December visitors come once, compare, and leave to think. If you capture their email, you can remind them before your shipping deadline. A polite popup with a useful Christmas offer does this better than a generic “Subscribe to our newsletter”.
Offers that work at Christmas
- The gift guide: “Get our gift guide by budget, delivered to your inbox.”
- The deadline reminder: “We will email you 48 hours before the last delivery date.”
- Early access: “Be first to see our Christmas sets.”
- A small welcome discount on the first order, if your margins allow it. See do welcome discounts work?
Timing
- Not on arrival: let people see your products first.
- After 20 to 30 seconds, or 50% scroll, or on exit intent on desktop.
- Never on the cart or checkout.
- Once per visitor, not on every page.
On mobile
Google penalises intrusive popups that cover content on mobile. Use a small bar or a bottom sheet that is easy to close, with a large close button.
Write it simply
A clear title, one sentence, one field, one button. “Your Christmas gift guide” / “Ideas by budget and our delivery deadlines.” / Email / “Send me the guide”.
Follow up quickly
Send the promised content immediately, then one reminder before your last shipping date. Two or three useful emails in December are better than daily promotions.
Popsy shows a timed or exit-intent popup with a welcome code, respects mobile rules and stays light. See it on the demo and read email popup best practices.
Three popup examples to adapt
Gift guide: “Stuck for ideas? Get our gift guide by budget, plus our delivery deadlines.” Button: “Send me the guide”.
Deadline reminder: “Don’t miss Christmas delivery. We’ll remind you 48 hours before our last shipping day.” Button: “Remind me”.
Welcome offer: “New here? 10% off your first order, valid until 18 December.” Button: “Get my code”.
Respect the rules
Ask for clear consent, say what you will send and how often, and include an unsubscribe link in every email. A small list of people who want your emails is worth more than a big list of people who do not open them.
How to measure the result
Compare the same weeks before and after the change in WooCommerce › Analytics: conversion rate (orders divided by visits in your statistics tool), average order value and the share of mobile orders. Change one thing at a time when you can, and give each change at least a week of traffic before judging it. In December, compare with the first half of November rather than with last year, because your catalogue and traffic have changed.
Frequently asked questions
When should a Christmas popup appear?
After some engagement: 20 to 30 seconds, half of the page, or exit intent on desktop.
Are popups bad for SEO?
Intrusive popups covering content on mobile can be. Small, easy to close formats are fine.
What should I offer in exchange for an email?
Something useful: a gift guide, a deadline reminder or early access to Christmas sets.