How should I build a multi-step or quiz popup?
Last updated
Pick a design and it opens as a working multi-step popup on the real storefront code. Tap through it in the frame, then change the words, the colour and the order of the steps.
The parts of a multi-step flow
A multi-step popup splits one signup into short screens, usually an easy tap first, then the email, then the reward, so a skincare quiz that asks one question, then the email and then shows the routine reads as three small steps with a single typed field, while a flow that opens by asking for a phone number reads as a form.
The designs are multi-step popups from the Nudgesmart template library, running on the same storefront code a merchant ships. The planner applies fixed rules about the order of asks and predicts nothing about any store.
The design decides how the flow looks and runs. The planner under it reads the order of your screens: which ones ask the shopper to type, which take a single tap, and where the reward lands.
- One-tap question
- A screen answered with a single tap, such as a skin type or a style preference. It asks little and gives the popup something to tailor the reward to.
- Typed step
- Any screen where the shopper has to type: an email, a phone number, a name or a birthday. These are the costly screens, so the planner counts them.
- Reward screen
- Where the promise is kept: the discount code, the quiz result or the confirmation. The planner checks that it comes last.
- Order of the asks
- Smaller asks before bigger ones. An email before a phone number, and a tap before either, so each screen feels like the next step rather than a new request.
- Screens
- The number of steps in the flow, capped at 5 in the planner. Every extra screen is one more place a shopper can stop.
- Design
- A multi-step popup from the Nudgesmart template library, running on the real storefront code, with your headline, button label and colour applied.
Nudgesmart is available on the Shopify App Store. Browse the template library or see what it costs.
Seven step orders and how each one reads
Common flows, including a few that go wrong. Each row is read by the same planner that sits under the builder above.
| Flow | Steps in order | Typed | Verdict | Main note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skincare quiz | One-tap question, then Email address, then Reward screen | 1 | Reads well | It opens on a single tap. A small first yes makes the typed step that follows feel like the next move, not the first ask. |
| Coffee, email then text | Email address, then Phone number, then Reward screen | 2 | Reads well | The first screen asks the shopper to type. That is the biggest ask a popup makes, so a one-tap question in front of it can soften it. |
| Phone number first | Phone number, then Email address, then Reward screen | 2 | 1 to fix | The phone number comes before the email. Many shoppers find a number the bigger ask, so put it second and make it optional. |
| Everything at once | First name, then Email address, then Phone number, then Birthday, then Reward screen | 4 | 1 to fix | 4 typed steps is a form, not a popup. Each extra field is another place to give up. Keep it to one or two. |
| Code before the email | One-tap question, then Reward screen, then Email address | 1 | 1 to fix | The reward comes before the last step. Once the code is on screen, few shoppers keep filling in fields. |
| Long quiz, email last | One-tap question, then One-tap question, then One-tap question, then Email address, then Reward screen | 1 | 1 to fix | Three or more questions in a row before anything is saved. If they leave on question three, nothing was captured. |
| Quiz with no signup | One-tap question, then One-tap question, then Reward screen | 0 | 1 to fix | No step asks for an email or a phone number, so the flow ends without anyone to follow up with. |
Before a multi-step popup goes live
Ask only for what you will use
A birthday you never send a birthday offer to is a field that costs signups and gives nothing back. If a step does not change what the shopper receives, drop it.
Save the email as soon as it is typed
If a shopper gives an email on step two and leaves on step three, the flow should still keep the address. Check that your setup saves each step as it goes rather than only at the end.
Phone numbers need consent
Collecting a number for marketing texts usually needs clear consent wording beside the field, and the rules differ by country. Keep the text step optional and the wording plain.
The planner reads order, not results
It applies fixed rules about which asks come first. It cannot tell you how your shoppers will respond; only a live campaign on your own store can.
Questions about multi-step and quiz popups
What is a multi-step popup?
A popup that asks for things one screen at a time instead of showing a whole form at once. A typical flow is a quick question, then an email field, then the reward.
Is a quiz popup the same thing?
A quiz popup is a multi-step popup whose early screens are questions. The answers shape the result, such as a product match or a routine, which is then sent to the email the shopper gives.
How many steps should it have?
As few as the reward needs. Two or three screens is common: a tap, a typed field and the reward. Every extra typed field is another point where a shopper can give up.
Should I ask for the email or the phone number first?
Usually the email. It is the smaller ask for many shoppers, and asking for it first means you keep it even if they skip the phone step.
Does anything I type in the preview get saved?
No. The frame runs the popup so you can click through it, but nothing typed into it is sent or stored, and any discount code it shows is only a sample.
A flow is only as good as the shopper it opens for.
Nudgesmart has 13 campaign types, each starting from a ready-made template and shown to the shoppers you choose.
