are popups still even worth it anymore?

been thinking about this while tweaking our store and honestly… i’m kinda split

like yeah, from a founder perspective they still work
you throw a popup → emails go up → conversions go up

but as a customer? it’s getting annoying af

you open a site and instantly get hit with
“get 10% off”
“spin the wheel”
“don’t leave yet”

feels less like shopping and more like getting pressured into buying something

we tested a few things on our end too
early popups = more emails but people bounce faster
delayed ones = fewer emails but better engagement
exit intent still works decently tbh

lately we’ve been trying to change the type of popups instead of just killing them

like instead of discounts:
→ “is niacinamide right for your skin?”
→ quick skin quiz
→ routine suggestions

feels a bit more natural for skincare vs just throwing offers

still figuring it out tho

curious what others are seeing rn
are popups still working for you or starting to hurt the experience?