Would you like to nudge shoppers to buy before a deal expires? The Countdown Timer module in Merchant Pro shows a timer on your WooCommerce product pages, creating a sense of urgency that can lift your conversion rate.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up and enable the Countdown Timer module in Merchant Pro.
Before you get started, make sure you’ve installed and activated the Merchant plugin on your WordPress site. If you’re using premium modules, ensure you have Merchant Pro installed and active. This feature requires Merchant Pro.
You can choose between two countdown modes: an evergreen mode that creates a unique expiration date for each visitor, and a fixed period mode that uses the same start and end date for everyone. The timer is fully customizable, and you can show it on all product pages or only on discounted products. Here’s a countdown timer on a WooCommerce product page:
The video below shows the countdown timer in action:
1. Open the Countdown Timer module
Open your Merchant dashboard by clicking the Merchant menu in the left sidebar of your WordPress admin area. Find the Convert More section, then click the Countdown Timer module to open its settings page.
2. Review the module settings
On the module’s admin page, you’ll find three groups of settings:
- Settings: Choose between the two countdown modes and set up the countdown rules.
- Display Settings: Configure the layout and content of the timer.
- Look and Feel: Customize the colors and typography of the module.
A Preview pane shows a live view of the timer that updates in real time as you configure the settings:
3. Choose a countdown mode and define the rules
In the Settings section, select a countdown mode using the Countdown timer end date dropdown. You have two options:
- Evergreen: Merchant Pro generates a unique expiration date for each visitor, within minimum and maximum deadlines you set.
- Sale price dates: The timer counts down to a specific end date and time.
i. Evergreen mode options
If you chose the Evergreen mode, configure these options or keep the default values:
- Cool off period (minutes): How long before the countdown restarts and the timer reappears for that customer (default value: 15 minutes).
- Minimum expiration deadline (days, hours, minutes): How long before the end date the timer disappears from product pages (default value: 0 days, 2 hours, 0 minutes).
- Maximum expiration deadline (days, hours, minutes): The point at which the countdown reaches 00:00:00 (default value: 0 days, 26 hours, 0 minutes).
An example of the evergreen countdown workflow
Here’s how the countdown behaves using the default values:
- The visitor lands on your website.
- Merchant Pro adds a cookie to their browser, and the timer immediately appears on your product pages.
- Since the Maximum expiration deadline is 26 hours, the countdown starts at 1 day 02:00:00.
- Since the Minimum expiration deadline is 2 hours, the timer disappears 24 hours after the visitor arrives, when the countdown reads 0 day 02:00:00. To show the timer until the countdown ends, set the Minimum expiration deadline to 0 hours.
- Since the Cool off period is 15 minutes, the timer reappears 1 day, 2 hours, and 15 minutes after the visitor first arrives, restarting at 1 day 02:00:00. This creates a sense of scarcity.
ii. Sale price dates mode options
If you chose the Sale price dates mode, configure these options:
- Countdown starts at: Set the start date and time with a visual date picker.
- Countdown ends at: Set the end date and time with a visual date picker.
Once the countdown settings are configured, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page.
4. Configure the display settings
In the Display Settings section, review and configure these options:
- Display on discounted products only: Show the timer on all product pages or only on discounted products. You can discount a product on its WooCommerce product page, available from the Products » All Products menu, in the Product data section.
- Select layout: Choose from seven countdown timer layouts.
- Sale ending message: The message shown next to the timer (default value: “Sale ends in”).
- Align: Set the alignment of the timer on product pages: Left, Center, or Right.
If you changed any default values, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page.
5. Customize the style of the timer
In the Look and Feel section, you get these style options:
- Digits’ font size: Change the font size of the timer’s digits with a slider (default value: 16px).
- Sale ending message text color: The color of the message shown before the timer (default value: #626262).
- Digits’ color: The color of the digits (default value: #444444).
If you changed any default values, click the Save button in the top-right corner of the page.
6. Enable the Countdown Timer module
With all the settings configured, activate the module by clicking the Enable button at the top of the module’s page:
Frequently asked questions
Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about the Countdown Timer module.
What’s the difference between evergreen and sale price dates mode?
Evergreen mode gives each visitor their own countdown that restarts over time, which keeps a constant sense of urgency. Sale price dates mode counts down to a single fixed end date and time for everyone.
Can I show the timer only on sale items?
Yes. Turn on Display on discounted products only in the Display Settings section to limit the timer to discounted products.
That’s it! You’ve successfully set up the Countdown Timer module in Merchant Pro to add urgency to your product pages.
Next, would you like to add urgency at the cart too? Check out our guide on the Cart Reserved Timer module to learn more.
