Setting Up Live Visitor Count Notifications

A live visitor count notification shows your visitors that they are not alone. A typical notification reads: "47 people are viewing this page right now." Unlike purchase or signup notifications, this type requires no integration with an external platform — the Activly script counts active sessions on your site directly.

Why it works

Visitor counts create real-time urgency without requiring any order data. When a visitor sees that dozens of other people are looking at the same page, it signals that the product or offer is worth paying attention to. It also reduces the feeling of isolation that can cause hesitation on high-consideration purchases.

This notification type is especially effective during promotions, product launches, or flash sales when traffic spikes naturally.

Requirements

Just the Activly script installed on your site. No integration, no API keys, no additional configuration. If your script is installed and showing a green status in your dashboard, you can create a live visitor count notification immediately.

Setup steps

1. Create a new notification. Go to your Activly dashboard, click New Notification, and select Live Visitor Count.

2. Set the message template. Write the message your visitors will see. The {{count}} variable is replaced with the live number of active sessions on the current page. Examples:

   • {{count}} people are viewing this page right now
   • {{count}} shoppers are looking at this right now
   • {{count}} people are here with you

3. Set a minimum threshold. This is the most important setting for this notification type. Set a minimum — 5 is recommended — so the notification only appears when at least that many visitors are on the page simultaneously. A count of 1 or 2 looks empty rather than persuasive.

4. Configure the update interval. The notification refreshes the count at this interval. 30 seconds is the default and works well for most sites. Lower intervals update faster but increase script activity.

5. Set page targeting. Choose where the notification appears:

   • Product pages and landing pages are the best placements.
   • Avoid showing on checkout pages — visitors there are mid-transaction and should not be distracted.
   • Avoid very low-traffic pages where the count rarely clears your minimum threshold.

Tips

• Only show this notification on pages with meaningful traffic. If the count rarely reaches your minimum, the notification simply does not appear — which is the right behavior.
• This notification works especially well during sales events, launches, or any time you are driving concentrated traffic to a specific page.
• Pair live visitor counts with recent purchase notifications for compounding effect. A visitor who sees "43 people viewing this" followed by "Emma from Toronto just bought this" gets two distinct signals that this product has real demand.

What's next

• Setting Up Recent Purchase Notifications
• Customizing Notification Design