Accept payments and collect opt-ins separately

This guide covers some options for using a payment processor alongside an opt-in form. You can set up two main paths for your leads:

• have them opt in before purchasing a product
• have them purchase a product and then opt in to your ESP

Below, we suggest a few methods for setting up your integration and payment processor to collect all the information you need.

Before you get started

Please know that while it’s definitely possible to use Leadpages in conjunction with many payment processors, some play more nicely than others. Payments are inherently complex, and setting things up will require you to dive into the settings for whichever service you use.

Keep in mind, we also have service-specific guides for PayPal and for Shopify.

It’s easiest to work with a payment processor that provides the following features:

• a direct URL (i.e. not just an embed code) to a checkout/shopping cart page
• the ability to configure a custom thank you/confirmation page URL that visitors see when they complete a transaction
• the ability to collect information such as name, email, etc. during the transaciton

If you haven’t yet chosen a payment service, we recommend looking for one that offers the features above. Otherwise, please note that some methods below won’t be possible, or will require alternative setup within your payment service to work.

Method 1: Capture an opt-in first

With this method, your page visitors will need to submit an opt-in form on your page before completing a purchase. Here are a few pros and cons to this setup:

• Pro: Since you’ll capture opt-in information right away, even if a visitor doesn’t complete their purchase, you’ll have contact information to follow up with them.
• Pro: While a purchase is the short-term goal, obtaining a visitor’s email or other opt-in information—regardless of their purchase decision—allows you the opportunity to build a relationship, address concerns, and improve your offerings in the long run.
• Con: There are more barriers leading up to the completion of a purchase since the visitor will have to (potentially) fill out two forms and enter their email twice.

Step-by-step instructions

Here’s how to get visitors to opt in before sending them to a purchase page.

1. Open a form for your page or pop-up, then navigate to ③ ACTIONS tab in the form settings.
2. Choose the “Send user to an external URL” option, as shown below.
   
3. Paste your shopping cart or checkout page’s URL in the thank you page field.
4. Save and close your form, then update/publish your page. 

​Once you set your form up this way, any visitor who opts in will land on your payment processor or shopping cart URL. That page will essentially replace a thank you page, allowing your visitors to make a purchase there.

Method 2: Capture a payment first

This method allows your visitors to purchase something before opting in to your list. Once they complete a transaction, they’ll be directed to fill out an opt-in form so you can collect their information. Or, if your payment service doesn’t allow you to customize a confirmation page, you can manually upload contacts to your ESP.

Here are a few pros and cons to this setup:

• Pro: You’ll receive money from transactions more quickly, since the purchase comes first.
• Pro: Visitors face fewer barriers before making a purchase, since it’s the first thing they’ll do once they decide to buy.
• Con: If a visitor ends up not making a purchase, you won’t have information to follow-up with them.
• Con: Visitors may not feel the need to complete an opt-in form once they have their purchased product.

To capture a payment first, you’ll need a direct link from your payment processor. That might be a “buy now” button link, or a URL to a shopping cart page.

Then, you can link your call to action to your purchase page, instead of a pop-up or form. Here’s how:

Step-by-step

1. Add a button widget to your page, or use an existing one.
2. Hover over the button and click Add Click Event.
3. Choose External URL.
   
4. Paste in the URL to your payment or checkout page. 

Set up a thank you page from your payment processor

In order to capture opt-in information after the purchase, you’ll need to create a separate page with an opt-in form to use as a thank you page in your payment processor. We recommend using a page, or creating a pop-up to use on an existing webpage.

Once you’ve created a thank you page with an opt-in form, copy its published URL. Then, paste it in as the thank you page your customers see when they make a purchase. Please refer to your payment service’s help center for details on post-purchase thank you page settings.

Manually upload customers to your list

Using this method, visitors would make a purchase but aren’t required to fill out a form. Instead, you can use information gathered in transactions to manually add new customers to your ESP or CRM.

NOTE: This method doesn’t require a thank you page to be connected, and can be done with any payment processor.

Keep in mind, some regions have laws and regulations that may prevent you from adding folks to your list without having them fill out a form. We recommend checking local laws to ensure they allow this before proceeding.

Once someone makes a purchase, check your payment processor for their information. Note some payment processors allow you to customize the information collected for a given transaction.

Then, check with your ESP for instructions on manually adding contacts to a list. From there, you’ll need to copy and paste contact information from your payment service to your ESP.

Need more help?

You can always get in touch with our support team—just click Support in your Leadpages navigation menu, or submit a ticket ↗