This tactic works well in time‑sensitive sales periods or events, for example, a storewide promotion where you highlight different deals each hour, or a flash‑sale day where product categories take turns as the featured offer.
Scheduled content keeps your site fresh, encourages repeat visits, and reduces manual updates. Create offer banners and apply time-based Slot Rules to show the right content at the right time.
Example use cases
Black Friday flash sales
You are running a 24‑hour site‑wide promotion and want each hour to feature a different category or deal. By scheduling banner changes automatically, you keep the homepage fresh, encourage customers to check back often, and build excitement as offers unlock throughout the day.
Hourly countdown deals during a product launch
To build momentum for a new product release, you display rotating bundles and discounts every hour. Visitors see not only the current offer but know there is something new coming soon. This encourages visitors to keep browsing and return to see new offers.
Event or livestream specials
During an online event, rotate banners to match presentation segments or announce time‑limited freebies for attendees in sync with the livestream schedule.
Solution overview
This approach uses time‑based Slot Rules in Fresh Relevance to rotate different marketing content, such as banners or SmartBlocks, at set hourly intervals. You prepare the content for each offer in advance, assign it to the correct time slot, and let the rules automatically display the right offer at the right time across your website, email, or triggered campaigns.
By centralizing the schedule in a Slot, you can coordinate multiple channels, avoid manual content changes during busy periods, and keep customers engaged with fresh offers throughout your sales window.
Step by step guide to creating and applying time-based slot rules
1. Create your content
Create the offer content. This could be any type of SmartBlock — banners, hero images, product recommenders, coupon blocks, and more.
Banners work particularly well for concise and attention‑grabbing offers.
2. Create a Slot
Go to Content > Slots.
Select a Website, Email, or Triggered Email Slot depending on where you want the content to appear.
Select Create Slot.
Name and tag the Slot.
Disable control groups if not required.
3. Add hourly rules
Go to the Rules tab of the Slot.
Under Time, drag Date Range into the Rule Tree.
Select Custom and configure a rule that matches the first campaign hour.
Add that hour’s offer content into the Yes branch.
For subsequent hours:
Add a new Date Range rule for each hour to the No branch.
Place the correct content for that hour into the Yes branch of its rule.
4. Save and launch
When you finish adding rules, select Save.
Deploy your Slot using its Slot Code or via the Site Editor, depending on where the offers appear.
You can apply this same method for daily content changes, countdown‑driven switches, or event‑based reveals, for example, unlocking new bonus content at set times during a conference or streaming session.
Hourly Offer Themes Quick‑Reference
Campaign Type | Example Hourly Offer Themes | Visual Style Ideas | Notes |
Black Friday / Mega Sale | Electronics • Fashion • Homeware • Toys • Accessories | Bold high‑contrast banners • Limited‑time badge • Countdown timer overlay | Emphasise urgency. Match banners to site’s sale colour scheme. |
Product Launch Day | Bundle deal • Free gift with purchase • Category spotlight • VIP discount | Brand colours • Product photos • Launch teaser graphic | Include sneak peeks for upcoming hours to drive repeat visits. |
Seasonal Clearance | Winter coats • Swimwear • Garden tools • Decor • Seasonal gadgets | Seasonal palette (cool blues for winter, warm tones for summer) | Use imagery that signals the season to enhance relevance. |
Livestream / Event | Session speaker highlight • Limited giveaway • Featured sponsor offer • Timed discount | Match event branding • Include hashtag or URL • Live feed screenshots | Coordinate changes with event agenda segments. |
Holiday Countdown | Daily flash deal categories (for example, 12 days of Christmas) • Hourly “unwrap” of mystery deal | Festive illustrations • Gift‑box reveal animation | Builds anticipation — integrate with loyalty rewards if possible. |
Festival or Local Event | Food vendor spotlight • Ticket discount • Merchandise sale • Special performance countdown | Vibrant colours • Event logo • Location imagery | Can work for community engagement and partnership promos. |