How Countdown Timer in Emails and Newsletters can Boost Sales?

Emails are an effective way of directly communicating with customers. Unlike advertisements, which are designed to attract a large group of customers, emails have a personal approach. So, the objective of email marketing is to develop regular communication with customers at an individual level and gradually earn their trust.

Another objective of this method is to attract customers with relevant products after studying their purchasing behavior. For example, in the case of e-commerce giants like Amazon, there are thousands of products available in every category. When you send an email to customers showing some products that they have previously shown interest in, then they are more likely to make a purchase.

But a successful email marketing campaign requires a lot of planning, perseverance, and, most importantly, patience. There are different techniques that businesses use in their email marketing campaigns to increase the conversion rate of sales.

One of the tried and tested strategies of boosting sales through emails is by including a countdown timer. So let’s take a look at what countdown timers are and how businesses can incorporate them in their emails to create higher conversion rates.

What Are Countdown Timers?

A countdown timer is exactly what its name suggests - an animated digital timer that counts down to a specific time as set by a party. These are mostly used to convince customers to instantly take some action, without wasting time. They are used primarily during the sale of items that are in limited stock, discounted deals, special offers, gift cards, promo codes, or vouchers.

An important thing to know about countdown timers is that they must instantly attract the customer’s attention. That is why they are most designed in eye-catching colors and formats and are often larger in font size as compared to other content in the email.

How does adding a countdown timer in emails and newsletters boost sales?

The main purpose of countdown timers is to persuade customers to make a purchase immediately. It does so by creating a situation of urgency as well as scarcity. Below, we have explained in detail how countdown timers in emails can increase sales.

1. Creating a sense of urgency among customers

The first purpose of countdown timers is to create urgency among customers. Many people often browse for items and services online, and then think of purchasing it sometime later. If such customers are informed that the item of their interest is available at discounted prices for a short time, it can convince them to make a purchase.

When customers are gifted with vouchers or coupons, they are more likely to make a purchase, even if it’s only to make use of the coupon.

2. It urges potential customers to take immediate action

Once again, let’s focus on the habit of customers of browsing for items but not purchasing immediately. This behavior of customers gives vital information to the business. It tells them what a specific customer is interested in buying. The customer may be waiting to make a purchase later, or might even have forgotten about the product.

Sending them emails advertising similar products can alert them and reignite their interest. Take, for example, the “similar products” or “customers who bought this recently also purchased” types of strategies used by Amazon. When you add a countdown timer to such emails, it becomes even easier to convince customers to place an order.

3. Limited time discount coupons attract new customers

A good email marketing campaign doesn’t just focus on existing customers but also brings new customers to the business. And one of the most effective and proven strategies to do this is by offering them discount coupons or vouchers.

What’s even more effective is to make the coupons available for a limited time. The countdown timer will draw their attention, and they will be more likely to redeem the coupon before it expires.

4. It informs customers about special offers and discount sales

On special occasions, businesses offer discounts on many products. Some of the most common occasions include festivals like Christmas, New Year, Holiday seasons, Black Friday sales, etc. A lot of customers miss out on such offers just because they were uninformed about it.

So it’s useful to send an email to your subscriber’s list informing them about the offers. Add a countdown timer to such emails with a text that says something like – ‘Free shipping on all products for on a limited time’ or X % discount on all purchases above a certain amount. It provides an incentive for customers to purchase something.

5. It improves the effectiveness of personalized emails

Many businesses create customized emails for individual customers based on their past activities and preferences.

Let’s say a customer often orders or browses DSLR cameras and its accessories. What you can do is create a list of the best products in that category, and forward it to the customer by adding a special discount or offer for them.

To make it more effective, you can add in a limited time offer on those products. It can be phrased with texts such as “Order this product before so-and-so date to avail X % flat discount.” Then add a countdown timer into the email.

Firstly, it will make the customer feel special, that you are providing them special offers on products of their interest. The countdown will do the job of alerting them that the offer, however, lasts only for a certain amount of time. It’ll be very effective in convincing the customer to buy the product.

A Final Note – Some Guidelines Regarding Countdown Timers

When using countdown timers in your emails and newsletters, take the following points into serious consideration.

• Make sure that the timer grabs the viewer’s attention quickly.
• Ensure that the limited time offer is genuine and not just a fake countdown. There’s nothing more harmful to a business than losing their customer’s trust.
• The total countdown time must be decided carefully. If the offer time is too short, you may lose customers who check their emails only once every few days. If the timer is too long, customers will lose the sense of urgency as they will feel that there is enough time to check it later.
• Be honest. Don’t create false urgency or scarcity.

The Next Steps

So take the next step in your email marketing efforts. Add appropriate countdown timers in your newsletters and persuade more customers, thus, boosting sales and revenue. Wondering how? Mailpro can help. Add a timer functionality to your newsletter now.