Shopify Collections: What It Is, How To Create, & Tips for Success

Want to streamline your online store and help customers find what they’re looking for? Shopify’s product collections are what you need.

Product collections in Shopify allow you to group products with similar attributes. That helps your customers find what they’re looking for faster and provides them with a better buying experience.

In this step-by-step tutorial, I’ll share:

• The exact steps to create product collections in Shopify.
• How to add collections to the navigation menu and homepage.
• 5 tips to help you create high-converting collections.

Let’s upgrade your Shopify store with product collections!

What are Collections in Shopify?

Collections are Shopify’s version of product categories that list similar and related products in your catalog. They’re available to Shopify users on the Basic or higher plans.

Shopify allows you to create two types of collections:

1. Automated collections
2. Manual collections

I’ll show you how to create both types in a bit. First, let’s look at some examples of collections you can create in Shopify:

• Products based on target buyers: Apparel for men, women, or children.
• Products based on type: T-shirts, jeans, and hoodies.
• Products solving a problem: A fashion brand can offer trendy collections, classic essentials, and designer collaborations. Similarly, a skincare brand can have acne, anti-aging, sensitive skin, and hyperpigmentation collections.
• Products in a certain size: Petite or plus-size options.
• Products on sale: Clearance items, limited-time promotions, or holiday sales.
• Bundle deals: Bundled products or Buy One Get One.
• Seasonal products: Christmas-themed pajamas and sports event gear.

Now that you understand what Shopify Collections are, let’s look at how you can set them up on your store.

How to create a product collection?

Before you begin, make sure you’re subscribed to the Shopify Basic or higher plan. Without that, you won’t be able to create product collections for your store.

Secondly, you must have products on your store. If you need any help with adding products, feel free to check out my guide on adding products in Shopify.

Then, follow these steps to create a product collection in Shopify.

1. Navigate to Collections

First, head over to “Collections” by going to Products > Collections. Then, click the Create collection button on the top right side.

2. Add collection details

Add a title and description for the collection.

While it’s okay to leave the description blank for now, I recommend using the description section to highlight the value of your products. You can also include relevant keywords in the description to improve your online store’s SEO.

After you add a title and description, add an image for your collection. 

This is important if you’re planning to display your collection on your store’s homepage.

The cover image you select here will appear when you insert the collection into your theme. If you don’t select an image, it will default to showing the first product in that collection.

3. Choose a Collection type

After adding an image, scroll down to the “Collection type” section.

You have two options:

• Manual: This type allows you to add products manually to the collection, one at a time.
• Automated: This type automatically includes existing and future products that match the conditions you set.

I’ll guide you through creating a collection using both options:

Manual collection type

Manual collections require more effort to maintain, as you need to manually add and remove products every time.

However, they are ideal for creating small or specialized collections you want to curate personally.

For instance, if you plan on having a seasonal sale with a small selection of products, you can create a manual collection for them and set up a discount specifically for those products.

The only limitation is that once you create a manual collection, you can’t change it to “Automated collection.” You’ll need to create a new collection entirely and set its rules.

With that in mind, here’s how to create a manual collection after following the previous steps:

First, save the collection by clicking Save on the bottom right of your screen.

Then, go to Products from your dashboard and select the products you would like to add to your collection.

Next, click the 3 dots (Ellipsis) button next to “Set as draft,” scroll down, and select Add to collection(s).

Select the newly created collection and click Save.

That’s it! You can verify if the products have been added to the collection by going to “Collections” from the dashboard.

Automated collection type

Automated collections allow you to automatically create collections by setting up conditions to add products into a collection. 

The benefit of an automated collection is that once you create it, both existing and future products matching the conditions will be added automatically to the collection. You’ll save a lot of time and effort not having to set it up manually.

The best part is that you can set conditions based on attributes like type, category, tag, price, compare at price, weight, and inventory stock. 

The only downside to using automated collections is that you can’t remove specific products unless you change the collection’s conditions or edit the product details so they no longer match the conditions.

With that in mind, here’s how to create an automated collection after following the previous steps:

In the “Collection type” section, choose Automated. A new section called “Conditions” will appear.

Then, for the “Products must match” setting, select “all conditions” or “any condition.”

In my example, I’m selecting “all conditions” because I want the products to meet multiple criteria.

Next, select a product field or metafield from the dropdown. Based on the condition you select, you’ll see different options to control how a product needs to match the condition value you enter.

In this example, I’m selecting the “Product category” condition, and the rule you’ll see is “equal to.” I then add a category from the dropdown to the final field.

You can add more conditions if needed. For example, you can set “Inventory stock” with the rule “is greater than.”

Finally, click Save. 

You’ll now see products automatically added to the collection based on the conditions you’ve set. Here’s how it looks in my Shopify admin dashboard.

How do you add product collections to the menu?

Follow these steps to add product collections to the menu of your Shopify store:

Go to the “Online Store” section in your Shopify dashboard and click on Navigation.

Then, click Main menu from your “Menus” section.

Click Add menu item, enter a name for your menu item, type your collection name in the search field, and select it.

For example, my collection name is “T-Shirts”, so I’ve set the menu item name as “T-Shirts” as well.

Then click Add on the bottom right.

Repeat the steps to add more collections to your menu. Once added, save your changes by clicking Save menu.

That’s it! Now, if you go back to your online store and refresh the page, you’ll see your collection page links appear in the menu. 

You can also set up your collections to be part of a dropdown menu. For example, we can create a dropdown titled “Categories” and place these collections under it.

To set up your collections in a dropdown, open the Navigation section, click Add menu item. Then, add “Categories” in the Name text field and “#” in the search field, and click Add.

Drag the “Categories” menu item above the collections and nest the collections under it by dragging them to the right.

Once you’ve nested all items, save your changes and go to the frontend of your store. You’ll see a dropdown menu item labeled “Categories” containing your collections.

The way you organize your navigation can vary based on your personal preference and the number of categories in your store. 

If you want to create multi-level menus, you’ll need to create sub-collections. Read my article on setting up sub-collections in Shopify if you need help.

How do you add product collections to the homepage?

Most Shopify themes include a default featured collection section that showcases different products in a collection. 

Using Shopify’s theme editor, you can customize your homepage to display your custom collections. Here’s how you can do it.

Go to Online Store > Themes and open the theme editor by clicking Customize.

Click the Featured collection block under the “Template” section on the left sidebar.

Then on the right sidebar, scroll down to “Collection” and click Change > Change collection. Then, select your desired collection and click Select.

I’m using the Dawn theme here, but the process will be similar if you’re using a different theme.

If you’re looking to install a new theme, make sure you read my article explaining 3 ways to install a Shopify. I’ve provided detailed steps with images to help you do it right.

You can further customize settings such as the heading title, heading size, maximum products to show, number of columns, and whether to show vendor information or product rating. 

Another way to display collections on your homepage is through the “Collection List” section. This section displays the collections themselves rather than individual products.

Click Add section and select Collection list. Then, click on each box and add a collection from the right sidebar.

You can also customize the appearance of each collection by adding a header image, adjusting titles, and setting the number of columns and content.

5 tips for adding Shopify Collections

Setting up your collections thoughtfully can make it easier for customers to find and purchase what they want. And the faster they find what they want, the more likely it is that they’ll follow through with their purchase.

Here are my top five tips to help you get the most out of your Shopify product collections.

1. Enable the “Add to cart” button

Make the purchasing process seamless by enabling the “Add to Cart” button in your “Featured collection” section.

To do this, go to your theme editor and click on the Featured collection section. On the right sidebar, scroll down to “Quick add” and click Standard.

Once you do that, an “Add to Cart” button will appear below the products in your “Featured collection” section. 

If a product has color options or other variations, a “Choose Options” button will display instead.

When a customer clicks that button, a product page popup will show allowing customers to select their preferred option and add it to their cart or proceed directly to checkout.

2. Add product rating

Customer reviews can significantly influence buying decisions, with nearly 90% of shoppers trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

You can display product ratings in your Shopify collection by going to your theme editor and clicking on the Featured collection section

In the right sidebar, scroll down to the “Product card” and check the “Show product rating” box.

For product ratings to show up, you need to integrate a product review app like Yotpo Product Reviews, Loox, or Judge.me.

3. Use high-quality visuals

Attract customers by using compelling, high-quality images that accurately represent each collection. 

You can add image banners, images with text, videos, and more to enhance the visual appeal of your collections.

Here’s how Cupshe, a swimsuit brand displays product collections on their homepage:

They’ve edited their collection images to include the collection name and CTA in the images.

4. Organize your collections

Make it easy for customers to find what they are looking for by organizing your collections logically with drop-down menus, subheadings, and clear categories.

This organization helps customers find specific products quickly or enjoy browsing through curated selections. 

For example, collections like “Tech Accessories” help customers locate specific items, while “Best Sellers” encourage exploration.

5. Add different types of collections

Think beyond the basic categories like “Electronics” or “Home Goods”  and create collections that reflect specific themes or customer needs.

For instance, if you sell kitchenware, consider creating collections like “Gourmet Cooking Tools” or “Baking Essentials.” 

Similarly, if you have an outdoor gear store, add collections such as “Camping Gear,” “Hiking Equipment,” and “Winter Sports Gear” to cater to different customer activities.

Final thoughts: Make the most of product collections in Shopify

Creating and managing product collections in Shopify is pretty straightforward. I’ve shown you the exact steps to do it and even shared my top tips to help you make the most of your collections.

If you have any questions about setting up product collections or need help, feel free to contact us. We’re here to help you succeed 🙂

FAQs about adding product collections in Shopify