A field experiment to assess the interruption effect of pop-up promotions

Abstract

This article highlights a large-scale field experiment conducted at an informational Web site where the timing of pop-up promotions being offered was varied. The experiment examines the Web user's reaction to the promotion in terms of (a) a direct response to the promotion (i.e., clickthrough) and (b) any indirect response in terms of the user's Web-site-exit behavior. Factors such as delay in offering the pop-up promotion and the page on which the pop-up appears are identified as variables that can be manipulated to enhance the individual's response. The context, or the page on which the pop-up promotion is offered, also is examined. Overall, this article suggests that characteristics of pop-up promotions, beyond just the message of the promotion, can be utilized to improve the consumer response.