Can requiring email submission at checkout increase sales?

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Topic summary

Capturing customer emails early in checkout is sought to follow up with abandoned cart emails, as many leave after seeing the final price and shipping.

On Shopify (an ecommerce platform), the built‑in checkout cannot be customized to require email submission before the final price and shipping are shown.

Recommended tactics to encourage early email capture include:

  • Using pop‑up apps triggered pre‑checkout or on specific pages to collect emails; search the Shopify App Store for “email capture popup.”
  • Offering incentives (e.g., discount code, free shipping, “up to 20% discount”) alongside the email form to motivate signups and create a win‑win.

Outcome: Requiring email before price/shipping is not supported; pop‑ups and incentives are practical workarounds to build a list for abandoned cart emails (automated follow‑ups for incomplete purchases).

Status: Discussion remains open, with no proof of sales uplift yet; success depends on implementation and testing.

Summarized with AI on January 2. AI used: gpt-5.
1

Hey everyone!

A lot of customers leave the checkout page after seeing the final price and shipping costs, without completing their purchase.

I’m looking for ways to capture their email addresses early in the checkout process to follow up with abandoned cart emails.

My Questions:

  • Can the checkout process be customized to require email submission as an initial step before disclosing the final price and shipping?
  • Any suggestions on how to encourage customers to enter (and submit) their email before they see the final price and shipping details?

Thanks for your time with me!

1 Like
2

Hi @gsingh_acg ,

Kate here from the PageFly Shopify Landing Page Builder App.

Shopify’s built-in checkout functionality doesn’t allow requiring email submission before showing final price and shipping. However, there are a few ways to encourage email capture early in the checkout process:

Pop-up Apps:

  • Consider using a Shopify app for popups. These can be triggered before checkout or upon entering specific pages. Many offer free plans and email capture features. Search the Shopify App Store for “email capture popup” to find options.

Offer Incentives for Early Signup:

  • Motivate customers to enter their email by offering a discount code or free shipping on their first order. You can display this incentive message with the email capture form.
  • Ensure you offer benefits that create a win-win situation for the customer. Use attractive phrases like “up to 20% discount” to incentivize newsletter sign-ups.

Hope this helps!