Good processes are not just fussiness or excessive administrative overhead. They form the backbone of scalable, maintainable, and user-friendly digital experiences.

Today, we’re looking at the critical role that structured, well-thought-out processes play in delivering successful web development projects, particularly in the area that PureNet focuses on: ecommerce platforms, back-office integration, and customer-facing portals.

The Foundation of Good Web Development

Web development encompasses far more than simply writing code (or “clattering keys” as one C-level executive airily put to me, with the dismissive tone of someone who hadn’t a bloody clue).  It actually requires significant coordination among multidisciplinary teams, a real understanding of user needs, and dextrous alignment with business goals. No effective processes equal projects that encounter delays, scope creep, budget overruns, and ultimately, a failure to deliver.

Good process, and by this I mean particularly those that are standardised, repeatable, and continuously improved, help to significantly mitigate these risks. They let teams work collaboratively, manage complexity, and maintain quality. From initial discovery and requirements gathering to deployment and maintenance, clearly defined processes ensure that every stage of development is transparent, measurable, and aligned with what the client wants and needs.

Ecommerce: High Stakes, High Complexity

Nowhere are these principles more crucial than in ecommerce, where pitfalls litter the ground. Digital storefronts must deliver seamless user experiences (UX), handle secure transactions, scale efficiently, and integrate with a variety of third-party systems such as payment gateways, ERPs, CRM platforms, and analytics tools.

If you don’t have robust development processes, the intricate ecosystem that is an ecommerce platform just becomes unmanageable. For example, client requirements must be effectively gathered and validated to ensure all stakeholder needs are captured. If you don’t do this it will come back to haunt you with a vengeance. Inadequate discovery will result in missing functionality—such as abandoned cart recovery or multi-currency support—that are costly to retrofit. A process-oriented approach that includes workshops, stakeholder interviews and user journey mapping helps ensure that the developers (or key clatterers- only joking) build a product that meets (or exceeds) expectations.

Agile methodologies, when done properly, offer the flexibility to adapt to changing requirements while maintaining control over deliverables. Iterative development with regular feedback loops, such as sprint reviews and user testing, allows for continuous refinement. This is super helpful in ecommerce, where market conditions and customer behaviours evolve rapidly.

Integration: The Glue that Holds Systems Together

Modern web applications rarely operate in isolation. Integration with other systems, whether back-office systems, cloud services, or third-party API, is essential for delivering a joined-up and efficient UK. This is vital in ecommerce, where systems such as stock management, payment processing, fulfilment, and customer support must work in harmony.

Here, good processes really are indispensable. Integration projects are notoriously susceptible to failure if not properly planned and governed. Key risks include mismatched data structures, unreliable third-party services, poor documentation (a biggie), and security vulnerabilities. A structured process helps to identify these risks early and plan mitigation strategies.

Furthermore, integration Quality Assurance (QA)/user acceptance testing (UAT) should be automated where possible and conducted continuously as part of a DevOps pipeline. This ensures that any changes, be they internal or external, don’t break critical workflows. By putting these elements into a clearly defined development process, teams can ensure system interoperability, data integrity, and long-term maintainability.

Portals: Personalisation, Access Control, and User Experience

Portals serve as centralised platforms that offer users access to personalised content, services, and data. These may be customer portals, employee dashboards, supplier hubs, or partner interfaces. In each case, the challenge lies in presenting complex information in a user-friendly way while maintaining secure access and system performance.

The development of portals requires meticulous planning and rigorous adherence to process. Key process steps include elements such as user segmentation, access control modelling, interface design, content management planning, and performance optimisation. For example, permission structures must be carefully designed and tested to ensure that users see only what they are authorised to view. A poor implementation could lead to data breaches or service disruption.

Like ecommerce platforms, portals often integrate with multiple back-end systems, such as HR databases, CRMs, billing platforms, etc., which means that data synchronisation, latency, and error recovery must be addressed early in the process. Without a good process to guide these efforts, teams risk poor UX, data silos, or redundant functionality.

Design thinking, combined with agile development and user feedback loops, offers a powerful process framework for portal development. Regular usability testing and accessibility audits help ensure that the portal serves all user groups effectively. Clear documentation and onboarding processes further enhance user satisfaction and reduce support costs.

Monitoring and observability are also vital. Processes must be in place to log system events, track performance metrics, and alert teams to anomalies. In ecommerce, where even minor downtime can result in significant revenue loss, proactive monitoring is a must. Good processes define how alerts are triaged, escalated, and resolved, ensuring that teams can respond effectively to incidents.

Documentation, Governance, and Compliance

In regulated industries or sectors dealing with sensitive data e.g. healthcare, finance, or education, compliance requirements add another layer of complexity. Data protection regulations such as the UK’s Data Protection Act and the EU’s GDPR require that systems handle personal information in specific ways.

Good development processes ensure that compliance is not an afterthought but an integral part of the project lifecycle. This includes documenting data flows, establishing data retention policies, encrypting sensitive data, and securing access to systems. Auditable trails and version-controlled documentation allow organisations to demonstrate compliance and respond effectively to regulatory inquiries.

Moreover, governance processes provide oversight across projects, helping to standardise best practices, enforce coding standards, and ensure alignment with enterprise architecture. This leads to better maintainability, improved scalability, and reduced technical debt.

Tools to the Job Right

Tools such as Jira and Service Desk (as used by us) are integral to efficient web development and support, streamlining task management and issue resolution. Our Jira system enables agile development by organising sprints, tracking bugs, and assigning tasks to team members with full visibility. This ensures accountability and progress monitoring.

Service Desk, on the other hand, provides a structured approach for handling user requests, incidents, and service queries. It integrates seamlessly with Jira, allowing support tickets to be escalated directly into development workflows. This connection fosters quicker response times, improved communication between support and development teams, and a clear audit trail. Together, they support continuous improvement, ensuring websites remain robust, secure, and responsive to user needs through effective collaboration, prioritisation, and resolution of technical issues.

Gone, then, are the days of laid-back coding teams approaching web development in a casual way, with each build treated as one off web build. Processes are essential to make complex web platforms work properly. We do it not because we’re fussy. We do it because it works. Get in touch to find out how we can help with your latest project.

The post Don’t Leave it to Chance- Why Good Process Makes for Good Web Development appeared first on PureNet.

Customisation and Flexibility

All ecommerce platforms offer a degree of flexibility. That can vary very much on the platform and the ingenuity and skill of the developers. You can also get a lot of functionality out of the box (whether you need it or not) which can be a boon or sometimes a drag on resources.

But the nature of bespoke systems means that there is little predefined functionality (beyond a range of essential core functions and modules as in Coops Collective own bespoke platform, WebPOS) and the complete latitude to build as much or as little as is required and desired.

This offers some very real freedom. For instance, for business-to-business companies there are often processes that have evolved and been fine-tuned that really work, improving efficiency and output. Reflecting these processes can be hard to implement in an off the peg ecommerce package but can be faithfully reproduced with a bespoke build. And with B2C builds, allowing the weird and wonderful as a company USP may hinge on the ability to offer heavily customised web experiences.

Unlike more ‘black box’ SaaS systems you’ll never find the answers “this can’t be done” or “you can achieve this but only doing it the platform’s way”, common responses that can frustrate ecommerce managers. With a custom build, the question will simply be about budgets and timescales, never any technical limitations.

Scalability and Longevity

As a business, and its online operation, grows, adapts, changes and reacts so too does the needs of its website functionality. Different ecommerce platforms can be customised in variable degrees to meet these changes and challenges but only a bespoke build will allow you to tailor your ecommerce platform to reflect every nuance and detail required in an evolving web environment.

Powerful 3^rd party tools, such AI driven merchandising, search, data reporting and user experience (UX) systems are also available and increasingly used by ecommerce sites to augment their own innate functionality. Many of these can be as readily integrated into a custom build as they can with an off the shelf package, helping you to beef up functionality and improve performance.

Equally, other than the occasional underlying technical upgrade, you won’t be forced to upgrade or retire your platform if it is deemed ‘end of life’. Many custom platforms will continue performing exceptionally well 3, 5 or even 10 or more years after they have been built delivering real ROI and justifying the additional costs of tailoring it.

Security and Control

Off-the-shelf solutions are far more susceptible to widespread security vulnerabilities. Cybercriminals are far more likely to invest their time finding ways to hack a platform which has thousands of ecommerce sites than one. Having a bespoke ecommerce platform allows you to focus on your cybersecurity in a more focused way, rather than hurriedly react to the latest security update or patch.

With very few agencies demanding proprietary ownership if their code these days, you also get to control your site. No unexpected hikes in fees, no waiting for roadmap functionality or sudden changes in approach. You will own your site and be able to plot your own destiny.

So, when should you seek out custom ecommerce website design?

A custom build is not the solution for everyone. Off the shelf packages usually offer the best route to cost effective online success. PureNet would always look at a client’s needs and ultimate goals and for most an off the shelf system offers the best approach. However, for many, having a bespoke ecommerce website design offers some real advantages that should be explored as part of any platform evaluation.

The post When are Bespoke Ecommerce Solutions the Right Move? appeared first on PureNet.

However, there remains a constant pressure to innovate, adapt, and maintain a competitive edge. For businesses with an in-house development team, the challenges of keeping up with this wildly mutating technology ecosystem can be overwhelming.

That’s why businesses should consider teaming up with a development agency such as PureNet to support the internal team. There are several reasons why supplementing in-house capabilities with the expertise of a development team might drive real success.

1. Access to Specialised Expertise

Technology is always evolving, with new tools, innovations and methodologies cropping up all the time. While in-house teams may be great in specific areas, they often lack proficiency in certain niches or emerging technologies. PureNet brings a wealth of specialist knowledge and experience across a variety of domains. For instance, we have experts in AI, integration, consultancy and advanced mobile app development, skills that may be challenging to cultivate internally due to time or resource constraints.

This access to specialised expertise helps ensure that businesses can tackle complex projects effectively without the daily grind of extensive training or recruitment efforts. We fill these gaps, enabling companies to take on projects that might otherwise be out of reach.

2. Enhanced Scalability and Flexibility

A crucial advantage of working with a development agency is the ability to scale resources up or down based on project requirements. Most internal teams face fluctuating workloads with periods of high demand followed by quieter intervals. Maintaining a large in-house team to handle peak workloads can be inefficient and costly. We provide the flexibility to adapt to these changing needs.

To give an example, during the development of a new product, we supplement our clients’ in-house team with additional resources, ensuring timely delivery without overburdening internal staff. Once the project is complete, the company can scale again, optimising costs and maintaining efficiency.

3. Accelerated Time-to-Market

Let’s face it, in the world of development, speed of delivery is usually a critical factor. Whether it’s launching a new product, updating an existing platform, or responding to market trends, delays can result in missed opportunities. Development agencies such as PureNet are equipped to work alongside in-house teams to expedite project timelines.

By leveraging the additional manpower and expertise of an agency, businesses can divvy up tasks more effectively, reduce bottlenecks, and streamline workflows. PureNet brings proven processes and methodologies that help accelerate development cycles, ensuring faster delivery without compromising quality.

4. Cost-Effective

Building and maintaining a full-time team of developers with diverse skill sets often can be prohibitively expensive. And it’s not just their salaries, either. There are costs associated with benefits, training, equipment, office space and a host of other things. Partnering with a development agency allows companies to access top notch skill sets without the overhead associated with permanent hires.

Good agencies (like us, of course) are also flexible. PureNet operates on flexible pricing models, such as hourly rates, fixed project costs, or retainer agreements, enabling businesses to choose an arrangement that aligns with their budget and objectives.

5. Fresh Perspectives and Innovation

In-house teams, while hugely familiar with the company’s products and processes, often fall into the trap of tunnel vision and echo chamber. A development agency like PureNet brings an outsider’s perspective, offering bright ideas and innovative solutions that haven’t been considered internally. We work with a range of clients in lots of different industries meaning we can cross-pollenate good ideas. We bring new approaches, best practices, and creative strategies that can significantly enhance our clients’ projects.

6. Risk Mitigation

Software development projects come with risks, including technical challenges, project delays, and feature creep. Development agencies are very well used to navigating these risks and have established processes to address them effectively. We provide risk management strategies, contingency plans, and quality assurance measures that reduce the likelihood of issues arising.

7. Focus on Core Competencies

For many businesses, technology development is a means to an end rather than the core focus. Take some examples- an ecommerce company’s primary objective might be to enhance customer experience and drive sales, whilst a healthcare organisation might prioritise patient care and compliance. By outsourcing certain development tasks to an agency, you free up in-house teams to concentrate on strategic initiatives and core business functions.

This division of labour ensures that critical projects receive the attention they deserve while routine or specialised tasks are handled efficiently by the agency.

8. Continuous Support and Maintenance

Just because you’ve finished the project doesn’t mean downing tools. It usually means the beginning of a new phase: maintenance and updates. We all know software requires ongoing support to address bugs, implement updates, and adapt to changing user needs or technological innovations. We can provide this ongoing support, either independently or in collaboration with an in-house team.

This ensures that the company’s digital assets remain robust, secure, and up to date without overburdening internal resources. PureNet has dedicated support teams that respond quickly to issues, minimising downtime and maintaining user satisfaction.

9. Adaptability to Emerging Trends

It’s blindingly obvious to say the technology landscape is characterised by rapid evolution, and we can all see new trends and tools emerging regularly. Staying ahead of these trends is essential for maintaining competitiveness. Development agencies are, by necessity, at the forefront of innovation and advancements, investing in research and training to stay updated.

By collaborating with an agency, businesses leverage this forward-thinking approach to adopt new technologies, implement innovative solutions, and remain relevant in their industries. This adaptability ensures that companies can respond proactively to market changes and customer expectations.

Wrap Up

Let’s be clear. The decision to partner with a development agency such as PureNet to support an in-house team is not just about addressing skill gaps or managing workloads. It’s a strategic move that will drive growth, innovation, and efficiency. From accessing specialised expertise and accelerating time-to-market to enhancing scalability and mitigating risks, the benefits of such a partnership are significant and transformational.

By blending the strengths of both internal teams and external agencies, companies will achieve a balance that maximises productivity and breeds long-term success. In an era where agility and innovation are paramount, having a development agency as an extension of the in-house team is not just a good idea—it’s a competitive necessity.

The post Why and When to Outsource Web Development appeared first on PureNet.

Jonathan Morgan. Coops Collective Operations Director said:

“We’re really excited to be working with Kooomo. It’s an exciting technology which offers our clients another approach to trading online. With its SaaS-based approach and revenue share model it complements our portfolio perfectly.

“With Coops Collective track record over 14 years of delivering exciting and successful eCommerce offerings our team is looking forward to adding our wealth of experience to delivering powerful Kooomo implementations.”

Ciaran Bollard, Kooomo’s CEO commented:

“We are delighted to extend our UK presence with Coops Collective, a leading eCommerce solutions agency. We look forward to innovating together to turbo-boost sales for our respective retailers and brands going forward.”

About Kooomo Digital Commerce Platform

Kooomo works with clients to maximise all digital sales channels globally by combining our expertise and next-generation platform in a proven and affordable digital commerce cloud solution. Built by eCommerce managers and named in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant, Kooomo’s platform brings together every piece of the digital commerce puzzle. With a flexible revenue-share model, we’re all driven to succeed. Our extensive partner ecosystem, with world class technologies, ensures businesses are future proofed to keep up with the evolving digital commerce landscape.  Kooomo services a diverse range of customers worldwide, including Morrisons, Nutmeg, Havaianas, Butlers Chocolates, Avoca, CP Company, Miss Bikini and Blauer USA.

About Coops Collective

PureNet was established in 2006 and provides integrated ecommerce, portal solutions and applications. Its solutions span B2B and B2C clients and PureNet has worked with brands such as Argos, Krispy Kreme, Redde plc, Immediate Media, LighterLife and Jane Plan.

For more information on PureNet’s Kooomo ecommerce services contact us.

The post PureNet Partners with Leading Ecommerce Platform Provider Kooomo appeared first on PureNet.

A portal means a doorway or entrance and in the realm of website development offers away of accessing a web system that will allow you, as a user, to perform a task. At Coops Collective, we have delivered a number of bespoke portals to clients ranging from SMEs to large corporation and aided in streamlining their internal and external processes.

To learn more about how PureNet can help you create new, cost-efficient processes within your business, download our Portal White Paper now.

Download Portal White Paper

The post Bespoke Portals and How They Can Help Transform Your Business appeared first on PureNet.

For the York Technology Conference, I teamed up with my colleague Kora Habinakova, Marketing Manager at PureNet and Magium to deliver a thought provoking conversation based around how online stores directly influence people’s buying habits and how to sell to your subconscious. Entitled “The Psychology of How to Sell Things and You”, we gave examples of Entry to Market and Omnichannel experiences and related this to Personal Branding, self-concept and a focus on Cognitive Dissonance.

In an interactive seminar we posed different views. I took on the role of the data-led Analyst, who spoke about how software should be bespoke, requirements-led and so should be your CV – accurate and full of information. Kora played the role of the Creative – who wants to go to market with good presentation and with an emergent strategy of sculpting any campaign. Selling yourself in a story-based language over specific details was the message here.

After each section we spun out into groups who voted with their feet to continue the debate with professed ambassador of the moment to showcase the volatility of consumer-led decisions and the importance of branding.  At the end – we revealed that, actually, Kora and I agree with each other in that you need a little of both approaches to create data-led experiences that resonate with audiences and empower brand advocacy.

For the rest of the day we had the pleasure and honour to listen to high achieving University of York Alumni speaking about their experiences in Tech.  Key highlights were “3 simple steps to making your first million as an IT entrepreneur” by Darryl Mattocks, Managing Director & Founder of Enistic. A key takeaway here was to select a KPI to aim for the “hockey stick effect”.  Find an attribute that you can attach a metric to in your business, sales, customer satisfaction etc and work on making this rise.  Then graph this to show investors that you have positive sustained continued growth.

Robin Pembrooke, Director of Content Production Workflows at BBC, presented his and BBC’s views on machine learning and data science in content production for TV and online. Robin spoke about digital transformation and how it impacts a large organisation such as BBC, who operate on the premises of up-to-date content and how technology, and artificial intelligence specifically, can help streamline internal processes to deliver fresh, targeted content to different audience segments.

Another key speaker on the day was Helen Bowyer, Emerging Technologies Manager at IBM, who told us about “Delivering Innovation in Emerging Technologies”. Amongst other inventions and key technical increments work in progress was lattice cryptography.  This is a new security method which hides data inside complex math problems (algebraic structures) called lattices.  This will also allow people to perform calculations on a file without ever seeing sensitive data or exposing it to hackers.

Overall it was a very well organised conference run by students and aimed at connecting students with local business professionals like us.  We hope our advice we imparted on the day encourages more to take the path of a career in Tech.  We also hope to lay the foundations for the next generation to work in jobs that are yet undiscovered.  Speaking at and listening at tech events such as York Technology Conference lays this pathway for those who choose Tech as their career path.

Enquire about Career Opportunities at PureNet

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PureNet is delighted to announce that is has been recognised as one of the top 50 creative companies by Creative England.

The CE50 report celebrates the best companies and brightest creative talent leading the pack for creative industries across England. Chosen by a panel of industry experts, the CE50 for 2016 includes a wide selection of the country’s best creatives: all the way from filmmakers and production companies to marketing software firms and independent games studios. The companies selected have not only demonstrated creative flair but also proven to be commercially robust, successful ventures across their sectors.

Caroline Norbury, CEO at Creative England, said:

“Creative talent and industry leaders can be found across the entire country, not just in London, and here at Creative England we are proud to support and harness that talent and help give people with fantastic plans the opportunity to be successful.”

View the full Creative England Report.

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Magento Enterprise Edition.

‘Helps you create rich, differentiated site experiences that maximise revenue.’

We know that, as a fashion retailer, you need to be able to showcase your brand whilst ensuring you have the functionality required to deliver a seamless ecommerce experience. After working with many fashion retailers we understand the fast pace of the industry and therefore the need for a fully scalable, adaptable ecommerce solution. Magento is the number 1 choice for online retailers – let’s see why!

Build and Refine.

‘A powerful Ecommerce Solution that offers off-the-shelf extensions, and cost-effective customisations.’

Omni-Channel Ecommerce

The Magento Ecommerce Solution is fully responsive, that means your website will resize to any screen and present content in an optimised way on phones and tablets. We don’t have to tell you how important this is in the fashion industry!

Bespoke for your business.

With Magento from Coops Collective, your Ecommerce Solution will have a completely bespoke design to compliment and showcase your brand. As a fashion brand, it is key not to have a ‘cookie cutter’ website, your site needs to be individual to really speak to your customers.

One page checkout.

Nobody wants to spend a long time checking out their purchases on a site. A key problem facing fashion retailers online is abandoned checkouts, where a customer runs out of time to complete an order. With Magento, you can create a simple one-page checkout to speed up the process and reduce the number of abandoned checkouts.

Integration with Payment Gateways.

There are many different Payment Gateway integrations available with Magento from PayPal to Sage – quite simply your customers will be able to pay how they want, as fast as they need, on any device they like!

Offer Your Customers.

A digital experience that enhances and amplifies your traditional marketing efforts.

Personalise the experience.

Magneto gives you the opportunity to personalise the ecommerce experience through segmentation and behavioural analysis. This level of ecommerce personalisation will significantly increase your online sales through targeted engagement – clever, hey!

Cross sell and up sell.

Increasing average order values is a common focus for our customers. Magento provides the functionality to include cross-sell and up-sell zones including ‘complete the look’. We all know how tempting it is to add additional items to your basket when you see tailored recommendations!

Engaging content.

As well as providing an extensive Ecommerce Solution, Magento allows you to content market through custom landing pages with showcased products, look-books and videos. The best thing is you can do all of this without a developer, simply log in to the Magento CMS and add the areas you need. So, if a new trend launches or fashion story is hot off the press simply create your landing page and gain exposure in a matter of minutes.

Leverage Clever Ecommerce Marketing.

Focus on results, one complete Marketing and Ecommerce Solution.

Integrate with Social Media.

Social Media has proven to be an excellent way of engaging with your customers on a personal level. Magento combines the Social Media world with Ecommerce including sign in with Facebook, share purchases and Social Media feeds.

Easily update content in line with marketing activity.

For each and every marketing campaign Magento provides you with the flexibility to update website content to match your key messaging. From banners to promotional codes you can ensure your website matches your marketing activity to deliver one unified message and increase conversions from marketing activity.

Increase newsletter sign ups.

Email marketing is absolutely vital to a successful ecommerce fashion store, it is a very much proven method of keeping customers up-to-date and engaged with new products, promotional activities and events. With Magento, you can build up your email database with a number of features such as sign-up forms, pop-ups and online account areas with incentives. The bigger your email list, the more customers you have to speak to so get started today!

Overall, it is very clear to us why so many fashion retailers choose Magento as an Ecommerce Solution – it’s extremely powerful, forward-thinking, scalable and flexible.

We love working with Magento to produce beautiful fashion sites that stand the test of time. If you’re ready for your new Ecommerce Solution get in touch with our team today by emailing sales@coopscollective.co.uk or LiveChat with us.

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To celebrate the New Year Ecommerce and Portal Development Agency, Coops Collective, has revealed its predictions for the top 7 ecommerce trends that will keep retailers at the forefront of their industries in 2017! PureNet has used its decade of experience delivering solutions to B2C and B2B businesses such as The Royal British Legion, Krispy Kreme, Saddleback, LighterLife and Puzzler and immersion of all aspects of ecommerce to analyse and define its key predictions.

Click here to reveal the trends.

The post 7 Ecommerce Trends for 2017 appeared first on PureNet.

You’ve probably noticed, over the last year pop-ups have been appearing on ecommerce sites all over the web. Some have introductory offers, some offer a newsletter sign up and some offer personalised promotional codes. Pop-ups have made it on to many ‘2016 trend’ blogs and have already been implemented by many online stores. So, do they actually work?

The purpose of a pop-up.

Pop-ups are used for two main reasons:

1. To capture data

2. To encourage a conversion
The average ecommerce site has a 3% conversion rate, that means out of every 1,000 visitors you receive 970 will exit the site without making a purchase and likely without logging in/registering. That’s 970 potential customers, a proportion of which you may have earned through paid media, lost without trace. This has been, and will continue to be, the largest problem facing ecommerce retailers today – how do you convert more customers?

Re-engagement.

To answer that question, we have to look at the most successful re-engagement strategy. As marketers, we know that email marketing can be highly successful as a channel. Abandoned cart emails, for example, have been shown to achieve an average of 47% open rate and a 5% conversion rate (Remarkety). That’s 5% more sales that had been lost, all by sending an automated mailer. With 58% of adults checking their email first thing in the morning (Customer Intelligence), this channel is clearly an excellent way to reaching out to your customer base and I firmly believe it will never be ‘dead’.

Data acquisition.

So, we have website traffic and a re-engagement strategy, but how do we acquire the email address? This is where the pop-up comes in. Like them or loathe them, recent studies have shown how successful the implementation of a pop-up can be. Data from one study revealed a 1375% increase in email sign-ups when comparing a pop-up with a sidebar form. Another study based on SkinnyMe Tea found the company increased email opt ins by 758% after implementing an on-site pop-up. By offering a discount code on site, SkinnyMe Tea was able to increase their sales conversion rate by a full 1%.

Quite simply, if you can encourage website visitors to hand over their email address (often for something in return such as a discount code), you open up a vast opportunity for re-engagement if they decide not to make a purchase at that time. If a pop-up enables you to do this, I say it’s definitely worth testing out!

Types of pop-up.

Promotional.

A promotional pop-up is most often used after a visitor spends a certain amount of time on the site. These pop-ups offer a discount in exchange for an email address. Top tip: if you’re using this type of pop-up, ensure you have a system that is sophisticated enough to recognise visitors. You don’t want to be showing one of your VIP customers ‘10% off when you sign up’, for example.

Newsletter.

The incentive behind this type of pop-up is content. If you produce engaging content, you can incentivise your visitors to reveal their email address by offering the latest news, trends, events etc. This type of pop-up works extremely well with lifestyle-led brands.

Site exit.

A site exit pop-up tends to focus on on-site conversions at that time. You may wish to promote a time-based offer such as ‘Free Delivery Today Only!’ or ‘You still have items in your basket – Here’s 10% off!’. There is a temptation with site exit pop-ups to forgo the email field and simply present a promotional code for the visitor to use there and then – remember that the goal here is to collect data as well as encourage promotions so I’d urge you to always use gated promotional codes.

Finally, and arguably most importantly – don’t throw design out of the window.

A pop-up is, for lack of better words, an intrusion in a customer’s user journey. Whilst this can be seen as a positive thing (when discounts are offered), it is vital that customers feel they are still engaging with the same brand and website at all times. This is why pop-up design should be extremely brand-led. If the design is disjointed, the pop-up will simply look like spam and visitors may just abandon the whole site. I urge you to run A/B tests to find what works best for your customers.

Pop-ups will never be for everyone.

Whilst there are some fantastic stats around the success of pop-ups, it all comes down to your customer base which is why testing is so important. If you have decided to go ahead with an on-site pop-up do your research, understand your customers and run a test on a controlled segment. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Always, always, always give the visitor the option to close the pop-up (and make it clear where to click)

2. Have a different strategy for mobile. Pop-ups can work on mobile, however, I’d recommend reviewing the design and animation to offer a more streamlined approach

3. No clunky pop-ups, please. Ensure your solution doesn’t impact the rest of your site’s load speed

4. Analytics will lead the way. Testing is all about data, collect this data by using click tracking – run your test and compare results at the end. How many visitors completed the goal? How many dismissed the pop-up?

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