The #1 Revenue Leak in Emerging Consumer Product Brand’s Shopify Stores

Why Email Capture Matters

The reality is that most people will not buy your product the first time they see it. If you don’t capture their contact information, the only way to bring them back is through paid ads again and again. That means you are paying for the same visitor two, three, even four times before they convert.

Email capture breaks that cycle. Once you have a visitor’s email, you can bring them back to buy without spending another dollar on acquisition. More sales at no additional cost.

For a healthy CPG business, email should account for around 30% of total revenue, which is a strong and sustainable baseline for most consumer brands.

The Timing Sweet Spot

A common mistake founders make is showing the pop up too early. If a visitor has not even seen your brand position yet, they will immediately dismiss it.

  • Main pop up: Trigger at 7 to 10 seconds into the visit.

  • Exit intent: Add a backup pop up for people about to bounce. Note, this only works on desktop and most of your traffic will be mobile traffic.

  • Cart abandon: Always run a cart abandonment capture before checkout.

  • Reopen tab: After the pop up is closed, keep a small tab or button pinned to the side of the page. If a visitor changes their mind after browsing your site, they can easily reopen the offer without waiting for it to trigger again.

This combination maximizes opt-ins without killing the shopping experience.

What Offers Convert Best

Not all offers are equal. Discounts convert the worst for CPG brands.

Here is what works best:

  • Free Item:
    “Buy X, get a free Y” consistently outperforms everything else. It makes customers feel like they are winning, not just saving. Lead with a free item that is low COGS and lightweight to keep shipping costs down. Small sizes, travel packs, or accessories work best. If you don’t already have such an item, it’s often worth sourcing a low-cost item just for this purpose because the lift in conversions more than offsets the expense.

  • Free Shipping:
    If you don’t want to offer an item for free, free shipping still beats percentage discounts almost every time. The psychology of “free” is a strong draw.

  • Dollars Off:
    If discounting is all that makes sense for your brand, a flat dollar amount (“Save $7”) is stronger than a percentage (“Save 10%”).

Rule: Lead with tangible value. Free feels bigger than cheap.

And whatever you do, avoid the dreaded “10% off” offer. It is the most overused discount in ecommerce, and customers are practically blind to it at this point.

Creative positioning tip: If you cannot afford to give away a free item outright, frame it as free in the customer’s mind. For example, if you sell 12-packs of gum, set your email capture headline as “Claim your first pack of gum FREE.” Then use a promo code for 8% off a 12-pack (1/12 = 8%). The customer feels like they are getting something free, but your margin stays protected.

Design & Copy That Works

The pop up has one job, to be such a compelling offer that a potential customer who knows almost nothing else about your brand is willing to give you their email address.

Here is how to do it right:

  • Keep it short. One headline, one sentence, one CTA.

  • Lead with benefits, not features. Do not just describe what the offer is. Show what it does for the customer.

  • Make the button benefit-driven. Example: “Unlock My Free Item” or “Claim Free Shipping.”

  • Stay on brand. Use your fonts, colors, and tone. A generic template erodes a potential customer’s trust.

  • Highlight free clearly. If you are using a low COGS or creatively framed free offer, make sure the word free is front and center in the copy.

  • Check on mobile. As of 2025, 79% of Shopify traffic comes from mobile. Most founders design their pop ups on desktop, but your customers will not view it that way. Always preview and test on mobile after you publish the email capture to your live site.

Copy that converts well:

“Get a free travel-size lotion!”

“Have $5 on us toward your first order.”

“Claim your first pack of gum FREE.”

Copy that consistently performs poorly:

“Sign up for our newsletter.” (functionality, no reason why)

“Enter your email for 10% off.” (weak discount, sounds generic, difficult to mentally quantify)

Shopify tip: There are dozens of pop up options in the Shopify App Store. The most popular and robust option for email and pop ups is Klaviyo, while Trustoo offers a great free option.

Additional Options to Consider

  • Spin-to-win wheels: Only use if your brand voice can support a playful experience.

  • Two-step pop ups: Ask a simple question first (“Want a free item today?”), then reveal the form. These can lift conversions by 20 to 30%.

  • Dynamic offers: Show a “free item” to new visitors and “free shipping” to returning customers.

  • Bundle free item offers: Pair a low COGS freebie with a larger purchase to keep margins intact while still delivering perceived value.

  • If you want SMS: Make it a second step after email so you lock in the address even if they close the form.

What to Avoid

  • Asking for too much info upfront (name, birthday, zip). It is tempting to collect as much as you can early, but the added friction will only reduce opt-ins. Keep it simple. You can capture the rest of their details later at checkout.

  • Showing pop ups instantly. Give visitors at least 5 seconds, but no more than 10, before triggering the first pop up.

  • Training customers to expect percentage discounts.

  • Giving away heavy or high-cost free items that eat into margin. Always pick low COGS, lightweight options when possible.

Action Checklist

  1. Install a timed pop up (7 to 10 sec).

  2. Lead with a low COGS, lightweight free item offer if possible.

  3. If you cannot give away a product, creatively frame an offer as free.

  4. Use free shipping or dollars off as secondary options.

  5. Preview and test on mobile before you go live.

  6. Keep copy to the point and benefit driven.

  7. Add a reopen tab so visitors can return to the offer after closing it.

  8. Test, measure, refine. If your email capture rate is not at least double your Shopify store’s conversion rate (of sales), then test a new offer.

Why This is Worth Your Time

Think of email as your second chance machine. Most visitors will not buy the first time, but with the right capture system, you get unlimited free shots to win them over. Lead with offers that feel free to the customer while protecting your margin. Put these systems in place once, and you will improve the trajectory of your sales forever.

Ready to Turn Emails into Sales?

Successfully capturing emails is the first step. Once that process is working, the next step is to create automated email flows and campaigns that drive $0 CAC sales.

Learn how we can help