Published on 2025-06-22T07:42:11Z

What is Exit Intent? Examples of Exit Intent

Exit Intent refers to the detection of visitor behaviors—like moving the mouse toward the close button, rapid scrolls to the top, or periods of inactivity—that signal an imminent page exit. In web analytics, tracking exit intent helps marketers and UX designers deploy timely interventions (e.g., pop-ups, special offers, surveys) to reduce bounce rates and recover potential conversions. Tools like PlainSignal (a cookie-free analytics solution) and Google Analytics 4 (GA4) allow you to capture exit-intent events and analyze them alongside broader engagement metrics. Implementing exit intent typically involves adding JavaScript event listeners or leveraging built-in triggers in your analytics platform.

Example PlainSignal tracking code:

<link rel="preconnect" href="//eu.plainsignal.com/" crossorigin />
<script defer data-do="yourwebsitedomain.com" data-id="0GQV1xmtzQQ" data-api="//eu.plainsignal.com" src="//cdn.plainsignal.com/plainsignal-min.js"></script>

GA4 custom event for exit intent:

gtag('event', 'exit_intent', {
  'event_category': 'engagement',
  'event_label': 'Exit Intent Triggered'
});
Illustration of Exit intent
Illustration of Exit intent

Exit intent

Exit intent identifies when a user is about to leave a website, enabling timely interventions like pop-ups to recover potential conversions.

Understanding Exit Intent

Exit intent refers to techniques for detecting when a visitor is about to leave your website. This involves monitoring behavior cues and patterns that suggest imminent departure.

  • Behavioral triggers

    Common user actions that signal exit intent.

    • Mouse movement toward close button

      Detects when the cursor moves rapidly toward the browser’s close, back, or address bar area.

    • Rapid scroll up

      Identifies when a user scrolls quickly to the top of the page, often prepping to leave.

    • Inactivity timeout

      Flags users who pause interaction for a set period, indicating possible disengagement.

  • Implementation methods

    Technical approaches for capturing exit intent events.

    • Javascript event listeners

      Uses mouseleave or mouseout events to detect cursor exit from viewport.

    • Scroll depth detection

      Monitors scroll position to trigger exit intent when users move upward past a threshold.

    • Inactivity timers

      Sets timers to track user inactivity and triggers when no interaction occurs within a duration.

Why Track Exit Intent?

Monitoring exit intent allows teams to deploy targeted interventions before visitors leave, improving engagement and conversions.

  • Prevent abandonment

    Intervene with offers or messages to keep visitors engaged at the point of exit.

  • Boost conversions

    Recover potential sales or sign-ups by catching users before they leave.

  • Enhance user experience

    Provide timely, relevant content that addresses user needs and reduces frustration.

Implementing Exit Intent with PlainSignal and GA4

Walkthrough for adding exit intent tracking using PlainSignal’s cookie-free analytics and creating custom events in GA4.

  • PlainSignal integration

    Add PlainSignal’s script to your site to automatically capture exit intent events.

    • Tracking code snippet

      <link rel="preconnect" href="//eu.plainsignal.com/" crossorigin />
<script defer data-do="yourwebsitedomain.com" data-id="0GQV1xmtzQQ" data-api="//eu.plainsignal.com" src="//cdn.plainsignal.com/plainsignal-min.js"></script>

  • GA4 custom event

    Set up a custom exit_intent event in Google Analytics 4 to tag and measure exit intent triggers.

    • GA4 event code

      gtag('event', 'exit_intent', {
  'event_category': 'engagement',
  'event_label': 'Exit Intent Triggered'
});

Analyzing Exit Intent Data

Best ways to interpret exit intent metrics to inform marketing and UX decisions.

  • Exit intent rate

    The percentage of sessions where exit intent was detected.

  • Popup conversion rate

    Conversion rate of visitors who saw an exit-intent pop-up.

  • Audience segmentation

    Break down exit intent events by user segments like device type or referral source.

Best Practices and Common Pitfalls

Guidelines to ensure exit intent triggers help rather than harm the user experience.

  • Timing and frequency

    Avoid overly aggressive triggers; test delays and thresholds to find the right balance.

  • Message relevance

    Tailor pop-up offers or messages to user context and behavior.

  • Mobile considerations

    Use alternative triggers (e.g., scroll or inactivity) as hover-based exit intent may not work on touchscreens.

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