How to Create Sub Collections in Shopify: A Step-by-Step Guide
By Sam Thomas Davies Head of Content
@ Sleeknote

In this comprehensive step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the process of creating sub collections in Shopify. These sub collections play a crucial role in organizing your products and improving the overall shopping experience for your customers. By grouping related items together, you can make it easier for your customers to navigate your store and find exactly what they’re looking for.

Understanding the Importance of Sub Collections in Shopify

Before we delve into the technicalities of setting up sub collections in Shopify, it’s important to understand why they are so important. Sub collections allow you to organize your products in a structured manner, making it easier for customers to browse and locate the items they are interested in. With sub collections, you can create a logical hierarchy of products, ensuring that your customers can effortlessly navigate through your store and find exactly what they need.

In addition to improving the user experience, sub collections also have SEO advantages. By organizing your products into sub collections, you can create specific landing pages for targeted keywords. This allows search engines to better understand the structure of your store and can potentially improve your search rankings.

Furthermore, sub collections can also help with inventory management. By categorizing your products into sub collections, you can easily track and monitor the availability of each item. This can be particularly useful for businesses that have a large inventory or offer a wide range of products. With sub collections, you can quickly identify which products are running low or out of stock, allowing you to restock or make necessary adjustments to your store.

Another benefit of using sub collections in Shopify is the ability to create targeted marketing campaigns. By organizing your products into specific categories, you can easily identify which products are popular or have a high demand. This information can then be used to create targeted promotions or discounts, increasing the likelihood of sales and customer engagement. Sub collections provide a valuable tool for analyzing customer preferences and behavior, allowing you to tailor your marketing strategies accordingly.

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Benefits of Using Sub Collections in Your Shopify Store

There are numerous benefits to using sub collections in your Shopify store. Let’s explore some of the key advantages:

  • Improved navigation: Sub collections make it easier for customers to browse your store and find products within specific categories.
  • Enhanced organization: By grouping related items together, you can create a more organized and streamlined shopping experience for your customers.
  • Better SEO: Sub collections allow you to create targeted landing pages for specific keywords, potentially improving your search engine rankings.
  • Increased sales: By presenting products in a more organized and logical manner, you can increase the chances of customers finding and purchasing multiple items.

Improved customer engagement: Sub collections can help to keep customers on your website for longer periods of time. When customers can easily navigate through your store and find products of interest, they are more likely to stay and explore further. This increased engagement can lead to higher conversion rates and repeat purchases.

Customizable design: With sub collections, you have the flexibility to customize the design and layout of each category page. This allows you to create a unique and visually appealing shopping experience that aligns with your brand. By showcasing products in a visually appealing way, you can capture the attention of customers and encourage them to make a purchase.

Getting Started: Setting Up Your Shopify Store

Before you can start creating sub collections in Shopify, you need to have a Shopify store up and running. If you haven’t already done so, head over to the Shopify website and sign up for an account. Once you’ve completed the setup process, you’ll have access to your Shopify dashboard where you can start building your store and adding products.

It’s worth taking some time to familiarize yourself with the Shopify dashboard and its various features. This will make it easier for you to navigate the platform and set up your sub collections effectively.

Once you have set up your Shopify store and familiarized yourself with the dashboard, you can begin creating sub collections. Sub collections allow you to organize your products into smaller, more specific categories within your store. This can make it easier for customers to navigate and find the products they are looking for.

Navigating the Shopify Dashboard and Collections Tab

The Shopify dashboard is where you’ll manage all aspects of your online store. To begin creating sub collections, navigate to the “Collections” tab in your Shopify dashboard.

Within the Collections tab, you’ll find the main collection section. This is where you’ll create the primary collections that will serve as the foundation for your sub collections. By organizing your products into main collections, you can then create sub collections within them.

Exploring the Different Types of Collections in Shopify

Before we delve into creating sub collections, it’s important to understand the different types of collections available in Shopify. This will help you determine the best approach for organizing your products.

In Shopify, you can create two types of collections:

  1. Automatic collections: These collections are created based on specific conditions or criteria set by you. For example, you can create an automatic collection that includes all products priced under $50.
  2. Manual collections: Manual collections, as the name suggests, are created manually. You handpick the products that belong in each collection.

Both automatic and manual collections can have sub collections created within them, allowing for further organization and categorization of your products.

What Are Sub Collections and How Do They Work?

Sub collections are essentially collections within collections. They allow you to further break down your primary collections into smaller, more specific categories. By creating sub collections, you can organize your products in a way that makes sense for your business and your customers.

Sub collections work by nesting them within your main collections. When a customer navigates to a main collection, they will see the sub collections listed within it. Clicking on a sub collection will take them to a page displaying only the products within that sub collection.

This hierarchical structure allows for a more intuitive browsing experience, making it easier for customers to locate products and explore related items.

Planning Your Sub Collections: Organizing Products for a Seamless Shopping Experience

Before you start creating sub collections, it’s important to plan out how you want to organize your products. Think about the categories that make the most sense for your business and your customers. Consider how customers would naturally navigate your store and what types of groupings would be most helpful for them.

Take the time to map out your primary collections and decide which products should be included in each one. Once you have a clear plan, you can begin creating your main collections and building out the sub collections within them.

Step 1: Creating a Main Collection in Shopify

To create your main collections in Shopify, navigate to the Collections tab in your dashboard. Click on the “Create collection” button to begin the process.

Enter a title for your main collection and add any relevant descriptions or tags. You can also specify whether the collection is automatic or manual. Finally, choose the sorting order for the products within the collection.

Once you’ve filled in all the necessary details, click the “Save” button to create your main collection.

Step 2: Adding Products to Your Main Collection

Now that you have your main collection created, it’s time to add products to it. Within the main collection page, click on the “Add products” button.

In the product selection window, you can search for and select the products you want to include in the main collection. You can choose multiple products at once by holding down the shift or control key while selecting.

Once you’ve selected all the products you want to add, click the “Add products” button to add them to the main collection.

Step 3: Creating Sub Collections Within Your Main Collection

To create sub collections within your main collection, navigate back to the Collections tab in your dashboard and select the main collection you want to add sub collections to.

Within the main collection page, click on the “Add sub-collection” button. You can then enter a title for your sub collection and add any relevant descriptions or tags.

Once you’ve filled in the necessary details, click the “Save” button to create your sub collection.

Step 4: Assigning Products to Sub Collections

Now that you have your sub collections created, it’s time to assign products to them. Within the sub collection page, click on the “Add products” button.

In the product selection window, you can search for and select the products you want to assign to the sub collection. Again, you can choose multiple products at once by holding down the shift or control key.

Once you’ve selected all the products you want to assign, click the “Add products” button to add them to the sub collection.

Customizing and Personalizing Your Sub Collections in Shopify

Now that you have your sub collections set up, it’s time to customize and personalize them to align with your brand and create an appealing shopping experience for your customers.

There are several ways you can customize your sub collections:

  • Designing appealing thumbnails and cover images: Choose visually engaging images that represent the sub collection and entice customers to click.
  • Optimizing product descriptions: Craft detailed and optimized product descriptions that provide valuable information to your customers and improve search engine visibility.
  • Using tags and filters: Leverage Shopify’s tagging and filtering capabilities to enhance navigation within your sub collections, allowing customers to narrow down their search based on specific criteria.
  • Displaying sub collections on your store’s homepage or navigation menu: Provide easy access to your sub collections by showcasing them prominently on your store’s homepage or including them in your navigation menu.
  • Promoting sub collections through social media and email marketing campaigns: Use your digital marketing channels to promote your sub collections and drive traffic to your store.

By customizing and personalizing your sub collections, you can create a tailored shopping experience that aligns with your brand and resonates with your target audience.

Analyzing the Performance of Your Sub Collections: Key Metrics to Track in Shopify Analytics

Once you have your sub collections up and running, it’s important to analyze their performance to identify areas for improvement and optimization. Shopify provides robust analytics tools that allow you to track important metrics related to your sub collections.

Some key metrics to track in Shopify Analytics include:

  • Sales and conversion rates: Keep an eye on the sales generated by each sub collection and calculate the conversion rates to determine their effectiveness.
  • Click-through rates: Monitor the click-through rates for your sub collections to assess how well they capture customers’ attention and encourage exploration.
  • Time on page: Analyze how much time customers spend on your sub collection pages to gauge their engagement levels and identify areas for improvement.

By regularly monitoring these metrics and making data-driven decisions, you can continuously optimize your sub collections and improve their performance.

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Troubleshooting Common Issues When Creating or Managing Sub Collections in Shopify

While creating and managing sub collections in Shopify is relatively straightforward, there are some common issues you may encounter along the way. Here are a few troubleshooting tips:

  • Products not appearing in sub collections: Double-check that you have correctly assigned products to the appropriate sub collections and that any rules or conditions for automatic collections are properly configured.
  • Sub collections not displaying on store: Ensure that you have properly published your sub collections and that they are set to display in the desired location, such as the homepage or navigation menu.
  • Issues with sub collection images: If you’re experiencing issues with images not displaying correctly or appearing distorted, check the image sizes and ensure they meet Shopify’s recommended dimensions.

If you encounter any other issues or need further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to Shopify’s support team. They are available to help you troubleshoot and resolve any issues that may arise during the creation or management of your sub collections.

By following this step-by-step guide, you can create sub collections in Shopify and take advantage of the numerous benefits they offer. With a well-organized store and a seamless shopping experience, you can enhance customer satisfaction and drive sales. Start implementing sub collections in your Shopify store today and unlock the full potential of your online business.