How to add a custom countdown timer to your Shopify store

Guide to adding a countdown timer to a Shopify store

Before you begin, install the Countdown Timer app on your Shopify website.

The process takes about 2 minutes. Find the app in the Shopify App Store and hit ‘Install’ – it will appear in the list of installed apps in your Shopify admin:

Once the app is installed, proceed to the theme editor to fine-tune the timer’s location in your store.

Step 1. Choose the page or section to display the timer

If you’re adding a page-wide countdown timer, go to the theme editor and select the page where you want to display the timer. Then head to the page content sidebar on the left, click + Add section at the bottom of the sidebar and choose an evergreen or a fixed-date timer. (We’ll discuss the difference between evergreen and fixed-date countdowns in a moment).

If you want to add a smaller countdown timer amidst section blocks (wherever your theme allows for adding such app blocks), select the section, then click + Add block and choose timer from the list of options.

Now, since you’ll need to choose whether you want to display an evergreen timer or a fixed-date timer, let’s talk about these modes in more detail.

Step 2. Choose between evergreen and fixed-date timer mode

Here is the difference between the two modes:

An evergreen timer counts down a certain period, starting fresh for each customer. A fixed-date timer counts down to a set date or time.

The use cases for these two timers are slightly different, too.

Evergreen timers encourage quick action, creating urgency for limited-time discounts or indicating how long a shopping cart is reserved.

When setting up an evergreen timer, you’ll need to indicate a desired period of time – usually minutes or hours – and the countdown will be triggered each time a store visitor views it.

When setting up a fixed-date timer, you’ll need to specify an appointed date and time. The countdown will be going on independently from the customers who view it.

You can use fixed-date timers to build anticipation by showing how many days or hours are left to a Black Friday sale, Christmas promo, or a new collection release.

Step 3. Adjust the appearance of the timer

After adding a timer to your Shopify theme, you can fine-tune its appearance using the menu on the right.

This menu is rather self-explanatory. Here are the key elements you can work with:

• Content. Add a title and optional description, adjust text alignment and color, and include links.

• Timer. Depending on the countdown mode, choose countdown duration or end time. Adjust the background style and time unit style.

• Button. Optionally add a clickable call-to-action button to redirect customers.

• Border radius & paddings. Control edge rounding and spacing between the banner and other elements on the page.

• Colors. Adjust the colors of all timer elements.

💡 Note that for page-wide countdown timers, you can add a background image from your Shopify library or a built-in image collection.

Finally, as you apply changes, use the mobile preview mode to make sure the timer looks good on smaller screens.

Add a countdown timer to your Shopify store in 3, 2, 1…

Timers are a proven way to capture visitors’ attention and boost sales. Adding one to your store will take less than half an hour, and with a 7-day free trial period, you should get to see the results even before making a commitment.

So why wait?

Start your free trial now and see how it works for you.