How to Separate Products on Shopify: A Step-by-Step Guide
By Sam Thomas Davies Head of Content
@ Sleeknote

In order to optimize your Shopify store and improve the overall user experience, it is crucial to properly separate your products into categories and subcategories. By organizing your products in a structured manner, you can make it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for, increase sales, and enhance customer satisfaction. In this step-by-step guide, we will walk you through the process of separating products on Shopify, highlighting key factors to consider, best practices, common challenges, and expert tips and tricks.

Why Separating Products on Shopify is Important for Your Store

Separating products on Shopify is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it helps to create a cleaner and more organized appearance for your store. When products are properly categorized, customers can easily navigate through your website, saving them time and frustration. Additionally, separating products allows you to highlight specific features or benefits of each item, making it easier for customers to compare and choose the right products. This can lead to increased sales and higher customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, separating products on Shopify can also improve your store’s search engine optimization (SEO). By categorizing your products and using relevant keywords in your product descriptions and titles, you can increase the visibility of your store in search engine results. This means that potential customers are more likely to find your store when searching for products related to your offerings. Improved SEO can result in higher organic traffic and ultimately, more sales for your business.

Understanding the Benefits of Separating Products on Shopify

Separating products on Shopify comes with a range of benefits for both store owners and customers. By properly categorizing your products, you can create a more targeted shopping experience for your customers. This allows you to tailor your marketing efforts and promotions to specific customer segments. Furthermore, separating products enables you to optimize your store for search engines, as each category and subcategory can have its own unique keywords. This can improve your store’s visibility in search results and attract more organic traffic.

Another advantage of separating products on Shopify is the ability to cross-sell and up-sell to customers. By creating unique collections for each product category, you can strategically recommend complementary items or higher-priced alternatives, increasing the average order value and maximizing revenue.

Additionally, separating products on Shopify can help improve the overall organization and navigation of your online store. By dividing your products into distinct categories and subcategories, customers can easily find what they are looking for and navigate through your store with ease. This can enhance the user experience and increase customer satisfaction, leading to higher conversion rates and repeat purchases.

Moreover, separating products on Shopify allows you to analyze and track the performance of each category separately. With the help of analytics tools, you can gain insights into the popularity, sales, and customer behavior of different product categories. This data can be invaluable in making informed business decisions, such as adjusting pricing, inventory management, and identifying trends or gaps in your product offerings.

Key Factors to Consider Before Separating Products on Shopify

Before diving into the process of separating products on Shopify, there are a few key factors to consider. Firstly, you should determine how you want to structure your product categories and subcategories. This may depend on factors such as the nature of your products, customer preferences, and industry standards. It’s important to strike a balance between keeping your categories broad enough for easy navigation and ensuring they remain relevant to your products.

Additionally, it’s crucial to take into account the scalability of your categorization system. As your store grows and new products are added, you want to ensure that your categorization structure remains flexible and adaptable. Consider implementing a tagging system or using custom fields to further classify and filter your products. This can make it easier to manage and update your product organization as your store expands.

Step 1: Assessing Your Product Categories and Subcategories

The first step in separating products on Shopify is to assess your current product categories and subcategories. Start by analyzing your existing product catalog and identifying any opportunities for improvement. Are there any products that could be grouped together under a common category? Are there any subcategories that could be consolidated or renamed for better clarity? By evaluating your current setup, you can gain a better understanding of how to reorganize your products.

Consider conducting customer surveys or examining user behavior data to gather insights on how customers are currently navigating your store. This can provide valuable information on pain points and areas for improvement. It’s important to keep in mind both the customer’s perspective and your business goals when assessing your product categories and subcategories.

Step 2: Creating Unique Collections for Each Product Category

Once you have evaluated your product categories, the next step is to create unique collections for each category. Collections in Shopify allow you to group products together based on shared attributes or themes. This makes it easier for customers to browse through collections that are relevant to their interests. When creating collections, make sure to give them descriptive and engaging names that accurately represent the products they contain.

Consider using high-quality product images and compelling copywriting to showcase the unique features and benefits of each collection. This can help to capture the attention of potential customers and encourage them to explore further. Additionally, you can leverage Shopify’s collection management tools to reorder products within each collection, ensuring that the most relevant items are prominently displayed.

Step 3: Optimizing Your Collection Pages for Better User Experience

Optimizing your collection pages is crucial for providing a seamless user experience and encouraging conversions. Start by customizing the layout and design of your collection pages to align with your store’s branding and aesthetics. Make sure the information is presented in a clear and structured manner, allowing customers to quickly scan and find what they’re looking for.

Consider implementing filtering options that allow customers to refine their search based on attributes such as price, color, size, and more. This can help customers narrow down their choices and find the products that best match their preferences. Furthermore, optimizing your collection pages for mobile devices is essential, as an increasing number of customers are shopping on their smartphones and tablets.

Step 4: Customizing Filters and Sorting Options for Easier Product Search

Customizing filters and sorting options can greatly enhance the usability of your store and make it easier for customers to find exactly what they need. Filters enable customers to refine their product search based on specific criteria, such as brand, price range, or product features. By implementing filters, you can streamline the browsing process and reduce the time it takes for customers to find their desired products.

Sorting options allow customers to arrange products based on different criteria, such as price (low to high or high to low), popularity, or customer ratings. This gives customers more control over how they want to browse your products and helps them find the items that best meet their needs.

Step 5: Implementing Tags and Labels to Further Organize Your Products

Tags and labels are a powerful way to further organize and classify your products on Shopify. You can use tags to identify specific attributes or characteristics of your products, such as “new arrival,” “bestseller,” or “limited edition.” By implementing tags, you can create additional sorting and filtering options for customers, allowing them to quickly find products with specific attributes.

Labels, on the other hand, can help you highlight special promotions, discounts, or product attributes that may not be apparent at first glance. This can attract the attention of customers and encourage them to explore these labeled products further.

Step 6: Using Product Recommendations to Cross-Sell and Up-Sell

Product recommendations are a powerful tool for boosting sales and increasing average order value. By strategically placing related or complementary products on your product pages or during the checkout process, you can encourage customers to add additional items to their cart. Shopify provides various apps and features that enable you to implement personalized recommendations based on customer behavior and preferences.

Consider using algorithms that analyze previous purchases, browsing history, and customer profiles to suggest products that are likely to be of interest. Additionally, you can showcase customer reviews and ratings to build trust and credibility for your recommended products.

Step 7: Monitoring and Analyzing the Performance of Your Separated Products

Once you have separated your products on Shopify, it’s crucial to continuously monitor and analyze their performance. Utilize Shopify’s analytics and reporting tools to track key performance indicators such as sales, conversion rates, and customer engagement. This data can provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your product separation strategy and help you identify areas for improvement.

Regularly review customer feedback and conduct usability testing to gather insights on how customers are interacting with your separated products. This feedback can help you make informed decisions on potential adjustments or enhancements to your product organization.

Best Practices for Maintaining and Updating Separated Products on Shopify

Maintaining and updating your separated products on Shopify is an ongoing process. It’s important to regularly review and optimize your product categories and subcategories as your inventory and customer needs evolve. Consider conducting periodic audits to ensure the relevance and accuracy of your product organization.

Furthermore, communicate with your customers and gather feedback on their shopping experience. This can help you identify any pain points or areas where your product organization can be further improved. By staying proactive and responsive, you can maintain a well-organized store that meets the needs and expectations of your customers.

Common Challenges and How to Overcome Them When Separating Products on Shopify

Separating products on Shopify can come with its fair share of challenges. One common challenge is determining the most appropriate categorization structure for your products. To overcome this, consider conducting user research and testing different categorization strategies to find the most intuitive and user-friendly approach.

Another challenge can be managing and updating your product organization as your store grows. Make use of the available tools in Shopify to automate and streamline this process. Implement bulk editing options or use integrations with inventory management systems to facilitate product updates across multiple categories and subcategories.

Advanced Techniques for Effective Product Separation on Shopify

For those looking to take their product separation on Shopify to the next level, there are several advanced techniques to consider. One technique is to implement dynamic collections that automatically update based on specific rules or criteria. This can save time and effort in manual collection creation and maintenance.

Additionally, you can leverage advanced SEO strategies to optimize your product categories and subcategories for search engines. Conduct keyword research and optimize your category pages with relevant keywords to improve organic rankings and attract targeted traffic to your store.

Case Studies: Successful Stores That Have Benefited from Separating Their Products on Shopify

Examining case studies of successful stores that have implemented effective product separation strategies on Shopify can provide valuable insights and inspiration for your own store. Look at examples from different industries and analyze how they have utilized product categorization, collection pages, filtering options, and product recommendations to enhance the shopping experience and drive sales.

Learn from their successes and adapt their strategies to fit your unique business needs. While every store is different, gaining insights from successful case studies can help you make informed decisions on how to optimize your own product organization.

Expert Tips and Tricks to Enhance the Visibility of Your Separated Products on Shopify

To further enhance the visibility of your separated products on Shopify, consider implementing the following expert tips and tricks:

1. Optimize your product descriptions with relevant keywords to improve search engine rankings and attract organic traffic.

2. Utilize high-quality images and videos to showcase your products and provide a visually engaging experience for customers.

3. Leverage social media marketing and influencer partnerships to promote your separated products and increase brand exposure.

4. Implement customer reviews and ratings to build trust and credibility for your products and improve conversion rates.

5. Utilize email marketing and personalized recommendations to engage with customers and encourage repeat purchases.

By implementing these expert tips and tricks, you can maximize the visibility of your separated products and drive more traffic and sales to your Shopify store.

In conclusion, separating products on Shopify is a crucial step in optimizing your store and improving the overall user experience. By properly categorizing your products, creating unique collections, and implementing filters and sorting options, you can make it easier for customers to find and purchase your products. Utilize the steps, best practices, and expert tips outlined in this guide to effectively separate your products on Shopify and drive the success of your online store.