Shopify Store Design: Add Scrolling Testimonials, Rich Descriptions & Multi-Language Support

Hey there, fellow store owners! It's your Shopify migration expert here, diving into another fantastic discussion from the community forums. Recently, a merchant running GermanAudioTech, looking to spruce up their site, sparked a really insightful conversation. They were specifically asking about adding a dynamic scrolling marquee for testimonials, getting their product descriptions to pop like those viral YouTube videos, and even a multi-language switcher with flag icons. It's a great example of how many of us are looking to add those extra touches that truly elevate a store, especially when working with themes like the classic Supply.

Scrolling Testimonial Marquee: Two Paths to a Dynamic Look

The core of GermanAudioTech's question was how to implement a scrolling marquee for their 5-star customer testimonials. This is a brilliant way to showcase social proof right on your homepage without taking up too much static space. Since GermanAudioTech is on the 'vintage' Supply theme, as Ploqo pointed out, there isn't a built-in block for this. But don't fret – the community came through with some excellent code-based solutions!

Ploqo, a helpful expert in the thread, laid out a detailed approach to create a custom section. This method gives you full control over the look and feel, and integrates neatly into your theme's customization options. Here's how you can do it:

Creating Your Custom Testimonial Marquee Section

1. Access Your Theme Code: In your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes. Next to your live theme (like Supply), click the ... menu and select Edit code.
2. Create a New Section File: In the left sidebar, click the sections folder, then click the New file icon. Name it testimonial-marquee and ensure the type is Liquid.
3. Paste the Code: Delete any starter code in the new file, then paste the following code provided by Ploqo. Remember to Save!

   {%- assign speed = section.settings.speed | default: 40 -%}
   
   
     {%- if section.settings.heading != blank -%}
       
   
         {{ section.settings.heading }}
       
     {%- endif -%}
   
     
   
       
   
         {%- for i in (1..2) -%}
           {%- for block in section.blocks -%}
             
   
               
   ★★★★★
               
   {{ block.settings.quote }}
               {%- if block.settings.name != blank -%}
                 
   {{ block.settings.name }}
               {%- endif -%}
             
           {%- endfor -%}
         {%- endfor -%}
       
     
   
   
   
   
   {% schema %}
   {
     "name": "Testimonials marquee",
     "settings": [
       { "type": "text", "id": "heading", "label": "Heading", "default": "What our customers say" },
       { "type": "range", "id": "speed", "min": 15, "max": 90, "step": 5, "unit": "s", "label": "Scroll speed (lower = faster)", "default": 40 },
       { "type": "range", "id": "card_width", "min": 240, "max": 480, "step": 10, "unit": "px", "label": "Card width", "default": 320 },
       { "type": "header", "content": "Colors" },
       { "type": "color", "id": "bg_color", "label": "Section background", "default": "#0f1115" },
       { "type": "color", "id": "heading_color", "label": "Heading text", "default": "#ffffff" },
       { "type": "color", "id": "card_color", "label": "Card background", "default": "#ffffff" },
       { "type": "color", "id": "text_color", "label": "Card text", "default": "#1a1a1a" },
       { "type": "header", "content": "Spacing" },
       { "type": "range", "id": "padding_top", "min": 0, "max": 100, "step": 4, "unit": "px", "label": "Padding top", "default": 48 },
       { "type": "range", "id": "padding_bottom", "min": 0, "max": 100, "step": 4, "unit": "px", "label": "Padding bottom", "default": 48 }
     ],
     "blocks": [
       {
         "type": "testimonial",
         "name": "Testimonial",
         "settings": [
           { "type": "textarea", "id": "quote", "label": "Quote", "default": "Fantastic service and the radio works perfectly." },
           { "type": "text", "id": "name", "label": "Customer name", "default": "Happy customer" }
         ]
       }
     ],
     "presets": [
       { "name": "Testimonials marquee",
         "blocks": [
           { "type": "testimonial" }, { "type": "testimonial" }, { "type": "testimonial" },
           { "type": "testimonial" }, { "type": "testimonial" }
         ]
       }
     ]
   }
   {% endschema %}
   

4. Add to Your Homepage: Go back to Online Store > Themes and click Customize. On your homepage, click Add section, then choose Testimonials marquee.
5. Populate and Style: Click each Testimonial block to add your customer quotes and names. You can add more testimonials as needed. In the section settings, adjust the scroll speed (lower number = faster), card width, and colors to match your brand.

Another community member, Weaverse, offered a slightly simpler HTML/CSS snippet for a marquee. While Ploqo's solution offers more customization options directly in the theme editor, Weaverse's code is great if you just want to drop in some testimonials quickly. The key trick they shared for seamless looping? Duplicating all your testimonial cards within the track so the animation has enough content to loop smoothly.

  

    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Absolutely top-notch OEM audio parts. Arrived fast and fit perfectly!"
      — Michael R.
    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Best source for German car audio. Great quality and amazing service."
      — Sarah K.
    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Found a rare part I couldn't find anywhere else. Highly recommend!"
      — James T.
    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Prompt shipping, excellent packaging, exactly as described. 5 stars!"
      — Lisa M.
    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Super knowledgeable team. They helped me find the right unit for my BMW."
      — David H.
    
    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Absolutely top-notch OEM audio parts. Arrived fast and fit perfectly!"
      — Michael R.
    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Best source for German car audio. Great quality and amazing service."
      — Sarah K.
    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Found a rare part I couldn't find anywhere else. Highly recommend!"
      — James T.
    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Prompt shipping, excellent packaging, exactly as described. 5 stars!"
      — Lisa M.
    
    

      
★★★★★
      
"Super knowledgeable team. They helped me find the right unit for my BMW."
      — David H.
    
  

Gathering and Authenticating Reviews

An important point Maximus3 brought up was the authenticity of testimonials. GermanAudioTech confirmed their reviews were real, collected over 15 years, which is fantastic! For newer businesses or those looking to automate, Ploqo suggested several great apps that gather post-purchase feedback and can feed into carousels or review sections:

• Judge.me (has a free tier!)
• Loox or Okendo (for more advanced features)
• Trustpilot or Google Reviews apps like Reputon or Omega

These apps are designed to email customers a few days after delivery, prompting them for a review on platforms like Google (Yelp, as Ploqo noted, has strict rules against asking for reviews, so best to focus elsewhere).

Elevating Product Descriptions with Rich HTML & AI

GermanAudioTech also wanted to match the visually rich product description style seen in some YouTube Shopify tutorials, which often leverage bold headers, icon bullets, and feature boxes. This isn't about a scrolling marquee, but about making your static product info much more engaging.

Weaverse suggested using AI tools like Claude (or ChatGPT, etc.) to generate this styled HTML. You can give it a prompt like: “Write a premium Shopify product description for [your product] using bold section headers, bullet points with emoji icons, a feature highlight box, and a trust/guarantee section at the bottom. Make it look modern and conversion-focused.” Then, simply paste the AI's HTML output into your Shopify product description editor (make sure you're in HTML mode!).

For a simpler, specific addition like a trust badge below the description, Ploqo provided these steps:

1. Upload Your Image: Go to Content > Files > Upload files in your Shopify admin and add your badge image. Copy the link to the image.
2. Edit Product Template: Go to Online Store > Themes, click the ... menu next to your theme, and choose Edit code. Open the sections folder and click product-template.liquid.
3. Find and Paste: Locate {{ product.description }} and paste the following code right after its closing