How to add a countdown timer to Shopify

Most Shopify countdown timers arrive as an app with its own monthly fee and its own script on every page. You do not need one: every Online Store 2.0 theme — Dawn and everything released since 2021 — ships a Custom Liquid section that takes raw HTML straight from the theme editor.

  1. Design your countdown in tikio

    Build the timer once in the editor — colors, fonts, labels and languages. The same published design serves your website and your email campaigns, so the page and the inbox never drift apart.

  2. Publish and copy the embed code

    Hit Publish, switch the snippet type to the website embed and copy the iframe. The width and height come from your design, so the timer lands on the page at exactly the size you drew it.

    <iframe src="https://tikio.io/e/a1b2.html?target=2026-08-01T20:00" title="Offer ends soon" width="480" height="140" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:0;"></iframe>

  3. Add a Custom Liquid section to your theme

    In the theme editor, open the page or template where the countdown belongs, click Add section and choose Custom Liquid. Paste the iframe into the section’s content box and save. Nothing in your theme code changes, so the theme stays updatable.

    <iframe src="https://tikio.io/e/a1b2.html?target=2026-08-01T20:00" title="Offer ends soon" width="480" height="140" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="border:0;"></iframe>

The same countdown in your emails

Your Shopify Email campaigns can carry the same countdown as an image: swap .html for .gif and use it as an image URL. One design covers the storefront banner and the campaign announcing it.

<img src="https://tikio.io/e/a1b2.gif?target=2026-08-01T20:00" alt="Sale ends soon" style="border:0;" />

Setting up the campaign too? See the guide for your email platform.

FAQ

Do I need a countdown timer app?

No. The Custom Liquid section is part of Online Store 2.0 themes, so the timer is added from the theme editor without installing anything or paying a recurring app fee.

Will this survive a theme update?

Yes. A Custom Liquid section is theme content rather than edited theme code, so updating the theme does not overwrite it.

Can I put the countdown on a product page only?

Yes. Add the Custom Liquid section to the product template you want it on. Because the deadline is a URL parameter, you can even reuse the same published design with a different date per template.

Can I make the timer link to the collection?

Put the link on a button next to the timer — clicks inside an iframe do not reach a surrounding link. A tikio smart link lets that button send shoppers to the sale before the deadline and somewhere else after it.

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