Understanding Shopify Metafields

Shopify introduced metafields in 2021 when they launched Online Store 2.0. This addition has been a game changer. The content of a metafielcd required coding knowledge and skill to add to a Shopify store or a third party app prior to this. Now you can easily add, manage and use meta fields on the admin dashboard and as a dynamic source on the theme editor.

A metafield is a custom field that lets you save specialized information that isn't usually captured in the Shopify admin. They can be added to products, collections, customers, orders, pages, blogs and locations.

 

Types Of Metafields

Text

1. Single Line
2. Multi-Line Text
3. Rich Text

Number

1. Integer
2. Decimal

Link

1. Product
2. Collection
3. Variant
4. Page
5. URL

Measurement

1. Dimension
2. Volume
3. Weight

Date

1. Date
2. Date and Time

Attachment

1. File
2. Metaobject

Others

1. True or False
2. Color
3. Money
4. JSON

 

There are many uses for metafields both for internal operations and storefront display. These are the best applications that I have done so far. Mastering metafields is a whole journey so this list is a work in progress.

 

Top Uses of Metafields

 

1. Custom Product Information

Standard product information on Shopify are limited to title, product type, description. Metafields allow more details and definitions to be attributed to products, this gives a more comprehensive representation and presentation on our stores. 

Product meta fields could be country of manufacture, expiration date, size guides, designer profile, tasting notes and technical details. The possibilities are endless when it comes to product metafields.

 

2. Automate Collections With Metafields

There are many ways to automate a collection but not all of them are equal. Using product type or metafields will create more accurate collections than when using product tags. Metafields have more structure, they are part of your product data and they are standardized across all products. Product tags are less complex and they store simple data that are not part of a product’s attributes.

 

3. Customer Segments

Using metafields for your customer database allows you to collect unique customer information that is above and beyond the standard account sign up form. You could then segment your customers based on these specific details and send targeted emails and promotions to a particular segment.

Customer metafields could be birthdays, food allergies, shoe size and more.

 

4. Additional Order Information

Custom orders are made easier with order metafields. Order specific instructions can be added to orders such as a name for engraving, embroidery or printing. This is attached to your order and easily accessed by anyone on your team.

Other order metafields are oder ratings and marking an order as express or standard delivery.

 

 

The Benefits of Metafields

Metafields are a dynamic and powerful tool to upgrade your e-commerce operations. They give you the opportunity to customize your store to suit your company’s needs and to serve your customers better. Learning how to use metafields is complicated, it can be tricky and it takes practice. Once you grasp it though, it will increase efficiency and ultimately this will boost your sales.