> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.samita.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.samita.io/samita-countdown-timer-bar/stock-countdown/create.md).
# Create a stock countdown
Build a low-stock bar end to end, from message and inventory source to your live product page.
This guide builds a complete stock countdown: a message that reports the remaining stock, a threshold so it only appears when stock is genuinely low, and a slider to make the scarcity visible.
Make sure the [app embed is on](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/quick-start/enable-app-embed.md) before you start.
## Steps to set it up
{% stepper %}
{% step %}
### Create the countdown
Click **Create countdown** from the dashboard or the **Countdowns** page.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Pick the Stock countdown layout
On the **Countdown templates** page, switch the type tab to **Stock countdown** and click **Select** on the default layout.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Name it
Something like "Low stock bar — all products".
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Write the message
On the **Settings** tab, open **Content** and edit the **Message**. A new stock countdown starts with:
> 🔥 This product is almost sold out. Hurry up to order! {stock\_number} items left in stock.
`{stock_number}` is replaced with the real figure when the page loads. The app previews it as `10`.
Keep the variable somewhere in the sentence — a stock message without a number is just a claim.
Use {stock_number} to place the real inventory figure in the message.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Choose where the number comes from
Open the **Settings stock** section and set **Inventory tracking method**:
| Method | Uses |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Variant's Quantity** | The stock of the variant the shopper is currently looking at. The default |
| **Product's Quantity** | The product's stock across all its variants |
| **Estimated Quantity (Not using shopify for inventory)** | A number generated between a **Min** and **Max** you set |
Use **Variant's Quantity** if your variants have meaningfully different stock — a size that's nearly gone shouldn't be masked by one that isn't. Use **Product's Quantity** when the product is what sells out.
Full detail in [Inventory tracking and the stock slider](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/stock-countdown/inventory.md).
Three ways to source the number the message reports.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Set the low-stock threshold
Still in **Settings stock**, turn on **Only show if stock qty is equal or less than** and enter a number. The default is 10.
Below that number the countdown appears; above it, nothing shows. This is what stops a permanent "almost sold out" banner on products with hundreds in stock.
{% hint style="info" %}
Leave the threshold off and the countdown shows on every matching product regardless of stock level — including one with 400 units, which undercuts the message.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Turn on the stock slider
Turn on **Use stock slider** and set the total it measures against. The default is 100.
The slider fills in proportion to the remaining stock against that total, so "7 left" out of a total of 100 renders as a nearly empty bar.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Style it
Open the **Design** section to set the **Alignment**, the colors for the message, slider, stock figure and background, and an **Animation** — **None**, **Flash**, or **Pulse**.
Flash and Pulse draw the eye, which is the point, but they're noticeable on a page that already has movement. Try the page as a whole before settling on one.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Choose where it shows
On the **Display** tab, tick **Product page** under **Show countdown on**, or copy the **Shortcode** for a custom position.
Use **Conditions** to limit it to the products where scarcity is real — a collection of limited editions, for example. See [Display conditions](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/where-countdowns-appear/conditions.md).
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Save it as Active
Set the status to **Active** and click **Save**.
{% endstep %}
{% step %}
### Check it on your storefront
Open a product whose stock is **below your threshold**. The message should appear with the real figure and the slider should be drawn down.
Then open a product well above the threshold and check that nothing appears — that's the threshold working, not a fault.
If you're using **Variant's Quantity**, switch variants on the product page and watch the number follow the selection.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}
## Next steps
* [Inventory tracking and the stock slider](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/stock-countdown/inventory.md)
* [Display conditions](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/where-countdowns-appear/conditions.md)
* [Design a countdown](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/design-and-translation/design.md)
* [Countdown not showing](/samita-countdown-timer-bar/help/countdown-not-showing.md)
---
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