> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.retainful.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Form use cases > The signup forms worth building first — what each form type is best at, and the offer that makes it convert. A signup form is only as good as the moment it appears and the reason it gives someone to enter their email. Each [form type](/forms/overview#form-types) is built for a different moment in the visit. Here are the most popular use cases, the type to reach for, and how to set each one up. Whatever you build, connect it to a [list](/audience/lists) that triggers a [welcome series](/automations/use-cases/welcome-series). Capturing the email is half the job — the automation turns it into a sale. ## Welcome discount popup **The bread-and-butter list builder.** A timed popup offers first-time visitors a discount in exchange for their email — the highest-volume way most stores grow their list. | | | | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Form type** | Welcome Popup | | **When it shows** | A few seconds after landing, or after scrolling part-way down | | **The offer** | "Get 10% off your first order" + a coupon revealed on signup | In **Signup Forms → Create form**, pick the **Welcome Popup** type. Headline the *benefit* — "Get 10% off your first order" converts far better than "Subscribe to our newsletter." Ask for email only; every extra field lowers signups. Reveal a coupon on the success screen. A welcome discount routinely doubles signup rates. Show after \~5 seconds or at 30–50% scroll, so it appears once a visitor is engaged. See [Display rules](/forms/display-rules). ## Exit-intent offer **A last word before they leave.** An exit-intent form appears the moment a visitor moves to close the tab or hit back — a final chance to capture an email or save a sale, without interrupting anyone who's still browsing. | | | | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | **Form type** | Exit-Intent | | **When it shows** | As the cursor moves to leave the page (desktop) | | **The offer** | "Wait — here's 10% off before you go" | * Best for visitors who didn't bite on the welcome popup. Because it only fires on *exit*, it never gets in the way of an active shopper. * Pair a slightly stronger or more urgent offer here — this is the goodbye, so make it count. * Exit-intent detection is a desktop behavior; on mobile, lean on the welcome popup and add-to-cart forms instead. ## Email capture on add-to-cart **Get the email before they reach checkout.** When a shopper adds an item but hasn't entered checkout yet, an add-to-cart form captures their email — so your [abandoned cart recovery](/automations/abandoned-cart-recovery) can reach them even if they never start checkout. | | | | ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------ | | **Form type** | Add-to-Cart | | **When it shows** | Right after a shopper adds an item to their cart | | **The offer** | "Save your cart — and get 10% off" | This is the form that quietly makes cart recovery work harder. Recovery email requires an email address; many shoppers add to cart but bail before the checkout step where they'd normally type it. Capturing it here closes that gap. ## Embedded newsletter signup **Always-on, never interrupting.** An embedded form sits inline in your page — a footer, a blog post, a landing page — so interested visitors can subscribe anytime without a popup ever appearing. | | | | ------------------ | --------------------------------------------------- | | **Form type** | Embed | | **Where it lives** | Inline in your content — footer, blog, landing page | | **The offer** | "Join our list for new arrivals and offers" | * Ideal for content pages and footers where a popup would feel heavy-handed. * Runs alongside your popups, not instead of them — a visitor who dismisses the popup can still subscribe from the footer. * Embedded forms don't use show-triggers; they're simply part of the page. ## "Notify me" back-in-stock waitlist **Capture demand for sold-out products.** On an out-of-stock product page, a form lets shoppers ask to be told when it returns — feeding the [back-in-stock automation](/automations/use-cases/back-in-stock). | | | | ----------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | **Form type** | Welcome Popup or Embed, on out-of-stock pages | | **When it shows** | On product pages where the item is unavailable | | **The offer** | "Email me when this is back" | * Point this form at a product-specific [list](/audience/lists) so the restock alert reaches exactly the right people. * This turns a dead end ("sold out") into recovered revenue the moment you restock. ## Choosing between them | Your goal | Use | | -------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Grow the list at scale | **Welcome Popup** with a first-order discount | | Save visitors about to leave | **Exit-Intent** offer | | Make cart recovery reach more shoppers | **Add-to-Cart** email capture | | Subscribe without interrupting | **Embed** in footer / content | | Capture demand for sold-out items | "Notify me" form → [back in stock](/automations/use-cases/back-in-stock) | You can run several of these at once. A typical setup: a welcome popup for new visitors, an add-to-cart form to feed cart recovery, and an embedded form in the footer — each catching a different moment. Use [display rules](/forms/display-rules) to keep them from competing on the same page view. ## Next steps Build any of these, step by step. Control when, where, and to whom each form appears. The automation that converts new subscribers into buyers.