How to Add a WooCommerce Sales Notification

This video guide shows how to add a live WooCommerce sales notification to your store. The notification displays real buyer names, real products, and real order data pulled directly from WooCommerce. No fake social proof.

You will install Notifal, import a ready-made social proof template, customize the copy for your order volume, and configure display rules, content source, appearance, timing, and behavior so the notification feels natural on your site.

What you will learn

• How to install Notifal and import a Build Trust and Social Proof template from the marketplace
• How to customize template copy with WooCommerce dynamic tags for low-volume and high-volume stores
• How to set display rules so the notification shows everywhere except checkout
• How to configure content source order filters on the free plan, plus optional Pro filters for date range, products, and stock
• Recommended appearance, timing, and behavior settings for sales notifications

Before you start

You will need:

• WordPress with WooCommerce installed and active
• At least a few completed or processing orders in your store (if you have zero orders, set up the notification first and it will start showing data as orders come in)
• Notifal (free) from the WordPress plugin directory

1. Install Notifal

1. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New.
2. Search for Notifal.
3. Click Install Now, then Activate.

Notifal is free to install from the WordPress plugin directory.

2. Import a social proof template

1. Go to Notifal → OnPage Notifications.
2. Click Add New or Explore Pre-created Notifications to open the template library.
3. Filter by use case: Build Trust and Social Proof.
4. Pick a template that matches your builder:
5. - HTML Builder templates are lightweight and fast (recommended for new marketplace templates)
6. - Elementor or Block Editor templates are available on older designs
7. Click the import button for your builder and wait for the success message.

A new notification appears in your list with Draft status and Status turned off. Click Edit to open the notification editor.

For more detail on the library, see Importing a Template from the Marketplace.

3. Customize the template copy

1. Open the Template tab and click Edit Template.
2. Adjust the notification text using dynamic tags based on your store's order volume.

Low order volume (just starting out)

Keep the copy simple:

{order_meta__billing_first_name} {order_meta__billing_last_name} bought {product_name} recently

Higher order volume (10+ orders per month)

Add social proof with numbers:

{order_meta__billing_first_name} and {product_meta_total_sales} others bought {product_name} recently

Stock urgency (powerful for scarcity)

Combine social proof with low stock:

{order_meta__billing_first_name} and {product_meta_total_sales} others bought {product_name} recently — only {product_meta__stock} left!

Pick the version that fits your store: order count, product range, and stock levels. Save the template and return to the notification editor.

{product_meta_total_sales} reads WooCommerce total sales for the product in the current content source context. {product_meta__stock} shows remaining stock. See Custom Meta Tags and WooCommerce Product and Order Tags.

4. General settings

In the General tab:

1. Turn on Enable Notification.
2. Add an admin label (for example, Sales Notification) so you can find this notification easily in the list later.
3. Leave other general options at their defaults for now.

5. Display rules

Display rules control where the notification appears.

Goal: show the sales notification everywhere except checkout, so you do not distract shoppers mid-purchase.

1. Go to the Display Rules tab.
2. Click Add Your First Rule.
3. Set Target Type to Pages.
4. Set Visibility to All Items Except.
5. Search and select Checkout.
6. Click Save Rule.

The notification now shows on all pages except checkout.

Learn more: Display Rules Basics and Page and Post Targeting.

6. Content source

Content source tells Notifal which WooCommerce orders to pull into the notification. This step is important for relevant, trustworthy social proof.

Open the Content Source tab. After Notifal analyzes your template tags, you will see Order Restrictions (and Product Restrictions when product tags are used).

Free plan: one order filter (recommended start)

Under Order Restrictions:

1. Click Add Filter.
2. Choose Order Status.
3. Select Completed and Processing.

That single filter is enough for a new store with a small number of orders. Notifal builds a pool of matching orders and picks one at random for each display.

Pro: narrow to recent orders

If you have strong monthly volume and run Notifal Pro, add a second order filter:

1. Click Add Filter again (Pro only).
2. Choose Date Range.
3. Set it to Last 30 Days.

Recent orders feel more alive and credible to visitors.

Pro: show a specific product only

With Pro, you can combine filters. Example: keep Order Status (Completed and Processing) and add Orders with Products, then search and select the product you want to highlight.

On the free plan, use Orders with Products as your single order filter if product-specific social proof matters more than status filtering.

Pro: low-stock products only

To show orders where the purchased product currently has low stock:

1. Under Product Restrictions, click Add Filter.
2. Choose Custom Meta (Pro).
3. Enter:

_stock < 10

This pulls orders linked to products with fewer than 10 items in stock. Scarcity and social proof in one notification.

Smart Targeting (Notifal Pro)

Turn on Smart Targeting so when a visitor is on a product page, they only see orders for that product, not random items from your catalog. Maximum relevance.

Full reference: Order Pool Content Source and Smart Targeting (Pro).

7. Appearance

In the Appearance tab, use these recommended settings for sales notifications:

See Display Types: Toast, Popup, Topbar, Floating.

8. Timing

Timing controls when and how often the notification appears. Get this right and it feels natural. Get it wrong and it annoys visitors.

Show timing

• Show Timing → After Delay → 5 seconds
• Give visitors a moment to land on the page before anything appears.

Display duration

• Display Duration → Auto-Hide + Manual Close
• Visitors can close it, or it disappears on its own.
• Persistent Duration → 12 seconds
• Enough time to read, not long enough to feel pushy.

Frequency control

Advanced timing

Pause and resume together mean timing only counts when the visitor is actually looking at your page.

More detail: When Should the Notification Show?.

9. Behavior

Quick behavior settings for a polished experience:

10. Publish and check the live result

1. Save the notification.
2. On Notifal → OnPage Notifications, turn Status on for this notification.
3. Open your store in a browser (use a private window if you have visited the site before).

You should see a floating notification with a real buyer name, real product, and live data from your WooCommerce orders. It updates automatically as new orders come in.

If nothing appears, check Timing (delay), Display Rules (current page), and Content Source (order filters match your orders).

Checklist

• [ ] Installed and activated Notifal
• [ ] Imported a Build Trust and Social Proof template
• [ ] Customized template copy for your order volume
• [ ] Enabled the notification and added an admin label
• [ ] Set display rules to hide on checkout
• [ ] Configured content source: one Order Status filter on free, or multiple filters with Pro
• [ ] Set appearance to Floating Side Box
• [ ] Applied recommended timing and behavior settings
• [ ] Turned Status on and confirmed the notification on the front end

Why WooCommerce sales notifications work

When visitors see that other people are buying from your store, they get curious. Even if they do not buy immediately, they often click to explore the product. That is real social proof psychology, not a gimmick.

Using real order data builds trust. Fake notifications can hurt credibility and, in some regions, create legal risk. Notifal only displays data from your actual WooCommerce orders.

Need help with your store?

If you are not sure which settings fit your order volume, product count, or stock levels, open a support ticket at notifal.com/support. The Notifal team can review your site and help you configure the right setup.

What to read next

Related documentation

• WooCommerce Setup for Notifal , enable store tags and integrations
• Content Source Filters , free vs Pro filter limits
• Smart Targeting (Pro) , match orders to the current page
• Display Rules Basics , targeting pages and visitors
• Order Pool Content Source , deep dive on order pools
• WooCommerce Product and Order Tags , all available dynamic tags
• What Is Notifal? (Free vs Pro) , Pro features including multi-filters

Watch Me Do It: WooCommerce

1. How to Add a WooCommerce Sales Notification (you are here)
2. How to Create a Cart Abandonment Popup for WooCommerce (Step-by-Step)