Ecommerce's email capture issue: 9 leaders talks pop-ups & timing
An engaged customer list is a valuable asset. It’s no wonder most retail websites go for the obvious way of growing it: triggering a pop-up to everyone. Often seconds after someone lands, or as they go to exit.
Yet, asking for someone's email address moments after they arrive feels abrupt and annoying. It’s not the best start to a new relationship, is it?
The thing is, eCommerce makes these things easy to overlook. For most teams, a visitor's reaction to the pop-up is only perceptible through proxy metrics like close or conversion rate. This doesn’t give you the full picture. What’s not measurable is the number of people who were there to buy but didn’t, because of the email capture.
So we asked shoppers.
Our Intent Gap report found that showing an email capture pop up too soon has a 1 in 5 chance of causing a visitor to abandon your site.
Let’s be clear. It’s not all email capture pop-ups that frustrate customers. Some are viewed as valuable and helpful, with conversion rates in high double figures. It all comes down to timing and context.
We’ve heard from the shoppers, so it’s only fair we did the same with the retailers. We spoke with nine ecommerce leaders to understand why a catch-all approach to email capture pop-ups is still the norm despite how they make shoppers feel.
The status quo of email capture
More than half of shoppers find pop-ups annoying. 1 in 5 dislike them so much it stops them from shopping. Yet, 79% of pop-ups are triggered within the first 30 seconds.
Is this the best approach we have in 2025 and beyond?
“How we shop online has changed a lot over the last 5-10 years, yet we’re still relying on the same tactics. Customers are more savvy, shopping across multiple websites and are protective over who they give their personal information to.”
Jackie Barnett, Head of CRM at MandM Direct
As Jackie points out, immediate email capture pop-ups might have worked 10 years ago, but today's shoppers are worried about data security. Plus, with overflowing inboxes, most people are reluctant to offer up their info. Time on site pop-ups might well be “the way we’ve always done it,” but it won’t wash with today’s customers.
Another reason the industry is stuck using an outdated method? FOMO.
“Most brands do email pop-ups early or on exit because it feels safe. Like, catch the visitor before they leave or bounce. It's a numbers game--more eyeballs, more chances.”
Natalia Lavrenenko, UGC manager/Marketing manager
It’s a numbers game when it should be a people game. Where’s the value in collecting 1000s of email addresses of annoyed people? Will they read your emails, or mark them as spam? That’s if the email’s even real.
So, what’s really at stake here?
“If you've got a lot of inbound organic traffic, combined with a good lead magnet, you can do well on that 1%-2% conversion on popups. The con is that you're annoying everybody else.”
Brenna Milleville, Founder at Elly and Grace
Capturing emails from a tiny percentage of all traffic while actively irritating the vast majority. It’s a pretty bad deal, and everyone knows it. So why is this method still being used?
“There's pressure to capture volume. Just like the pressure to send more marketing emails, even though we know it’s ineffective. It can be hard to justify more targeted efforts without data, especially when a belief persists that more activity = more revenue.”
Alfie Calas, Head of CRM at thortful
This is the reality for many ecommerce teams. Goals and targets that direct them away from doing better work.
It comes down to what can be measured and what data is available. While it’s obvious a smaller, engaged list will outperform a larger, disengaged one, having the data to prove it is the stumbling block.
“Customers who consent to email tend to have a higher LTV, so capturing their email is a priority. The more emails we have, the more customers we can keep speaking to, the more chance we’ve got at cost-effectively retaining them!”
Jackie Barnett, Head of CRM at MandM Direct
As Jackie shared, the rationale behind capturing every email address vs. just those that matter is the idea of chance.
Email capture pop-ups triggered after 30 seconds on-site equate to a scattergun approach based on a wish and a prayer. What’s ignored is the loss of potential immediate sales from the people put off.
This isn't news to ecommerce professionals, but it's not just the pressure of targets that has seen it become an accepted behaviour. It's the limitations of visitor data and the targeting options available in their tech stack.
“Most out-of-the-box tools only allow for a handful of triggers, so marketers are restricted in the ways they can be creative about approaching customers for email capture.”
Alfie Calas, Head of CRM at thortful
“The prevalent [email capture] methods don't consider the unique journey and mood of each visitor.”
Ben Read, CEO at Mercha
It’s worth reiterating; a web page tells you nothing about the customers’ buying stage.
So when tools are limited to triggering pop-ups based on page or time on site, you miss critical signals. Your experience becomes disconnected from the context of the visitor.
If retailers want to improve their relationship with customers, this status quo has to change. The focus needs to shift to the shopper and how they behave in the context of the whole experience. This is how we create higher opt-in percentages, less friction, and more meaningful lists.
The cost of generic email capture
So much effort goes into crafting the perfect welcome email series, the tone of voice, database segmentation, data security practices, etc. But so little goes into the moment when customers are asked to sign up. Yet there’s much at stake. 40% of shoppers say email capture pop ups make them less likely to buy.
“I've learned that how and when you ask for an email can make or break a relationship with customers…Focus on building relationships, not just lists.”
Asim Rahat, Founder at Oswin Hyde
Asim found out the hard way: get it wrong, and there’s rarely a second chance. A poorly-timed pop-up might get closed, but it also sets the tone.
So, what’s the real cost of generic, ill-timed pop-ups?
The negative shift in perception and lost sales you’ll never track.
“A huge issue is the unseen impact on people who find these pop-ups a total turn-off. What percentage of potential customers are being lost each day due to this one-size-fits-all approach? Plus, the cost of the voucher codes being handed out to customers who would have purchased anyway or had no intention of making more than one purchase.”
Jackie Barnett, Head of CRM at MandM Direct
Because generic email capture is a catch-all, it’s hard to work out what’s in it for the customer. Retailers resort to bribing visitors with discounts. This leads to a bad outcome: lost margin.
Offering discount codes in sitewide pop-ups might help you capture emails, but that’s because you’re giving money away to everyone by default. We’ve already explored the status quo of discounts in this article if you want more on the subject.
Fundamentally, generic email capture pop-ups cost you customer relationships, margins, and sales. But if this is the industry standard, what options do retailers really have?
Approaching discounts based on visitor intent
“Imagine someone is browsing sneakers, comparing a few models, maybe even checking delivery options. They’re clearly into it, but not quite ready. That’s when a “Hey! Want 10% off your first order?” feels helpful, not annoying. It’s like catching them at the right moment in-store, not shouting at them the second they walk in.”
Kardelen Ozyurda, UX & CRO Manager at PUMA
That’s the shift. Ask when it feels natural.
If you're not sure when these moments occur in your customer's online buying experience, consider when you might go over to a customer in a store setting to ask if they want more help, more information, or some material to take home. This exercise can also help you work out what to offer in return—whether that’s a newsletter, discount code, or a stock alert.
It should be obvious to the visitor why you need their email address, because there's value for both parties.
“We ask for push notification permissions after customers have done a 'high-value' action, like adding a product to their basket or purchasing. It's an easier value exchange when the customer can see the why behind giving their permission. We found the rate of acceptance skyrocketed when we did this.”
Alfie Calas, Head of CRM at thortful
If you find yourself cringing at the idea of only asking people at the end of the journey and not everyone, consider this: intent-based email capture reduces impressions by 50%. But it also grows sign-ups by 40%.
You know why?
Because it only triggers when appropriate.
“Context is everything. Email capture should be aligned with genuine value, like after engaging content, unlocking a discount, or adding to cart. The more it feels like a fair exchange, the better. The key is making it feel earned, not demanded.”
Niall Young O'Brien, CRM Manager at Represent
The more value you can convey, the higher the conversion rate of your email capture.
What’s wild is transforming something that actively annoys people into something that they are happy to sign up for, just by changing when you show it. It’s no longer one-sided.
What you say is just as important as when you ask. The more relevant what you say is to the individual, their mindset, and stage in the buying journey, the more likely you’re going to get your form filled in. Not only that, but relevancy has an added bonus when it comes to relationship building.
“Personalise the ask, tie it to behaviour, interest, or value. Relevance builds trust, trust builds lists. Ask when you’ve earned it. Timing + relevance = quality leads and higher conversion.”
Brad Ledson, Email Marketing & CRM Manager
Brad echoes what Jackie said earlier. Today's customers want, or even need, to trust the company asking for their information before they will give it away.
If you offer a discount for first-time buyers shortly after someone checks out as a guest, they aren’t going to have much faith in your brand. Likewise, if the visitor is in product research mode, offering a discount won't resonate as well as offering a handy guide to the product.
Retailers want relationships, not emails. But old tactics and poor tech haven’t kept up with how customers should be treated. The status quo prioritises capturing emails over customer experience and sales. To flip the script, retailers need to ask for emails at the right time in the right way, based on buyer intent.
Want to capture emails without subjecting your customers to generic, inappropriate pop-ups? Explore Email Capture with Intent.
Thanks again to all the ecommerce experts who shared their thoughts with us:
Jackie Barnett, Head of CRM at MandM Direct
Brenna Milleville, Founder at Elly and Grace
Natalia Lavrenenko, UGC manager/Marketing manager at Rathly
Alfie Calas, Head of CRM at thortful
Asim Rahat, Founder at Oswin Hyde
Kardelen Ozyurda, UX & CRO Manager - Ecommerce Europe at PUMA
Niall Young O'Brien, CRM Manager at Represent
Brad Ledson, Email Marketing & CRM Manager
