Campaigns
Best Opt-in Forms

Best Opt-in Forms

6 Best Opt-In Forms to Win More Ecommerce Subscribers

Opt-in forms help you grow your email and SMS lists. Learn the types of forms to choose from and where to position on your site with these six opt-in form examples from ecommerce brands. Then, build your own opt-in form using ready-to-use templates.

Opt-in forms grow your email and SMS list. That is: they’re a crucial, first step in driving revenue growth from email and SMS marketing. 

But they’re only effective in driving subscribers when you: 

  • Pack in an incentive that interested buyers can’t resist 
  • Limit the information you ask in the first step to reduce friction in signing up 
  • Design and position the form in a way that improves visitors’ experience

Not sure where to start? Begin with understanding best practices for creating high-converting forms that bring in likely-to-convert subscribers.

Next, check out how other ecommerce brands are winning at growing their SMS and email lists—including what information they’re asking for and where they’re positioning their forms. 

Then, create your own opt-in form with ready-to-use templates.  

What is an opt-in form? 

An opt-in form is a set of fields that encourages site visitors to subscribe to your email and/or SMS list. 

The form can be included in any on-site campaign—like a popup, landing page, sticky bar, or as part of a quiz.

It can ask for just a shopper's contact information or multiple pieces of information—such as their birthdate, gender, and more to help with personalization efforts.

Often, it'll be paired with an incentive (think: first order discount) to encourage signups.

Opt-in form best practices

When creating an opt-in form for your ecommerce site, follow these tips to get the most conversions:

  • Offer an incentive your buyers will love. This could be a discount on their first order, access to your members-only deals, or a free gift or resource.
  • Ask for an email address, phone number, or both. But make sure the incentive is strong enough to encourage people to share their contact information. If you’re asking for both details, increase the incentive when asking for the second piece of contact information to prompt people to subscribe.
  • Use a two-step or multi-step form when asking for multiple details. These forms divide the questions you ask into different sections—making your opt-in form look less overwhelming, therefore, improving submission rate. And it ensures you get at least one piece of contact info if they’re not willing to share both.
  • Send confirmation email/text. As soon as folks subscribe, send them an automated confirmation email or text that welcomes them and gives them the incentive that encouraged them to sign up. For instance, the discount code for their first order. From there, send a welcome sequence to build the relationship instead of leaving them hanging—only to email them again when you run a new sale.
  • Limit form fields. Research confirms shorter forms convert better than long ones. However, adding 2-3 additional fields doesn’t significantly impact conversion rates—specifically, if they're one-line fields that don’t take long to complete.
  • Split test your opt-in form. Test everything—from your form’s copy and number of fields to the trigger event, positioning, and incentive you offer so you can identify what drives the most subscribers. When evaluating performance, track conversions on the form itself as well as how many subscribers stay on your list long term.

6 best opt-in form examples

With the basics out of the way, learn from these six ecommerce brands’ opt-in forms:

1. Grovemade’s discount-sharing opt-in form

Desk supply brand, Grovemade uses a simple site message on its home page that slides in place from the right side:

Grovemade's email opt-in form slides in from the right side of the brands' home page.
See full example

The form targets new customers with a 10% discount on their first order in exchange for subscribing to its newsletter:

A zoom in on Grovemade's popup form. It offers the shopper 10% off their first order for signing up for the newsletter.

By asking for just an email address, Grovemade’s opt-in form limits the information needed, which encourages more signups. The slide-in nature of the popup also gets visitors’ attention without interrupting their experience like an overlay popup does. 

Plus, the copy aids conversions since it speaks to the target buyers’ interest in building their dream home office. 

2. Purple’s email and SMS sign up opt-in form 

Mattress brand Purple uses an overlay popup—a popup that takes over the entire web page—to welcome visitors as soon as they land on its site: 

A popup on Purple's website offering 50 off the shopper's purchase in exchange for entering their email address. A checkbox offers to increase the discount to $75 in exchange for the shopper's phone number as well.
See full example

The brand's welcome offer popup gives a $50 off incentive in exchange for visitors’ email addresses with an optional checkbox to sign up for SMS. 

Making it option gives the shoppers the flexibility to decide whether or not they want to join Purple's SMS list, instead of requiring both fields and potentially losing the subscriber altogether.

Purple encourages SMS sign ups by sweetening the deal with a boosted $75 welcome offer.

Consequently, the opt-in form grows Purple’s email and SMS lists—bringing in only likely-to-engage subscribers by offering them the choice to join one or both. 

3.  Boll & Branch’s seasonal offer opt-in form 

Bedding brand Boll & Branch uses a sitewide sticky bar to drive signups in exchange for a 15% off discount: 

Sticky bar on Boll & Branch's home page offering 15% off as an incentive to sign up for emails.
See full example

And the brand leverages seasonal events, such as a spring sale exclusive to subscribers, to grow its email list using an on-arrival overlay popup: 

Overlay popup on Boll & Branch's website advertising the brand's spring sale that reads, "Sign up to shop this limited time sale." It features an email form to get access to the sale.
See full example

The event is useful for driving subscriptions because its limited nature uses FOMO to reel people in.  

4. Pipette’s segmentation-focused opt-in form 

Skincare brand Pipette’s opt-in form shows up when a visitor scrolls down its home page:

Popup form on Pipette's website offering 20% off in exchange for the shopper's email address.
See full example

The copy explains what to expect from the emails besides 20% off—new product launches, sales, and baby care information.

Instead of only asking for email addresses though, the form asks interested folks to share who they’re shopping for: 

Pipette's opt-in form has two fields: The first is a dropdown menu for shoppers to share who they're shopping for. It includes options like mom, baby, and kids.The second field is for the shopper's email address.

In doing so, it effectively helps Pipette grow and segment its email list. This, in turn, means the brand can send targeted content, product recommendations, and promotions to engage subscribers better. 

If a shopper exits the popup, it minimizes to an interactive widget in the lower left corner: 

The widget appears in the lower-left corner of the website when a shopper exits the popup instead of submitting the form. The text on the button reads "Get 20% off."

This way, the incentive to subscribe remains within interested buyers’ access (they can click it open whenever they’re ready) without compromising their on-site experience. 

5. Blueland’s two-step opt-in form 

The opt-in form on Blueland’s home page triggers on scroll—asking for both an email address and phone number:

A two-step popup form on Blueland's website that offers the shopper 15% off their first order if they sign up for emails and texts. The first step of the form has a field for the shopper's email address.
See full example

Instead of asking potential buyers to complete two fields on the same page, the cleaning supply brand simplifies the process by first asking for an email address. Then, the second step in the form asks for the shopper’s phone number. 

After the shopper submits their email address, the second step in the popup form asks for the shopper's phone number to secure their first order discount.

This opt-in form grows Blueland’s email and SMS lists without cluttering the form design and making it smooth for folks to share two details. 

6. Tula Skincare’s welcome and embedded opt-in forms 

Skincare brand Tula runs a welcome offer in its opt-in form that gives visitors 15% off on their first order. It asks for two pieces of information—their email address and birthday: 

A popup on Tula Skincare's website that offers 15% off in exchange for the shopper's email address. The form also includes a birthdate field for a special birthday offer.
See full example

By asking for potential buyers’ birthdates, Tula’s opt-in form grows its email list and gives the skincare brand data to personalize emails. 

For example, Tula can use this information to send birthday-specific discount offers and recommend skincare products based on subscribers’ age (such as wrinkle treatment products for folks with mature skin). 

The brand also employs an embedded opt-in form that works in sync with the popup on its home page: 

An embedded form on Tula's home page advertising the first order discount again. Next to that, the brand also advertises a "next order" discount if the shopper signs up for texts.
See full example

The embedded form is positioned toward the bottom of all of its site pages. This way, when a visitor scrolls to the bottom on any page, say a product page (indicating they’re interested in the brand), the shopper is reminded of the discount in exchange for their email address. 

What’s unique here is that Tule also gives a next-order discount for subscribing to Tula’s SMS list—a brilliant way to increase the incentive to get people to join the SMS list while increasing lifetime value (LTV).

Opt-in form templates

Now that you know what goes into effective opt-in forms, it’s time to create your own. 

With ConvertFlow, you can create on-brand opt-in forms designed to draw in subscribers. 

Just choose an opt-in form template and customize the template to your branding. 

Get started with these ready-to-use templates:

About the author
Masooma Memon
Contributor, ConvertFlow
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Masooma is a B2B writer for SaaS who has worked with awesome publications like Hootsuite, Vimeo, Trello, Sendinblue, and Databox among others. You’ll usually find her writing in-depth content, making to-do lists, or reading a fantasy novel.