn't make sense (like checkout confirmation). Alia also automatically prevents showing popups to existing subscribers by checking ESP scripts, using cookies, and blocking certain UTMs
Learn more about creating engaging popups without annoying your customers.
Can exit-intent popups hurt my SEO?
Google's mobile popup penalty targets intrusive interstitials that appear immediately when visitors arrive. Exit-intent popups, by definition, appear only when visitors are leaving—they don't obstruct the initial content experience. When implemented properly with easy dismissal, exit-intent popups don't negatively
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