• Countdown Timercreate Urgency With A Countdown Timer 20 Minutes
• Countdown Timercreate Urgency With A Countdown Timer Clock

Limited stocks available. While supplies last. Last chance. You likely know and use these words in your marketing to create a sense of scarcity.

When something is about to go away, it becomes more attractive. And to avoid missing out on an otherwise lost opportunity, we take action, often with little afterthought.

While scarcity and urgency are widely used in email marketing, they’re still underused in website popups. The best way to leverage them on-site is to use countdown timers in your popups.

Create even more, even faster with Storyblocks. Download over 752 countdown timer royalty free Stock Footage Clips, Motion Backgrounds, and After Effects Templates with a subscription. This WordPress countdown timer add-on of Woostify Pro creates an urgency that motivates hesitating customers to buy as soon as possible to catch the deals before time runs out.

The countdown timer is a popular tool for increasing conversions. Here are 14 different tools for online marketers to easily place countdowns on their sites and in email. 15 Different Countdown Timer Tools To Drive Urgency On Your Sales Pages And Emails. Countdown timer to create urgency Configure your custom countdown timer, that will tick time down to the end of a special offer of discount period. It will help you build a feeling of urgency among website visitors and stimulate them to make a purchase. A countdown timer can be used to heighten the natural response to scarcity, leveraging the instinctive sense of urgency that the lack of availability inspires. The importance of scarcity and urgency for ecommerce is that it suggests how popular an item is.

After analyzing 1+ billion popups, we found out that popups with a countdown timer convert better than those without a countdown timer by 112.93 percent.

If you want to learn how to increase your popup conversions by 112.93 percent, too, this post is for you.

First, I’ll share a step-by-step guide to create a countdown popup, and then, introduce six of the best countdown popup use cases that go beyond Black Friday popups.

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Table of Contents

How to Create a Countdown Popup (Step-by-Step)

Before we begin…

If you already know how to do this, you can skip this step and jump directly to countdown timer best practices.

And if you’re not using a popup builder that allows you to create a countdown popup with a few clicks, you can start a free Sleeknote trial here and play along.

Let’s jump right in. 👇

Once you choose a goal and position for your popup, select a template from our 120+ popup templates:

Today, I’ll create an “Autumn Sale” popup. (Hint: Click the link below to use the same template.)

Like what you see? Load this high-converting template in our editor and customize it to the look and feel of your business.

Try it out

Customize your popup as much or as little as you need. For example, I change the background color to make it match “my” website:

Then, I upload my brand’s font and use it in the popup:

Once you’re happy with your changes, drag and drop the countdown timer onto your popup and adjust the styling to fit the rest of your design:

(Hint: Countdown timers work on mobile popups, SleekBars, and teasers, too.)

Next, set an end date for your timer and select its language. (We’ll change the date format based on that.)

Finally, decide what happens when the time runs out. You can show a message that replaces the timer or you can disable the popup completely.

Once you set up triggers and targeting options, you’re ready to set your popup live on your site. 🚀

Now that you know how to create a countdown popup in minutes, let’s talk about how you can use them the right way.

How to Use Countdown Popups

Contrary to popular belief, there’s more to countdown timers than a simple urgency message.

When used right, countdown popups can help grow your email list, keep your subscribers engaged, sell more products, reduce cart abandonment, and more. All without sounding too salesy.

Here are six of the most effective ways to use countdown timers in your popups and why they work so well.

1. Drive More Email Signups

If you’re already using email popups on your site, you may be asking visitors to join your email list or take part in a competition. But without a deadline to do so, they’ll be less motivated to submit their information.

If you’re running time-bound giveaways among new subscribers, or offering your new signups early access to an event, make it stand out in your popups with a countdown timer, like in this example:

While it’s a common practice to offer discounts in exchange for email signups, many companies can’t afford discounts for each and every subscriber.

A better way to offer discounts, without hurting profit margins or decreasing your perceived value, is to do it for a limited time only. Wedio, a camera rental company, knows this well:

Instead of having a discount popup without an end date, the company uses this incentive sparingly and drives urgency with an attention-grabbing countdown timer in its email popup.

2. Build Excitement for Product Launches

Anticipation creates excitement.

Think about the Apple fans sleeping in tents for the newest iPhone model, or how Sony teases PlayStation 5 long before its launch date.

Whether you’re about to launch a new product line, stock hyped products your customers are waiting for, or simply introduce new season items, you can build excitement for your launch with promotional popups.

Check out this example:

With a countdown popup like this, you can set expectations for anticipated products and collections.

You can also create a demand for new arrivals by creating mystery or offering a sneak peek. To enhance the feeling of anticipation in your popups, you can count down to the big day.

Like what you see? Load this high-converting template in our editor and customize it to the look and feel of your business.

Try it out

It’s a great incentive for visitors to join your email list and for you to get new subscribers who are interested in a product when it launches.

3. Tease Your Sales Campaigns

Speaking of counting down to important events, it’s no secret that the promise of an upcoming big sale is a powerful incentive to take action.

Countdown popups of this type work especially well with long-awaited deals, such as clearance sales or Black Friday offers. You could, for example, create two popups for two visitor groups before your sales begin, and convert each group towards different goals.

You can show subscribers a popup, counting down to the big sale, and ask them to prepare their cart, like this:

For visitors who aren’t already on your list, you can create another popup where you invite them to get early access to the sale:

Whether you want to get more people into your email list before your sales campaigns begin or sell more to your existing subscribers when they return to your site, pre-sale popups like the above can help you with both.

Remember to schedule your popups in good time before the sale, so you can get the maximum return from them.

4. Promote Limited-Time Offers

It’s not only big sales you can promote with a countdown timer.

Hourly deals, one-day-only sales, long weekend offers… If you have an offer valid for a limited period, countdown popups can help you promote them the right way by driving urgency.

The key is being subtle, yet grabbing attention at the same time. You want visitors to notice the urgency, but you don’t want to intrude on their shopping experience with an annoying, old-school popup.

5. Reduce Cart Abandonment

If you’re like most e-commerce marketers, you’re likely going above and beyond to reduce cart abandonment on and off your site.

While doing that, you might be offering (or at least considering) discounts to stop abandoning shoppers. Although discounts are effective in persuading potential customers, incentivizing every abandoning visitor is costly.

My suggestion is to offer discounts or similar benefits in your popups to prevent cart abandonment—but only for a limited time.

Check out this example:

Like what you see? Load this high-converting template in our editor and customize it to the look and feel of your business.

Try it out

Combine this popup with an exit-intent trigger and you’ll stop abandoning visitors at the right time by highlighting the urgency of your offer.

It’s an effective way to reclaim otherwise lost sales, without encouraging abandoning shoppers or hurting profits all the time.

6. Count Down to Special Days

It’s not only sales campaigns and limited-time deals you can count down to in your popups. Any day that’s an excuse to shop is a day to look forward to.

Whether there’s a special occasion in your niche, such as the National Puppy Day or Earth Day, or a holiday ahead, promote it with a countdown timer in your popups, even if you don’t run a sale.

My personal favorite tactic in fall is to count down to the holidays in December and invite visitors to shop for gifts.

With a popup targeting gift shoppers and a countdown timer reminding that there’s little time until Christmas, you can drive urgency and nudge visitors to buy gifts from your store, like this:

Countdown Timercreate Urgency With A Countdown Timer 20 Minutes

The countdown timer drives urgency and sets expectations for delivery before Christmas. When the time runs out, you can replace this popup with another—this time, targeting last-minute shoppers.

Easy, effective, and best of all, possible to set up in advance.

FREE DOWNLOADABLE BONUS

Need More Popup Inspiration?

Get access to our personal swipe file of 15 top-performing popup examples, popup copy templates, and more (includes resources not found in the blog post).

Download Swipe File Now →

Conclusion

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Popups are the most versatile tools in your marketing arsenal.

When combined with the right persuasion triggers, such as scarcity and urgency, popups can help you achieve different conversion goals.

Now that you know how to create one popup for each of your goals and how to add a countdown timer to your popups with a few clicks of a mouse, it’s your turn.

How do you use countdown timers in your popups? Share with us in the comments section.

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Creating a sense of urgency

If there is one thing marketers constantly try to generate in their target customers, it’s this sense of urgency. Many different techniques are used to attempt to achieve this stage. These include the usual catchy phrases everyone has seen, for example: “Exclusive limited time offer”, “Only 3 units in stock” and “18 people are viewing this product page at the moment”, etc.

Many sites use similar urgency techniques, such as the popular travel booking site Booking.com, which uses a bold, red and underlined font when a property is soon to be at its full occupancy, creating fear of missing out on an opportunity.

Club Med also uses the same technique, claiming it has enabled them to increase the number of reservations by 13% and revenue per visit by 18% since it was put in place (source Kameleoon.com).

Amazon, on the other hand, understands the importance of delivery times and the control they have in the decision-making process. For example, they’ll say: “order it within 9:25 mins and receive your product tomorrow!” Who doesn’t want to purchase a product and get a next-day delivery at this day and age?

Countdown is one such technique that can greatly increase the success of an online advertising campaign by creating a sense of urgency among your target customers – the infamous fear of missing out (FOMO) effect.

Here are some recommendations for making your programmatic campaigns more effective through the use of a countdown timer.

Advertise the end of a promotion rather than the start

Some advertisers tend to promote the days up to the promotion period, for example, “25% off store-wide in 3d 7h 43min”. This, however, is generally not recommended. Customers who were ready to buy now may decide to wait for your promotion’s dates and, therefore, potentially not end up returning because they forgot or they went elsewhere to complete their purchases.

On the other hand, using the countdown method to create a sense of urgency as seasonal events approach can pay off (for example: Black Friday, Cyber ​​Monday, Valentine’s Day, etc.).

Counting down the days up to your promotion

As a general rule, when you have a promotional offer, we recommend that you simply end the countdown timer on the end date of your promotion. For example, “20% off everything in-store! Only 3 days and 4 hours left to enjoy it!”.

If you really want to advertise the start of your sales period, then modify your creatives to promote the end date and thus create the sense of urgency to purchase.

Advertise the release of a new product

When your goal is to share the release of your long-awaited new product with your target audience, then the countdown method can prove to be very useful!

Apple has been doing this for years to announce the release date of its new phones or its famous Keynotes.

Another good example is automaker Tesla, which has been using the countdown technique since 2012 for its important announcements, including opening pre-orders to the general public. The countdown method helps create the infamous buzz that all marketers dream of!

Pick the right campaign and stay honest

Don’t underestimate your target audience, and don’t try to fool them by constantly creating a sense of urgency. On the contrary, the countdown can act as a deterrent and can cause you to lose credibility. When a company constantly offers discounts, the value of their products are lowered.

Also, avoid creating false deadlines under the pretext that the impact of a previous countdown campaign was fruitful. Although the countdown method can have a positive impact on your sales thanks to the sense of urgency generated with your target customers, it’s neither ethical nor legal.

Take care of your ad quality

If you decide to use the countdown timer in your programmatic banner ads, make sure it is clear and visible. Remember your initial intention is to make a strong impact, so don’t be shy. The countdown timer itself should be a focal point of your creative ad. Additionally, opt for more impactful formats such as the 970×250 or 300×600 banner.

Don’t hesitate to perform A/B testing to compare your campaign performance with or without a countdown timer. Always make sure you measure conversions, it’s essential!

Curious to try the countdown timer?

Want to test the use of the countdown timer in your programmatic campaigns? District M makes it easy for you to add one to your creatives.

Please feel free to contact our team of experts for more information or to visit our section on our high impact programmatic formats.

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Countdown Timercreate Urgency With A Countdown Timer Clock

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