Create a Collection

A collection groups products under a single landing page so shoppers can browse them together. You create one from the Collections page, and your first decision, Manual or Smart, is permanent.

You'll work on the Collections page in the admin sidebar.

Manual vs Smart

The Collection type is chosen when you create the collection. As the form warns, it cannot be changed afterward. To switch later you have to create a new collection.

(opens full size)

Before you begin

• You have the Manage collections permission.
• For a Smart collection, your products have the tags/vendors/etc. the conditions will match.
• Open Products > Collections in the admin sidebar.

Steps

1. Open Products then Collections and click Create Collection

Go to Collections in the admin sidebar. With no collections yet you'll see the Create Collection button on the empty state; otherwise it's in the page header.

(opens full size)

2. Enter the Collection name and Description

Collection name is required and customer-facing - it becomes the title of the collection's storefront page, so make it descriptive (Summer Essentials, not a code). The rich-text Description is the collection's own introduction, written for shoppers rather than for a search engine.

(opens full size)

3. Choose the Collection type

Pick Manual or Smart. Remember this is permanent. If you choose Manual, do Step 4a next; if you choose Smart, do Step 4b instead.

4a. Manual - add products

In the Products section, use Search products / Add products to add items one by one. Set the product sort (e.g. Best selling) to control the order products appear in on the collection's storefront page. Manual Collections covers hand-picking and ordering in full.

(opens full size)

4b. Smart - set conditions

For a Smart collection, define the conditions that products must match to be included automatically. Set Products must match: all means a product has to meet every condition, any means meeting one is enough. Then use Add condition to build each rule. Smart Collections explains conditions and all/any matching in full.

(opens full size)

5. Add Collection media and the rest

The right column holds the rest of the form:

• Collection media: add an image your theme uses to represent the collection, which Add a Collection Image walks through.
• Publishing: the channels you select decide where shoppers can see the collection, so leaving them all off keeps it hidden; use Schedule publishing to set a future go-live time.
• Theme template: choose which storefront layout the collection page uses. The default is fine unless your theme provides others.
• Metafields: extra structured data your theme or apps can read. Leave it as is unless you have definitions to fill.
• Search engine listing: open it with Edit search engine listing to control how the collection reads in search results, covered in Collection SEO.

(opens full size)

6. Save

Click Save in the floating bar. The You have unsaved changes bar clears once it's saved.

Verify the result

• The collection appears in the Collections list under Products.
• A Manual collection shows the products you added; a Smart collection shows everything matching its conditions.
• The collection's storefront page renders.

Best practices

• Choose the type deliberately - it can't be changed, so a wrong choice means recreating the collection.
• Use Smart for rule-based sets so new matching products join automatically.
• Use Manual for curation where you want exact control over what's in and the order.
• Add a clear media image that your theme can use to represent the collection.

Common mistakes

• Picking the wrong type and only noticing later - you'll have to recreate it.
• A Smart collection with no/too-broad conditions - it ends up empty or includes everything.
• No publishing channel - the collection isn't visible to shoppers.

If something goes wrong

• Save fails - the Collection name is required; fill it.
• A Smart collection is empty - its conditions don't match any product; loosen them.
• Permission denied - your role lacks the Manage collections permission.

Next steps

• Manual Collections
• Smart Collections
• Collection SEO

Related articles

• Collections
• Edit a Product