Many Shopify brands rely on the pop-up included with their email platform. But what if that default pop-up is holding back their email list growth?

In episode #37 of the Retention Edge, Pietro Saccomani, founder of MobiLoud, sits down with Shaan Arora, co-founder and CEO of Alia, to unpack how the company grew from a college dorm-room idea into an AI-powered pop-up platform used by 4,500 brands.

From deciding not to accept outside funding to bootstrapping the company through a $60 million acquisition, Shaan shares how narrow positioning, free marketing channels, agency partnerships, referrals, and hands-on customer support helped Alia grow. He also explains how AI-driven testing and personalized offers can generate two to three times more email opt-ins within 30 days.

We dive deep into:

- Why focusing exclusively on pop-ups accelerated Alia’s growth

- How Alia uses AI to show different offers, messages, and pop-ups to different shoppers

- Why agency partnerships and referrals became major growth channels

- How brands can increase opt-ins without always offering larger discounts

- Why Shaan chose not to accept a family-and-friends funding round

- How hands-on setup helps customers start using the software successfully

- What changed after Alia’s $60 million acquisition

- Why list health still matters as email and SMS marketing continue to grow

If you lead eCommerce, retention, email marketing, or growth at a Shopify brand, this episode offers practical lessons on list growth, personalization, positioning, customer support, and building a focused SaaS company. Growth doesn’t always coming from solving as many problems as possible, but from solving one important problem exceptionally well.

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📱 Get a free preview of your brand’s mobile app: https://www.mobiloud.com/

Connect with Pietro: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pietrosaccomani/

Connect with Shaan: linkedin.com/in/shaan-arora/