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Product badges are visual indicators that highlight important product information like sale status, new arrivals, bestsellers, or custom promotional messages. They appear on product cards throughout your store and on product pages to draw attention to key product attributes. The theme uses a tag-based system with custom localization support for displaying badges in multiple languages. Product badges overview

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What this feature controls

Product badges manages:
  • Visual indicators - Display badges on product cards and product pages
  • Tag-based system - Use product tags to trigger badge display
  • Custom messages - Create unlimited custom badge types
  • Multi-language support - Translate badges into multiple languages
  • Pre-configured badges - Built-in badges for common use cases (sale, new, bestseller)
  • Placement control - Show badges on cards, pages, or both
  • Automatic display - Badges appear automatically based on product tags
  • Locale integration - Seamless integration with Shopify’s locale system

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Getting started

1

Add badge tags to products

Add specific tags to products you want to highlight with badges.
  1. In Shopify admin, go to Products
  2. Open the product you want to add a badge to
  3. In the Tags section, add badge tags using this format:
    • Format: badge:badge_key
    • Examples: badge:sale, badge:new, badge:best_seller
  4. Save the product
Use underscores (_) instead of spaces in badge keys. For example, use badge:best_seller not badge:best seller.
You can add multiple badge tags to a single product. All badges will display according to your theme settings.
2

Enable badges on product cards

Configure badge display in Theme Customizer settings.
  1. Go to Online Store → Themes → Customize
  2. Open Theme settings → Products
  3. Enable the Product Badges option for product cards
  4. Save your changes
This setting controls badge display on collection pages, search results, and anywhere product cards appear.
3

Enable badges on product pages

Add the Badges block to product page template.
  1. In Theme Customizer, navigate to Product pages
  2. Add the Badges block to the product page template
  3. Configure badge position and styling in block settings
  4. Save your changes
Position the Badges block near the product title or price for maximum visibility.
4

Test badge display

Verify badges appear correctly on your storefront.
  1. Visit a product with badge tags
  2. Check badge appearance on collection pages
  3. Check badge appearance on product page
  4. Test with different languages if using translations

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How product badges work

Product badges use a simple but powerful tag-based system:

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Tag format

Badges are triggered by product tags following this format: 
badge:badge_key
Components:
  • badge: - Required prefix that identifies this as a badge tag
  • badge_key - Unique identifier for the badge type
Examples:
  • badge:sale - Triggers “Sale” badge
  • badge:new - Triggers “New” badge
  • badge:limited_edition - Triggers “Limited Edition” badge

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Display logic

  1. Tag check - Theme scans product tags for badge: prefix
  2. Key extraction - Extracts badge_key from tag
  3. Translation lookup - Looks for translation in locale file
  4. Badge render - Displays badge with translated text
  5. Fallback - If no translation found, displays badge_key as-is

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Pre-configured badges

The theme includes seven built-in badge translations:
Tag: badge:new
Display: “New”
Use for: New arrivals, recent additions, latest products
Tag: badge:best_seller
Display: “Best seller”
Use for: Top-selling products, popular items, customer favorites
Tag: badge:on_sale
Display: “On sale”
Use for: Discounted products, sale items, promotions
Tag: badge:coming_soon
Display: “Coming soon”
Use for: Pre-launch products, upcoming releases, future availability
Tag: badge:pre_order
Display: “Pre-order”
Use for: Products available for pre-order, advance purchases
Tag: badge:sold_out
Display: “Sold out”
Use for: Out of stock products, unavailable items

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Locale file structure

Badges are defined in theme locale files under the badges section:
locales/en.default.json
{
  "badges": {
    "new": "New",
    "best_seller": "Best seller",
    "featured": "Featured",
    "on_sale": "On sale",
    "coming_soon": "Coming soon",
    "pre_order": "Pre-order",
    "sold_out": "Sold out"
  }
}

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Creating custom badges

Add custom badges for one language.
1

Choose badge key

Decide on a unique key for your badge.Guidelines:
  • Use lowercase letters
  • Use underscores for spaces: limited_edition
  • Keep it short and descriptive
  • Examples: eco_friendly, handmade, local, exclusive
2

Edit locale file

Add your custom badge to the locale file.
  1. In your theme code, open locales/en.default.json
  2. Find the badges section
  3. Add your custom badge key and text:
"badges": {
  "new": "New",
  "best_seller": "Best seller",
  "limited_edition": "Limited Edition",
  "eco_friendly": "Eco-Friendly",
  "handmade": "Handmade"
}
  1. Save the file
3

Add tag to products

Apply the badge tag to products.
  1. Go to Products in Shopify admin
  2. Open a product
  3. Add tag: badge:limited_edition
  4. Save the product

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Badge configuration

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Product card settings

Configure badge display on product cards (collection pages, search results): Location: Theme Customizer → Theme settings → Products
Type: Toggle
Default: EnabledEnable or disable badge display on product cards throughout the store.When enabled:
  • Badges appear on all product cards
  • Visible in collections, search, home page sections
  • Automatically displays based on product tags
When disabled:
  • No badges show on product cards
  • Product page badges are unaffected
  • Clean minimal card appearance
Keep enabled for most stores. Badges increase engagement and help customers identify special products quickly.

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Product page settings

Configure badge display on individual product pages: Location: Theme Customizer → Product pages → Add Badges block
Type: Block
Location: Product page templateAdd the Badges block to display badges on product pages.Block settings:
  • Position (above/below title, near price)
  • Badge style (color scheme, size)
  • Multiple badge display
Placement options:
  • Above product title
  • Below product title
  • Near product price
  • In product info section
Place badges near the product title for maximum visibility. This draws immediate attention to special product attributes.

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Translation management

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Fallback behavior

When a badge translation is missing:
  1. Tag: Product has badge:custom_badge
  2. Lookup: Theme searches locale file for "custom_badge": "..."
  3. Not found: Translation doesn’t exist in current locale
  4. Fallback: Badge displays as “custom_badge” (the key itself)
Example:
  • Tag: badge:summer_sale
  • No translation defined
  • Displays: “summer_sale” on storefront
Always provide translations for all badge keys in all supported languages to maintain consistent branding and user experience.

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Translation best practices

Match brand voice

Translate badges to match your brand voice in each language, not just literal translations. “Hot Deal” might be “Oferta Caliente” (literal) or “Oferta Especial” (better branding) in Spanish.

Keep it short

Badge text should be 1-3 words maximum. Long text doesn’t fit well on badges. “Limited Edition” works better than “Available in Limited Quantities Only”.

Use consistent keys

Use the same badge keys across all products. Don’t create badge:sale1, badge:sale2, etc. Use one badge:sale for consistency.

Test all locales

After adding translations, test badge appearance in every language your store supports. Ensure text fits and looks good.

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Common use cases

Highlight discounted products during sales.Setup:
  • Badge tag: badge:on_sale
  • Display: “On sale” (or translated)
  • Products: All items with active discounts
Implementation:
  1. Add badge:on_sale tag to sale products
  2. Enable badges on product cards and pages
  3. When sale ends, remove tags
Bulk tag management:
  • Use bulk editor to add/remove tags quickly
  • Filter by collection or discount code
  • Add/remove sale badges en masse
Combine with product badges automation apps to automatically add sale badges when discount is applied and remove when sale ends.

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Best practices

Limit badge count

Don’t use more than 1-2 badges per product. Multiple badges create visual clutter and reduce impact. Choose the most important badge.

Use meaningful badges

Every badge should provide valuable information to customers. Avoid generic badges that don’t influence purchase decisions.

Consistent naming

Use underscore format consistently: best_seller, not bestseller or best-seller. Maintain consistent key formatting across all badges.

Translate everything

Provide translations for all badge keys in every language your store supports. Missing translations look unprofessional.

Regular maintenance

Review and update badges regularly. Remove “new” badges after 60 days, update “bestseller” badges monthly based on sales data.

Bulk tag management

Use Shopify’s bulk editor to add/remove badge tags efficiently. Filter products by collection or condition, then edit tags in bulk.

Strategic placement

Enable badges where they matter most. High-traffic collection pages benefit most. Consider disabling on pages where badges distract.

A/B test badge text

Test different badge wording to see what drives conversions. “On Sale” vs “Limited Offer” vs “Special Price” may perform differently.

Automation consideration

For large catalogs, consider Shopify Flow or apps to automatically manage badge tags based on rules (sales data, publish date, stock levels).

Visual consistency

Ensure badge styling matches your brand. Customize badge colors and styles in theme settings to align with overall design.

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Technical implementation

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Tag format requirements

Critical: Badge tags must follow this exact format: badge:badge_keyCorrect:
  • badge:sale
  • badge:new_arrival
  • badge:limited_edition
Incorrect:
  • Badge:sale (capital B)
  • badge: sale (space after colon)
  • badges:sale (plural badges)
  • sale (missing badge: prefix)

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Key naming rules

Badge key requirements:
  • Use lowercase only
  • Use underscores for spaces: best_seller not best seller
  • No special characters except underscores
  • Keep under 20 characters
  • Use descriptive names: eco_friendly not eco

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Multiple badges per product

Products can have multiple badge tags: 
Tags: badge:new, badge:on_sale, badge:eco_friendly
Display behavior:
  • All badges appear on product
  • Order determined by theme settings
  • May stack or display inline depending on theme style
  • Consider limiting to 2 badges maximum for clean appearance

Product Page

Configure the product page template and Badges block

Product Card Settings

Manage product card display settings including badges

Product Tags

Learn more about Shopify product tags and management

Theme Localization

Understanding Shopify theme locale files and translations