Urgency Boost displays real-time scarcity and social-proof badges on cart line items at checkout — "Only 10 left!", "12 bought this in the last 24 hours", or a custom "Limited Edition" callout — right where shoppers are deciding. Badges are organized into Boost Groups that target specific products, each driven by live signals (stock level, purchase velocity) and individually styled.
Where to find it: Extensions → Add Extension → Urgency Boost. Three tabs: Settings, Boosts, Display Conditions. The top shows live Impressions, Orders, and CVR % (filterable by date).
Step 1 - Settings
Internal Name / Description - your reference only; not shown to shoppers.
Maximum Boosts Per Product - caps how many badges appear on one product when multiple Boost Groups apply. Leave empty for no limit.
Layout → Space Above Badge - spacing above the badge (None / …).
Step 2 - Boosts (Boost Groups)
A Boost Group connects a set of products to one or more badges. Toggle a group on/off in its header; add more with + Add Group.
Group targeting:
Include Digital Items - also show badges on digital/downloadable products.
Only show when cart includes: Smart Selection (auto-apply across qualifying products) or Manual Selection (+ Add Products to pick specific ones).
Add a badge with + Add Boost - three types:
Low Stock Indicator - shows only when inventory is inside a range. Set Show Boost When Stock Is Between [min] and [max] (e.g. 0–10). Use {count} for live remaining stock (e.g. "Only {count} left!"). Auto-hides when the product is out of stock.
Recent Purchases - shows based on purchase velocity. Set Minimum Purchases [N] in [N] [Hours/Days] (below the threshold it stays hidden). Text supports {count} (purchases) and {hours} (the window in hours - a 7-day window shows as 168). E.g. "{count} bought this in the last {hours} hours 📦".
Custom Message - free-form static badge (bold/italic/underline/strikethrough + emoji). No dynamic fields.
Shared styling (all types): Background Color (default red #FD3458), Text Color (default white #FFFFFF), Corner Radius (Base / Small / Large / Fully rounded / None), and Icon (flame, alarm, lightning, hourglass, target, None, or Upload Custom).
Manage groups/badges with the copy icon (duplicate), trash icon (delete), and chevron (collapse).
Step 3 - Display Conditions (optional)
"This Extension Will Only Appear If:" → Add Rule Group (cart value, collection, coupons, customer order count, customer tags, destinations, device, locale, product tag/type, time of day, weekday, etc.). Rules within a group use AND; multiple groups use OR. Empty = shows to everyone.
Step 4 - Save & install in Shopify
Save, then copy the Token for Shopify (urgency_boost_…). In Shopify: Settings → Checkout → Customize → Add block → PDQ Urgency Boost (place it under the cart line items in the order summary), paste the token into Urgency Boost Token, and Save. (Optional: A/B test ID / configuration + "Enable default variant for out-of-segment users.") Use Preview In Shopify to check Desktop and Mobile.
⚠️ Badge showing on some products but not others?
Urgency Boost requires each product to have the pdq.shipping metafield set to 1 (or any non-empty value) in Shopify. Without it, the badge is silently skipped for that product - no error, just no badge.
Fix: Shopify Admin → Products → [affected product] → Metafields → set pdq.shipping = 1 → Save. Then have the merchant clear the cart, re-add the items, and retest. For large catalogs, do it in bulk via metafield bulk edit or CSV.
Also rule out: no recent sales in the window (Recent Purchases won't fire), or you're viewing a draft/test instance (0 impressions) instead of the live one.
Tips
A group can hold multiple badge types — all qualifying ones stack on the product, up to Maximum Boosts Per Product.
Only Low Stock reacts to inventory; Recent Purchases and Custom Message don't.
Set a sensible Minimum Purchases threshold so low-activity items don't show an unconvincing "1 bought" badge.
QA Desktop and Mobile — placement varies by step.