How to Add Product Badges in Shopify (2026)

Key takeaways

• The “Sale” badge appears automatically when you set a compare-at price on a product.
• “New”, “Best Seller”, and custom badges depend on your theme - check Theme Editor settings first.
• Some themes display product tags as badges; Dawn and most free themes don’t.
• For custom-styled badges in specific positions, use Fudge.

To add product badges in Shopify, set a compare-at price for an automatic Sale badge. For New, Best Seller or custom badges, check your theme’s badge settings or use product tags, an app or a small Liquid change. Product badges help a product stand out in a collection grid.

Why you can trust us

We’ve worked on conversion rate optimisation for hundreds of Shopify stores. We also built Fudge, the AI operator for Shopify stores, with a 4.9 rating on the Shopify App Store.

The “Sale” badge - automatic

Shopify shows a “Sale” badge on any product where the compare-at price is set to a higher value than the current price.

To trigger the Sale badge:

Step 1. Open a product in the admin.

Step 2. In the Pricing section, enter the current (discounted) price in the Price field.

Step 3. Enter the original price in the Compare-at price field.

Step 4. Save.

The badge appears automatically on collection pages and product pages. The exact styling and position are controlled by your theme.

“New”, “Best Seller”, and other theme badges

Some Shopify themes include built-in badge systems that go beyond just “Sale”. Check your theme settings before looking for workarounds.

Step 1. Go to Online Store > Themes > Customize.

Step 2. Click into a product card in a collection view, or navigate to a product page.

Step 3. Look in the block or section settings for badge-related options. Common labels include “Product badges”, “Labels”, or “Stickers”.

Step 4. Some themes let you define which product tag triggers which badge. For example, tag a product “new” and the theme shows a “New” badge on that product’s card.

If your theme supports this, enable it here and apply the relevant tags to products.

For a “New” badge and when to remove it, see Add a “New” Badge in Shopify.

Using product tags as badges

Some themes display product tags as badges; Dawn and most free themes don’t.

To add a tag to a product:

Step 1. Open the product in the admin.

Step 2. In the right sidebar, find the Tags field.

Step 3. Add the tag (e.g., “new”, “bestseller”, “limited-edition”).

Step 4. Save.

Whether this tag shows as a visible badge depends entirely on your theme. Check your collection pages after adding a tag to see if anything appears. If it does, you have a simple system for controlling badges from the admin.

Are product badges worth it?

Yes - when used with restraint.

Badges work because:

• They trigger faster decisions on collection grids where buyers are scanning
• “Sale” and “Best Seller” carry genuine social proof signals
• Urgency badges (“Low Stock”, “Selling Fast”) reduce hesitation

Badges stop working when:

• Every product has a badge - they become visual noise
• The badge is not accurate (calling everything “Best Seller” erodes trust)
• The styling clashes with the product image

A useful rule: apply badges to no more than 20-30% of your catalogue at any time.

For a Best Seller badge, see Add Best Seller Badges in Shopify.

Custom product badges without code

If your theme doesn’t support the badge type you need, or the styling isn’t right, you have two options without touching code yourself:

A Shopify app - several apps add custom badge functionality. Look in the Shopify App Store for “product badges”.

Fudge - describe exactly what you want and Fudge, the AI operator for Shopify stores, generates the badge as native Liquid code in your theme.

For example: “Add a ‘Vegan’ badge in the top-left corner of product images on collection pages, for any product tagged ‘vegan’. Style it with a green background and white text.”

Fudge drafts the change in its store editor for your review before anything goes live, then compares add-to-cart rate on those pages before and after the badges appear.

Badge placement options

Common positions for badges on Shopify product pages:

• Top-left of product image - most visible, good for Sale and status badges
• Top-right of product image - alternative position if top-left conflicts with other elements
• Below the product title - works well for trust labels like “Vegan” or “Organic”
• Next to the price - natural placement for sale price context

For text labels below the title rather than badges on the image, see Labels vs. Badges.

FAQ