By adding a countdown timer to the popup, we believed that introducing urgency would nudge visitors to take action faster and increase overall opt-in rates for both email and SMS.

An A/B test was conducted to evaluate the impact of a countdown timer on conversion behavior. Two versions were compared:

‍

Visitors were randomly assigned to one of two popup versions:

‍

• One group saw the standard popup with no urgency element.
• The other group saw a version with a countdown timer, designed to drive action with a sense of urgency.

‍

Key metrics tracked:

‍

• Email Conversion Rate – % of visitors who submitted their email
• SMS Conversion Rate – % of visitors who submitted their phone number
• Statistical Confidence – strength of results (calculated using AI analysis)

‍

Conversions were calculated by dividing opt-ins by popup impressions.

The countdown timer consistently underperformed compared to the standard popup:

‍

‍

Across both desktop and mobile, as well as both channels, the countdown timer variant reduced signups instead of lifting them.

The countdown timer hurt conversions across the board. Rather than driving urgency, it likely created pressure or distraction, discouraging visitors from completing the opt-in. With strong statistical confidence confirming the results, the standard popup without a countdown remains the clear winner.