The Perfect Exit-Intent Lightbox (video)

Showing an exit-intent lightbox to visitors about to leave your site gives you one last shot to keep them engaged. We have a few tips for setting up an effective exit-intent lightbox.

Start with a Strong Offer

They’re already on their way out the door; make sure you give them a reason to stay. Free shipping offers, percentage-based discounts, and one-time-use coupon codes work great.

Make Your Lightbox Stand Out

Your visitors will see this lightbox when they move to leave your site, so it’s important to make sure you catch their eye. We recommend a light lightbox on a dark background. This helps draw the visitor’s eye to the lightbox.

Keep It Simple

The lightbox should only include one button, and that button should have a call-to-action, like “Get Free Shipping Now” or “Save 10% Now.”

The Thank You Page

After they enter their email, thank them and remind them to check their email for their incentive. Your Thank You page might say something like “Thank You! Your free shipping coupon is waiting in your inbox!”

NOTE: While you can show the coupon code on the Thank You page, it’s a good idea to send it in an email. That way, you can be sure visitors enter a valid email address.

Use The Right Targeting Rules

Make sure you show this lightbox at the right time. The screenshot above shows our recommended set of rules for an exit-intent lightbox.

  • The exit-intent rule is set to show the lightbox whenever the visitor moves their mouse out of the window in any direction.
  • The device type rule ensures this will only show to visitors browsing from a desktop computer.
  • The max displays per session rule ensures visitors only see the lightbox once per session. This prevents them from seeing multiple lightboxes if they browse your site in multiple windows.
  • The current page URL rule can be set to anything you like, but there are a few cases where an exit-intent lightbox can be particularly effective. For example, eCommerce sites benefit from exit-intent lightboxes placed on the checkout page; this helps curb cart abandonment. Publishers can benefit from showing exit-intent lightboxes on articles that get a lot of one-time visitors.
  • The pages navigated URLs rule can also contain anything you like, but we strongly recommend excluding your “thank you” page. If the visitor has already checked out, there’s no need to show them the lightbox.

These rules will work for a lot of different scenarios, but we know everyone’s needs are different. If you want help getting the most out of your exit-intent lightbox, send us an email, and we’ll be glad to help!

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