How Mini Katana Hit a 20% Email Signup Rate & Revived Broken Flows with Alia
Mini Katana, the viral ecommerce brand behind handcrafted swords and anime-inspired replicas, partnered with Alia to fix broken flows, streamline compliance, and boost signups—achieving a peak 20% email signup rate and unlocking new revenue streams.
The Full Story in 60 Seconds
Alia unlocked our full potential when it came to pop-ups. They knew more than I did, handled everything from setup to A/B testing, and made it all seamless. It’s been an absolute treat of an experience.
CHALLENGES
Popup Limitations That Left Revenue and Compliance on the Table
Before switching to Alia, Mini Katana relied on a mix of Postscript and Klaviyo to manage their popups and opt-in flows. But the results were inconsistent, the setup was unreliable, and key compliance requirements were hard to fulfill.
It was inconsistent. And we did not have the support we needed to be able to keep it up over time.
The biggest issue wasn’t just performance. It was the operational chaos. Mini Katana discovered that their welcome email flow hadn’t been connected properly for months, costing them thousands in lost sales.
Beyond broken flows, compliance was a challenge. Since swords are considered weapons under international SMS regulations, age confirmation was a non-negotiable. The brand’s previous tools made this a multi-step, clunky process, hurting both engagement and opt-in rates.
SOLUTION
A Fully Managed, Compliant Popup Experience That Just Works
Mini Katana needed more than just a popup tool. They needed a partner who could overhaul their setup, maintain compliance, and take the workload off their small team. This is exactly what they got with Alia.
It was a less than 24-hour turnaround time to have everything up and running, which was fantastic, especially because it was a Friday.
Here's what made the difference:
From onboarding to live deployment, the switch to Alia was quick and seamless. Alia’s team handled the entire transition, set up the first campaign, and offered continuous optimization support without requiring heavy internal lift.
Alia’s team didn’t just copy-paste what had been done before. Instead, they customized the popup strategy based on Mini Katana’s unique audience and industry-specific needs.
The most impactful change was the implementation of a spin-to-win popup offering mystery discounts. This interactive format boosted engagement immediately, especially when high-value options like "$100 off" were added.
To meet regulatory requirements, the popup seamlessly captured birth dates for age verification (18+)—critical for SMS marketing compliance in a category that deals with weapon-adjacent products. Previously, this was a multi-step process handled over text, which hurt retention and conversions, but with Alia, it became automatic.
To meet regulatory requirements, the popup seamlessly captured birth dates for age verification (18+)—critical for SMS marketing compliance in a category that deals with weapon-adjacent products. Previously, this was a multi-step process handled over text, which hurt retention andconversions, but with Alia, it became automatic.
Stronger Opt-Ins, Higher Orders, and Clear ROI
Key Performance Metrics
Email Opt-In Rate:
SMS Growth:
Cashback Orders:
Revenue Visibility:
We saw SMS opt-ins bounce back immediately. That’s when I
knew—Alia just works.
Our old popup was just a small box with some copy. This one
looked great and performed better without us needing to run
it…
We thought our popups were doing fine, until we switched to
Alia and realized the potential we were missing. Email and SMS
signups surged, and our Welcome Flow revenue skyrocketed. It’s
a no-brainer.”
Additional Benefits
- Support That Saves Time: Alia managed testing & optimization end-to-end
- Better Retention: Welcome Flow revenue improved dramatically
- Consistent Iteration: Weekly optimization ideas delivered in Slack
- Hands-Off Growth: Lifecycle team focused on strategy, not popup management
“You think your popup is doing fine, but you don’t even
realize the potential just by improving it. [...] I’d
recommend Alia to anyone who doesn’t have time to test
constantly. They know what works and they help you do it.”
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Your Success Story
Starts Here
Join brands like Mini Katana using Alia to fix broken flows, unlock compliance wins, and boost signups with expert-managed popup optimization.
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