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Exit Pop-Ups... Just a Thought

by Vogin
20 replies
Hey Warriors,
here's a piece of an article I wrote recently (entitled 3 Worst Advertising Mistakes):


START

Mistake No.3 - Exit Pop-Ups


Ok, this one is probably the most controversial from the whole article, but consider this.


You get a visitor to a sales page, you present everything your product has to offer and you put a price on it. He either decides to buy it or he leaves your page.


Giving him a discount using a exit pop-up window is nothing but a dirt cheat on those people who bought your product for the originial price.


I mean, imagine you just paid $57 for something you could get for $27… not a great feeling, is it?

END


Opinions? I know it's supposed to increase sales, but I simply consider it an unfair technique and I would never do anything unfair in my business...
#exit #popups #thought
  • Profile picture of the author JDArchitecture
    I agree.

    Exit pop-ups suck no matter how they're used, but what you're talking about is the worst.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mohammad Afaq
      Consider this:

      You go to Office Max and buy a comfortable office chair for yourself.

      You walk out and pay $150 for the chair and you are satisfied with your purchase.

      You come back home and sit down to read the newspaper and the first thing you see is an Office Max coupon that says 25% off on the purchase of any office chair.

      Are they ripping you off by not telling you at the register about the coupon?

      I don't think so.

      EDIT: I know we can all argue about how "dishonest" the seller using OTOs and pop ups are but it really helps if you think twice.

      EDIT: I do agree that the pop ups can be annoying but that doesn't mean you can label them as "Worst Marketing Mistakes".

      Believe it or not, they do put more money in the seller's pockets.
      Signature

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      • Profile picture of the author mr2monster
        Originally Posted by Mohammad Afaq View Post

        Consider this:

        You go to Office Max and buy a comfortable office chair for yourself.

        You walk out and pay $150 for the chair and you are satisfied with your purchase.

        You come back home and sit down to read the newspaper and the first thing you see is an Office Max coupon that says 25% off on the purchase of any office chair.

        Are they ripping you off by not telling you at the register about the coupon?

        I don't think so.

        EDIT: I know we can all argue about how "dishonest" the seller using OTOs and pop ups are but it really helps if you think twice.

        EDIT: I do agree that the pop ups can be annoying but that doesn't mean you can label them as "Worst Marketing Mistakes".

        Believe it or not, they do put more money in the seller's pockets.

        I agree with what you're saying, but take into account that:

        Most retail establishment will refund the difference if you bring in the coupon and your receipt.

        Most retail establishments will even refund the difference if the item you bought goes on sale within 30 days, if you bring in your receipt.


        The question is, would most IMers do the same?
        Signature
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        • Profile picture of the author Mohammad Afaq
          Originally Posted by mr2monster View Post

          I agree with what you're saying, but take into account that:

          Most retail establishment will refund the difference if you bring in the coupon and your receipt.

          Most retail establishments will even refund the difference if the item you bought goes on sale within 30 days, if you bring in your receipt.


          The question is, would most IMers do the same?
          Yes.

          If you buy via clickbank, all it takes is one email to get a refund and you have 60 days to request one. This applies to any product sold on clickbank regardless of what is said on the salespage.

          If you buy using paypal, you can contact the seller for a refund and tell him that you paid more than the price. If he doesn't pay attention or refuses to give you a discount, start a dispute and you will get your money back.

          EDIT: And by the way, the longest time it took me to issue a refund is 20 hours. So yes I do issue refunds and more IMers do the same. I also issue refunds for products that didn't have a money back guarantee on the sales page (just like many others).

          Now if you want to argue that most people don't know about refund policies or don't want to go through all the pain then I think the same goes for retail stores. If you hadn't seen the coupon in the first place, you will be happy with your purchase and won't give a crap about getting a refund.
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          “The first draft of anything is shit.” ~Ernest Hemingway

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  • Profile picture of the author Stephen Bray
    Exit pop-ups were invented by the porn industry.

    Somehow you navigated your way to sweet Lula Belle's
    page, (I just made that up). Naturally being a good
    law abiding Christian you close it down immediately
    only to be faced with Bare Faced Betty, Claudia Eye
    Candy, or Patricia Perversion.

    Your wife comes in looking for her book on Ecclesiastical
    needlework and try as you might you can't close your
    browser without more bare wotsits and bits appearing
    in windows everywhere.

    Exit Splash and Virtual Smart Agent needn't be used in
    this way.

    Instead you can simply offer your visitor something
    different     that is either free, or cheaper.

    A free report, no opt-in required, can lead to
    an invitation to join your affiliate program, and
    then promote your free report as a lead in to
    your paid product.

    Rather than harangue the use of Exit Pops
    in general why not discuss the ways they may
    be used to your visitor's advantage?

    Stephen
    Signature
    Send me a DM, or visit my support desk to contact me: http://support.stephenbray.com
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    • Profile picture of the author JDArchitecture
      Originally Posted by Stephen Bray View Post

      Rather than harangue the use of Exit Pops in general why not discuss the ways they may
      be used to your visitor's advantage?
      I see no possible advantage in harrassment and I consider exit popups harrassing.
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      • Profile picture of the author Stephen Bray
        Originally Posted by JDArchitecture View Post

        I see no possible advantage in harrassment and I consider exit popups harrassing.
        Ah JD sorry about that, but you know
        a single vote isn't considered to be
        a sample in marketing research.

        I've actually been pleased to receive
        stuff, and get accepted into some
        affiliate programs as a result of exit
        pop ups.

        Oh, dear, have I just cancelled your
        vote out.

        Let's find some something to agree on
        soon and make amends.

        Stephen
        Signature
        Send me a DM, or visit my support desk to contact me: http://support.stephenbray.com
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        • Profile picture of the author JDArchitecture
          WTF?................
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          • Profile picture of the author Vogin
            Originally Posted by Mohammad Afaq View Post

            Consider this:

            You go to Office Max and buy a comfortable office chair for yourself.

            You walk out and pay $150 for the chair and you are satisfied with your purchase.

            You come back home and sit down to read the newspaper and the first thing you see is an Office Max coupon that says 25% off on the purchase of any office chair.

            Are they ripping you off by not telling you at the register about the coupon?

            I don't think so.

            EDIT: I know we can all argue about how "dishonest" the seller using OTOs and pop ups are but it really helps if you think twice.

            EDIT: I do agree that the pop ups can be annoying but that doesn't mean you can label them as "Worst Marketing Mistakes".

            Believe it or not, they do put more money in the seller's pockets.
            Ok, but even if you can do a refund and then buy for the discounted price, it doesn't cover the fact that the discounted price could be there in the first place.

            It takes time and time is the most valuable thing we have.


            Originally Posted by Stephen Bray View Post



            Instead you can simply offer your visitor something
            different             that is either free, or cheaper.

            A free report, no opt-in required, can lead to
            an invitation to join your affiliate program, and
            then promote your free report as a lead in to
            your paid product.

            Rather than harangue the use of Exit Pops
            in general why not discuss the ways they may
            be used to your visitor's advantage?

            Stephen
            True, but why not having an entire different page for that? I know, it's twice the work to drive traffic to two different pages, but wouldn't it be more suitable?

            I do have to agree though that exit pop-up saying something like "Hey, thanks for your time, here is a no opt-in giveaway" shouldn't damage your reputation.

            Originally Posted by KrisMainieri View Post

            Who says you cant add value in an exit splash?

            It's up to you what you do with the exit pop that makes you spammy or not.
            Probably yes, I should better express myself - I've never seen any exit pop-up that would impress me or add any value, that doesn't mean there is none out there...



            So, to make things perfectly clear - I'm bashing exit-popups with discounts for the same product.
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      • Profile picture of the author Viewcaster
        Originally Posted by JDArchitecture View Post

        I see no possible advantage in harrassment and I consider exit popups harrassing.
        I agree with this... its not even really a debate about the value of the content, its more a browsing experience, or browsing etiquette. Simply annoying and disruptive.
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  • Profile picture of the author KrisMainieri
    Originally Posted by Vogin View Post

    Hey Warriors,
    here's a piece of an article I wrote recently (entitled 3 Worst Advertising Mistakes):


    START

    Mistake No.3 - Exit Pop-Ups


    Ok, this one is probably the most controversial from the whole article, but consider this.


    You get a visitor to a sales page, you present everything your product has to offer and you put a price on it. He either decides to buy it or he leaves your page.


    Giving him a discount using a exit pop-up window is nothing but a dirt cheat on those people who bought your product for the originial price.


    I mean, imagine you just paid $57 for something you could get for $27... not a great feeling, is it?

    END


    Opinions? I know it's supposed to increase sales, but I simply consider it an unfair technique and I would never do anything unfair in my business...
    Who says you cant add value in an exit splash?

    It's up to you what you do with the exit pop that makes you spammy or not.

    If someone comes to my site and leave, you better believe i'll have an exit pop offering them a chance to optin to my list for something free and VALUABLE.

    80% Of people on your site dont even read the whole page.

    The numbers never lie. Please create arguments based on results. Reality is most of the time you're losing valuable subscribers (buyers too) by not having an exit splash.

    Use it the RIGHT way and it's deff an asset. Using it incorrectly will lower the perceived value of your product (exit splash discounts).

    Just my experience,
    KM
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    How To Convert More Traffic Into Sales
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Hancox
    What's stupid is allowing that exit pop-up to appear for CUSTOMERS.

    A simple piece of technology (the "cookie") would eliminate that.

    Set a cookie when the visitor becomes a customer. Then prevent the exit pop from displaying IF the visitor is a customer.

    I'm not a big fan of exit pops lowering prices myself... but if you're gonna do it, do it smartly
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    PresellContent.com - How to sell without "selling"
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    • Profile picture of the author Mohammad Afaq
      Ok, but even if you can do a refund and then buy for the discounted price, it doesn't cover the fact that the discounted price could be there in the first place.
      What if you find out about the coupon and go to the store but you find out it has already been expired?????

      You won't get any discount then. That's a ripoff, right? Wrong!

      It takes time and time is the most valuable thing we have.
      Exactly, and if time is the most important thing you have then why bother banging your head against the wall for 20 fricking bucks. I mean, people lose millions of dollars in business so why can't I just forget about these 20 bucks and consider them a loss?
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    • Profile picture of the author Anonymous Affiliate
      Originally Posted by Paul Hancox View Post

      What's stupid is allowing that exit pop-up to appear for CUSTOMERS.

      A simple piece of technology (the "cookie") would eliminate that.
      Thanks God someone applies some common sense into their exit pop ups. If used smartly, they're a nice asset to your business.
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  • Profile picture of the author Marketing Ignite
    If you use a exit survey I would rather test one out for about a month or until you have enough data to draw conclusions from. Saying something please help us improve on our products by letting us know why you did not purchase today...something along those lines...
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    Digital Marketing Consultant since 1998. Contact me for a free consultation.
    https://www.marketingignite.com

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  • Profile picture of the author Mohammad Afaq
    It's basically all about ethics.

    You will always find people doing something you consider wrong.

    EDIT: In my opinion, it's all about testing.

    If my target market likes it and I make more money that way then why would I listen to anyone on the forum. Fine you don't like it but you guys are not the ones I am trying to target so like it or not, I won't take your opinion into consideration.

    Simply put, it all comes down to testing (and ethics).
    Signature

    “The first draft of anything is shit.” ~Ernest Hemingway

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    • Profile picture of the author Vogin
      Originally Posted by Mohammad Afaq View Post


      Simply put, it all comes down to testing (and ethics).

      We can agree on this Ethics is something so difficult and defined by current era that it would take hours and hours of discussion to figure it out.

      There are losses in business, yes. My point here lies not in 20 freaking bucks, but in the artificial creation of that loss.

      Anyway, I'm not stating that my opinion has to be 100% right, it's just an opinion.


      Thanks for your input guys.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rick Olsen
    I've given some thought to adding an exit pop-up to my service based business. It would offer a discount for a first time order.

    I'd want this pop-up to appear only to people who hadn't ordered my service before. Is this possible?

    Is this an effective marketing technique, or does it just annoy people? I don't want to annoy potential clients.

    Thanks for your thoughts.
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