Email popup examples from 7 ecommerce industries that show personality

Your brand is not a robot. 

So why make your email popups sound like you are one?

There’s nothing wrong with the standard “Join the club” or “Sign up for 20% off” messaging to acquire new email subscribers. It’s just so … standard.

We say break the mold and go for unique to build your audience.

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Why you should add personality to your email popup

For sure, email popups that hinge on straightforward wording with little outside-the-box verbiage do the job a lot of times.

We preach being concise and direct, after all. But an email popup is a chance to stand out. 

Grab the opportunity to showcase what you are or highlight your unique selling propositions (USPs), especially if your website is likewise injected with a touch of personality. It’s a fantastic way to feed your email marketing program. 

There’s a science behind this. When you project a unique social identity, you’re ramping your ability to connect with customers’ emotions. Consider that a customer’s value is 13% higher when they perceive brand differentiation, in  comparison to customers who are highly satisfied but don’t detect any disparities. 

Email popups are a great way to start building that emotion. This is great news for you smaller Shopify stores in particular. You’ve got something super special that the big-box stores don’t have. 
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If you’re new to email popups, we developed a quick-start beginner’s guide to help you on your way.

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Brands that are crushing the email popup

Let’s take a look at brands that insert a distinct voice into their email popups, from those that keep it simpler by playing on industry/niche standards or language, to others that broadcast their personality loud and proud. 
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Clothing

There are so many directions that apparel brands can take. And honestly, like so much about marketing, it hinges on the target audience.  

Visit Chanelia’s “About us” page, scroll to the bottom, and you’ll see that they classify themselves as “Chic by nature.” They are “all about making fashion easy and fun, so you can focus on living your best life.”

They carry over a breezy copy style to their email popup, particularly in the long-term value language that previews what the subscriber can expect to receive down the road.  

Next up is Asphalte. They’ve got a unique email popup to match their unique business model. Feedback literally drives their products. Input fuels what clothing gets manufactured and made available for pre-order. 

So it’s great that their email popup (a full-screen one) spells it all out. It’s not a “hey, sign up to get our news.” It’s a “hey, we want you to sign up because our business really depends on you.”  They’re reinforcing the key role that consumers play. Pretty good value proposition if you ask me. 

Finally, this is an interesting email popup from Rowing Blazers. But what's remarkable about this exit-intent popup isn’t necessarily obvious. 

On the surface, this appears to be a photo from — I’ll say — the mid-1990s, judging by the fashion. This makes sense, as that era has been having a nostalgic moment over the last year or so. 

As we dig a little deeper, we learn that Rowing Blazers’ clothes are inspired by “old-school British and American sportswear.” OK. 

But read their website further: “It’s a world with its own problematic, elitist past. While some might gloss over, lean into, or even reinforce these tropes with their imagery and campaigns, we take a more ironic, slightly subversive approach — and strive to foster an inclusive culture that celebrates the diverse voices of our customers and community, our team and our partners.”

With this one image, they’re illuminating their mission. 
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Children’s apparel and toys

If your products are for kids, then it seems obvious to infuse some playfulness into your email popup. 

Children’s boutique Maisonette accomplishes this with imagery of a child searching for adventure, set against a backdrop of bright colors. There’s also a subtle hint in the text copy, as “email buddies” has a childlike ring to it. 

I love how the copy for Nugget — a play couch for kids — transports my adult’s mind back to childhood. Pen pals and pinky promises. That’s nostalgia right there. 

The image is cute, too. The shape of this little mailman mascot ties into the brand’s logo (notice the triangles replacing circles in the letter “g.”). And what about those paper airplanes? Everything fits so well together.

Home and garden

A lot of times it just takes one word, as we’ve seen in some of these examples, to lean into your niche. I like a good play on words, and The Sill does it perfectly. Dirt and plants go hand in hand. If you check out their website, you’ll also notice their affinity for plant puns is sprinkled throughout. 

The imagery is nice as well. Clean and pure, it supports the idea that plants do, indeed, make us happier and healthier humans — as the brand so claims. 
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Don’t want to offer a Shopify discount to snag email subscribers? We have alternative ideas for what to include in your email popup.

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Sports apparel and goods

There are so many email popup opportunities for shops that sell sporting apparel, equipment, collectibles and anything else related. Just think of how many sports references and terms have infiltrated our culture. You can really hit a home run with an email popup if you work it the right way. 

(See what I did there?) 

Here’s a fantastic one from Homage. Though some apparel features music and pop culture, a large portion of its inventory highlights old-school “eclectic moments and personalities” in sports. 

There’s so much that’s great about this email popup. The opening language. The focus-driven coach who doesn’t want to take “no” for an answer. 

Let’s check out another one. Bike-maker Madsen uses a very relevant gif to make its multi-part email popup shine. 

The customized messaging rolls right along (I can’t help but ride the pun train) with two more steps once you click on “Let’s Go.”

Sustainability-focused brands

As I’ve scoured different websites and come across brands that exist to help the planet through their products, I’m detecting a similar thread running through some of their email popups. 

The strategy is about reinforcing the brand’s commitment to sustainability, while encouraging visitors to join them in the quest. It can be a message laced with empowerment and a bit of “do your part” convincing. 

This type of approach works best for brands that are selling eco-conscious products, not merely implementing the random earth-friendly practice. (If they’re truly producing things in a sustainable way across the board, then that’s a different story.) 

Here’s an example from Goodfair, the shop that offers thrifted clothing, accessories and home goods. They emphasize what they stand for in just one sentence ("we want to kill fast fashion before we kill the earth").

The Package Free Shop goes a bit further to pull at the heart strings. The opening language makes it clear that the website visitor can be part of the solution. 

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Looking to highlight how your brand is helping the environment? Check ideas appropriate for Earth Day emails or any other time of the year.

Beauty and wellness

Now here’s a category that lends itself to beautiful images — whether it’s the products themselves, one being used, or the results. 

And there’s a lot you can do with customizing email popup copy as well. What do you think of when conjuring up a skincare product, or nail polish?

Self-care. Better health. Feeling good about yourself. Pampering. That’s just scraping the surface. 

Then I Met You has got this aesthetic down, taking on the “treat yourself” angle. They pair it with a lovely product photo. I like that the lid is off — it makes me think of how it would feel to dip my fingers into it for the first time. 

No rules say you must follow this approach. Concrete Minerals certainly doesn’t. Its email popup is different from the vibe that typically permeates the cosmetics space.  

I’d say it aligns with their tagline of “All sass, no trash.” The email popup is bold — from the text to seeing how the makeup looks on someone — just like the brand. 
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If you’ve got an email popup, you need an email automation to welcome new subscribers. Here are tips and examples for how best to greet them.

Food and drink 

Oh, the possibilities for shops selling the things we eat and drink. The tantalizing images that make your mouth water. The food word play. Headlines and calls to action of “Hungry for more?”  

I’ve done some searching and, unfortunately, I haven’t come across an example that matches my mind’s creation. 

But I did locate a worthy example — a coffee brand that strays from the typical path. Death Wish Coffee Co. exploits its “alternative point of view.” 

And why not? When the word “death” is part of your brand’s name, you’ve got to run with it. Reaper fits the bill.   
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Make your email popup amplify your brand

Customizing your email popup is well worth the effort when you want to grow your subscriber list. I urge you to go beyond the generic.   

Remember, you don’t need to go crazy. We’ve seen that swapping out a single word can make all the difference in adding an extra oomph. I hope you’ve also seen how imagery can provide a boost. 

Think about your audience. Borrow aesthetics and concepts from your niche. Draw upon your store’s personality, and your email popup will become an extension of your brand that better connects  with people’s emotions.