How to Grow Your Email List in WooCommerce?

Learn the what, why, and how of growing your email list in WooCommerce.

You’ve probably heard plenty of times that “the money’s in the list.” But let’s be real, building an email list rarely feels urgent when you’re busy packing orders, replying to customer messages, and juggling everything else that comes with running a WooCommerce store.

Still, if there’s one asset you truly own in your business, it’s your email list. Social media platforms can change their rules, ad prices can shoot up overnight, but your list stays yours. That kind of control is hard to come by, and it’s a big reason email is still one of the most valuable tools you have.

The challenge is knowing where to begin without getting overwhelmed. There’s a lot of advice floating around, and not all of it is helpful. You’ll hear people talk about popups, lead magnets, automation, and a bunch of other stuff that can sound more complicated than it really is.

This post is here to make things simple. We’ll walk through why your email list matters, what makes it tough to grow, and how to use practical tools to start building it up in a way that actually works for your store.

When you’re running a WooCommerce store, it’s easy to get caught up chasing traffic, tweaking your product pages, or posting on social media. And sure, those things matter. But if you’re not growing your email list, you’re missing out on one of the most reliable ways to turn casual visitors into repeat customers.

Your email list is made up of people who’ve actively chosen to hear from you. That’s a big deal. They’re not just scrolling past your ad or stumbling onto your site; they’ve shown interest, and they’re giving you a chance to build a relationship.

Unlike social platforms or search engines, your email list is something you actually own. There’s no algorithm deciding who sees your message.

Here are a few reasons why building your list is worth your time:

• You get a direct line to your customers: Whether it’s a product update, a special offer, or just a helpful tip, email lets you speak to your audience without distractions.
• It helps drive repeat sales: Most customers won’t buy on their first visit. But with email, you can stay on their radar, nudge them back, and increase the chances they’ll return and buy again.
• It boosts your store’s long-term value: A healthy email list gives your business more stability. It’s a steady channel you can rely on, even when ads get expensive or social reach drops.
• You can personalize your marketing: With the right tools, you can segment your list based on customer behavior, location, or interests, and send messages that actually feel relevant.
• It’s cost-effective: Compared to other marketing channels, email is incredibly affordable, especially considering how high the returns can be when you do it right.
  

So if your email list has been an afterthought, now’s the time to change that. It doesn’t need to be complicated, and it doesn’t need to be perfect. You just need to start collecting emails and treat your list like the valuable asset it is.

Growing an email list sounds simple on paper. Add a form, offer a discount, and wait for the signups. But in reality, it comes with a few bumps along the way. Here’s what usually gets in the way:

Getting People to Actually Sign Up

Let’s start with the obvious one. Just because someone visits your site doesn’t mean they’ll hand over their email. People are protective of their inboxes these days, and for good reason. If your sign-up form doesn’t offer something valuable or feels too pushy, most folks will skip it without a second thought.

Standing Out in a Crowded Space

You’re not the only store trying to grow a mailing list. Your visitors are probably seeing popups and offers from other sites all the time. That means you have to work a little harder to make your form feel worth their attention. Whether it’s a well-timed popup, a helpful freebie, or a discount that actually feels useful, standing out matters.

Finding the Right Tools (Without the Tech Headache)

There are plenty of email tools out there, but not all of them play nicely with WooCommerce. Some are too basic, others are packed with features you’ll never use. And let’s be honest, if a tool feels clunky or takes too long to set up, it’s probably going to sit on your to-do list for weeks. Picking the right tools makes a big difference, but that decision can be overwhelming.

Keeping Your List Engaged

Building a list is one thing. Keeping people interested is a whole different story. If your emails are boring, too frequent, or too salesy, people will start ignoring them or unsubscribe. It takes some experimenting to find the right balance of value, personality, and timing that keeps your list alive and engaged.

Spam and Scams

Thanks to years of shady email practices, people are extra cautious about what they sign up for. If your offer feels too good to be true, your brand looks unfamiliar, or your popup screams “marketing trick,” people will assume it’s spam and click away. Worse, if your emails start landing in spam folders, your deliverability takes a hit. Building trust from the first touchpoint is key.

Compliance With Laws

Email marketing should comply with various laws and regulations like GDPR, CAN-SPAM, etc.

You don’t need to be a lawyer, but you do need to make sure you’re collecting and storing emails properly, giving people a way to opt out, and being transparent about what they’re signing up for. It’s not complicated once you get the hang of it, but it’s one more thing store owners often overlook.

A lot of store owners hesitate to go all-in on email marketing, not because it doesn’t work, but because they’ve heard the wrong things about it. If any of these sound familiar, you’re not alone.

“I need a huge list before I start”

Nope. It’s way better to have 100 people who actually care than 10,000 who ignore you. A smaller, engaged list will always perform better than a bloated one full of cold leads. You can start sending emails even if you’ve only got a handful of signups. In fact, that’s the best time to get comfortable with writing emails and figuring out what works.

“Email is outdated”

This one comes up a lot, especially with so many new platforms popping up. But here’s the thing, email hasn’t gone anywhere. People still check it every day, especially when they’re shopping online. It might not be flashy like social media, but it quietly does its job. The best part? You’re not paying for reach or battling an algorithm. Your message goes straight to their inbox.

“I don’t want to annoy people”

Totally valid concern, but it usually comes from imagining the worst-case scenario. The truth is, if someone gave you their email, they expect to hear from you. You’re not crashing their inbox; you’re showing up with something useful or interesting. As long as you’re not spamming them daily or sending irrelevant content, you’re good.

“I don’t know what to send”

This one trips people up all the time. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Start with a welcome email, share new product launches, offer a behind-the-scenes look, or let people know about a sale. It doesn’t have to be fancy or perfectly designed, just be real, helpful, and easy to read. You’d be surprised how far simple emails can go.

“Email is only for discounts and promotions”

Discounts can work, sure, but if that’s all you ever send, people will tune out fast. Your emails can educate, entertain, and connect. Think product tips, customer stories, quick how-tos, or even a note about what’s new in your store. Email isn’t just for selling; it’s also for building trust.

1. Show a Sign-Up Popup to First-Time Visitors

Most first-time visitors won’t buy on the spot. But that doesn’t mean you should let them leave without trying to stay in touch. A simple email popup that appears only for new visitors is one of the easiest ways to catch attention without annoying repeat customers.

2. Add an Inline Sign-Up Form to Your Homepage or Footer

Some folks just don’t like popups, and that’s fair. For them, make sure there’s always a visible sign-up option on key parts of your site. A clean form in your homepage section or footer gives people a low-pressure way to subscribe when they’re ready.

3. Collect Emails at Checkout (With Permission)

Someone placing an order is clearly interested in your store. It’s the perfect time to ask if they’d like to stay updated. Add a simple opt-in checkbox during checkout like “Send me product updates and special offers.”

4. Use Exit-Intent Popups to Catch People Before They Leave

Not everyone who visits your site will buy, but many would be open to coming back if you gave them a reason. Exit-intent popups show up when someone moves their cursor toward the browser bar. Offer a discount, a downloadable guide, or early access to a sale.

5. Offer a Lead Magnet (That Actually Relates to What You Sell)

People love free stuff if it’s actually useful. Create a short guide, checklist, or how-to PDF that ties into your products. Selling skincare? Offer a “Beginner’s Guide to Layering Products.” Selling fitness gear? Share a free home workout plan.

6. Launch a Time-Limited Discount for New Subscribers

Offer something like “Sign up and get 15% off your first order, valid for 24 hours.” The urgency pushes people to take action. Just make sure the discount isn’t so deep it eats your margins.

7. Add a Waitlist or “Notify Me” Option on Out-of-Stock Products

When something’s sold out, give people the option to sign up for a restock alert. Not only does this grow your list, but it also shows real demand for certain items, which can help you prioritize what to reorder.

8. Run a Giveaway That Requires an Email to Enter

Everyone loves a good giveaway. Offer one of your products or a curated bundle as a prize, and make entering as simple as signing up for your newsletter. Just keep it tightly focused on participants who are actually interested in your store, not random freebie hunters.

9. Collect Emails from Blog Readers with Content Upgrades

If you blog on your WooCommerce site, add a “content upgrade” — basically, a free bonus that expands on the post. For example, if you wrote about “10 Tips for Organizing a Pantry,” you could offer a free printable pantry checklist in exchange for an email.

10. Use Slide-Ins for Low-Key Email Capture

If you’re not a fan of big popups, try slide-ins. Those little boxes that slide from the bottom corner. They’re less disruptive but still visible. You can set them to appear after someone scrolls down a certain amount or spends a certain amount of time on a page.

If you’re looking for a tool that brings everything together, popups, email forms, and automated follow-ups, the WebToffee Automate Woo Marketing App is built to do exactly that. It’s made for WooCommerce stores, so everything connects smoothly, and you’re not stuck fiddling with external integrations or clunky setups.

You can create welcome popups for new visitors, trigger exit-intent offers, and collect emails through clean, customizable forms. The app lets you create automated emails like welcome messages, abandoned cart reminders, thank you notes, and win-back campaigns. You can even drop in a discount code when it makes sense.

Everything is easy to set up with pre-built templates and drag-and-drop customization. Whether you’re sending a post-purchase email or designing a simple exit-intent popup, it takes minutes to create and tweak things to fit your brand. It’s a solid way to keep your list growing and your store connected.

Key Features of the WebToffee Marketing Automation App:

• Create popups for signups, cart recovery, and exit intent
• Add customizable signup forms anywhere on your store
• Send automated emails for welcome, cart abandonment, thank you, and win-back
• Include unique discount codes in emails to boost conversions
• Trigger popups based on behavior, device type, and page
• Use drag-and-drop editors to customize emails and popups easily

Email might not be the flashiest tool in your marketing kit, but it’s the one that keeps showing up when it matters. Whether you’re launching a new product, running a quick sale, or just trying to engage with your customers, your email list is the one audience you actually own. And in an online world that changes constantly, that kind of stability is worth building on.

You don’t need to do everything at once. Start with one or two solid signup points — a well-placed popup, a clean form on your homepage, a checkout opt-in. As your list grows, layer in automation to make things easier. With tools like the WebToffee Marketing Automation, you don’t have to build the whole system from scratch. You just plug in what you need and let it run in the background.

What matters most is starting. Even a small list can drive real results if you treat it well. Focus on adding value, showing up consistently, and building trust, and you’ll be surprised how far your email list can take your WooCommerce store.