Ready to make your product pages pop?
Your product pages don’t have to look like everyone else’s. Beyond the title, price, and a few photos, you can add rich, useful details that help customers decide faster. The tool: Shopify metafields.
What are metafields?
Think of standard product fields as a basic ID card (name, description, price). Metafields are the extra details—care instructions, size guides, ingredients, compatibility, warranty, and more. They’re attached to the product, ready to display where they’ll help the most.
Why display metafields?
- Answer buying questions: Care, specs, size charts, compatibility—reduce confusion and returns.
- Build trust: Specific, relevant details feel professional and thorough.
- Boost SEO: Useful, unique content helps pages rank and convert.
Before you start
Create your metafields in Shopify: Settings → Metafields and metaobjects → Products → Add definition. Choose a type (text, number, boolean, URL, file, etc.), then fill values on each product.
Do I need to create metafields before I can display them?
Yes. Define the metafield and add values first, then connect it in the theme or access it in Liquid.
Once values exist, you can display them using the theme editor (no‑code), Liquid (full control), or an app (advanced layouts and bulk tools).
Metafield types cheat sheet
| Type | What it stores | Example use | Limitations / notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single line text | Short text | Model number, material, country of origin | Best for brief values; use multi‑line for long content |
| Multi‑line text | Paragraphs | Care instructions, warranty summary, story | Supports new lines; for formatting use Rich text |
| Rich text | Formatted text (basic HTML) | Bulleted specs, emphasis | Keep markup lightweight for performance |
| Integer | Whole numbers | Pack size, pieces per set | Must be a whole number |
| Decimal | Numbers with decimals | Dimensions, volume, density | Add units in text labels when dispalying (cm, L, etc.) |
| Measurement (Weight / Dimension / Volume) | Value + unit | Product weight, L×W×H, capacity | Units defined in the metafield; display clearly |
| True or false | Yes/No | Is recyclable, fragrance‑free, limited edition | Great for badges and conditional blocks |
| Date / Date & time | Calendar values | Release date, best‑before, restock ETA | Format with Liquid date filters when displaying |
| Money | Currency values | Deposit, installation fee, per‑unit price | Use money filters, beware of the currency |
| Rating | 0–5 score | Quality or fit indicator | Simple scores only |
| Color | HEX/RGB color | Variant swatch colour | Ensure accessible contrast |
| URL | External link | Manual PDF, size chart page | Must be https:// URL |
| Link | Internal store link | Link to page/collection/product | Selects Shopify resource; avoids hard‑coding URLs |
| File | File reference | Spec sheet, SDS, image | Ensure file is public for storefront access |
| Product / Collection / Page / Product variant | Resource reference | Related items, size chart page, compatible variant | Use to relate content without handles |
| Customer / Company | B2C/B2B reference | Wholesale eligibility, corporate info | Avoid exposing PII in templates |
| Metaobject | Structured reusable object | Care tables, spec blocks | Define once, reuse across products |
| JSON | Structured data | Ingredient arrays, comparisons | Must be valid JSON; parse in Liquid/JS when displaying |
| Mixed reference | Reference to multiple possible types | Flexible “link to” fields | Check the selected type before rendering |
| ID | Identifier string | External system IDs, SKU mapping | Treat as opaque text; don’t expose secrets |
No‑code: Theme editor (Online Store 2.0)
- Online Store → Themes → Customize. Open a product page.
- Add a block (text, custom liquid, or a metafield‑aware block) inside product info.
- Connect a dynamic source and pick your metafield.
- Optionally add a label: e.g., Materials: followed by the metafield value.
Code: Liquid for control and flexibility
Go to Online Store → Themes → … → Edit code. In sections/ or snippets/ (e.g., main-product.liquid), add the metafield where you want it:
<p><strong>Care Instructions:</strong> {{ product.metafields.custom.care_instructions }}</p>Namespace is your group (e.g., custom), and key is the metafield name (e.g., materials, warranty_info).
Apps: when you need structure at scale
Metafield apps can add tabs, accordions, tables, and bulk editing. Ideal for large catalogs or complex layouts, at the cost of extra scripts.
What to add (high‑impact ideas)
Rule of thumb: include anything your customer needs to know to feel confident buying try to answer the common questions they ask before purchasing.
- Specs: weight, dimensions, materials, power, compatibility
- Care & maintenance: wash/clean instructions
- Warranty: period + coverage summary
- Ingredients/contents: full transparency for consumables
- Size charts/guides: per product or brand
- Origin/production story: ethical/sourcing details
- Shipping/returns notes: item‑specific exceptions
- Compatibility lists: supported models/devices
- Downloads: PDFs/manuals/spec sheets via file metafields
- Highlighted testimonial: a hand‑picked quote for context
Presentation tips
- Use headings, bold labels, and lists for scannability.
- For lots of content, use tabs/accordions to keep pages tidy.
- Avoid baking text into images they are hard to read on mobile, hurt SEO, and blocks localization (embedded text can’t be translated). Use real HTML text in metafields instead.
Common questions
Can I display metafields for things other than products?
Yes. Metafields exist for collections, pages, blogs, posts, customers, orders, and the shop. You can display them similarly via theme editor or Liquid.
Tip: Check your theme documentation/demos for examples of metafield‑aware blocks or recommended placements.
Can I use metafields for product variants?
Yes. Create variant metafields for attributes that change by variant (e.g., colour or size). In Liquid, reference the currently selected variant’s metafields.
Variant examples work best with clear labels and conditional display so customers see only relevant details.
Will lots of metafields slow my site?
Metafields themselves are efficient. Performance issues usually come from heavy apps or inefficient code. Try to use built‑in theme connections or clean Liquid when adding metafields to your product pages.
You’ve got this
Start with one helpful metafield—like a size guide or care note. Then expand to specs and compatibility. Your pages will convert better and your customers will thank you.