Countdown timer in email: Definitive guide & best examples

Reading Time: 10 minutes

Time-bound deals and deadlines create a sense of urgency, nudging people to take quick action. Incorporating a countdown timer in an email encourages subscribers to act in time, as they fear missing out on a deal that will end soon. It’s an effective strategy for driving conversions and can yield impressive results.

In this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of including a countdown in email campaigns and explore some of the best email examples to inspire you. 

By the end, you’ll have an understanding of interesting ways to add a countdown timer to an email, and how it has the potential to significantly improve customer response, giving you a better success rate for your campaigns.

What is a countdown timer in email?

An email countdown timer is an animated or static countdown timer embedded into your email campaigns to prompt readers to take action.

The countdown can be an animated GIF or an embedded HTML code. Businesses often leverage countdown timers for limited-time offers, product launches, sales events, or any other type of promotion.

Here is an excellent example of a countdown in email:

Notice how you are immediately drawn to the timer? It makes you want to “beat the clock” and grab the discount.

You can create an email countdown timer, apply the same effect to your emails, and optimize your campaigns for better results.

Why use a countdown in email?

There are several reasons a countdown in email can be beneficial for marketers. While we may not discuss all of them, here are a few of the most important ones:

Create a sense of urgency

When pressed for time, it’s easier to make faster decisions. That’s just human nature.

Using a countdown clock in email campaigns creates a sense of urgency for limited-time offers. It ensures your readers understand they have little time left before the offer expires.

The countdown timer running out can intensify their FOMO, motivating them to purchase.

Triggers psychological emotions

Humans are naturally inclined to be a part of something special. In email marketing, a countdown timer can help trigger emotions and motivate people to act.

FOMO, anticipation, and the scarcity complex are often hard to resist. As such, people will strive to take advantage of the offer before the timer runs out.

This is why a countdown timer for email is so effective in influencing people to act, significantly helping to increase your acquisitions and sales.

Improves click and conversion rates

Adding a countdown in email campaigns helps to increase your email click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate. 

Customers or prospects are more likely to click on the link and take advantage of a ticking countdown timer with an offer ending soon. 

You can drive and increase engagement and conversions with countdown timers instead of traditional email messages. 

Make your campaigns more visually appealing

How often have you closed an email because it doesn’t look visually appealing? Sadly, this is what happens to lots of emails marketers send.

People have short attention spans, and marketers have seconds to grab readers’ attention. Visuals and images are effective in capturing the readers’ attention. 

The more exciting the email looks to your readers, the better their chances of interacting with it. Using a visually appealing countdown clock in your emails makes it hard to forget.

They make giveaways/contests exciting

People love contests because they provide a chance to win something without any commitment from the participants. Everyone loves freebies, after all, right? 

The only downside is that some people may feel suspicious of a prize without strings attached.

This is because they are often aware that their chances of winning a contest are slim, making them less likely to participate. If you want more entries, find a way to bring FOMO back into the mix.

Add an email countdown timer to increase participation in your contests/giveaways. When people see the ticking countdown timer of the contest, they’ll be more inclined to register for it. 

The timer reminds people that the opportunity to win does not last indefinitely, which might be enough to persuade them to participate.

Implementing a timer in your giveaways makes it simpler to reach your goals, keeps your subscribers hooked, and provides beneficial insights about their preferences.

When to use countdown in email

While countdown timers have advantages, they may not be suitable for every situation. Let’s explore the situations where using them in emails would be appropriate. 

Sales

A countdown timer is a handy tool to highlight an upcoming sale. You can implement this strategy and make the most out of this powerful tool in several ways.

You can create countdown emails to inform your customers about the upcoming sale, with or without discounts and promos, as shown in the example below:

Use your timer to countdown to make a surprise flash sale. This timer usually runs for a few hours or days. Having a ticking countdown timer tick can help convince your readers to buy before the sale ends.

Cart abandonment emails

According to recent research, the cart abandonment rate in 2024 averaged 70.19%. From high shipping rates to credit card declines, the reasons vary among shoppers. 

Nevertheless, who would want to lose a chance to drive sales?

That’s where email follow-ups come in. Emails are one of the most effective tools for recovering lost sales and can help increase conversions significantly. 

Adding countdown clocks in cart abandonment emails can help drive shoppers back to their carts and persuade them to complete the purchase.

This MailBakery template is a perfect example of how to incorporate a simple countdown timer in email to reduce cart abandonment rate.

Instead of boring the customer with text reminding them to check out their carts, the email incorporates a GIF timer with a specific time when the items in the cart will be cleared.

The timer influences the viewer to act.

Black Friday emails

It’s no secret companies use countdown clocks to build anticipation about their Black Friday deals for the holidays.

That’s because countdown timers for email are effective during peak shopping days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

You can also use countdown timers in Black Friday emails to highlight a promotion, provide extra incentives, and explain why people should take advantage of the offer while they still have time. 

This Black Friday email by Ultimate Guitar is an excellent example of how brands use countdown timers in email. The email features a clean design, with the top banner displaying a bold and eye-catching headline, “BLACK FRIDAY SALE.” 

The countdown timer beneath the headline reinforces urgency, indicating that the sale is time-bound to prompt immediate action.

Special occasions 

The fixed deadlines for special occasions make them ideal for reminding people that urgency is required.

During special occasions like Mother’s Day or birthdays, a countdown timer in email can serve as a visual reminder of the limited time left before the event.

Displaying this decreasing time can motivate subscribers to act quickly. For example, Thorntons incorporates a countdown timer to highlight the limited-time offer on Mother’s Day gifts, encouraging shoppers to make their purchases as soon as possible:

Pricing change

Let’s say you’re selling a service, and the price will change soon. Countdown emails are the best way to tell your customers or subscribers about the change.

In this case, you can have a countdown timer highlighting the date of the upcoming price change.

An excellent example is VASA Fitness, which slashed summer workout prices to attract new members. To boost enrollment, it added a countdown timer in their email to encourage people to sign up before the deal expires. 

This strategy reminds indecisive shoppers and those who might forget the limited-time offer.

New product launch

Want to bring attention to a new product feature you are launching? Then countdown emails are the way to go. 

You can countdown until launch and create excitement for your newest feature.

You can also use countdown emails to showcase a new product you’re launching and offer discounts or promotions to get people excited about it.

For instance, Mercedes uses a countdown timer in its elegant email design. It dominates the center of the email, with the surrounding copy emphasizing the exclusivity of the product.

The email’s sleek design, simple black-and-white color scheme, and bold text make the countdown timer stand out and capture the reader’s attention.

Events and webinars

Do you regularly host events or webinars? 

Let countdown emails keep your audience informed and excited about the upcoming event. 

You can countdown to the event day, the registration closing date, a live stream, and a countdown to the webinar’s start. 

Using countdown emails for your events creates anticipation and excitement to help increase attendance. It also helps remind people about the event and gives them a reason to attend. 

For instance, Darkroom uses a countdown in the email subject line — The countdown begins: 7 days to Night School 004 — to remind subscribers of its upcoming event. The email copy communicates the specific date, time, and venue concisely. There is also a clear RSVP CTA button for easy revert.

Tips to succeed with countdown in email

To successfully use email countdown timers, consider these essential tips.

First, ensure you create visually appealing countdown emails because they compete with other emails in the inbox. 

The countdown timer should also be prominent so it stands out and, more importantly, is easily understood. Also, ensure that the countdown clocks don’t exceed the deadline.

While at it, you should also:

Position your countdown timer at the top

It’s crucial to strategically position your countdown timer near the top of the email. Prominently featuring the timer will encourage recipients to click.

The countdown email timer from Kate Spade is among the first things seen when the recipient opens it because of its placement at the top of the email. 

Moreover, the excellent use of contrasting colors makes it even more eye-catching.

Use a subject line that incites urgency

When creating countdown emails, include a compelling subject line that captures the receiver’s attention. This will entice recipients to open the email and act when they can. 

Using words like “urgent,” “hurry,” or “limited time” will help encourage people to click on the link and make the purchase.

Use a clear CTA button

Your countdown emails must include a clear, prominent call to action (CTA) button. 

The CTA should be easily visible and stand out from the rest of the email so people can quickly click on it and take advantage of the offer or promotion.

A good practice is keeping your CTA button below the countdown timer. Also, include a clear and effective conversion-focused message.

Use countdown timers for email sparingly

To make countdown emails more effective, it’s essential to balance creating excitement and urgency. However, avoid overusing countdown timers in emails to maintain the desired effect. 

Too many countdown timers can annoy people and make them unsubscribe from your mailing list. 

Instead, it’s best to use countdown timers only during the most important events or promotions. 

Create a countdown in email with Omnisend

Creating a countdown timer for emails can be complicated and time-consuming. 

Luckily, you don’t need to build countdown clocks from scratch. Omnisend helps you create countdown email timers in a breeze. 

You only need basic HTML skills since Omnisend’s email countdown timers are HTML-embedded. All you need to do is open your Omnisend Email Editor content block, drag, and drop the HTML to the body of your email. 

Here’s where the HTML code block is located:

Steps to follow:

1. Drag and drop the HTML content block to your email template
2. Visit sendtric.com and create a countdown timer. Remember, however, that Sendtric requires a subscription or a paid plan before it enables you to create a countdown timer
3. Click Generate, and an HTML countdown timer will be generated
4. Copy the code and paste it onto the HTML content block on Omnisend
5. Click Save

Before sending your countdown email to your customers, it’s advisable to send a test campaign to determine how it looks. Make the necessary changes if the design doesn’t impress you, then send.

5 best countdown timer in email examples 

These countdown email examples demonstrate how you can use this powerful tool to encourage action from your recipients:

1. Buoy

This email from Buoy is a well-executed example of how to use a countdown in email to create a sense of urgency around a special deal.

The copy is concise, has a clean design, and focuses on the benefits of the wellness bundle. The email includes a bold text of the countdown email timer at the top of the email, people with the product, and details of the special deal for subscribers. 

The clean design and incorporation of people’s faces help to make the email more relatable.

2. Restream

This Restream email features a time-sensitive discount on a subscription plan. The email’s opening line, “The Final Countdown!” reinforces the need to act quickly. 

The countdown timer’s eye-catching color block enhances the email design and emphasizes that time is running out.

The email copy is concise and lighthearted, adding to its appeal.

3. AppSumo 

AppSumo uses a countdown timer to encourage subscribers to take advantage of the Black Friday promotion offer. 

As if that wasn’t enough to prompt people to act, the copy also mentions a very enticing $10,000 reward to 10 partners who join in with the promotion.

4. Casper

The countdown timer is strategically placed at the top of Casper’s email, where it immediately captures attention and signals that the offer is about to expire.

The email copy supplements this by reminding the reader that they’re in the “final hours,” this is the “last chance,” and prominently displaying the code to use for a 15% discount.

5. MacPaw

Most countdown email examples place their timer at the top of the email, but MacPaw does the opposite. It positions the countdown timer beneath the email copy for context and to build interest at the beginning of the email. When recipients reach the timer, they are more informed and may feel a stronger need to act.

The timer is easy to notice and directs readers to take advantage of the discount.

Wrap up

A countdown in email can effectively drive engagement and sales. When used correctly, these countdown clocks create a sense of urgency and excitement among your subscribers. 

You can use a countdown timer for various emails, such as abandoned cart emails, promo codes, product launches, event invitation emails, birthday emails, and more. 

Overall, if you add a countdown timer to email, it can make your email campaigns more impactful and drive better results. 

So, what are you waiting for?