How to Set Up an Email Capture Pop-up in Shopify (Free, No Apps Required)

Most Shopify store owners spend the bulk of their time and money driving traffic. But most visitors aren't ready to buy the first time they land. If you don't capture their email before they leave, they're gone for good.

A pop-up changes that. It's a second chance to stay connected, and with Shopify Forms (a free, native app), you can have one running in under an hour.

Here's how.

Step 1: Decide on your offer

Before you touch the app, figure out what you're offering in exchange for the email. You need something worth signing up for.

Common options: - 10% off their first order (easiest place to start) - Free gift with purchase - Early access to restocks or limited drops - A downloadable: e-book, lookbook, how-to video

If you're not sure where to start, go with 10% off. It works, it's simple, and you can always change it later.

Create the discount code in Shopify first (Discounts > Create discount). Name it something clean like WELCOME10. Set it to one use per customer so it can't be reused infinitely.

Step 2: Install Shopify Forms

Go to the Shopify App Store and search for "Shopify Forms." It's a free, first-party app made by Shopify. Install it.

Once it's installed, create a new form and choose "Pop-up form."

Step 3: Configure the form

A few things matter here:

Headline: Phrase it as a question or lead with an action verb. "Want 10% off your first order?" works better than "Sign up for our newsletter." "Want," "get," "grab," and "unlock" pull people in faster than passive phrasing.

Fields: First name and email only. Every extra field you add is another reason for someone to bail. Keep it simple.

Email marketing consent: Choose "On-form submission" (single opt-in). This maximizes sign-ups. Double opt-in (where they have to confirm via email) gives you a cleaner list but adds friction. Start with single opt-in, and switch later if your list fills with bots.

Button text: Make it results-focused. "Get Code Now" beats "Submit" every time. Tell them what they're getting, not what they're doing.

Success message: Show the discount code clearly so they can copy it immediately.

Timing: Set the delay to 5 seconds. Zero seconds (the default) means it fires before someone has even read your headline. Give them a moment to understand where they are before the pop-up appears.

Teaser: This is the small persistent tab that appears in the corner if someone closes the pop-up. Leave it on. It lets people reopen the form later if they change their mind. Just make sure the teaser text matches your current offer. If you update the offer, update the teaser too.

Image: Use something that makes the customer want what you're offering, not your logo. A results-based photo, a product in use, something aspirational. If you don't have a strong image, no image is better than a bad one.

Step 4: Activate the app embed (the step people miss)

This is where most setups break. After creating the form, it shows as "Inactive" because there's a second step.

Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize. In the theme editor, navigate to Theme Settings > App Embeds. Toggle on "Shopify Forms" and save.

Then go back to the Forms app and set the form to "Active."

Now it's live.

Step 5: Check your numbers

Inside the Shopify Forms dashboard, you'll see total views, total submissions, and a completion rate.

A good pop-up converts between 3% and 5% of visitors. If you're consistently under 3% month after month, something's off. Usually it's the offer. Try a more compelling incentive or a stronger image before assuming the pop-up itself is the problem.

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Once you have email capture running, the next move is setting up a welcome email series so new subscribers hear from you automatically. That's a separate setup, but this is the foundation everything else builds on.

If you want help getting this set up or want someone to walk through it with you, Sara Bryant offers direct Shopify coaching. Book a session here.