Exit Intent

Exit intent is a marketing heuristic that infers a visitor may leave and then presents a message, offer, or sign-up prompt. Desktop implementations often use pointer movement towards the top or outside of the document; touch devices require different signals, such as navigation or engagement patterns. These signals can produce false positives and do not prove that a person was about to end the session.

Why it matters: Treat an exit prompt as an experiment, not a recovery guarantee. First investigate why people leave and whether clearer content, pricing, delivery details, navigation, or an inline CTA would solve the problem with less interruption. If a prompt is justified, make the offer accurate and relevant, limit repetition, preserve access to the page, provide an obvious close control, manage keyboard focus correctly, restore focus on close, and respect reduced-motion and consent requirements. Avoid full-screen promotional overlays that obscure content. Compare against a holdout group and measure completed, qualified outcomes, unsubscribe or complaint rates, and downstream value—not popup submissions or “recovered sessions” alone.