How TOMS Increased Popup Signup Rates From 3% to 15% With Alia
Founded in 2006, TOMS is a global footwear and lifestyle brand built on the belief that business can be a force for good. Like many ecommerce brands, TOMS relied on the popup built into its email service provider, which collected subscribers but offered very little insight into what was actually driving performance.
After replacing that built-in popup with Alia, TOMS built a continuous experimentation framework for onsite acquisition, increasing UK popup signup rates from approximately 3% to nearly 15% and achieving approximately 10% signup rates across EU markets.
5x
Increase in UK popup signup rate
~15%
UK popup signup rate, up from approximately 3%
10%
Average signup rate across EU markets
TL;DR
The Full Story in 60 Seconds
Challenges
- Relied on an ESP’s built-in popup with limited reporting and testing capabilities
- Limited visibility into what was actually driving subscriber growth
- Popup optimization was largely based on assumptions rather than measurable performance
- Wanted to convert more existing traffic into subscribers without increasing acquisition spend
Solution
- Replaced their ESP’s built-in popup with Alia
- Built a continuous experimentation framework for onsite acquisition
- Tested gamified experiences, messaging, timing, and creative to identify what resonated with visitors
- Used real performance data, not assumptions, to continuously improve conversion
Results
- Increased UK popup signup rates from approximately 3% to nearly 15%
- Achieved approximately 10% signup rates across EU markets
- Improved visitor-to-subscriber conversion across key markets
- Created a repeatable framework for continuously improving onsite acquisition
Before Alia, we viewed popups as a one-size-fits-all tool. Now, we think of onsite acquisition as an ongoing optimization process.
Andres Ochoa
CRM Specialist, TOMS
CHALLENGES
From Static Popups to Continuous Optimization
For a global ecommerce brand like TOMS, every website visitor represents an opportunity to build a long-term customer relationship.
Before someone makes a purchase, joins the email list, or enters a lifecycle marketing journey, they experience the brand for the very first time through the storefront. That first interaction plays an important role in determining whether a visitor becomes a customer or leaves without engaging at all.
Like many ecommerce brands, TOMS relied on the popup functionality built into its email service provider. While it successfully collected subscribers, it offered very little insight into what was actually driving performance. Reporting was limited, experimentation was minimal, and there was no reliable way to understand whether changes were improving acquisition efficiency over time.
"We weren’t able to measure results in the first place, as the reporting capabilities of our ESP’s built-in popup were very limited."
Without meaningful testing or visibility, popup optimization became reactive rather than strategic. The team couldn’t confidently answer questions like:
- Which creative resonates best?
- When should visitors be engaged?
- Which experiences drive stronger conversion?
- How should the popup evolve over time?
As traffic continued to grow, those unanswered questions became increasingly important. Simply collecting subscribers wasn’t enough. Converting more existing traffic into engaged subscribers, and continuously improving performance over time, was critical to business growth.
"Before Alia, we viewed popups as a one-size-fits-all tool. Now, we think of onsite acquisition as an ongoing optimization process."
Andres Ochoa
CRM Specialist, TOMS
SOLUTION
Building a Foundation for Continuous Optimization
TOMS implemented Alia with one primary objective: build a smarter, more measurable acquisition program.
Improving signup rates was certainly important, but the larger goal was creating a process that allowed the team to learn from visitor behavior instead of relying on assumptions.
Implementation was straightforward despite the complexity of operating across multiple languages and currencies.
"The onboarding was smooth, collaborative, and easy. From the beginning, the Alia team helped us run A/B tests and identify what would work best for our brand. It definitely felt personalized."
Rather than launching a single replacement popup and considering the project complete, TOMS immediately began building a testing roadmap. Every experiment became an opportunity to learn. Every result informed the next iteration.
Instead of asking whether the popup worked, the team could now ask how it could work even better. That shift fundamentally changed the role onsite acquisition played within the business. The popup was no longer treated as a static conversion tool. It became an optimization engine.
Turning traffic into performance enablement. With a stronger foundation in place, TOMS expanded beyond traditional popup experiences and began experimenting across multiple dimensions of the visitor journey. The team tested scratch-off campaigns, educational flows, different creative approaches, messaging variations, and popup timing. Each experiment generated new insight into how visitors preferred to engage.
One of the clearest winners came from gamification. Rather than immediately asking visitors for their email address in exchange for a discount, the scratch-off experience invited participation first. That small change created a more engaging first interaction while encouraging visitors to actively participate before receiving an offer.
One particularly valuable insight came from optimizing when visitors engaged. "One of the biggest wins was identifying the best timing to display the popup when a visitor lands on the page."
Every decision validated through real customer behavior. Timing, creative, messaging, and interaction all influenced performance. Rather than guessing which variables mattered the most, the team could validate every decision through real customer behavior.
But the biggest lesson wasn’t simply that one experience outperformed another. It was that continuous experimentation consistently uncovered opportunities that would have otherwise remained invisible.
Over time, the popup evolved from a single campaign into an ongoing optimization program. Every new visitor created another opportunity to learn. Every test made the next experience stronger.
"The scratch-off offer had a much stronger engagement rate than our educational flows."
TOMS
High-Impact Results
Today, onsite acquisition has become a significantly more effective growth channel for TOMS. By combining better measurement with continuous experimentation, the brand has transformed how efficiently existing traffic converts into owned audience growth.
Key Performance Metrics
UK Popup Signup Rate:
5x increase, from approximately 3% to nearly 15%
European Markets:
10% average signup rate across European markets
Visitor-to-Subscriber Conversion:
Improved visitor-to-subscriber conversion across key markets
Continuous Experimentation:
Continuous experimentation replaced static optimization
- 5x Increase in UK Popup Signup Rate: Increasing popup signup rates from approximately 3% to nearly 15% dramatically improved how efficiently TOMS converted existing website traffic into email subscribers. Rather than relying on additional acquisition spend, the team generated more value from every visitor already arriving on the site.
- 10% Average Signup Rate Across European Markets: Consistently achieving approximately 10% signup rates across EU markets demonstrated that the improvements extended beyond a single campaign or geography. The optimization framework proved scalable across multiple markets.
- Continuous Experimentation Replaced Static Optimization: The biggest result wasn’t a single metric. It was building an acquisition program capable of improving itself over time. Instead of treating popup optimization as a periodic project, TOMS established an ongoing process of testing, learning, and refining every visitor experience. As traffic continued growing, that capability became increasingly valuable.
"We have more new customers coming to our website than ever before, and having 10% and 15% signup rates has massively impacted growth."
What began as an effort to improve popup signup rates ultimately transformed how the team approached onsite acquisition altogether.
Better Data, Better Business Decisions
Perhaps the most significant outcome wasn’t a higher signup rate. It was a better way of making marketing decisions.
Before Alia, popup changes were largely guided by instinct. After implementing a structured testing program, decisions became grounded in measurable customer data.
That shift extended well beyond popup performance. Continuous optimization created a repeatable process the team could rely on to improve acquisition efficiency over time rather than searching for one perfect campaign.
The mindset shifted from consistently launching new campaigns to improving existing ones.
"It [Alia] helped us make better decisions based on data instead of assumptions."
Get More Value From the Traffic You Already Have
The strongest acquisition programs aren’t built around a single popup. They’re built around continuous optimization.
By replacing a static, one-size-fits-all approach with ongoing experimentation, TOMS transformed onsite acquisition into a measurable growth channel.
For ecommerce brands, the opportunity isn’t in simply driving more traffic. It’s in capturing more value from the traffic they already have.
"By being able to A/B test different popups, we can make sure we’re always optimizing and turning traffic into new subscribers."
Your Success Story
Starts Here
Starts Here
Join leading ecommerce brands using Alia to improve acquisition efficiency, grow owned audiences, and turn more visitors into long-term customers.
