Collections (Manual & Automated)

What are collections?

A collection is a grouped set of products, shown together on a page like 'Summer Sale' or 'Men's Shoes'. Collections make browsing and navigation easier for customers.

Every store usually has multiple collections that overlap — one product (like a jacket) can belong to both 'New Arrivals' and 'Outerwear'.

Real-life example: Collections are like aisles in a supermarket — 'Dairy', 'Snacks', 'Beverages' — the same product might get featured in more than one aisle display (like a 'Weekly Deals' end-cap).

• Group products by category, season, collection drop, or promotion
• Used in navigation menus so customers can browse by theme
• One product can belong to multiple collections

Manual collections

A manual collection means you personally choose and add each product one by one. You have full control over exactly what appears and in what order.

Manual collections suit curated sets like 'Editor's Picks' or a small seasonal capsule where you want hands-on control.

Real-life example: A manual collection is a hand-picked gift hamper — you personally choose every item that goes inside, nothing is added automatically.

Automated (smart) collections

An automated collection uses conditions — like 'Product type is Shoes' or 'Tag contains sale' — and Shopify automatically adds any matching product, now and in the future.

This saves time on large catalogs: add the 'sale' tag to a product, and it instantly appears in your 'Sale' automated collection without manual work.

Real-life example: An automated collection is a supermarket sensor that sends every product tagged 'expiring soon' to the discount shelf by itself — no staff member needs to walk it there.

Collection: Summer Sale
Match: ALL conditions
  - Tag is equal to "sale"
  - Product type is equal to "Apparel"

Collection: New Arrivals
Match: ANY condition
  - Product was added in the last 30 days (via tag automation/app)
  - Tag is equal to "new"