Imagine you are launching a new t-shirt collection. You simply want to show your customers all the new designs, and they can pick any of them.
Now you have two options: Wait 3 months for your customers to find that you are offering new t-shirts too….
Or add collections of new t-shirts to your page and let them get their own collection now.
The second option seems to be a lot better, right? Well, it is.😉
That's why collections are so important.
Shopify Collections are like a choose-your-own-adventure book. It allows you to group your new launches or existing products on one page and provide your customers with an easy way to find what they want.
But, there's more to them than meets the eye, and if you want to get the most out of them, you need to understand how they work.
This blog will give you a crash course in Shopify Collections to start using them to your advantage.
Let's dive in.
What is a Shopify collection?
A Shopify collection is a group of products that are related to each other. The products in these collections can be organized any way you like: by product type, gender, material, or color.
For example, if you sell t-shirts, you can create a collection called “Trendy T-Shirts” and organize them by color or style. Customers will see all the products in that collection on one page when they come to your store.
But if you don’t need to organize your products into groups, that's fine too! The goal of collections is to make products easier for customers to find. You can create collections with any product you need, with no hard rules.
After all, it's your store!
What are collection types in Shopify?
Shopify allows you to create two types of collections. It helps you organize your products in a way that makes sense for your store. Here are the two collection types:
1. Automated collection.
Instead of creating rules that include all the products you want to sell, this type of collection will automatically add matching items. You can also create up to 60 selection conditions and specify what choices your products need to meet or any combination thereof.
Automated collections can be a time-saver if you regularly add new products to your store. They work by creating rules for adding products as soon as they meet the conditions that you set up, so there's no need for manual updating every time something changes in your offerings.
While the collection feature is a powerful tool for automating processes, it does have its drawbacks. One drawback of automated collections is that you cannot remove products from the collection without altering conditions or editing product details.
2. Manual Collection.
Manual collections are the opposite of automated collections. They allow you to manually add products to a collection whenever you want, meaning you can update your inventory as it changes. You can also remove products from a manual collection by editing their details or adding new products.
A manual collection is a great option if you create a custom rule for adding products to the collection. Manual collections give you control over how often new products are added to your store's catalog by allowing you to set rules regarding specific criteria such as price range or category.
How to add a collection to a page on Shopify?
You can add a collection to a Shopify page in two ways,
- Featured collection.
- Collection list.
Here is the step-by-step guide to adding a collection to a page on Shopify.
1. Steps to add the featured collection.
You can feature your products from a specific collection on your store's most visited page in a grid (or collage) format. This allows you to showcase your best-selling products with a more visually appealing layout that is perfect for showcasing the newest arrivals.
The number of products shown in featured collections is limited by the theme you are using. When your catalog includes hundreds or even thousands of items, it's useful to use multiple collections so that all those products can be displayed on your home page.
Step 1: Go to Collection and create a collection.
In your Shopify dashboard, click Products on the left side of the screen, and then click Collections.
Click the green “Create collection” button. The existing “Home page” collection will be set as your website's featured "collection" by default.
Step 2: Select the collection type.
As we discussed, you can choose between two different types of collections: Automated and Manual.
If you want to include all products with pricing in a collection, set the Automated option to “Product price is greater than $0.” After that, any time a change is made or saved in your product table (which will be reflected on this screen), it will automatically update your new collection.
Note: You can create more conditions as you like. It's up to you to choose the conditions that you love.
Step 3: Customize the theme.
Now navigate to Online Store > Themes. Then click on the "Customize" button on your Current theme.
On the next page, you will see the page sections on your left sidebar. Navigate to "Featured collection" and click "Change" on the right sidebar.
Step 4: Customize the grid.
Select your new collection, and click the green “Select” button. This will apply your theme's default style (in this case, "Collages" for Brooklyn) but allows you to change it to a more traditional grid-style layout in the Grid Style dropdown menu if desired.
Once you are done with the changes, save it. It will be reflected on your home screen.
2. Steps to add collection list.
The main difference between the featured and regular collections is that instead of showing individual products, this will display blocks linking to your collection pages.
Here's how you can create a collection list,
Step 1: Navigate to the theme customizer.
Once you log in, navigate to Themes and click on Customize option.
Step 2: Add a section and add a collection list.
On the left side of your screen, you'll see a menu that lists different sections—go to "bottom" and select Add Section from this list. When prompted with another window asking what type of section you would like added (text or collection), choose "Collection List."
A new section will be added to your page with a heading and three blocks.
Step 3: Customize your collection.
To add a collection, click on one of the Collection options in the menu on the left.
You’ll be able to choose from the collections you’ve already created. Simply select one and click "Select."
Step 4: Repeat the same for the remaining blocks.
Now you can iterate the same process for the other two blocks you’ve added to your page. You can also add a new collection list and customize it as you did with the first one.
Step 5: Give the final touch.
Now you are all set to take this live. But before you do, ensure that you are adding a name to your collection list. You can use your creativity here, as it sets you apart from the rest.
That's it. You can now save the changes and take this live to make people aware of your collection list.
Personalizing collection for every customer.
Creating the collection is just a piece of the puzzle. How will your customer know that you have a collection in a personalized way? Though email and SMS allow you to reach out to your customers, it’s still a one-way communication. And it may get lost amongst the clutter of their daily emails.
That’s why it's essential to get into the platform where your messages will be seen: WhatsApp.
A WhatsApp shopping catalog allows brands to showcase products from their inventory. A brand can add up to 500 items or fewer if so desired. This is where you can use your WhatsApp marketing strategy to personalize your collection and make it stand out.
It’s also the most effective way to reach customers; they won’t miss a message from their favorite brand like you.
Here is how you can build a catalog and share it with your customers with the help of BiteSpeed,
Step 1: Open your WhatsApp API account and navigate to "Business tools."
Step 2: Select "Catalogue" and add your products.
Step 3: You can add images through the "Gallery" option. You can add up to 10 images.
Step 4: Save the changes.
Once set, BiteSpeed can help you automate this sharing process. You can personalize your catalog based on the user's request. Moreover, your users can build their cart directly from WhatsApp and complete their purchase with your brand (users will be redirected to your checkout page).
This way, you can build a better relationship with your customers and keep them engaged with your brand. You can also use this feature to upsell and cross-sell your products to existing customers.
This happens by asking your customers about their experience with their recent purchase and based on their response, you can recommend something that they might be interested in.
For example, if a customer purchased a T-shirt from you, then you could ask them about their experience and suggest some new collections that are similar to the ones they just bought. This way, you can increase your revenue without having to do any extra work.
Hold on, it's just a single way to upsell. We still have tons loaded, wanna check here?
Conclusion.
That's it. Now you know how to leverage the collection section on Shopify to your favor. You can use this feature to increase your visibility and make people aware of what you are offering.
But remember that creating catalogs won't benefit you if it fails to reach your customer base. That's why it's essential to get the word out there. BiteSpeed helps you automate the entire catalog process. You can build your catalog from your WhatsApp API and then distribute it to your customers.
It helps your customer build their cart without leaving WhatsApp, making it much easier for them to purchase your products. This helps you lower your cart abandonment rate and gain more revenue.
The best thing is that you don't have to worry about managing your catalogs. All you need to do is set up your WhatsApp API, and BiteSpeed will do the rest for you.
Want to see how you can scale your business with WhatsApp marketing? Schedule a no-strings-attached demo, and we will show you how to maximize your store’s profit. Deal?
