How to add a countdown timer in Shopify Email

Shopify Email has its own countdown section, and that is the simplest option for most stores. Here is how it works, and how to try a custom timer if you need something else.

Create a free timer

Option 1: Use Shopify's built-in Countdown section

In the Shopify email editor, add a Countdown section, then set an end date and time. Shopify generates a live countdown GIF for you. You can add a link and change the font, text color, background color and section padding. Shopify notes that the padding built into the GIF itself can't be adjusted.

If that design suits your email, you don't need anything else.

Option 2: Add a custom timer with a Custom Liquid section

A custom timer gives you more designs, and evergreen timers on paid plans. Shopify lets you put custom Liquid and HTML in a Custom Liquid section, which you can only create on a desktop device.

  1. 1

    Create your timer

    Make a timer in SnapTimers, set the deadline and timezone, then export it and copy the HTML code.

  2. 2

    Add a Custom Liquid section

    On a desktop device, add a Custom Liquid section to your email where you want the timer.

  3. 3

    Paste the code

    Paste your timer code into the code editor. Sections have a 50 KB limit, and a timer needs far less than that.

  4. 4

    Send yourself a real test

    Send the email to yourself, open it, then open it again a few minutes later. The time should have moved on.

<img src="https://cdn.snaptimers.com/t/YOUR-TIMER-ID.gif"
     alt="Sale ends Friday at midnight"
     width="600"
     style="display:block;max-width:100%;height:auto;" />

Always test this first. Shopify's documentation doesn't say whether a Custom Liquid section can load an image from another website, and we haven't confirmed it in a Shopify account. If the timer doesn't appear, use the built-in Countdown section, or send the campaign through Klaviyo or Omnisend.

Don't upload the timer as an image

Shopify's Image and GIF section uses your Shopify files or a new upload. An uploaded GIF is a fixed copy, so it would play the same animation at every open rather than showing the time actually left.

Sending from Klaviyo or Omnisend?

Many Shopify stores send their marketing email from another platform. If you do, follow the guide for that platform rather than this one. The timer is added in the email tool, not in your Shopify store.

Questions

Which option should I choose?

Start with Shopify's built-in Countdown section. Try a custom timer if you want a different design, or an evergreen deadline for each subscriber.

Is a SnapTimers timer free?

Yes. The free plan includes 10,000 views a month, with a small SnapTimers mark on the timer. Paid plans start at $9 a month and remove the mark.

Does this add a timer to my Shopify store pages?

No. These are timers for emails. A countdown on your store pages needs a theme setting or an app.

Create a free timer

Related guides

Sources