All documentation

Start here

Functionality

Topics

Reference

Templates and products in Timesact

Every Timesact functionality is set up in a reusable Customer Experience template under Experiences, and one template can be assigned to as many products as the merchant likes. Products join Timesact as individual variants, a whole collection, a CSV upload, the Shopify Admin extension, Tag automation or a Shopify Flow workflow.

How do Customer Experience templates work in Timesact?

  • Each Customer Experience template has an Admin side (Functionality settings, Markets & locations, Notifications, Tag automation) and a Storefront side (Product page, Collection page, Cart page and Translations, plus POS on Back in Stock templates).
  • A template is created with Create Customer Experience in the Experiences tab and can be duplicated, so a new template can start from an existing one's settings.
  • A variant can carry several Customer Experiences at once, and two experiences can be assigned to different variants of one product.
  • Back in Stock and Pre-order can run on the same product, in one template or two, and the two buttons stack one under the other on the storefront.
  • A Customer Experience shows on the storefront while it has at least one functionality added.

How do I add products to Timesact?

  • Adding a collection (By collection) adds every product in that collection at that moment in one step, so the merchant doesn't pick them one by one.
  • Upload by CSV adds or removes many products at once: the merchant fills in the Timesact CSV Import Template, exports it to CSV and uploads it, and Timesact validates and processes the file.
  • Each CSV upload is listed in Upload history with its status (Processing, Success, Partial success or Failed), the numbers of products added, removed and updated, and a result CSV to download.
  • Shopify Flow (and Shopify admin events) can also add products to Timesact automatically, for example when they go out of stock, and such products show the FLOW type in the Products list.
  • The Products list shows how each product joined: added manually from the app, by CSV import, or AUTO TAGGED by Tag automation.

How does Timesact tag automation work?

  • Tag automation links products to a template through a Shopify product tag: the tag is saved in the template's Tag automation section first, then added to the products in Shopify.
  • Tag automation works on Shopify product tags (case-sensitive): a tagged product joins the experience, removing the tag removes it, and a product added or edited by hand stays attached whatever its tags.
  • Products that already carry the tag join the template the next time they are updated in Shopify.
  • Changing a template's automation tag only affects products added from then on, and products already attached stay attached.

How are variants set up in Timesact?

  • Which Customer Experiences a variant carries, its Start and End dates and its pre-order quantity are set on the variant in Products; the template's own settings, such as when Pre-order shows, then apply to each variant's own stock.
  • Opening a variant in Products shows its Customer Experiences overview, with each functionality's status, its schedule and its pre-order quantity, and the Customer Experience library to change which templates it carries.
  • Each Customer Experience on a variant has its own Start date and optional End date, set under Schedule on the variant's page in Products; without an End date it stays on until changed.
  • The pre-order quantity is Unlimited by default and counted per variant; it is set on the variant's page in Products by switching off Unlimited pre-order quantity for a Customer Experience, or for many variants at once with Update pre-order quantity.

How do I change many Timesact products at once?

  • Selecting variants in the Products list brings up Edit products, Update pre-order quantity, Update start and end dates and Delete products.
  • Edit products opens Assign Customer Experiences for the selected variants, and the templates ticked there replace the ones those variants had.
  • Update pre-order quantity sets the same limit, or Unlimited, on every Customer Experience of the selected variants; each variant keeps its own limit, and its Pre-order quantity sold carries on.
  • Update start and end dates in the Products list gives every Customer Experience on the selected variants the same dates, and with Set an end date left unticked they have no End date.
  • Delete products takes the selected variants off every Customer Experience and out of the Products list, and the products stay in the Shopify store as they are.

What do Timesact functionality statuses mean?

  • In Products, each variant shows a status for every functionality its Customer Experience runs (Pre-order, Back in Stock, Coming Soon and Low Stock), in the Functionality status column and on the variant's page.
  • Active means the functionality is showing on the storefront for that variant now.
  • On standby means the functionality is set up and waiting for its stock condition, for example a variant that still has stock while Pre-order shows only when out of stock.
  • Scheduled means the variant's Start date is still ahead, and Ended means its End date has begun (from 00:00 store time) and the theme's own button is back.
  • No units left shows on Pre-order only, when the variant's pre-order quantity is used up or, with Only while Shopify stock lasts, when its Shopify stock reaches 0.
  • Processing shows for a moment while Timesact saves a change and works out the variant's new status.

Which Timesact settings place products on a template?

Where: Experiences > Create Customer Experience

Setting What it does Plan
Title Enter an internal name for this Customer Experience Every plan
Description Add an internal description for this Customer Experience (optional) Every plan

Where: Experiences > your template > Admin > Tag automation

Setting What it does Plan
Automation tag Save the tag here first, then add the same tag to products in Shopify. Every plan

Where: Products > Add products

Setting What it does Plan
By collection Every plan
Upload products by CSV Import many products at once with one CSV file. Every plan

Where: Products > a variant > a Customer Experience

Setting What it does Plan
Start date Every plan
Enable end date Every plan
End date Every plan
Unlimited pre-order quantity Allow unlimited pre-orders. Turn off to set a specific limit. Every plan
Pre-order quantity Set the maximum number of pre-orders for this Customer Experience. Every plan

Where: Products > select variants

Setting What it does Plan
Edit products Every plan
Update pre-order quantity Every plan
Update start and end dates Every plan
Delete products Every plan

Frequently asked questions

Can one product use more than one Timesact template?

Yes. A variant can carry several Customer Experiences at once, and two experiences can be assigned to different variants of one product.

What goes in the customer_experience_id column of the Timesact CSV?

The CSV's customer_experience_id column takes the template's ID, the short code at the end of the template's page address in the Experiences tab, not the template's name.

What happens when I remove a product's Timesact tag in Shopify?

Tag automation works on Shopify product tags (case-sensitive): a tagged product joins the experience, removing the tag removes it, and a product added or edited by hand stays attached whatever its tags.

Can products added by Timesact tag automation have a pre-order quantity?

Yes. Products added by Tag automation start with the pre-order quantity set to Unlimited; a cap comes from Shopify inventory or is set on each variant afterwards.

Does changing the pre-order quantity in Timesact reset the number already sold?

No. Update pre-order quantity sets the same limit, or Unlimited, on every Customer Experience of the selected variants; each variant keeps its own limit, and its Pre-order quantity sold carries on.

Is On standby an error in Timesact?

No. On standby means the functionality is set up and waiting for its stock condition, for example a variant that still has stock while Pre-order shows only when out of stock.

Can two Timesact templates on one variant have different dates?

Yes. Each Customer Experience on a variant has its own Start date and optional End date, set under Schedule on the variant's page in Products; without an End date it stays on until changed.

Step-by-step guides

Install the app or book a free setup call.

Last checked against the app on 5 November 2026.