6 Best Opt-In Forms to Win More Ecommerce Subscribers

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.

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:

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

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: 

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: 

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:

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: 

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: 

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:

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. 

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: 

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: 

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).

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: