Countdown timers are designed to show a time-sensitive visual countdown when the recipient opens the email. Knowing how they display in different email clients helps you set the right expectations before you send a campaign.
Countdown timers appear in emails as animated images. When a recipient opens the email, the timer is generated based on the countdown settings and the contact's email experience. The timer can keep updating briefly while the email stays open, but email clients may cache images or limit how often animated content refreshes.
Important things to keep in mind:
Countdown timers in emails are generated dynamically when the email is opened.
How the timer displays can depend on the recipient's email client.
Some email clients may cache the timer image instead of refreshing it continuously.
Apple Mail may show a cached version of the countdown timer, which can stop the timer from updating as expected.
Dynamic countdown timers in emails
Dynamic countdown timers let you personalise the countdown based on contact behaviour, such as when an email is opened or sent. This is handy when each recipient should get their own deadline instead of sharing one fixed end date.
Example: If your timer is set to end at midnight on 25 December and someone opens the email on 24 December, the timer will show "24 hours left". It will then count down to "23 hours 59 minutes left" and stop updating, even if the email stays open. If the email is closed and opened again, the timer refreshes to the latest time and counts down for the next 60 seconds.
Use a dynamic timer when:
Each contact should get their own countdown window.
The deadline should be based on when the email is opened or sent.
The offer is evergreen rather than tied to one fixed calendar date.
You want the email timer to stay in line with a timer on your destination page.
How to use countdown timers in emails
Create a countdown timer: Go to Marketing in the left navigation, then Countdown Timer, and create your timer.
Click here for our article on creating a countdown timer.
Go to Marketing in the left navigation, then Emails > Templates.
Create a New Template or edit an existing one.
Make sure you're in the design editor, or switch to it.
Add the countdown timer element to your email.
Choose the timer you want by viewing its design and details.
Turn on Adapt to Contact Time Zone so each recipient sees the correct local deadline. To learn more, see Timezone Adaptation in Countdown Timers.
Adjust timer settings: Click settings to align the timer within your email.
Customise appearance: Set the background colour and adjust the padding as needed.
Configure redirection: Copy the redirection link and use it for your email buttons or calls-to-action.
