More newsletter sign-ups with a welcome discount

1 Turn on double opt-in before the list grows

In the EU, marketing emails need consent you can prove. Double opt-in, where the address is confirmed by email, is the common way to prove it; in Germany the Federal Court of Justice described the method in 2011 and required every consent to be fully documented.

In Shopify you find the setting under Settings > Notifications > Customer notifications, in the marketing double opt-in section. Turn it on early: according to Shopify, people who subscribed before don't have to confirm afterward.

2 Keep the confirmation email free of marketing

The email asking someone to confirm their sign-up is a sensitive point. A German appeals court treated it as advertising in 2012, another disagreed in 2014. German chambers of commerce advise keeping it free of any advertising, and Shopify also says it shouldn't contain marketing.

So no discount code, no product images, no offer in that email. Just the purpose and the confirmation link.

3 Say in the form what's coming

Shopify Forms is free and adds a sign-up form as a popup or inline. Say what subscribers will get, how often, that they can unsubscribe at any time, and link your privacy policy.

In the EU, one limit always applies: don't make the purchase itself depend on signing up. A discount for signing up, yes; buying only with a sign-up, no.

4 Ideally, send the code after confirmation

Shopify Forms can show a discount code right after the form is submitted. That brings quick first orders, but also codes for made-up addresses. If the code only comes in the welcome email after confirmation, only real subscribers get it.

Test with an address of your own whether the confirmation email actually arrives. As recently as May 2025, merchants in the Shopify Community reported that no confirmation email arrived for Forms sign-ups even with double opt-in turned on.

5 Use single-use codes instead of one code for everyone

A code like WELCOME10 spreads. Modern Retail described in 2024 how codes travel through browser extensions like Honey and coupon sites like RetailMeNot. The "once per customer" setting only slows that down: Shopify checks it by email address or phone number, and a new address is enough.

A unique code per subscriber, valid once, limits the damage to a single redemption.

6 If you do use a shared code, keep it tight

Limit it to customers without a previous order, to one use per customer, with a minimum order value and an end date, and don't let it combine with other discounts. Swap the code regularly, so a leaked code soon becomes worthless.

7 Send a series instead of a single email

Shopify Messaging has templates for a welcome email and for a whole welcome series with a discount. A common order: first the code, then your story and bestsellers, finally a reminder shortly before the code expires.

8 Measure sign-ups and redemptions

Two numbers show whether the welcome discount pays off: how many visitors fill in the form, and how many codes get redeemed afterward. You see redemptions in Shopify's sales by discount code report. If many codes are redeemed by addresses that never opened an email, your code has probably leaked.