The New Popup Scourge

[YeOldeOke]

Am I getting old? Rhetorical.

Seems every website these days have these damn popups/popdowns/popsideways mostly trying to get your email address. The best of them drop the irritating box when you head for the exit, the worst a few seconds after you arrive.

I'm developing a new e-commerce site, and irritating as I find the above I do recognise that I am not exactly the now generation anymore, so I'm wondering if these bring results or will they just go the same way as the old popups. I'd hate to use them, but if I have to for better results I will - my principles are pliable sometimes.

What's you oke's take on this?

 

[Beachless]

Anoying as hell. I either remove it in the browser editor or if a site insists on registering I use 10minute email to get where I want to be.
I only register on a site after I know I want to use it regularly.
But Im also old school.

 

[Hamster]

Hate them too, especially the ones that appear only after I started reading an article. Even worse if it collapses to the left and hovers over half the text because the CSS FSCKHEAD didn't know WTF HE WAS DOING DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!!!!!

 

[halfmoonforever]

Its not a new thing and most ecommerce sites (even blogs) have this "Call to action". It works. Building a list of email addresses is almost as important as having a website.

A dude I know did that on his tshirt selling business and now he has, not only people who bought from him before, but might be interested in what he sells.

With 0 layout in advertising costs, whenever he sells a new design, he emails his demographic users and within the first hour has 20 sales.

Might be annoying on how some implement it, especially when there is no clear way to exit or close it.

That and yes, you're getting old

 

[YeOldeOke]

Anoying as hell. I either remove it in the browser editor or if a site insists on registering I use 10minute email to get where I want to be.
I only register on a site after I know I want to use it regularly.
But Im also old school.

It's not for registering. It's a desperate 'Hey, I know my site sucks and you don't wanna buy anything, but gimme your e-mail so I can spam you until the end of time!!'

Hate them too, especially the ones that appear only after I started reading an article. Even worse if it collapses to the left and hovers over half the text because the CSS FSCKHEAD didn't know WTF HE WAS DOING DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!!!!!

Diplomatically put, but I get your drift.

Its not a new thing and most ecommerce sites (even blogs) have this "Call to action". It works. Building a list of email addresses is almost as important as having a website.

A dude I know did that on his tshirt selling business and now he has, not only people who bought from him before, but might be interested in what he sells.

With 0 layout in advertising costs, whenever he sells a new design, he emails his demographic users and within the first hour has 20 sales.

Might be annoying on how some implement it, especially when there is no clear way to exit or close it.

That and yes, you're getting old

I realize the value of an e-mail list for newsletters, but I wonder how many potential customers just get p*ssed off and never come back as well. I for one feel very anti and much less likely to return to the site. The plethora of these drop-downs seems to be a new thing, I've only noticed them popping up, as it were, everywhere lately, and it's not something you can't notice. I've been getting very aggravated, even big reputable sites seem to have implemented them. I've started wondering if it wasn't adware on my browser.

Popups used to be the thing. They were much less in your face than these large, sometimes wobbling bloody boxes, but they died because everybody started using blockers. That in itself should indicate people hate them.

I'd like to see stats on this.

 

[spiff]

f*cing annoying specially on mobile!

 

[esvi]

Hate them too, especially the ones that appear only after I started reading an article. Even worse if it collapses to the left and hovers over half the text because the CSS FSCKHEAD didn't know WTF HE WAS DOING DIE DIE DIE DIE!!!!!!!

I sense some hostility towards front-end devs here.

 

[esvi]

They generally work fine (but annoying AF) on desktop, but they tend be a bigger pain for mobile users.

IMO they are unnecessary, if you want people to subscribe to your newsletter put the form in a sidebar or sticky button, somewhere other than the footer, if you must.

 

[Hamster]

I sense some hostility towards front-end devs here.

Now you know that not to be entirely true... I have a soft spot for some.

 

[rward]

Its not a new thing and most ecommerce sites (even blogs) have this "Call to action". It works. Building a list of email addresses is almost as important as having a website.

A dude I know did that on his tshirt selling business and now he has, not only people who bought from him before, but might be interested in what he sells.

With 0 layout in advertising costs, whenever he sells a new design, he emails his demographic users and within the first hour has 20 sales.

Might be annoying on how some implement it, especially when there is no clear way to exit or close it.

That and yes, you're getting old

This is the answer to the question you're asking, the rest is debate and opinion.

but I wonder how many potential customers just get p*ssed off and never come back as well.

One in the hand is worth more than 2 in the bush.

 

[DrJohnZoidberg]

I leave the site immediately when this happens, nobody got time for that.

 

[zippy]

I sense some hostility towards front-end devs here.

I dont think its the dev's. Its more likely the morons in marketing

 

[esvi]

I dont think its the dev's. Its more likely the morons in marketing

He said the positioning was off...