Organizing products into collections
How to create and manage Shopify collections so customers can browse your products by category, season, or any grouping you choose.
A collection is a group of products. Collections help customers find what they are looking for — instead of scrolling through your entire catalog, they can browse "Men's Clothing," "Sale Items," or "New Arrivals."
Quick summary
Collections are like folders for your products. Go to Products > Collections and click Create collection. Give it a name, then either add products manually or set rules so Shopify adds them automatically. Then add the collection to your navigation menu so customers can find it.
Two types of collections
Shopify has two ways to build a collection:
| Type | How products are added | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Manual | You add each product by hand | Small, curated groups (e.g. "Staff Picks") |
| Automated (Smart) | Shopify adds products automatically based on rules | Large catalogs — e.g. all products tagged "sale" |
How to create a manual collection
Go to Products > Collections in your Shopify admin.
Click Create collection.
Enter a title for the collection (e.g. "Men's Jackets").
Write a description (optional). This can appear on the collection page above the products.
Add a collection image (optional). A banner image at the top of the collection page.
Under Collection type, select Manual.
Click Save.
In the Products section that now appears, use the search box to find and add products to this collection.
Click Save again.
How to create an automated collection
Go to Products > Collections and click Create collection.
Enter a title for the collection.
Under Collection type, select Automated.
Set your conditions. For example:
- Product tag is equal to
sale - Product price is less than
50 - Product type is equal to
Accessories
Choose whether products need to match all conditions or any condition. "All conditions" is more restrictive.
Click Save. Shopify will populate the collection immediately with any products that match, and keep it updated automatically.
Tags are the key to automated collections
Automated collections work best when your products are consistently tagged. For example, if you tag sale items with "on-sale," you can create a collection that always shows exactly those products. See the tag field when editing any product.
Adding a collection to your navigation menu
Creating a collection does not automatically put it in your store's navigation. You need to add it to the menu separately.
Go to Online Store > Navigation in the left menu.
Click the menu you want to edit (usually "Main menu").
Click Add menu item.
Enter a name (what customers will see, e.g. "Men's Jackets").
In the Link field, select Collections, then choose your collection from the list.
Click Add, then Save menu.
Sorting products within a collection
You can control the order products appear in a collection.
- On the collection page, click the Sort dropdown to choose from options like Best Selling, Price Low to High, or Manual.
- If you choose Manual, you can drag and drop products into your preferred order.
Common questions
Related guides
- How to add a product
- Product variants (size, color, options)
- The theme editor
- Setting prices & sales
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