10 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Using Coupon Popups

Have you ever encountered a small window appearing on a website offering a discount code just as you were about to leave? Those are coupon popups, a marketing tool designed to capture the attention of potential customers and incentivize them to complete a purchase.

Coupon popups, when implemented effectively, can offer significant benefits for businesses:

While popups hold immense potential, their effectiveness hinges on proper execution. Common mistakes can backfire, leading to frustration for visitors and hindering your marketing goals. To maximize the benefits of coupon popups, it's crucial to understand and avoid these pitfalls.

This guide will delve into 10 common mistakes to steer clear of when using coupon popups, ensuring you leverage their power to achieve optimal results.

10 Common Mistakes To Avoid When Using Coupon Popups

1- Poor Timing 

Coupon popups can be a powerful tool for boosting conversions, but their effectiveness hinges on timing. Poorly timed popups can annoy visitors and ultimately drive them away even if you use the best WordPress coupon plugins to design it.

Bombarding visitors with a discount offer as soon as they land on your website feels intrusive and disrupts their browsing experience. They haven't had a chance to engage with your content or understand your brand, making the offer irrelevant at that moment.

Also, showing a discount code when someone is already browsing product pages or adding items to their cart feels redundant. They're already interested in purchasing, so a generic discount might not incentivize them further.

The impact of this is that visitors might leave your website feeling frustrated by the interruption, especially if they're not actively seeking a discount. Furthermore, aggressive or poorly timed popups can create a negative first impression and damage your brand image. Instead of encouraging purchases, poorly timed popups can push potential customers away, hindering your conversion goals.

Coupon X popup showing triggers and targeting rules for coupon popup creation

Instead of disrupting your visitors with wrongly-timed coupon popups. Utilise targeting and triggers that show the popup when a visitor shows signs of leaving the website, indicating they might be abandoning their purchase. 

2- Irrelevant Offers

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is displaying irrelevant offers to visitors. This not only fails to entice them but also creates a negative user experience.

The complete lack of personalization can be irritating and frankly unpleasant. Imagine a visitor browsing your website for athletic wear and suddenly encountering a popup for a discount on baby food. This complete disconnect between the visitor's intent and the offer instantly creates a sense of irrelevance.

Also, the common mistake of neglecting to target popups based on user behavior, demographics, or browsing history can cost you valuable opportunities to present your customers with relevant and timely offers. This not only reduces the perceived value of the coupon but also diminishes the overall effectiveness of your popup campaign.

So, how can you avoid the pitfall of irrelevant offers?

Utilize user data, browsing behavior, and purchase history to personalize popups and display offers relevant to each visitor's interests. Use what you know about your users to create different popups for different customer segments based on demographics, purchase history, or website behavior.

Also, offer timely discounts that consider the stage of the buyer's journey and present relevant coupons for first-time visitors, abandoned carts, or returning customers.

3- Unclear Value Proposition

The effectiveness of your coupon popup also hinges on a clear and compelling value proposition. Unfortunately, many businesses fall into the trap of unclear value propositions, leading to frustrated customers.

When the value proposition of a coupon is unclear, it leaves the customer confused about what they're getting and how it benefits them. This can lead to frustration and ultimately, them abandoning the purchase.

Simply stating โ€œGet 10% off!" on an offer doesn't tell the customer what the discount applies to or how much they'll save in real terms.

Before creating an offer or discount, ask yourself, what value does this coupon offer bring to a potential customer? Is it enticing enough for them to consider? Does it address their interests, needs, or aspirations? 

Make sure to clearly state the discount percentage, amount, or specific products the coupon applies to. Show the customer exactly how much they'll save in real terms. If the offer is time-limited, use a countdown timer to mention the deadline clearly without being overly pushy.

4- Poor Design and Usability

Design is an important factor to consider when creating popups that attract visitors. Large, flashy popups that obscure the entire page are not only annoying but can also hinder user experience. 

Popups that appear immediately upon page load can feel intrusive and disrupt the browsing flow. Small, hard-to-find close buttons force users to hunt for an escape route, further aggravating them.

Make sure to include small but important details like an accessible close button in your popup. This not only increases the usability of popups but lets your users know that you care deeply about their needs. 

Also, remember to optimize for mobile devices. Ensure the popup resizes and functions flawlessly on all screen sizes. Test its loading times and code to minimize loading delays.

5 - Mobile Unfriendliness

Neglecting the user experience on smartphones and tablets is a major misstep for any marketing strategy, and coupon popups are no exception. 

Sample of a coupon popup showing hidden offer

Popups designed for desktops often appear oversized and clunky on mobile devices, obscuring content and hindering navigation. Buttons and text might be too small or close together, making it challenging for users to tap accurately, especially on smaller screens. This can lead to accidental clicks or missed opportunities to claim the offer.

Popups with heavy visuals or complex animations can take longer to load on mobile devices, further impacting the user experience and potentially causing users to leave before the popup even appears.

To create mobile-friendly popups, ensure your popups are responsive and adjust automatically to different screen sizes and devices. Opt for a minimalist design with clear calls to action and easy-to-tap buttons.

6 - Overuse and Frequency

Constant popups that disrupt the browsing experience can feel intrusive, pushing users away from your website. Too many popups can feel overwhelming on any day and if popups appear too often, users become accustomed to ignoring them, rendering them ineffective. This can be likened to throwing caution to the wind and hoping for spectacular results. 

How do you avoid overuse when creating offers with coupon popups?

7- Ignoring User Privacy

Striking a balance between user experience and conversion optimization is crucial for any business that cares about its customers. While coupon popups can be effective tools for boosting sales, neglecting user privacy can backfire spectacularly and lead to legal action in extreme cases. 

Popups that demand excessive personal information (beyond email addresses) for seemingly simple coupon access create a sense of intrusion and distrust. Users fear their information being sold to third parties or used for unsolicited marketing, failing to transparently explain how collected data will be used and protected fosters suspicion and discourages engagement.

Coupon popup showing lightbox popup design

When dealing with user information, it is important to respect user privacy at all costs. Only request essential information necessary for the coupon offer, like email addresses for subscription purposes. Offer a chance for users to access, update, and delete their information. Allow users to choose whether they want to receive future promotions.

8- Weak Call to Action (CTA)

A strong call to action (CTA) is the heart of any marketing campaign, and coupon popups are no exception. A weak CTA can leave visitors confused, unmotivated, and ultimately clicking away without claiming your offer.

Generic CTAs donโ€™t cut it anymore. Phrases like "Submit," "Learn More," or "Click Here" lack urgency and don't communicate the benefit of claiming the coupon. The CTA doesn't emphasize the specific discount or saving, failing to entice visitors to take action.

The result of this? Visitors won't be compelled to claim the offer if the CTA fails to motivate them.

When creating CTAs for your coupon offers, be sure to focus on benefits. Highlight the specific value proposition of the coupon, such as "Save 20% Now" or "Get Free Shipping." Use Strong Verbs or opt for action-oriented words like "Claim," "Shop Now," or "Get Your Discount."

A compelling CTA will really drive home your offer and can pay off by driving engagement, boosting conversions, and ultimately increasing your sales.

9- Lack of Testing and Optimization

Neglecting to test and optimize your coupon offers can significantly undermine their effectiveness.

Popups that appear too early or too late in the browsing journey can be disruptive and drive users away. Testing helps determine the optimal timing for displaying the popup, ensuring it catches users at the right moment when they're most receptive to the offer.

If the popup doesn't reach the right audience, it becomes irrelevant. Testing allows you to refine your targeting parameters, such as user behavior, demographics, or purchase history, to ensure the offer reaches individuals most likely to be interested.

When you consistently test and optimize your coupon popups, you can increase conversion rates, and improve user experience. Well-designed and targeted popups provide value to users, fostering a positive brand perception.

10 - Neglecting Exit-Intent Popups

While it's important to avoid bombarding users with popups, neglecting exit-intent technology entirely can leave valuable conversions on the table. 

Exit-intent popups appear when a user's cursor moves toward the browser window's edge, indicating they might be leaving the site. This presents a final opportunity to capture their attention and potentially convert them with a targeted offer.

Utilize an online coupon builder like Coupon X that triggers popups based on user behavior, specifically when their cursor moves towards closing the window. Personalize the exit-intent popup based on user behavior and browsing history. 

Wrapping Up

Remember, a simple decision to avoid the common mistakes outlined above can ensure your coupon popups are user-friendly, effective, and don't drive customers away. The key is to strike a balance between offering valuable incentives and providing a positive user experience.

If you're ready to start designing your coupon popups on your WordPress website, why not take Coupon X for a spin? Get started here

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