Sticky Bars
Floating bar appearing at the top or the bottom of the browser window ideal to make announcements.
Sticky Bars are an OptiMonk campaign type that appears as a thin, persistent notification bar anchored to the top or bottom of the browser window — remaining fixed in place as the visitor scrolls through your page. Unlike a popup that demands a response before browsing can continue, or a sidemessage that occupies peripheral space, a sticky bar sits within the browser chrome itself, always visible but never obstructing the main page content. This makes it the least intrusive campaign format in OptiMonk's library while still maintaining constant presence throughout the visitor's session. The most effective use cases for sticky bars are persistent announcements that benefit from always being visible — free shipping thresholds, discount code reminders, sale countdowns, limited-time promotional banners, and email capture bars for visitors who are not ready to engage with a popup. Sticky bars are built using the same drag-and-drop editor as all other OptiMonk campaign types, support text, buttons, form fields, countdown timers, and Dynamic Text variables, and use the same triggers, targeting conditions, and integrations.
Key benefits
- Persistent visibility without ever interrupting the browsing experience. A sticky bar remains in view across every page the visitor visits, across every scroll action they take, for the entire duration of their session — without requiring any interaction to maintain its visibility and without blocking any content. This makes it ideal for messages that should always be accessible — a free shipping threshold reminder, an active discount code, or a time-sensitive offer — where the goal is sustained awareness rather than a forced moment of attention.
- The ideal format for threshold-based and urgency-driven messages. Sticky bars work particularly well for the Dynamic Free Shipping Bar — where the message updates in real time to show how much more the visitor needs to spend to unlock free shipping — and for countdown-based offers where a sale expiry is always visible as the visitor browses. Both message types benefit from being always in view rather than appearing once and being dismissed; the visitor can act on them at any point during their session without needing to be re-triggered.
- Builds email lists without disrupting content consumption. For visitors who are browsing a blog, reading product descriptions, or evaluating your store, a popup that interrupts their reading can feel jarring and produce a reflexive dismiss. A sticky bar presents the same email capture offer in a format they can engage with on their own terms — at the top of the screen, always available, never blocking the article or product they are reading. Visitors who are ready to opt in can do so; visitors who are not can simply ignore it without any friction.
How it works
In OptiMonk, click New Campaign and select Sticky Bar from the campaign type filter. Browse the available templates for your goal — free shipping bar, email capture, announcement, countdown, or discount reminder — and select one to open it in the editor.
Customize the content using the drag-and-drop editor — add text, buttons, form fields, countdown timers, or Dynamic Text variables. In the Display settings, choose whether the bar should be anchored to the top or bottom of the browser window. Set the bar's background color, text styling, and close button visibility. For discount code reminders and free shipping bars, connect the appropriate Dynamic Text variables to ensure the message updates with the visitor's real-time cart data.
Set your trigger (typically on page load with zero delay for sticky bars, since they are designed for persistent visibility rather than timed reveals), your targeting conditions (which pages, which visitor segments, which cart states), and your frequency rules. Click Next and publish. The sticky bar will appear for qualifying visitors and remain anchored to the top or bottom of the screen throughout their session until dismissed or until the session ends.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Sticky Bar in OptiMonk?+
A Sticky Bar is an OptiMonk campaign type that appears as a thin notification bar anchored to the top or bottom of the browser window, remaining fixed in place as the visitor scrolls. It stays visible throughout the visitor's session without blocking page content, making it the least intrusive campaign format in the platform. Sticky bars are best suited for persistent announcements, free shipping reminders, discount code visibility, countdown-based urgency messages, and low-friction email capture.
What is the difference between a Sticky Bar and a Popup?+
A popup appears as an overlay in the center of the screen, dims surrounding content, and must be dismissed before the visitor can continue browsing — creating a high-impact but brief moment of attention. A sticky bar sits at the top or bottom of the browser window, never overlays page content, and requires no dismissal to continue browsing — creating a persistent, low-friction presence that lasts the entire session. Popups are better for urgent messages requiring immediate attention; sticky bars are better for messages that benefit from constant availability across the whole visit.
Can I place the sticky bar at the bottom of the screen instead of the top?+
Yes. The position — top or bottom of the browser window — is configurable in the Display settings of the campaign editor. Both positions keep the bar fixed during scrolling. Top placement is more conventional and tends to be seen earlier in the session; bottom placement is less expected and may catch attention by appearing below the fold, particularly on mobile. The choice depends on your site's layout and what position competes least with your existing navigation and content.
Can a sticky bar include a form field for email capture?+
Yes. Sticky bars support form input fields, including email address fields, alongside text, buttons, and other elements. A sticky bar email capture — combining a short offer description with a single email field and submit button — is a highly effective and minimally intrusive list-building format, particularly for content sites and blogs where popup interruption would disrupt the reading experience. Collected emails are passed to your connected ESP or CRM through the same integration and field mapping system used by all other OptiMonk campaign types.
Does a sticky bar work with Dynamic Text, like the free shipping bar?+
Yes. Sticky bars fully support Dynamic Text variables, including the [[cartValueCountdown:X]] Smart Tag used by the Dynamic Free Shipping Bar feature. This allows the sticky bar's message to update in real time based on the visitor's current cart value — showing a personalized "Add $X more to get free shipping" message that changes as the visitor adds products. The Dynamic Free Shipping Bar is one of OptiMonk's most widely used sticky bar configurations and is available as a dedicated template in the campaign library.
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