Design and types of countdown counters

Marketers seek to use visuals and animations to increase product reach and conversion rates. Countdown timers by PromoFeatures are one such element used to create a sense of urgency when users arrive at a website page. 

 

 

Types of countdown timers

You can classify counters in different ways. First of all, they are divided by placement: countdown timers for email and countdown timers for websites. According to the timing - timers cycle (restart of promotions at a specified time), a certain interval (from visiting the site or from viewing a certain product and to the target action), to a set date (fixed in the settings). They can also be grouped by type of special offer:

 

• for promotions and temporary price reductions;

Many online stores set a countdown timer next to their sales so that customers know that the product is only on sale for a limited time. After it expires, the product will either disappear or go up in price again. The emphasis here is on possible lost profits if the timer is ignored by the customer.

 

• for time-dependent discount codes;

Another salesy way to use a countdown timer for a website is to set it to indicate a limited validity period for promo codes. This encourages people to use them as soon as possible so they don't miss out on a really rare offer. 

 

• to launch a new product;

One way to create excitement around an upcoming product, service, or event is just by adding a countdown timer. This creates a sense of pleasant anticipation, making the user eagerly check to see when that product will be introduced. This is a good marketing tool used in conjunction with all sorts of teasers to draw attention to the release of an upcoming new product.

 

• to start a course or webinar;

The timer can also indicate the time before the start of the lesson, educational session. This helps sell courses in any discipline and area of life, webinars from professionals.

 

• to count down the remaining time for a callback;

We can see such timers on the websites of different profiles that suggest we get an incoming call from them in 30 seconds or a minute. The time starts to expire after entering the phone number.

 

• to remind you of an unfinished action;

Online stores can use countdown counters in shopping carts when the customer does not proceed to payment for a long time. The timer can also be on post-purchase pages with an offer to add items to the order at your personal discount. 

 

• to count down the days until the holiday;

This auxiliary timer only indicates the amount of time remaining before some important event. Owners can use it to create an urgency to buy gifts with properly written enticement text explaining the importance of the holiday and buying gifts for loved ones on their site.

 

In addition, countdown timers by PromoFeatures can be divided according to the method of operation. First, there is the standard countdown timer to a certain date or time. It stays the same no matter who is on the site, where they are, what they are viewing. It shows the same time for everyone. Second, there is an individualized timer. It provides a specific countdown for each visitor to the site. This is actively used in marketing and is great for promoting the customer further down the sales funnel.

 

Countdown timer categories

There are 2 categories of countdown timers:

1. Based on HTML and CSS

2. GIF-based

 

The first group of counters is created by writing code. It can be modified in various ways, set the start time and counting conditions and run on the site. The code is added in the email newsletter, to prevent the deletion of the timer by the mailer. But also the countdown starts from the moment of creation, so if a potential customer reads the email late, he may see zeros. More often in this case, counters from the second group are used. Usually GIF timers are taken from the Internet. The main thing is to choose them with the right timelines and the right size. 

 

Countdown counter design

 

 

Timers based on HTML and CSS can easily be personalized. Of the fundamental settings, the ability to change language and time zone is very important. In addition, size, color and effect settings are necessary when creating a beautiful design. Timer options can include: in-line, circular, clock or calendar face, diagrammatic, and abstract. During the creation process, the display forms, font, color, and animation of the numbers are customized. You should also pay attention to the combination of shades of numbers and background. The size of the counter usually relate to the size of the element in which it is inserted (for example, if the main page, you can take more space, if a category or a product - smaller). Visual plays an important role in the perception of the special offer and the product itself by consumers.