How do you create a sense of urgency around your deals and offers? It’s simple. Show that time is running out, and people are sure to scramble into action and place their orders. Limited-time offers have never disappointed marketers.
Countdown timers create the fear of missing out and propel customers to make decisions on a positive impulse. Almost every brand uses this strategy some time or the other to increase footfall and sales.
amp-timeago, an AMP component, brings the same excitement into emails. With dynamic timestamps, you can induce a thrill amongst the audience and see a spike in sales and lead generations.
Let us explore the full potential of amp-timeago in AMP emails.
1. What are the benefits of the amp-timeago component?
amp-timeago helps you create dynamic time displays within emails. You can set it up to inform the users of the time left in an event or the time elapsed since the launch of an offer, deal, or product. Let us look at some advantages of using amp-timeago.
1.1 Create powerful user nudges
Nudge users to take quick actions using the power of ticking timers. For example, you can add a continuously updating ‘X hours to start’ or ‘X hours left’ sale announcer to create a sense of urgency. Customers make purchasing decisions impulsively, leading to more conversions for your campaigns.
1.2. Keep the content relevant
It is sometimes crucial to keep a record of the date of publishing a document or announcing a scheme to maintain the relevance of content over time. For example, you can display the days elapsed since the latest amendments in a policy. Use the amp-timeago component to create timestamps that count away from the original date of issue.
1.3. Build specific use cases
You can create business-specific applications in emails using amp-timeago. Some use cases could be hours left for an upcoming doctor’s appointment, a countdown to a webinar, time left for order delivery, etc.
1.4. Personalize the message
Using amp-timeago, you can make your customers feel special and wanted. For example, you can add a message like ‘it’s been 2 weeks since you last visited us’ or ‘you purchased your pet supply 10 days ago, hope you have enough stock left.’ You can also design countdown to birthday or anniversary emails.
2. How to use the amp-timeago component?
amp-timeago provides fuzzy timestamps by replacing the text node or by formatting dates as time ago, such as ‘in 30 years’ or ‘3 hours ago.’
Required Scripts: <script async custom-element=”amp-timeago” src=”https://cdn.ampproject.org/v0/amp-timeago-0.1.js”></script>
Use the amp-timeago component to count up to or away from a specified date and time.
The amp-timeago component requires a placeholder in the text node. The calculated timestamp replaces the placeholder once ready. Use the placeholder as a fallback to display to users if amp-timeago fails to process the fuzzy timestamp.
If you wish to learn more about the amp-timeago component for email, visit amp.dev.
3. Variations of the amp-timeago component
Using the attributes of amp-timeago, you can adjust the final display of date and time in your AMP emails.
3.1. Use standard values
The ‘datetime’ attribute sets the date and time of your email. The value must be as per ISO date-time format.
- Express time in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time): 2017-03-10T01:00:00Z
- Express in local time with a time zone offset: 2017-03-09T20:00:00-05:00
3.2. Display local language
You can set the output in your local language using the ‘locale’ attribute. By default, the output language is en(English). The attribute supports 44 languages, including ar(Arabic), fr(French), he(Hebrew), hi-IN(Hindi), ja(Japanese), ru(Russian), etc.
3.3. Choose display option
You can add the ‘cutoff’ attribute to display the date specified in the ‘datetime’ attribute after a defined time window ends. You need to select the cutoff time in seconds. For example, to set it up after 5 days set the cutoff time at 432000 seconds. Cutoff times are helpful when displaying “X time ago” after a threshold doesn’t make sense.
amp-timeago is frequently combined with the amp-list and amp-mustache components to make the emails even more effective.
4. How can Netcore Cloud help you?
Netcore Cloud empowers you to create AMP interactive emails coupled with the world’s most advanced AI-powered email delivery. It sends 18 billion emails/month on behalf of businesses across 12 countries.
Netcore Cloud offers an enterprise-ready AMP editor that makes AMP email creation quick and easy. You can use the no-code drag-and-drop editor to build engaging AMP emails quickly. To customize further, you can connect with the in-house team of AMP experts to design AMP emails for specific use cases.
At Netcore Cloud, we help you set up and integrate AMP for email with the shortest TAT. You will find instant support for domain whitelisting, custom AMP design creation, and email delivery optimization that maximize the ROI of your email marketing campaigns.
Netcore Cloud works as an extension of your team to provide result-oriented solutions. With Netcore Cloud’s help, 50+ global brands have rolled out interactive emails powered by AMP and achieved their goals.
Netcore Cloud’s team partners with your marketing team to help you leverage the power of AMP emails and drive business revenue.
Connect with us to understand how you can benefit from our expertise and experience.
