
In other words, urgency is the name of the game-and inevitably, that means countdown timers have a part to play. But it’s also an opportunity.Įssentially, you’ve got nothing to lose with end-of-line products: you can apply aggressive discounts and market them however you want because your only goal is to shift them as fast as possible. End-of-Line Stock Countdown TimersĮnd-of-line stock is often seen as a hindrance, eating up (physical) space in your warehouse and (virtual) space on your website. It means the first bright, striking element you see is the countdown timer. The choice of color is all the more impactful given that the brand opted to use a monochrome palette at the very top of the email.
In this example, Flat Tummy Co opts to draw attention to the discount on offer and the call to action by highlighting both with a green background: With all those different elements vying for space, it can be hard for email marketers to decide which detail is most important. Of course, you’ll want to include an eye-catching CTA and a countdown timer, too.
You want to detail the offer, tell people how long you’re running the promotion for, and explain which products it applies to. There’s a lot of information to communicate when you announce a sale.
#Fun countdown timers how to#
And it doesn’t use radically different font colors or design elements to draw the eye.īut if you want to include a countdown timer in your email marketing without distracting from your wider messaging or interfering with your brand guidelines, this is a good example of how to do it. It’s not the first thing you notice on opening the email-that prize goes to the text on the yellow background. Unusually, Sunski hasn’t made any real effort to help the timer stand out. In this example, sunglasses and apparel brand Sunski uses a countdown timer beneath its logo, a prominent header, and a yellow box that explains the discounts on offer in its latest sale:
Start-of-sale timers: Some brands use countdowns to drum up interest ahead of major sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, compelling shoppers to register for early access or to secure exclusive discounts. End-of-sale timers: The most obvious example is a countdown warning customers that they’ll miss out on huge savings if they don’t buy now. These sale-based timers typically come in two varieties: In the course of my research, easily the most popular use case for countdown timers was to prompt action around a time-limited offer. The orange digits really pop against the racing green background, drawing your eyes to the timer despite its less prominent location. However, The Body Shop gets away with it through its smart use of color theory. If people don’t notice your countdown timer, why bother including it at all? In some ways that’s a risky approach, potentially reducing the impact. Greetablįirst up is Greetabl, with this simple countdown timer email urging customers to buy now for the best chance of receiving their order in time for Christmas: One in eight consumers say they’d never order from a retailer again if a delivery arrived late, according to Oracle Retail. Of course, on the flip side, if you’re guaranteeing delivery by a certain date, it’s essential you don’t let the customer down. That means there’s no need to eat into your margins by offering a discount. The great thing about delivery-based countdowns is that the fear of missing out on a purchase is all the motivation you need to seal the deal. It’s a particularly helpful tactic during peak shopping periods when orders absolutely must arrive by a specific date (the best example being December 25th). What better way to do that than by using a countdown timer? That’s why it makes sense to tell shoppers how long they have to take advantage of next-day delivery. However, we know that if we buy something at midnight, it’s unlikely to arrive the following day. That’s why only two-fifths of consumers consider shipping within 3-4 days to be “ fast”. When we buy something, we don’t want to wait a month, a week, or even a couple of days for it-we want it right now. We, humans, are a naturally impatient bunch. The 9 Best Email Countdown Timer Examplesĩ.