When visitors abandon a multi-step popup before completing every step, the information they gave up to that point can get lost. The Sync to integration setting decides when OptiMonk sends visitor data into your marketing automation software: right away, step by step — or once, intelligently.
What your popups use
Popups built in the new OptiMonk app use Smart Sync on every step by default. You don't have to set anything up: a multi-step popup that asks for an email on one page and a phone number on a later page behaves the way Smart Sync describes below.
The setting is not exposed in the new app's editor — the button's Behavior (on click) panel has no Sync to integration selector. If you have a specific reason to switch a campaign to Right now sync, contact us and we will help you.
What does the Right Now sync setting mean?
Right Now sync means that OptiMonk sends the contact info of multi-step popups into the integration of your choice one by one. For example, if a visitor is asked to provide their email on the first page of the popup, OptiMonk sends their email address to your marketing automation software right away, without waiting for the visitor to fill in the other input fields on the later pages.
Please note that sending their email address (or any other piece of contact information) into your marketing automation software right away might trigger an email flow even if the same visitor is asked to give their phone number at a later step.
What is Smart Sync?
Smart Sync has two main advantages compared to Right now sync:
If a visitor completes each step of your popup, OptiMonk waits until the last step to send all contact information to your marketing automation software at once. This way, if a phone number or additional contact info is provided, your marketing automation software receives everything together, and email or welcome flows do not start prematurely.
Smart Sync can detect if your visitor abandons your popup without filling out all the input fields, and sends in all the data gathered up to that point. So you don't have to worry about only getting everything or nothing — OptiMonk makes sure no piece of contact information is lost along the way.
Why this matters for multi-step popups
In the new app a popup can have one hook plus up to five inner steps (for example: an engagement step, a quiz, an email capture, an SMS capture and a thank-you page). The more steps you have, the more it matters when the data is sent:
With Smart Sync, a visitor who gives their email on step 2 and drops out on step 4 still reaches your list — with the email you already collected.
Without it, that same visitor would enter your welcome flow before you ever learn their phone number.
Single-step popups — one form, one submit button — are unaffected: there is only one moment at which data can be sent.