It's repellant for signups, but it's positive that once a customer does sign up, you keep marketing to them for long-term value and future purchases. The other

It's repellant for signups, but it's positive that once a customer does sign up, you keep marketing to them for long-term value and future purchases. The other answer is you optimize for what you can measure. It's hard to know when users are dropping off at the account-signup wall; it's easy to know when an existing user bites on your re-marketing efforts.