Most visitors who leave your website never come back. Exit-intent chat gives you one last chance to engage them before they disappear — whether they’re abandoning a cart, bouncing from a pricing page, or hesitating on a product comparison.
With PushEngage’s chat widget, you can display a message exactly when the visitor is about to exit, offering help, reassurance, or incentives that recover conversions.
This guide walks you through why exit intent works — and how to set it up in PushEngage in less than a minute.
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What Is Exit Intent?
Exit intent detects when a visitor is likely to leave your site by tracking behaviors such as:
- Moving the mouse toward the browser’s close button or back button
- Rapid upward cursor movement
- Switching tabs
- Attempting to close the tab
When detected, PushEngage triggers your chat widget instantly — capturing engagement at the perfect moment.
Why Exit-Intent Chat Works
Exit-intent chat is one of the highest-impact triggers you can use because it intervenes when a visitor is:
- Confused
- Hesitating
- Price-checking
- Looking for alternatives
- Planning to abandon their checkout
A well-timed exit-intent message can:
- Reduce cart abandonment
- Recover lost leads
- Answer last-minute doubts
- Offer help at the moment of hesitation
- Present incentives only to abandoning users
It’s the digital equivalent of saying, “Before you go — can I help with something?” right when they’re walking out the door.
How PushEngage Handles Exit Intent
PushEngage includes behavior-based triggers inside the chat widget builder. One of these triggers is Show on Exit Intent.
When enabled, the widget stays hidden until the visitor demonstrates behavior that signals they’re leaving.

A few notes:
- Exit intent works best on desktop due to cursor-based cues.
- On mobile, PushEngage uses fallback triggers that approximate exit behavior.
You don’t need custom scripts or plugins — PushEngage handles all detection automatically.
How to Enable Exit-Intent Chat in PushEngage (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Create or Edit Your Chat Widget
In your WordPress dashboard:
Go to PushEngage » Chat Widgets.

Choose Create Widget or select an existing one to edit.

Step 2: Trigger on Exit Intent
Once you’re done selecting channels and setting up your agent scheduling, go to the Triggers tab. Under Trigger Type, select Display on exit intent.

Step 5: Save and Publish Your Widget
Click Save Widget. Make sure the widget is active and targeted to the right pages. Your exit-intent chat is now live.
Where to Use Exit-Intent Chat (High-Impact Pages)
Exit intent works best on pages where the visitor is making a decision:
1. Pricing page
They are comparing cost and value — often seconds away from bouncing.
2. Checkout page
They may have doubts about shipping, trust, or payment.
3. Product pages
Perfect moment to answer pre-purchase questions.
4. Blog posts
Great for capturing leads before they leave after reading.
5. Demo/consultation pages
Useful for re-engaging prospects who are interested but hesitant.
Combine with page targeting to show exit-intent chat only where it matters most.
Optional Enhancements (High ROI)
1. Add a discount or offer
Only shown to abandoners → no margin loss for high-intent visitors.
2. Send exit-intent chats to sales agents
Recover lost opportunities instantly.
3. Combine with return-visitor targeting
Catch repeat hesitations.
4. Tailor the message by page
Product page: “Questions about this item?”
Pricing page: “Need help choosing the right plan?”
Checkout: “Want help completing your order?”
Best Practices for Exit-Intent Chat
Keep it subtle
Exit intent is about assistance, not desperation.
Avoid aggressive discounts everywhere
Use sparingly to avoid training visitors to abandon on purpose.
Keep messages short
Visitors are already leaving — keep your ask minimal.
Don’t combine with early-page triggers
Exit-intent chat should only appear at the final moment.
Test it on desktop and mobile
Mobile requires fallback logic — make sure the experience still feels natural.
What to Do After Setting Up Chat Widgets
Exit-intent chat is one of the simplest ways to win back abandoning visitors — and PushEngage makes it incredibly easy to implement.
In under a minute, you can:
- Detect when users are about to leave
- Show a helpful message at the perfect time
- Recover sales, generate leads, and reduce abandonment
Small change, big impact.
Once the schedules are set, your team can operate more efficiently—and your customers get the experience they expect.
If you haven’t already set up agent profiles and schedules in PushEngage, now’s the time.
Not convinced? Check out these amazing resources on multichannel marketing campaigns:
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