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Why am I seeing the popup if I’ve already signed up?

How Alia hides popups for returning visitors.

Cory Gill avatar
Written by Cory Gill
Updated over 2 months ago

1. Quick answer

Most “repeat-popup” reports trace back to one of two causes:

  1. Targeting mis-configuration – e.g., the popup is set to “All visitors” instead of “New visitors.”

  2. A fresh, anonymous session – cookies were cleared or the visitor is in Incognito or a different device/browser

  3. Alia was recently installed – like any tracking tool, it takes time for Alia to identify users who last visited before the app was installed. Third-party cookies can help with this.


2. How Alia detects returning visitors

Alia uses all available strategies for detecting returning visitors to your store, including our own first-party cookie, cookies set by Shopify, Klaviyo, and other third parties, and UTMs from the user's session.

Suppression layer

How it works

When it fails

Alia cookie

We drop a first-party cookie the moment someone lands on your store. In most cases, this will identify the user until they clear their cookies.

  • Cookies are cleared

  • Different device or browser is used

  • Alia wasn't installed yet when the user last visited

ESP identification

If Klaviyo, Postscript, etc. have already identified the visitor, you can suppress the popup with targeting settings.

The user or device hasn't yet been identified by a third-party cookie.

Shopify login

Logged-in Shopify customers can be tracked across devices or browsers.

The visitor isn't logged into their Shopify account.

UTM shielding

You can hide the popup in any session that contains email/SMS UTMs, like utm_medium=email or utm_source=sms.

The shopper lands on the site without those UTMs (e.g., typed URL directly).


3. How does Alia compare to other popup providers?

In general, Alia won't show to any more returning visitors than other providers. If you take advantage of third-party cookies, it will often show to fewer users.

However, like any tracking tool, it takes time to start identifying users who last visited before the app was installed. For most merchants using Alia, the rate of returning visitors matches their previous popup after a week or two.

If a few weeks have passed since installation and you still suspect that more returning visitors are seeing Alia than your previous popup, follow these instructions to find the difference:

  • Create a segment in Klaviyo/Postscript/Attentive/other provider:
    “People who signed up before [launch date] AND signed up via the Alia form after [launch date].”

  • Compare its size to past popup campaigns; you’ll usually see fewer duplicates with Alia after the first few weeks.

If you find a significant difference, reach out to us for help. We're committed to ensuring that your popup shows to as few returning visitors as possible.


4. What to do if you see the popup multiple times

If you see a popup appear multiple times for the same user and device/browser, check your targeting settings to ensure the campaign is configured to show only for new visitors.

Also, note that Smart Triggers and third-party tools like Black Crow and Ground AI can trigger a popup for a second time.

If you still suspect an issue:

  • Send us the email address, timestamp, and IP address of one of the affected visitors.

  • Include a short Loom or screenshot sequence of how you reproduced the issue.

  • Our support team will review cookie logs and targeting rules to pinpoint the cause.


Recap

  • Alia uses multiple methods to suppress popups for returning visitors, including our own cookie, third-party ESP IDs (like Klaviyo), Shopify logins, and UTM tags.

  • It takes time to detect returning visitors who last visited before Alia was installed. Most merchants see suppression rates normalize after a few weeks.

  • Want to double-check suppression? Create a segment of users who signed up before and after your Alia launch to compare against past campaigns.

  • Still seeing issues? Contact support with details like email, IP address, and timestamp, and we’ll help investigate.

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