You can use AccessAlly to display a countdown timer based on a user’s actions, a limited-time coupon, or simply as a universal countdown for a timed promotion.
ARTICLE CONTENT:
How to Set Up a Countdown Timer
Step 1: Create New Custom Operation: Countdown Timer
In AccessAlly > Custom Operations, click on the “Add New Operation” button.
You can name the operation, then select the Show Countdown Timer option under “Choose what this operation will do”.
Step 2: Configure Countdown Reference
Next, you need to decide the “reference” for the countdown timer (in other words: what will cause it to start? Will it be specific to one user, or will it be the same timer for everyone?).
You have three options to choose from:
Option 1: Contact-Specific Countdown Timer
This countdown timer is only shown to logged-in individuals when they first access the page that the countdown timer is located on. This makes it a great option for timed promotions inside your members-only area, whether that means a welcome promotion (“As a thanks for signing up…”) or something else.
1. Select the Custom Field
Since the countdown timer is specific to each user, you’ll need to select a custom field in your CRM to store the reference time. (In other words: AccessAlly needs a place to reference where the countdown should be at for each individual user).
- Infusionsoft: please select the Date / Time custom field type
- Ontraport: please select the Date custom field type
- ActiveCampaign: you can use the Date OR Text custom field type
- ConvertKit: “regular” custom field
- Drip: “regular” custom field
2. Calculate the “Countdown-towards” time
Now, decide how long your countdown timer lasts for. (A 24 hour promo? A week?) Please note that you must always calculate this in hours (so if you have a week-long timer, you’ll have to do the math: 7 x 24 = 168 hours).
3. What to do if the reference time has not been assigned yet
You can choose to either “show nothing” or “assign now as the field value”
4. SAVE
As always, please make sure to click on the “save changes” button before exiting the page or moving onto the next step.
5. Add the countdown timer to a page
Now, you can add it to a page using the shortcode adder. When your logged in users first visit that page, the timer will begin the countdown.
Option 2: Global Countdown to a Fixed Time
This countdown timer can be placed on a private (logged-in users only) or public page, and simply uses a date and time as the reference point. This makes it great for static countdown needs like launches, events, or other timed promotions.
1. Select the expiry time for the countdown
Here, you can simply enter the date and time that you would like the timer to end on.
2. SAVE
As always, please make sure to click on the “save changes” button before exiting the page or moving onto the next step.
3. Add the countdown timer to a page
Now, you can add it to a page using the shortcode adder. When your logged in users first visit that page, the timer will begin the countdown.
Option 3: Countdown timer to when a coupon expires
This countdown timer can be used on a page to tell a user when a specific coupon is about to expire, OR you can add it to an order form itself (leave the dropdown blank if you will be using the countdown timer in an Order Form or with a URL-supplied coupon).
1. Select the Promo that the countdown timer references
If you have a timed promo created, you can select it in the dropdown. With this setup, when the promo begins (via the AccessAlly Product > Promo settings), the countdown timer will show accordingly.
If you’re using the countdown timer in an Order for (or with a URL-supplied coupon), you can leave the dropdown blank).
2. SAVE
As always, please make sure to click on the “save changes” button before exiting the page or moving onto the next step.
3. Add the countdown timer to a page
Now, you can add it to a page using the shortcode adder. When your logged in users first visit that page, the timer will begin the countdown.
Step 3: Configure the Countdown Timer Display
Finally, you can configure how you’d like the countdown timer to display.
The placeholder tags available are:
- {{countdown}} : this will be replaced by the timer that blinks down.
- {{coupon}} : only populated if using with the coupon option. this will be substituted with the coupon code, so you can say something like “the coupon code ‘abc’ will expire in 30 minutes”
Step 4: Add the Countdown Time to a Page
Now that you have the countdown timer created, you can add it to a page using a shortcode or block, depending on what set up or theme you’re using.
Simply choose “Custom Operations” and select the Countdown Timer one you just created.
- Locating the Shortcode Adder in the WordPress Classic Editor
- Locating the Shortcode Adder in the WordPress Gutenberg Interface
- Locating the Shortcode Adder in the Elementor Page Builder
- Locating the Shortcode Adder in Beaver Builder
- Can you use Ontraport’s Landing Page Builder with AccessAlly Shortcodes?
- How to Locate the Shortcode Adder Button in OptimizePress
- Common Issues With the Shortcode Adder & the Divi Theme/Page Builder – Please read through this resource if you are a Divi user, as the page builder has known issues with the shortcode adder, typically more common after a recent Divi update.
