Use Cases
Real-world examples of how to use S5 Announcement Bar — with exact configuration for each scenario. Browse by objective or by sector.
Promotions & sales
Limited-time discount
Run a flash sale with an automatic start and end date. The bar activates and deactivates on its own — no manual action needed.
| Message | 🔥 20% off sitewide — today only! Use code FLASH20 |
| Button text | Shop now |
| Button URL | /shop |
| Button style | Filled |
| Background | #F44336 (red) |
| Start date | Today 00:00 |
| End date | Today 23:59 |
| Priority | 1 (highest) |
Seasonal sale
Announce a summer or winter sale across your entire site for a defined period.
| Message | ☀️ Summer Sale — up to 50% off all items |
| Button text | See deals |
| Background | #FF9800 (orange) |
| Start date | June 21 |
| End date | July 31 |
| Sticky | Yes |
New product launch
Announce a new product or feature to all visitors. Target only relevant pages if the product is category-specific.
| Message | 🆕 Introducing [Product Name] — available now! |
| Button text | Discover it |
| Button style | Pill |
| Background | #673AB7 (purple) |
| Page targeting | All pages |
| Auto close | 10 seconds |
Urgency & countdown
Black Friday / Cyber Monday
High-visibility bar for your biggest sale of the year. Scheduled to activate automatically on the right dates.
| Message | 🛒 Black Friday is here — 40% off everything. Ends midnight! |
| Button text | Shop the sale |
| Background | #000000 (black) |
| Text color | #FFC857 (gold) |
| Start date | Nov 28 00:00 |
| End date | Dec 1 00:00 |
| Sticky | Yes |
| Priority | 1 |
Christmas / Holiday shipping deadline
Remind visitors of the last order date to receive before Christmas. Critical for e-commerce.
| Message | 🎁 Order by Dec 18 for guaranteed Christmas delivery! |
| Background | #009688 (teal) |
| End date | Dec 18 23:59 |
| Dismiss button | Yes |
| Reset dismiss after | 1 day |
Information & alerts
Planned maintenance notice
Inform visitors of upcoming downtime before it happens. Disable in one click when done.
| Message | ⚠️ Scheduled maintenance on June 30 from 2:00–4:00 AM UTC. The site will be temporarily unavailable. |
| Background | #FF9800 (orange) |
| Text color | #1B1F3B (dark) |
| Dismiss button | Yes |
| Start date | June 27 |
| End date | June 30 04:00 |
Important policy update
Notify all visitors of a change in your privacy policy, terms of service, or shipping rates.
| Message | 📋 We've updated our Privacy Policy effective July 1, 2026. |
| Button text | Read the update |
| Button URL | /privacy-policy |
| No follow link | Yes |
| Background | #607D8B (slate) |
| Dismiss button | Yes |
Free shipping threshold
Persistent reminder of the free shipping threshold on every page. Increases average order value.
| Message | 🚚 FREE shipping on orders over $50 — you're almost there! |
| Background | #4CAF50 (green) |
| Dismiss button | No (always visible) |
| Sticky | Yes |
| Bar height | 44px |
Email collection
Newsletter signup CTA
Drive newsletter signups with a non-intrusive bar. Display only on blog posts to reach readers already engaged with your content.
| Message | ✉️ Enjoyed this article? Get our best content every week. |
| Button text | Subscribe free |
| Button URL | /newsletter |
| Button style | Outline |
| Display on scroll | After 400px |
| Category targeting | Blog, Articles |
| Dismiss button | Yes |
| Reset dismiss after | 30 days |
Lead magnet offer
Offer a free resource (ebook, checklist, template) to capture email addresses.
| Message | 🎁 Free: Download our 2026 Marketing Checklist (PDF) |
| Button text | Get it free |
| Button style | Pill |
| Display after | 5 seconds |
| Close on click | Yes |
| Dismiss button | Yes |
Support & maintenance
Open a live chat
Invite visitors to chat with your team. The button triggers your live chat widget directly — no URL needed.
| Message | 💬 Questions? Our team is online right now. |
| Button text | Chat with us |
| Button action | Execute JavaScript |
| JavaScript | Intercom('show') or $crisp.push(['do','chat:open']) |
| Close on click | Yes |
| User roles | All logged-in users |
Known issue alert
Proactively inform users of a known bug or service disruption to reduce support volume.
| Message | 🔧 We're aware of a checkout issue and are working to fix it. Thank you for your patience. |
| Background | #F44336 (red) |
| Dismiss button | No |
| Sticky | Yes |
| Page targeting | Show only on /checkout |
Welcome & onboarding
Personalized greeting for members
Welcome logged-in users by name using S5 Shortcodes. Guests see nothing.
| Message | Welcome back, [s5_user_name]! 👋 Check out what's new. |
| Process shortcodes | Yes |
| User roles | All logged-in users |
| Display after | 2 seconds |
| Auto close | 8 seconds |
| Background | #3D5AFE (indigo) |
New user onboarding tip
Guide new users to complete their profile or take a first action after signup.
| Message | 🎉 Welcome! Complete your profile to get started. |
| Button text | Set up my profile |
| Button URL | /account/profile |
| User roles | Subscriber |
| Page targeting | All pages |
| Close on click | Yes |
E-commerce
Cart abandonment recovery
Show a discount offer to logged-in users who have items in their cart. Trigger the bar after they've been browsing for a while.
| Message | 🛒 Still thinking? Get 10% off your cart — today only. |
| Button text | Claim discount |
| Display after | 30 seconds |
| User roles | All logged-in users |
| Dismiss button | Yes |
| Reset dismiss after | 1 day |
Post-purchase review request
Ask customers to leave a review after their order is confirmed. Target only the order confirmation page.
| Message | ⭐ Loving your purchase? Leave us a review — it takes 30 seconds! |
| Button text | Write a review |
| Page targeting | Show only on /order-received |
| Background | #FFC857 (gold) |
| Text color | #1B1F3B (dark) |
Blog & media
Breaking news alert
Announce breaking news or a major update at the top of your site. Dismiss reappears after 1 day to remind returning visitors.
| Message | 🔴 LIVE: Major announcement — read our full coverage now. |
| Button text | Read now |
| Background | #F44336 (red) |
| Sticky | Yes |
| Reset dismiss after | 1 day |
Podcast / video episode drop
Announce a new episode to your audience. Auto-close after a few seconds to stay non-intrusive.
| Message | 🎙 New episode: "The Future of AI" — listen now |
| Button text | Listen |
| Auto close | 8 seconds |
| Animation duration | 0.5s |
| Background | #9C27B0 (purple) |
Restaurant & food
Live stock ticker or crypto price
Display a live stock ticker, crypto price feed, or any dynamic data widget directly in the announcement bar using a shortcode from a third-party plugin. Perfect for finance sites, investment blogs, or crypto portfolios.
| Message | [your_ticker_shortcode symbol="AAPL,BTC,ETH"] |
| Process shortcodes | ✅ Enabled |
| Background | #1a1a2e (dark navy) |
| Text color | #00e676 (green — financial data convention) |
| Dismiss button | No |
| Position | Bottom (doesn't compete with page header) |
Daily special or happy hour
Promote today's special or happy hour times at the top of your restaurant website.
| Message | 🍕 Today's special: Truffle Pizza — $14.90. Happy Hour 5–7 PM! |
| Background | #FF5722 (deep orange) |
| Bar height | 50px |
| Text alignment | Center |
| Dismiss button | No |
Holiday closing notice
Inform customers of holiday hours or temporary closure before they visit or order online.
| Message | 🎄 We will be closed December 25–26. Reopening December 27! |
| Background | #009688 (teal) |
| Start date | Dec 20 |
| End date | Dec 27 |
SaaS & startup
Feature announcement for users
Announce a new feature to logged-in users only. Guests don't see it — they haven't paid for it yet.
| Message | ✨ New: Advanced Analytics dashboard is now live — try it today! |
| Button text | Explore |
| User roles | All logged-in users |
| Display after | 3 seconds |
| Dismiss button | Yes |
| Reset dismiss after | 7 days |
Trial expiration reminder
Remind trial users to upgrade before their trial ends. Target only logged-in users with a specific role.
| Message | ⚠️ Your trial ends in 3 days. Upgrade now to keep your data. |
| Button text | Upgrade |
| Background | #FF5722 (orange-red) |
| User roles | Subscriber (trial role) |
| Sticky | Yes |
| Dismiss button | No |
Professional services
Free consultation offer
Law firms, accountants, coaches — invite visitors to book a free first consultation.
| Message | 📞 Free 30-minute consultation — no commitment required. |
| Button text | Book now |
| Button URL | /contact |
| Button style | Filled |
| Background | #1B1F3B (dark navy) |
| Display on scroll | After 300px |
| Position | Bottom |
Education & training
Course enrollment deadline
Create urgency around a course enrollment deadline. The bar disappears automatically when enrollment closes.
| Message | 🎓 Enrollment closes Friday! Only 12 spots left in our Web Design course. |
| Button text | Enroll now |
| Background | #3D5AFE (indigo) |
| End date | Friday 23:59 |
| Sticky | Yes |
| User roles | Guest (not logged-in) |
Free resource for students
Offer a free study guide or resource exclusively to logged-in students.
| Message | 📚 Welcome back, [s5_user_name]! Your free study guide is ready. |
| Button text | Download |
| Process shortcodes | Yes |
| User roles | Subscriber |
| Page targeting | Course pages only |
Different bar behavior per page
Show a scroll-triggered bar sitewide, but display it immediately on your most important landing page — without any code.
| Display on scroll | After 300px |
| Page targeting | All pages |
| Priority | 10 |
| Display on scroll | No — immediate |
| Page targeting | Show only on /landing-page |
| Priority | 1 (overrides Bar 1) |
Social media campaign with exclusive promo code
Running a campaign on Instagram, Facebook, or X? Link your post to a URL that automatically shows a bar with an exclusive discount code — only for visitors arriving from that link. Visitors from other sources see nothing.
| Message | 👋 Welcome from Instagram! Here's your exclusive code: INSTA20 |
| Button text | Shop with 20% off |
| Button URL | /shop |
| Button style | Filled |
| Background | #E1306C (Instagram pink) |
| Referrer targeting | instagram.com (show only when visitor comes from this domain) |
| Auto-close | After 10 seconds |
| Priority | 1 (highest) |