Popup vs No Popup

Hi there ;)

This is my first shot of 2017 since the start of this year was super busy. Finally, got some time to reveal what is going on behind the scenes in Congruity Hub.
...Yes, we are still 😆 working on Foodly Shopify theme improving its code quality, interaction and the whole experience with this shop.

Here's an issue that has been bothering us for some time
It's pop-ups, overlay modules pick it yourself how to name a thing that appears from nowhere once you open the store and stops you from exploring content.
Initially, we were not fond of them at all because they make so much pain for the user experience demanding subscription, signing up for a newsletter, offering coupons for things you don't know you want them or need them at all. This list can be expanded to describe all the burdens of user's way to the valuable content.
However, over customers were asking for adding such popup to Foodly theme so they could integrate it into their real shops. And the arguments against had not work. Probably lots of marketers are telling people how this thing can increase their sales.
In the result, we had given up on this undertaking and integrated such vibrant popup to Foodly shop.
Check it out live here

Question for you
What do you feel about this pop-up thing in general? Do you think they should be added to the stores on the web? Did you encounter positive results implementing them into online shops? Maybe you have ever read some reports about their efficiency? Please do tell your thoughts on this in the comments ^_^

Looking forward to informative discussion ;)