By the time Black Friday arrives, every inbox is full and every ad slot is taken. The brands that win the weekend have usually done most of the work weeks earlier, by building a list of people who want to hear from them. A Black Friday popup with a game is one of the easiest ways to do that, because it gives visitors a reason to sign up now rather than just "10% off later".
Below are 10 gamified popup ideas for Black Friday email capture, grouped by when you use them: before, during and after Black Week. In 2026, Black Friday falls on 27 November.
Why to build the list in October
Black Friday emails only reach people who have already said yes. If you start collecting sign-ups in the week of Black Friday, most of your new subscribers arrive after your best emails have gone out.
Starting in October gives you:
- More time to collect. Five or six weeks of sign-ups instead of a few days.
- Cheaper attention. Ad prices and inbox competition rise as Black Week gets closer.
- Time to segment. If you ask one question when people sign up, you can send each person the deals that fit.
- A warm list on the day. Your first Black Friday email goes to people who are expecting it.
POWER, the Nordic electronics retailer, showed how powerful a game pop-up can be in this period. For its Black Friday wheel of fortune, the pop-ups on its website reached 1.4 million viewers, and the campaign brought in 60,000 new email permissions in two weeks, alongside newsletters, SMS, social media and TV. Read the POWER story.
How a Black Friday popup works in Scratcher
A quick recap before the ideas. A game pop-up in Scratcher asks people to play first, then sign up. You decide:
- When it shows: after a few seconds, when people scroll, when they are about to leave (desktop) or when they click a button or teaser.
- Where it shows: as a top bar, a side pop-up, a pop-up in the middle or full screen, on the pages, domains and devices you choose.
- How often: how many times it can show and how many days between each time, so it never gets annoying.
You paste one small code on your website once, and it works for every pop-up you make after that. Sign-ups go straight to your email tool or CRM, like Klaviyo, Mailchimp or HubSpot.
Early access signups
Idea 1: The early-access gift
Show a gift surprise pop-up in October and November: "Open your gift and get early access to our Black Friday deals." The gift can be a small instant prize, like free shipping, and the permission text makes clear what people say yes to: "Send me Black Week deals before everyone else." This is the simplest and most effective Black Friday lead generation set-up for most webshops.
Idea 2: The countdown page
Build a pre-registration page with a countdown to Black Friday. Pre-registration cannot run as a pop-up itself, but a pop-up, teaser button or banner can point to it. On the page, people sign up to be first in line. Give early sign-ups a small bonus, like an extra entry in a Black Week draw.
Idea 3: "What are you shopping for?"
A short one-question pop-up before a quick game: "What are you shopping for this Black Week?" with four or five categories, like TV and sound, kitchen, gaming or gifts. Send the answer to your email tool, and on Black Friday send each segment the deals they asked for. You get a more relevant email, and people get fewer offers they do not care about.
Spin or scratch for a Black Friday code
Instant-win games are the classic Black Friday popup, and for good reason. They are quick, fun and lead straight to a purchase.
Idea 4: Spin for your Black Friday code
A wheel with a mix of prizes: a few big ones, like a gift card, and plenty of discount codes. Scratcher hands out unique codes automatically, so each code can only be used once. Lampeguru, the Danish lighting webshop, ran a Black Friday wheel of fortune with gift cards as main prizes and a discount code for everyone who did not win. It reached a 56% conversion rate and 4,582 unique leads. Read the Lampeguru story.
Idea 5: Scratch for a secret deal
A scratch card that reveals a "secret" Black Friday deal. The deal is real, but it is only shown to people who play. That feels more exclusive than a public discount.
Idea 6: Pick your deal
A mystery box with three or more boxes, each hiding a different deal. People pick a box and get what is inside. Use your own Black Friday colours and packaging as the boxes.
Idea 7: The "before you go" game
Use the exit-intent trigger on desktop, so the pop-up shows only when someone is about to leave your site. Pair it with a quick luck game and a code that is valid from Black Friday. It catches visitors you would otherwise lose, without bothering those who are still shopping.
Tip for all instant-win ideas: set prize limits and dates, so your best prizes are not all gone on the first day. Scratcher lets you decide how many of each prize can be won and when. See prizes.
Countdown calendars for Black Week
Black Friday has turned into Black Week, and in some shops Black November. A calendar gives people a reason to come back every day instead of just once.
Idea 8: The Black Week calendar
Use a campaign calendar with one door per day of Black Week, or a door every few days through November. Behind each door, put a quick game or a deal of the day. Show the calendar as a pop-up on your website, and send an email when a new door opens. With auto-submit turned on, returning players do not need to fill in the form again, so playing takes one click.
Idea 9: The code hunt
Run a lucky number game where people guess a code to win. Reveal one digit or hint per day in your newsletter, on social media and in store. People who follow you everywhere have the best odds, and the hints drive traffic between your channels.
Avoiding discount fatigue
Black Friday can turn into a race to the bottom. A few ways to stay out of it:
- Give experiences, not just discounts. A chance to win a product people want can feel more valuable than another 20% off. POWER chose popular products that it was already showing in its marketing as prizes, so people recognised them.
- Use consolation prizes wisely. Free shipping, a free sample or loyalty points often cost less than a bigger discount and still drive purchases.
- Reward loyalty. POWER used its Black Friday game to grow its MyPower loyalty club with 45,697 new members, giving people a reason to stay after the weekend.
- Keep your best deal for the day. If your October pop-up gives away your biggest discount, there is nothing left to say on Black Friday.
- Limit how often people can play. It keeps the game fair and stops your prize budget from running away.
- Do not show the pop-up to everyone, everywhere. Use page and device targeting, and frequency settings, so loyal customers are not interrupted on every visit.
Post-Black Friday retention
The weeks after Black Friday decide whether new subscribers become customers or unsubscribe. Plan for them now.
Idea 10: The thank-you gift
After Cyber Monday, swap your Black Friday pop-up for a gift surprise for new subscribers: "Thanks for shopping with us, here's a little something for December." It turns a one-time bargain hunter into someone who hears from you again before Christmas.
More ways to keep them
- Welcome flow. Send new Black Friday subscribers a short series that introduces your brand, not just more discounts.
- Remind winners. Send a reminder to everyone with an unused code before it runs out.
- Move into Christmas. Invite your new list to your Christmas or advent calendar. It gives them a reason to come back every day in December.
- Look at the numbers. Check which pop-up, page and channel brought the most sign-ups, and which segments bought. Use it for next year.
Quick checklist
- Pop-up live by October, with clear permission text
- One question for segmentation
- Prize plan with limits, so prizes last all of Black Week
- Unique codes set up in your shop to work from Black Friday
- Exit-intent and frequency settings checked
- Email tool connected and tested
- Calendar or code hunt planned for Black Week
- A follow-up plan for December
Get your Black Friday popup live
The earlier your pop-up goes live, the bigger your list on Black Friday. Start a free 14-day trial and build your first Black Friday game pop-up from a template, or book a meeting if you want help planning Black Week.
