A Countdown Timer is an animated GIF that is generated each time an email is opened. The timer displays the remaining time in days, hours, minutes, and seconds until a predefined expiry date and time. The remaining time is recalculated on every open. Once displayed, the animation counts down 45 seconds before resetting, repeating that cycle each time the email is opened.
You can use countdown timers to add urgency to time-sensitive campaigns such as flash sales, limited-time offers, product launches, webinar registrations, event openings, and similar deadlines. When properly configured, a countdown timer can improve click-through rates and subscriber engagement compared to static promotional content.
Note: Countdown timers appear as animated GIFs in email clients that support them. In clients that do not support animated GIFs, the default image is displayed instead.
Managing Countdown Timers
To navigate to the countdown timer page, go to Marketing > Content > Countdown Timer.
The Countdown Timer index page is where you create and manage all timers in your account. On the index page, each timer entry has an actions menu (three-dot icon) that provides the following options:
- Preview Countdown Timer: Displays how the timer will appear when viewed in an email.
- Edit Countdown Timer: Opens the timer configuration page to modify its settings.
- Delete Countdown Timer Permanently: Removes the timer from your account. This action cannot be undone.
Creating a Countdown Timer
Perform the following steps to create a new countdown timer:
- On the Countdown Timer index page, click on the New Timer button to open the timer configuration page.
- The page is split into two panels: a left panel for entering the timer details and a right panel for previewing the result. In the Name field, enter a name for the countdown timer. Next, in the Expiry Date field, select the date and time at which the timer will expire.
- Under Default Image, click Add Image to select or upload the image that will appear in email clients that do not support animated GIFs. You can select an image from the Image Library or upload one from your desktop. Similarly, under Expiry Image, click Add Image to select or upload the image that will appear in the email after the expiry date and time have passed.
- Under Design, configure the Background by selecting one of the following options:
Color: Applies a solid color as the timer background.
Image: Uses an image as the background. Use a simple image with low color depth to keep the file size manageable and reduce load time in email clients.
Template: Displays the countdown timer as a clock face instead of numbers counting down.
- When Color or Template is selected as the background, configure the Dimensions by selecting one of the following options:
Auto Trim: Sets the timer’s image dimensions to exactly the width and height of the countdown numbers.
Custom: Allows you to manually set the width and height. The maximum supported width is 700 px, and the maximum supported height is 200 px.
- Under Font, configure the following settings:
Color: Select the color of the countdown numbers.
Family: Select the font family for the numbers.
Size: Select the number’s point size (in pixels).
Font Top Margin: Enter a value to vertically position the numbers within the image. Use this setting when you have applied a custom dimension and need to center the numbers.
Weight: Select how the numbers appear. The available options are "100-Light," "300-Normal," and "700-Bold."
- Optionally, click Render Preview in the top-right corner of the page to see how the countdown timer will look in an email and save the changes made.
Using a Countdown Timer in an Email
To embed a countdown timer in an email, you need its image URL. The URL is available at the bottom of the timer's configuration page.
Perform the following steps to retrieve and use a countdown timer URL:
- On the Countdown Timer index page, click the name of the timer you want to use. At the bottom of the page, locate the Image URL field and click the Copy icon next to the URL to copy it to your clipboard.
- In your email content, use the copied URL as the
src attribute’s value in an HTML image tag to embed the timer.
Note:The image URL is unique to each timer. If you edit and save a timer after copying its URL, the URL remains the same, but the timer output updates to reflect the new configuration.