Running a busy business while managing an eCommerce store can feel overwhelming. You’ve got products to organise, customers to serve, and a website that needs to work seamlessly. If you’re using Shopify, collections are one of your best tools for creating order from chaos.
Think of collections as your store’s filing system. Instead of dumping every product into one giant pile, you can group similar items together. This makes shopping easier for your customers and managing inventory simpler for you.
But here’s where it gets interesting: Shopify offers two different types of collections, and choosing the right one can save you hours of work.
What are Shopify collections?
Collections are groupings of products that share common traits, which makes it easier for your customers to navigate your online store. Whether you’re selling clothing, homewares, or professional services, collections help your customers find exactly what they’re looking for without endless scrolling.
Collections can be displayed on your online store as a webpage with a gallery of the products that are in the collection. Your customers can then click through to individual product pages directly from these organised galleries.
Smart collections vs manual collections: what’s the difference?
When creating collections in Shopify, you’ll need to choose between two options: smart collections (also called automated collections) and manual collections. Understanding the difference is crucial for managing your store efficiently.
What is a smart collection?
Smart collections automatically group your products based on specific criteria you define. Unlike manual collections where you hand-pick each product, smart collections use rules to dynamically add and remove products based on their attributes.
Think of smart collections as your personal assistant. You set the rules once, and they handle the rest. For example, you could create a smart collection that automatically includes all products:
- Tagged as “summer”
- Priced under $50
- From a specific vendor
- With “organic” in the product title
You can create up to 5,000 automated collections. Collections can have a maximum of 60 conditions. This gives you plenty of flexibility to organise even the largest product catalogues.
What is a manual collection?
Manual collections require store owners to add products individually. You have complete control over which products appear and in what order.
Manual collections are perfect for:
- Curated selections like “Staff Picks” or “Customer Favourites”
- Seasonal promotions where you want specific products featured
- Limited-time offers requiring hand-picked items
- Creating themed collections that don’t follow predictable rules
When should you use each type?
Choosing between smart and manual collections depends on your business needs and how much time you want to spend on store maintenance.
I often find businesses are using all manual collections, and then are confused when products aren’t showing up where they should be. As a general rule of thumb, I would recommend using smart collections for almost everything, because it makes keeping your store organised so much easier into the future. There are however some cases where manual products are the better option.
Use smart collections when:
You have a large inventory: As your inventory grows, you may find smart collections are a more efficient solution. Instead of manually updating collections every time you add products, smart collections handle this automatically.
Your products follow predictable patterns: If your products can be easily categorised by type, price, vendor, or tags, smart collections work brilliantly. A furniture store might create smart collections for “dining tables,” “sofas under $1000,” or “bedroom furniture.”
You want to save time: Smart collections reduce ongoing maintenance. Once set up, they update themselves as you add new products or change existing ones.
You’re running promotions based on attributes: Creating a “Sale Items” collection that automatically includes all products with prices reduced by 20% or more saves manual work.
Use manual collections when:
You need complete creative control: Sometimes your best-selling combination doesn’t follow logical rules. Maybe your “Perfect Picnic” collection includes a blanket, wine glasses, and artisanal crackers—items that wouldn’t naturally group together through automated rules.
You’re creating themed experiences: Manual collections shine for storytelling. A “Cosy Winter Nights” collection might include candles, tea, blankets, and books—products that create a mood rather than fitting technical criteria.
You’re running limited-time promotions: For special events or flash sales, you might want to feature specific products regardless of their attributes.
Your inventory is small: If you only have 20-50 products, manually curating collections gives you more control without much extra work.
Can you make collections of collections?
This is where things get a bit tricky. While Shopify doesn’t have a feature explicitly called “sub-collections,” you can create this structure by nesting collections within each other.
There are several ways to achieve this nested structure:
Navigation menu method
The first and also the simplest way doesn’t require you to know any techniques. All you have to do is just a few clicks, and you will have Shopify nested collections as you like.
Here’s how it works:
- Create all your collections first (both parent and child collections)
- Go to Online Store > Navigation in your Shopify admin
- Create menu items for your main collections
- Add sub-collection items beneath the main collections
- Use the drag-and-drop feature to nest sub-collections under parent collections
For example, you might have a “Clothing” parent collection with sub-collections for “T-shirts,” “Jeans,” and “Dresses.”
Using tags and filtering
Another clever approach is using tags within collections. You can tag products with multiple attributes and then use your theme’s filtering options to let customers drill down into specific sub-categories.
Third-party apps
If you need more sophisticated nested collection features, several Shopify apps can help create more complex hierarchical structures without coding.
Best practices for making life easy
Whether you choose smart or manual collections, these practices will save you time and improve your customers’ experience:
Keep it simple and logical
Use clear and descriptive names for your collections to make it easy for customers to navigate. Avoid creative names that might confuse shoppers. “Men’s Casual Shirts” works better than “Weekend Warriors.”
Plan your structure before you start
Sketch out your collection hierarchy on paper first. Think about how your customers shop and what makes sense for your products. A well-planned structure prevents confusion later.
Use consistent naming conventions
If you’re creating size-based collections, stick to the same format: “Small Items,” “Medium Items,” “Large Items” rather than mixing “Small Products,” “Medium-Sized,” “Big Stuff.”
Leverage automation wisely
Leverage automated collections to reduce manual work and ensure your collections stay up-to-date. Smart collections are perfect for routine categorisation, leaving you free to focus on creative manual collections.
Optimise for search engines
Optimize for SEO by including relevant keywords in your collection names and descriptions. This helps your collections appear in search results, driving more organic traffic to your store. Collections are really important for SEO, so ensure they are set up well and consider adding in collection specific information.
Regular maintenance matters
Even smart collections need occasional review. Check that your rules are still working as intended and adjust conditions if your product mix changes.
Don’t overcomplicate filtering
Limit the number of sub-collections to avoid overwhelming customers with too many choices. Too many options can lead to decision paralysis rather than improved shopping experiences.
Mobile-first thinking
More shoppers browse on mobile devices than desktop computers. Ensure your collection structure works well on smaller screens with easy-to-tap navigation.
Getting started with your collections
Ready to organise your Shopify store? Start with these steps:
- Audit your current products: List all your products and identify natural groupings
- Choose your main collections: Start with 3-5 broad categories that cover most of your inventory
- Decide on smart vs manual: Use smart collections for logical groupings and manual for creative curation
- Test your navigation: Shop your own store to ensure the customer journey makes sense
- Monitor and adjust: Use Shopify’s analytics to see which collections perform best
The bottom line
Collections are one of Shopify’s most powerful organisational tools, but they only work if you use them strategically. Smart collections save time and keep your store organised automatically, while manual collections give you creative control for special promotions and curated experiences.
The key is matching your collection strategy to your business needs. A busy retailer with hundreds of products will benefit more from automated collections, while a boutique store might prefer the personal touch of manual curation.
Don’t feel like you need to choose one approach exclusively. Many successful stores use a combination: smart collections for routine organisation and manual collections for special features and promotions.
Remember, your collections should make shopping easier, not more complicated. When customers can find what they’re looking for quickly and easily, everyone wins.
Ready to get your Shopify store properly organised?
I’d love to learn more about your business goals and see how I can help you create a website that works as hard as you do. Get in touch with me today, and let’s discuss how to make your online store more effective.
