Add Custom Badges to Shopify Dawn Theme for Better Sales

In the world of e-commerce, visual cues can make a significant difference in attracting customer attention and driving sales. One effective way to highlight specific products is by using custom badges. For Shopify store owners using the Dawn theme, adding custom badges based on product tags can be a powerful tool to showcase new arrivals, bestsellers, or any other special categories. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the process of adding custom badges to your product cards in the Shopify Dawn theme.

Understanding the Need for Custom Badges

Why Custom Badges Matter

Custom badges serve multiple purposes in an online store:

1. They draw attention to specific products or product categories.
2. They help customers quickly identify items of interest.
3. They can create a sense of urgency or exclusivity.

Limitations of Default Badges

While Shopify’s Dawn theme comes with built-in badges for “Sale” and “Sold Out” items, many store owners need more flexibility to highlight other product attributes or promotions.

The Power of Customization

By adding custom badges, you can:

• Highlight new arrivals
• Showcase bestsellers
• Indicate limited edition items
• Mark eco-friendly or sustainable products

Implementing Custom Badges in Dawn Theme

Locating the Correct Files

To add custom badges to your product cards in the Dawn theme, you’ll need to modify two key files:

1. The product card liquid file
2. The CSS file for styling

Modifying the Product Card Liquid File

The most effective solution involves adding code to the card-product.liquid file. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to your Shopify admin panel and navigate to “Online Store” > “Themes”
2. Click “Actions” > “Edit code” for your Dawn theme
3. In the “Snippets” folder, locate and open card-product.liquid
4. Find the section that handles badge display (usually around line 90)
5. Add the following code before the closing {%- endif -%} tag:

{%- elsif card_product.tags contains 'NEW' -%}
  <span class="card__badge--new badge badge--top-left">NEW</span>

This code checks if the product has a tag “NEW” and displays a badge if it does.

Adding Custom CSS

To style your new badge, you’ll need to add some CSS. In the Dawn theme, you can add this to the component-card.css file:

1. In the theme editor, locate component-card.css in the “Assets” folder
2. Add the following CSS at the bottom of the file:

.card__badge--new {
  position: absolute;
  display: inline-block;
  line-height: 1;
  text-align: center;
  font-size: 1.2rem;
  left: .5rem;
  top: .5rem;
  background-color: #000000;
  color: white;
  padding: .6rem 1.3rem;
}

This CSS positions the badge and styles it with a black background and white text.

Linking the CSS File

Ensure that the component-card.css file is properly linked in your theme. In the card-product.liquid file, you should see a line like this near the top:

{{ 'component-card.css' | asset_url | stylesheet_tag }}

If it’s not there, add it to ensure your styles are applied.

Customizing Your Badges

Changing Badge Appearance

You can easily customize the appearance of your badges by modifying the CSS. Here are some aspects you can change:

• Colors: Adjust the background-color and color properties
• Size: Modify the font-size and padding values
• Position: Change the left and top values to reposition the badge

Creating Multiple Badge Types

To create different badges for various tags, you can add more conditions to your liquid code and corresponding CSS classes. For example:

{%- elsif card_product.tags contains 'BESTSELLER' -%}
  <span class="card__badge--bestseller badge badge--top-right">BESTSELLER</span>

Then add a new CSS class for this badge type:

.card__badge--bestseller {
  /* Custom styles for bestseller badge */
}

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Badge Not Displaying

If your badge isn’t showing up, check the following:

1. Ensure the product has the correct tag applied
2. Verify that the liquid code is in the correct location in card-product.liquid
3. Check that the CSS file is properly linked and the styles are correct

Inconsistent Display Across Devices

For responsive design, you may need to adjust your CSS using media queries:

@media screen and (max-width: 749px) {
  .card__badge--new {
    font-size: 1rem;
    padding: .4rem 1rem;
  }
}

Conflicting with Existing Badges

If your custom badge conflicts with the default “Sale” or “Sold Out” badges, you may need to adjust the positioning or create a hierarchy in your liquid code to determine which badge takes precedence.

By following this guide, you should now be able to add custom badges to your product cards in the Shopify Dawn theme. Remember to test your changes thoroughly across different devices and browsers to ensure a consistent experience for all your customers. Custom badges can significantly enhance the visual appeal of your store and help guide customers to featured products, potentially boosting your sales and improving the overall shopping experience.