How to Display Metafields in Shopify

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What are Shopify Metafields?
3. Types of Metafields
4. Creating Metafields in Shopify
5. Displaying Metafields on Your Shopify Store
6. Practical Examples of Metafields Usage
7. Conclusion
8. FAQs

Introduction

Imagine you're running an online store selling handcrafted candles. Each candle has unique features such as its burn time, scent notes, and materials used, which are crucial for helping your customers make informed purchases. Here’s where metafields come in handy, allowing you to add and display custom information about your products, enhancing user experience and boosting conversions.

If you're eager to unlock the full potential of metafields on your Shopify store, you're in the right place. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to effectively display metafields on your Shopify store. By the end of this post, you'll understand not only the utility of metafields but also how to implement them seamlessly into your store, regardless of your technical skills.

What are Shopify Metafields?

Metafields are custom fields that store additional data about products, collections, orders, and other Shopify entities. They allow you to tailor your store’s content to better meet your business needs and provide your customers with more detailed information about your offerings. These fields can be used to display unique product characteristics such as fabric details, expiry dates, or dimensions that aren't covered by Shopify’s standard fields.

Types of Metafields

Shopify metafields are versatile, supporting the following content types:

• Text: Single line, multi-line, and rich text
• Number: Integers, decimals
• Measurement: Weight, volume, length, etc.
• Date and Time: Dates, date ranges
• Reference: Product references, file references, among others

You can also create JSON metafields for more advanced usages, offering highly customized functionalities tailored to your store’s unique needs.

Creating Metafields in Shopify

Step 1: Define Your Metafield

Before you can add metafields to your products, you need to create definitions. Here’s how:

1. Navigate to Custom Data Settings: Go to your Shopify admin, click on Settings at the bottom left, then Custom data to find the metafields settings.
2. Select Metafield Type: Choose the type of metafield you want to create. For instance, select Products if you want to add metafields to product pages.
3. Add Definition: Click Add definition, enter the name, namespace, key, and type. Optionally, you can add a description for easier understanding in the future.
4. Save: Click Save to create your metafield definition.

Step 2: Assign Values to Metafields

Now, you need to assign values to these metafields:

1. Go to Products: From your Shopify admin, navigate to Products, and select the product you want to edit.
2. Scroll to Metafields Section: Scroll down to the metafields section.
3. Enter Values: Add relevant information into the fields you’ve just defined.
4. Save: Save your product to ensure the custom data is recorded.

Displaying Metafields on Your Shopify Store

After creating and populating your metafields, you have two primary methods to display them on your site: using the Shopify theme editor or by editing the theme code.

Using the Shopify Theme Editor

This method is user-friendly and requires no coding knowledge:

1. Navigate to Theme Editor: Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize on your current theme.
2. Find and Select the Product: Go to the product template you wish to edit.
3. Add a Block: In the product information section, add a new block that supports dynamic content.
4. Add Metafield: Click the “Add dynamic source” button and select the metafield you want to display. The value will now appear in your theme.

Editing the Theme Code

For more advanced customizations, you might prefer editing the theme code directly:

1. Navigate to Theme Code Editor: From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes > Actions > Edit Code.
2. Locate the Product Template: Open the product-template.liquid or another relevant file.
3. Insert Metafield Code: Use Liquid code to reference and display your metafield, for example:

   <p>{{ product.metafields.namespace.key }}</p>
   

4. Save Changes: Save the updated theme file to see the changes reflected on your store.

Practical Examples of Metafields Usage

Displaying Product Information

For instance, if you're selling apparel, you can use metafields to showcase fabric details, sizes, care instructions, and much more, giving customers a comprehensive view of what they're purchasing.

Enhancing Collection Pages

Adding metafields to collection pages can help customers differentiate between products quickly. For instance, you can add customer ratings or highlight special features like limited edition tags.

Customizing Customer Accounts

Show unique information to specific customer segments like VIP customers by adding custom metafields to their account pages, offering a more personalized shopping experience.

Conclusion

Shopify metafields are an incredibly powerful feature that can transform the shopping experience on your store by providing customers with the detailed information they need to make purchasing decisions. Whether you're a small business or a large retailer, leveraging metafields effectively can help improve customer satisfaction and drive sales.

By following this guide, you now know how to create, assign, and display metafields on your Shopify store. Implement these strategies to start offering a richer, more informative shopping experience today.

FAQs

Q1: How do metafields impact SEO?

A1: Metafields can enhance your store’s SEO by providing additional data points that search engines can crawl, improving the relevance and detail of your product listings.

Q2: Can I bulk edit metafields?

A2: Yes, you can bulk edit metafields via the Shopify admin by selecting multiple products and editing their metafield values collectively.

Q3: What's the limit on the number of metafields I can create?

A3: Shopify allows up to 200 metafields per resource type, which covers products, collections, orders, etc.

Q4: Do I need to know how to code to use metafields?

A4: Not necessarily. You can display metafields using the Shopify theme editor, which doesn't require coding skills. However, for advanced customizations, some basic Liquid coding knowledge will be useful.

Q5: Can metafields improve the customer experience on my store?

A5: Absolutely. By providing detailed and customized information through metafields, you can enhance the shopping experience, making it easier for customers to find and understand your products.