Countdown timers encourage visitors to act by counting down to a deadline. They're perfect for flash sales, limited-time offers and event registrations. In ZipLeads, you can design your own countdown timers and add them to your funnels or websites.
What is a countdown timer?
A countdown timer shows how much time is left until a specific event or deadline. In ZipLeads, you can reuse timers across your sites, style them to match your brand and set them up to behave in different ways depending on your goals. Use them to build urgency during launches, show when an offer expires or promote event registrations.
Key benefits of countdown timers
Urgency and scarcity: Show a real-time countdown to encourage people to act now.
Multiple timer types: Fixed, Recurring and Dynamic timers suit a range of campaign styles.
Reusable design: Use the same timer across multiple pages and funnels without rebuilding it.
Styling control: Adjust the font, size, colour and visible time units to match your brand.
How to create a countdown timer
First, design and build your countdown timer in the Marketing section. Then you can add it to a funnel.
Go to Marketing > Countdown Timers. Click the blue + New button to create a new countdown timer.
Choose a countdown timer template and click Continue with Template.
Under the General tab on the top left, choose the Timer Type:
Fixed – ends at a specific date and time.
Recurring – resets on a regular interval (for example, daily or weekly).
Dynamic – adjusts for each contact (ideal for emails).
Set the timer's End Date, select a Time Zone and enter the Redirect URL.
When Adapt to Contact Time Zone is turned on, the time zone adapts to each visitor's own time zone. For more information, see Timezone Adaptation in Countdown Timers.
Under the Style tab on the left, choose which time units to show (for example, hours, minutes and seconds). Then customise the timer's font, size and colour using the style controls.
Add the countdown timer to a funnel
There are two ways to add a countdown timer to your funnel: the HTML Countdown Timer element or the Code block element. The countdown timer element is great for quick drag-and-drop use inside ZipLeads. The code block method is better for third-party platforms.
Use the HTML Countdown Timer element
This is the best option if you're building your pages in the ZipLeads drag-and-drop funnel editor.
Go to Sites > Funnels.
Select the funnel you want, then click Edit Page on the funnel step you want to update.
In the top left of the builder, click the plus (+) icon to open the Add Element panel. Select the Countdown Timers element.
Choose one of the timers you've already created. Drag it into the right section of the page.
Use the Code block element
You can also embed your countdown timer using code. This is handy if you're adding it to a third-party platform. For more on copying code from a countdown timer, see How to Use the "Copy Code" Feature in Countdown Timers.
Go to Marketing > Countdown Timers and click the timer you want to use.
In the top right, click the Copy Code button. Then click the blue Copy button in the popup.
Open your funnel under Sites > Funnels.
Click the plus (+) icon in the top left to open the element panel.
Select the Code element and drag it to where you want the timer to appear.
Click the code block to open the editor, then paste the code you copied earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What's the difference between Fixed, Recurring and Dynamic timers?
Fixed timers end at a specific date and time for everyone. Recurring timers reset after a set interval (for example, every day at 9 AM). Dynamic timers are personalised countdowns that start when a contact opens an email or visits a page.
Q: Can timers be used in multiple funnels?
Yes. Once you've created a timer, you can reuse it in any funnel or website using either method.
Q: Can I use timers in third-party website builders?
Yes. Use the Copy Code feature and paste the snippet into your preferred platform.
Q: Can I update the timer without breaking it in existing funnels?
Yes. Any changes you make to the timer automatically show wherever it's placed. To update a countdown timer, go to Marketing > Countdown Timers, then click Edit on the timer you want to update.