Are you ready to take your online store to the next level? The key is to keep your products neatly organized. Think of collections as your secret weapon for sorting and grouping similar products, making it a breeze for your customers to find what they need. Don't worry; I'll guide you step by step through the process of creating collections, so you can make your online store truly shine!

Here's a quick guide to get you started:

Step 1: Accessing the Collections Menu

In the Products section, find and select Collections.

Step 2: Create A Collection

To get started, just click on "Create Collection at the top right corner.

Step 3: Naming and Describing Your Collection

Now, enter a name and description for your new collection.

Step 4: Choose A Collection Type - Manual or Automatic

Decide whether you want to manually handpick each product for your collection (Manual) or let Shopify automatically include products based on criteria you set (Automatic). If you prefer control, go with Manual. If you want a more hands-off approach, choose Automatic.

Manual Collection Type:

A manual collection consists of the products you personally select. The collection remains unchanged unless you decide to add or remove items. Prior to making any updates to a collection, it's a good idea to check the page's header to ensure that no other team members are concurrently modifying the same collection.

To create a manual collection type, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the "Products" section.
   
   
2. Search for specific products or click on "Browse" to locate the products you wish to include in the collection.
   
   
3. Add the desired products to your collection.
4. Determine the sort order for how you want these products to be displayed in your store.

Automatic Collection Type:

An automated collection is like a smart filter that adds products to a group based on certain rules. You can set up to 60 rules, and you decide if products must meet all the rules or just one to be in the collection.

To create an automatic collection type, follow these steps:

1. In the Collection Type, click on "Automated."
2. Choose whether products must satisfy all conditions or just one condition to be part of the collection.
   
   
3. Utilize the drop-down menus to specify the conditions for the collection.
   
   
4. Click on "Save." You'll see in the "Products" section that products meeting the specified conditions are automatically added to the collection.
5. Determine the sort order for how you want these products to be displayed in your store.

Step 5: Choose an Eye-Catching Feature Image for Your Collection

Here, you need to pick an image that stands out and represents your collection effectively.

Step 6: Enhance Search Engine Visibility

Fill in your collection's information to optimize how it appears on search engine results pages (SERPs).

Step 7: Managing Collections On Your Sales Channel

Once you've created a collection, it's important to ensure that it can be seen on the sales channels you utilize. Additionally, you have the option to schedule a future date for when the collection should become visible to customers.

You can control whether a collection appears on your active sales channels by checking or unchecking a checkbox. There are several reasons why you might want to hide a collection:

1. Seasonal or Sale Products: If your collection includes seasonal or sale items that should only be available during specific times of the year.
2. Exclusive Sales: When you wish to offer only a particular type of product through a specific sales channel.
3. Eligibility Requirements: If the products in the collection do not meet the necessary criteria for a particular sales channel.

Step 8: Save Your Collection

Click "Save," and you're done! Your collection is now ready to go.

Congratulations on creating your collection! You've taken a significant step in building your online store. Don't forget to regularly update and curate your collection to keep it fresh and appealing to your customers. Happy selling!