One of our clients came to us asking whether a 10% or 15% discount on their pop-up offer would increase their revenue and profits.
It was a smart question because while it might seem obvious that bigger discounts mean more opt-ins, it isn’t always the case … and you need to consider the long-term impact.
As every good marketer knows, the data doesn’t lie.
A lot of people make decisions based on their “gut” or what some random Facebook group said, but you need cold, hard facts.
So, we set up an A/B test to find the answer.
The result? The 15% discount won.
Though let’s keep in mind that it’s simply not about offering bigger discounts.
It’s about finding the sweet spot for customer lifetime value (LTV).
The question you should be asking while running this kind of test is, “How much can we afford to discount while still turning a profit, or even taking a short-term hit for long-term gains?”
Taking more money off might seem like the obvious solution, but striking the right balance ensures sustainable growth and keeps your strategy valuable.
While the 5% difference means decreased margins on the first purchase, the value return far outweighs the loss.
Let’s look at the numbers and see exactly how:
- 5.6% more revenue per visitor: This one is a good enough justification for the increased discount. That’s an extra 5.6% — more than the discount difference.
- 2.2% higher AOV: Customers weren’t just buying—they were spending more, thanks to a little incentive.
- 24% more email subscribers: Not only did more people convert, but they stuck around to hear from the brand again.
- 29% more SMS subscribers: Almost 30% more people handing over their phone numbers — golden for follow-up sales.
- 3.5% higher conversion rate: More eyeballs turning into customers.
The takeaway?
Always test your discounts and offers.
Because while you might feel like you’re giving away more, the short and long-term gain could (and likely will) be worth it.
This doesn’t just apply to % discounts.
Test:
- Buy One, Get One (BOGO)
- Free shipping
- Exclusive gifts
- Loyalty points
- Bundled offers
- And other offers against your % discounts
This is your chance to find the sweet spot for your brand.
If you’re thinking, “I want to do this too!”, well, you can.
And it’s not hard to do if you follow this guide.
Five Other Popup Elements We’ve Tested
Lightbox Layout vs. Fullscreen
We discovered that a full-screen popup captures the visitor’s complete attention, eliminating distractions and increasing the likelihood they’ll engage with your message.
It creates a more immersive experience compared to a lightbox, which competes with other on-screen content.
This focused approach can improve conversion rates by ~5-10%.
No Teaser Step vs. Teaser Step
Simply present them with two choices: “Do you want the discount? Yes or No.”
Adding this teaser step has been shown to boost conversion rates by an average of 20%.
Reply in SMS for Consent vs. In-Popup Confirmation
There are three key bottlenecks you need to watch for.
First, asking customers to “Reply Y” pulls them off your site and into their messages, leading to confusion and churn — what we call “The Reply Y Catastrophe.”
Second, even if subscribers reply, SMS tech is outdated and often delays messages, especially on busy days.
Lastly, “The Irritating Reset” happens when customers opt in but are sent back to the homepage instead of the product page.
The fix?
An in-popup confirmation code that keeps visitors on the page by automatically detecting and applying the code, boosting SMS conversions by 90-120%.
Yes, really.
0-second delay vs. a 2-second delay on the exit button
Delaying the exit button by 2 seconds prevents the knee-jerk reaction to close a pop-up immediately.
This gives visitors a moment to read the offer before closing, boosting conversion rates by an average of 11%.
Small input fields vs. making the input fields large and adding contrast
What needs to be large? The email input field and the CTA.
Where is the contrast? The CTA button.
This change boosts email conversion rates by an average of 10%.
See the other tests we’ve run that catapult conversion rates HERE.
A/B Testing 101: Don’t Do This
Many people fail when running A/B tests because they’re doing too much at once.
We don’t want you to do that.
So we’ve created a short and sweet “Don’t” list
Testing an offer? ONLY change the offer.
Testing the copy? ONLY change the copy.
Trying out a new design? ONLY change the design.
The golden rule: change one thing at a time.
Otherwise, how will you know what’s actually making a difference?
If you swap the offer and the design and the timing, you won’t know what actually moved the needle.
Lastly: How Long Should You Run an A/B Test?
Let’s talk timing.
If you have at least 10,000 impressions on both variants, a week is enough time to see real, actionable data.
But, if you’re running a site that’s dribbling in traffic, forget about A/B testing for now.
Your priority should be traffic — get more eyeballs on your store, consistently, over a 5-6 month period.
Without traffic, A/B testing is like trying to race a car with no gas in the tank.
Focus on getting more traffic first.
Period.
If that’s you, stop reading and start devising a plan.
All in all, test smart, don’t overcomplicate it, and remember — nothing happens without traffic.
