How Driver Digital Uses Live Visitor Count to Drive Urgency for Their Clients - And Why It Works
When customers browse through a collection, they're often just window shopping. Driver Digital - a Shopify Plus agency working with fast-moving brands - wanted to help their clients turn that passive scroll into buying intent.
Their strategy? Use live visitor count data to surface demand signals directly on product listing pages (PLPs). Powered by Espresso Live, this real-time metric helps guide shoppers attention, build trust, and increase conversions - right from the first click.
What Driver Digital Was Solving For
For their clients, Driver Digital was looking to:
- Create a stronger sense of urgency and interest while customers browse.
- Surface real-time popularity signals without adding app bloat or complexity.
- Build something that could be reused across projects without custom tracking setups.
How They Implemented It
Using the Product Live Visitor Count metafield from Espresso Live, Driver Digital added a live viewer label underneath product thumbnails collection pages - no scripts, no complex setup. Here's the only code needed:
{% for product in collection.products %}...{% assign visitor_count = product.metafields.espresso.live_view_count.value %}
{% if visitor_count and visitor_count > 0 %}{% if visitor_count and visitor_count == 0 %}<div>1 person viewing<div>{% elseif visitor_count > 1 %}<div>{{ visitor_count }} people viewing<div>{% endif %}{% endif %}...{% endfor %}Why this matters:
That's all it takes to show real-time, dynamically updating visitor data - right inside your Shopify theme. Because the count is continuously updated by Espresso Live, the value stays accurate without any manual syncing or complex setup. And since it is stored as a native Shopify metafield, it can be used anywhere metafields are supported: in Liquid, in the admin, in third-party tools, or even in storefront filtering.
It's fast, flexible, and perfectly suited for scalable, low-maintenance implementations across multiple client stores.
Why Put Live Visitor Count on Collection Pages?
Most stores only show urgency signals on the product detail page. Driver took it earlier in the journey - on the PLP, where decisions are made at a glance.
Here's what that unlocks:
- Higher clickthrough rates (CTR): Popular-looking products get more attention.
- Faster focus: Shoppers gravitate toward what feels relevant right now.
- Social proof at scale: A quiet sense of urgency across the entire collection.
- Better merchandising feedback: Real-time interest signals tied to each SKU.
What Driver Digital Had to Say
Here's what Driver Digital's CTO, Maria Carter, shared after implementing the feature for a client:
"I have to tell you how awesome Espresso Live is. WOW. We just installed it on a client's site and set up the visitor counter on the product cards. It took barely half an hour, it works seamlessly, and the site speed actually improved! I am beyond impressed by how brilliant this is. Thank you for making it. We'll be using this on every site from now on"
Maria Carter
CTO, Driver Digital
Key Takeaways
- Live visitor counts create subtle urgency and guide shopper attention, especially on collection pages.
- Implementation is fast and code-light - just a simple metafield reference.
- Being a native metafield, the data is accessible in themes, admin, filters, and more.
- For agencies like Driver Digital, it's an easy win - delivering real-time functionality that's scalable across clients and storefronts.
Want to implement this in your store?
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