Optimizing Your Social Proof with Template Filters✨

Raw data is a diamond in the rough. Sometimes customer names arrive in all-caps, product titles include messy internal SKUs, or variables are missing entirely.

Fomo filters are the "polish" that turn integration data into high-converting notifications. By using filters, you ensure your social proof is professional, trustworthy, and designed to drive the click.


How to Apply Filters

Adding a filter is as simple as adding a "pipe" (|   ) inside your curly brackets. inside your box message in your template.

Syntax: {{ variable_name | filter_name }}   

Note: You must use a single space between the variable, the pipe, and the filter name.

Want to learn more about Templates?

1. Professionalism & Branding (Casing & Colors)🎩

Trust is built on the details. Clean data signals a high-quality brand.

  • Propercase: {{ first_name | propercase }}   
    • The Why: Automatically fixes "jAnE" or "jane" to "Jane." It makes your notifications look hand-crafted and professional.

    • Before: jAnE just purchased    → After: Jane just purchased   


  • Upcase / Downcase: {{ city | upcase }} or {{ city | downcase }}   
    • The Why: Use all-caps for a bold, urgent look, or lowercase for a minimalist, modern aesthetic.
    • Before: New York    → After: NEW YORK   

    • Before: New York    → After: new york  


  • Colors: {{ variable | color #0000ff }}   
    • The Why: Match your notification text to your brand’s primary color. This makes the social proof feel like a native, seamless part of your website UI.
    • Title with Link: this variable might need a different approach by overriding the notification CSS.
    • See example:

  • State Abbreviations ({{ province | abbr us_state }}   )
    • The Why: Saves space and feels more natural to US shoppers.

    • Before: Someone in California    → After: Someone in CA   


  • Delete Linebreaks: {{ variable | delete_linebreaks }}   
    • The Why: Prevents layout breaks. If your database pulls in a "return" or "enter" character, this keeps your message on one clean line.

2. Layout & Clarity✂️

Goal: Keep your notifications scannable and mobile-friendly.

  • Truncation ({{ title | truncate 25 }} or  {{ title | truncate 15}}   )
    • The Why: A long title stretches the notification and can hide your call to action. Truncating keeps things compact you can decide how many characters to truncate this particular example is 25 characters.

    • Before: Super Deluxe Noise Canceling Headphones...    → After: Super Deluxe Noise...   


  • Trimming ({{ title | trim_after [ - ] }} or {{ title_with_link | trim_before [ - ] }}   )
    • The Why: Cleans up titles that include internal info like "Product Name - Free Shipping."
    • Before: Leather Bag - SKU88    → After: Leather Bag  

    • Before: Leather Bag - SKU88    → After: SKU88    


  • Delete / Delete First / Delete Last ({{ title | delete [,] }}  )
    • The Why: Removes unwanted symbols or extra commas pulling through from your store.
    • Before: Red Shirt,    → After: Red Shirt   

    • {{ title | delete_first [,] }}     => "Some long title, with commas"

      {{ title | delete_last [,] }}     => "Some, long title with commas"

3. Privacy & Trust (Anonymity)👤

Social proof is powerful, but customer comfort is paramount.

  • First (Initial): {{ first_name | first }}   
    • The Why: If you don't want to display a full name for privacy reasons, this reduces "James" to "J." It maintains the "real person" proof while respecting customer anonymity.

    • Before: James Harrison    → After: J.   


  • Default Fallbacks (  {{ first_name | fallback [Someone] }}   )
    • The Why: Safety First. If a name is missing, this prevents a blank gap that looks like a technical error.

    • Before: just bought    → After: Someone just bought  


  • Random Fallbacks ({{ first_name | fallback_random [A customer, Someone great] }}  )
    • The Why: Adds variety. It makes your store feel like a diverse community of shoppers rather than a repeating bot.
    • Before: A customer    → After: (Randomly displays) A shopper    / A fan    / Someone great   

💡 Pro Tip: Prevent "Hidden" Notifications

Ever wonder why some notifications don’t appear on your store? If an integration is missing a piece of data (like a first name) and you haven't set a fallback, Fomo will automatically hide that alert to keep your store looking professional.

When this happens, you’ll see the [Not Showing] stamp on your events tab. To ensure your social proof stays live even when data is missing, we highly recommend using the default    or fallback_random    filters mentioned below.

Learn more about the "Not Showing" stamp here

4. Driving the Click (Engagement & Links)🖱️

Every notification should have a clear path to purchase.

  • Bold: {{ title_with_link | bold }}   
    • The Why: By bolding the hyperlink, you ensure people understand the notification is interactive. Highlighting the product title guides them to click through and complete their own checkout.

    • Before: Blue Jeans  → After: Blue Jeans


  • Replace: {{ variable | replace [Old Word, New Word] }}   
    • The Why: Swap technical jargon for "selling" words. Replace "Basic Plan" with "Community Favorite" to increase perceived value.
    • {{ variable | replace [  Subscription    ,  Access   ] }}  

    • Before: Subscription    → After: Access   


  • Arrow ({{ variable | arrow #026aa7 }}  )
    • The Why: Adds a visual nudge that points toward your most important information.
    • See next example:

5. Numbers & Dynamics (The "Proof")📊

Live data feels more urgent when it’s animated and readable.

  • Number: {{ visitor_count | number }}   
    • The Why: Adds commas to large numbers (e.g., "1234" becomes "1,234"). It’s much easier for the human brain to process at a glance.

    • Before: 1500 visitors    → After: 1,500 visitors   


  • Count Up (Animation): {{ count | count_up }}   
    • The Why: Creates an active feel. Watching a number climb in real-time creates a psychological "buzz" that suggests high demand.

  • Tada! (Animation): {{ variable | tada! }}   

    • The Why: Gives the notification a subtle "pop" that draws the eye without being intrusive.

⚠️ Important Limitations & Testing

  • Static Text: You can apply these filters to plain text by using [[ ]]    instead of {{ }}   . Example: [[ Limited Time | bold | color #f00 ]]   .

  • Time Limitation: The {{ time_ago }}    variable does not support filters yet.


  • Test Before You Launch: Some live notifications and specific integrations might handle filters differently. Always test your templates before setting them live to ensure the data is displaying exactly how you intended.

🚀We’re Here to Help You Scale

Every business setup is unique, we’ve got your back.

  • Email us: Drop us a line at hello@fomo.com  and our team will jump in to help.


  • Skip the troubleshooting: . We’ll hop on a call, share screens, and help you build the perfect social proof engine. Pick the day and time here.
Did this answer your question? Thanks for the feedback There was a problem submitting your feedback. Please try again later.