36 Welcome Message Examples for Customers

In this guide, you'll see how to create a compelling welcome message for customers to make a strong first impression and foster engagement.

You'll see some of the best examples of welcome messages for customers from successful businesses shared in emails, the onsite feed, live chat widgets, and onsite campaigns.

Find out:

• What a welcome message is

• Welcome message templates you can copy

• Messages for new customers, returning customers, and clients

• 15 welcome message examples

• Benefits of having a welcome message

• How to share welcome messages with customers

What is a welcome message for customers?

A welcome message is a short, friendly message used to greet new visitors when they arrive at a website or subscribe to a newsletter. The best welcome messages create a positive first impression and encourage engagement with incentives or helpful resources.

Welcome messages are an important initial component of customer journey-based marketing communications because they give the info and incentives needed to evaluate a business and its products or services.

The same welcome message runs in more than one place: a website popup on the first page, a bar across the top of the site, a message in the onsite feed, an email after someone subscribes, an SMS, or the greeting inside a live chat widget.

Because a welcome message is triggered rather than written once and left alone, it can also change by visitor. A first-time visitor arriving from a paid ad can get the discount, a returning visitor who already subscribed can get what is back in stock instead, and someone landing on a category page can get an offer for that category.

Here is what a welcome message looks like on a live site:

Where the message appears decides how much of the traffic it reaches and how well it converts. Restricting a welcome campaign to the pages where its offer applies more than doubles the signup rate:

Welcome message templates you can copy

A generic greeting reads the same on a fashion site as on a garden furniture site, which is why it converts badly on both. The templates below are written for specific ecommerce categories, so the detail that earns the email address is already in the copy: drop dates for fashion, swatches and lead times for home and decor, skin type for beauty, batch testing for supplements.

Swap the product names and the numbers for yours, and keep the structure.

Short welcome messages

One line each, for a bar, a chat widget, or an SMS:

Welcome message in a website popup

Nothing else reaches as many people, because every new visitor sees the message on the first page. Two versions cover most ecommerce categories: one that leads with the offer, and one that asks a question before the email field so the answer can route the follow-up:

Welcome message in an email

In an email the welcome message reaches someone who has already subscribed, so it has more room to work with and nothing left to ask for. The message hands over the code, names the two products worth starting with, and says what will arrive next:

Welcome message in a live chat

A live chat greeting has one job: telling the visitor what they can ask and how fast an answer comes. Naming the three questions your category actually generates gets more use than an open invitation to chat:

Welcome message in an SMS

An SMS welcome has to carry the brand name, the reason for the message, and an opt-out in about 160 characters. Put the code first, because that is what the reader opened the message for:

Welcome messages for new customers, returning customers, and clients

One message shown to everyone ends up written for whoever arrives most often, and the other two groups read something that does not apply to them. A first-time visitor knows nothing about the brand, a returning visitor has already seen the signup offer, and a client who booked an appointment is further along than either.

Here is what changes for each group:

New customers and first-time visitors

A first-time visitor needs two things in the first sentence: what you sell, and a reason to keep reading. This is the group that responds to an incentive, because they have no reason yet to give an email address for nothing.

Asking one question before the email field works better than asking for the email straight away. In our benchmarks, multi-step welcome campaigns sign up 5.17% of visitors against 4.62% for single-step, and the answer to that first question also tells you which category to send them. That first small action is a micro-commitment, and it makes the second step easier to complete.

Two messages for a first-time visitor:

Returning customers and repeat buyers

A returning visitor has already seen the welcome message, so showing it again costs an interruption and returns nothing. Give this group a different format and a different reason to act: what changed since the last visit, what is back in stock, or a reorder reminder timed to how long the product lasts.

Two messages for a returning visitor:

Clients in service and B2B businesses

A client who booked a call, a visit, or a trial has already committed time, so an incentive is the wrong opening. What this group needs is confirmation of what happens next, who they are dealing with, and where to get an answer between now and then.

The same applies to a client arriving for a first appointment in person, whether that is a fitting, a showroom visit, or a design consultation. Naming the next step and the person handling it removes the two questions a new client is actually holding. Longer nurture sequences for this group sit in these B2B lead generation strategies.

Two messages for a new client:

Welcome message examples for customers

Fifteen welcome messages from real brands, each with the copy behind it:

• Yespark: give a promo code for the first subscription

• OMAJ: share brand values

• Vai Vai Visby: give a short intro to your brand

• NEOM: provide value right away

• Hardgraft: tell your brand story in four lines

• Cuisinart: be short and to the point

• Discover Siskiyou: create a sense of urgency to engage

• Partake Foods: share a reason why you started your business

• King Arthur Bakery: promise to improve your customers' skills

• Gucci: repeat your promise to customers

• Jean Paul Gaultier: highlight exclusivity

• Blume: show customers that they are a part of a community

• A1 Supplements: add some power words

• Window Seat Coffee: associate your brand with positive experiences

• Ideal of Sweden: invite to engage right away

Yespark: give a promo code for the first monthly subscription

This is a typical welcome message for customers from a SaaS business. Yespark is a parking subscription service, so they focus their welcome message on the main benefit: a €15 coupon for the first monthly subscription.

This welcome message helped Yespark collect 3,492 emails from new visitors, and the full case study covers the rest of the campaign:

OMAJ: share your brand values

If sustainability is central to what your brand does, the welcome message is where to say it. OMAJ does exactly that, describing its commitment to reducing its environmental footprint and fighting consumerism.

Though this welcome message may seem long, it covers all important details and encourages visitors to explore the website. And it's warm and friendly, a perfect tone to write the best welcome message for customers.

Note that OMAJ shares this welcome message through the onsite feed, a bell icon in the corner of the page that holds messages without interrupting the visit:

Vai Vai Visby: give a short intro to your brand

This welcome message briefly describes how Vai Vai Visby started and why. As you can see, it comes from a brand's mascot, a chihuahua named Willow, which is a cool way to introduce your brand and encourage visitors to learn more.

According to Teodor Malmborg from Vai Vai Visby, the goal behind this welcome message was to simulate the in-store experience on the website:

NEOM: provide value right away

NEOM, a skincare brand, gives this warm welcome message to all new visitors. Besides the welcoming message itself, the brand invites new visitors to join their community to get 20% off the first order as well as helpful skincare content. Also, there's free shipping for orders over £50.

This tactic is not new, and naming both the discount and the free shipping threshold in the same message gives a first-time visitor two reasons to subscribe instead of one.

Hardgraft: tell your brand story in four lines

Hardgraft, a high-quality lifestyle brand, shares this welcome message in a popup on its homepage. Four lines carry the founding year, the size of the company, the product range, and the materials, which is enough for a first-time visitor to place the brand without leaving the page. The invitation to get in touch comes last, once there is a reason to ask a question.

One important thing is that Hardgraft shows this message after a time delay, meaning they let customers check out the products. That's a good idea, because showing a message with an invitation to ask questions before one even had time to browse around would be, well, annoying.

Cuisinart: be short and to the point

Cuisinart's welcome message is essentially a shorter version of NEOM's. It includes only one sentence with the brand's value and goes straight to the discount and how to apply it. Note that this welcome message was a part of a larger email.

One cool thing about this welcome message example is that CTA button. Not only does it take the new subscribers directly to the products but also mentions the discount to highlight the good deal. That's a good move since welcome emails are very effective at generating sales.

Discover Siskiyou: create a sense of urgency to engage

Discover Siskiyou is a website that offers getaways in the amazing nature of California's Siskiyou County. In this welcome message, they create a sense of urgency by recommending to book a stay today. The message strikes a perfect balance by not being pushy, too.

Consider this tactic for creating welcome messages if you're a hospitality business, too. The main thing is creating a sense of urgency without sounding pushy.

Partake Foods: share a reason why you started your business

Denise Woodard struggled to find healthy snacks for her daughter, who was diagnosed with severe food allergies. Frustrated by the limited options available, she decided to launch her own company, Partake. Now, she helps parents and kids with food allergies to enjoy delicious snacks without any worries.

A great cause, truly worth mentioning in a welcome message, wouldn't you agree? Reading this text will make many people trust the brand more because Woodard has managed to tackle similar challenges they might be going through.

In a Shopify interview, Woodard shared that building and nurturing the email list was the most important business growth strategy.

King Arthur Bakery: promise to improve your customers' skills

Another welcome message made in the style of a letter. The employees of King Arthur Bakery make a collective promise to improve baking skills of their customers and inspire them with exceptional products and recipes.

This is a good example of how you can start building trust right from the welcome message. By making a promise to help customers improve their skills, you can also show that you are invested in your customers' success and not just selling products.

Gucci: repeat your promise to customers

Note the first sentence in this welcome message: Gucci reiterates that we will be the first to get updates on new product launches and so on. It's a good way to remind subscribers of the value they will receive by being on our email list.

Consider doing the same in your welcome emails and try to mention as many cool benefits as possible to get their attention right away.

Jean Paul Gaultier: highlight exclusivity

Jean Paul Gaultier uses a welcome message that conveys exclusivity and prestige to entice new subscribers to make the first purchase. The message hits that the brand takes the experience of their subscribers seriously, and shares great emails often.

This approach to writing welcome messages for customers can be particularly effective for luxury brands that want to make their customers feel special and valued right from the start.

Blume: show customers that they are a part of a community

Being a part of a brand community improves engagement and loyalty. That's why mentioning some details about your brand's community in welcome messages can be an effective way to instill a sense of belonging in new subscribers.

Blume does exactly that, and their welcome message, this one sent in a welcome email, mentions the brand's community of over 500,000 members.

A1 Supplements: add some power words

A1 Supplements mentions that their products are a trusted and proven tool that helps meet the most common needs of their customers. There are a couple of power words (words that trigger emotional response), "trusted" and "science-based," which are an effective way to build customer trust.

Using power words is one of the best practices in ecommerce copywriting, but for businesses in the health, wellness and beauty industries, this tactic is a must-do. Consider this guide to power words if you'd like to know more.

Window Seat Coffee: associate your brand with positive experiences

Window Seat Coffee... That sounds a bit like good times, right? This welcome message is all about that, forgetting about the stresses of daily lives for a minute and creating relaxing moments. The goal here is to associate the brand with such experiences.

So, if you'd like to associate your brand with positive experiences, consider this tactic in welcome messages for your customers. Add some imagery like Window Seat Coffee does here: a cup of coffee, a beautiful landscape, and a warm sea are all things that can bring relaxation and joy.

Ideal of Sweden: invite to engage right away

This one from Ideal of Sweden is a typical welcome message for customers that ecommerce stores have in live chat widgets. It's short, to the point, and invites visitors to engage by giving a few links to important resources like order tracking, product information, and refunds.

If your online business uses live chats or chatbots for customer support, then writing a welcome message like this would be a good idea to encourage customers to find the help they need.

Benefits of welcome messages

Done well, welcome messages have many benefits for businesses:

• Make a good first impression. A warm, inviting welcome message will go a long way towards making a customer feel valued and appreciated

• Introduce your brand. You can describe your brand's values, mission, and unique value of your products to communicate what your business is all about

• Motivate customers to engage. Welcome messages may contain links to product categories or customer support or give incentives to encourage customers to explore your website

• Convert first-time visitors. Discounts, free shipping, free samples, limited-time offers and other incentives can help you convert new visitors, and the same offer carries over into the welcome email that follows the signup

• Collect customer segmentation data. A welcome message, for example, may contain checkboxes for customers to choose preferred product categories (eg. men's or women's)

• Help customers find the right page on your website. You can include helpful links in welcome messages, including to pages with sales, best-sellers, and FAQs

• Let visitors know they can get support easily. Having a welcome message for customers in a live chat is a good way to let them know that you're available in case they have questions

How to share welcome messages with customers

Here are a few proven ways to welcome new customers to your website and introduce your brand the right way:

In our study, 56% of Shopify stores used popups for welcome messages to convert visitors, often offering a discount. This strategy converted 4% of visitors on average.

Popup use across the stores in that study:

Once you have picked the channel, the moment you show the message changes the result more than the wording does:

The catch with waiting is volume. A visitor who leaves on the first page never sees the message, so the higher rate applies to a smaller audience. Running one campaign on landing and a second after two page views covers both, split by page view count.

Summary

Welcome messages are an important tool for businesses to engage and build trust with customers. By sharing a personal story, making a promise to improve skills, and highlighting exclusivity or community, you can create a strong connection with your customers right from the start.