How To Use Manual and Smart Collections in Ecommerce Stores

Photo by Sahil Kumar on Unsplash

Organizing products so customers find what they need quickly is one of the simplest ways to increase conversions and reduce administrative work. Collections let us group products into meaningful categories—and when we use them smartly, they keep themselves updated. This guide explains the difference between manual and smart collections, shows practical examples, and gives a checklist and best practices we can use right away to streamline our online catalog.

What collections are and why they matter

Collections are groupings of products in your ecommerce catalog. They help customers browse, filter, and discover relevant items. Collections also make site management easier because we can reuse the same group across store pages, email templates, and automation workflows. The two main types are manual collections and smart collections. Each has distinct strengths depending on the task at hand.

Benefits of using collections

• Better browsing: Collections present curated assortments that guide customer choices.

• Less manual work: Smart collections update themselves based on rules we define.

• Consistent organization: Collections keep product categorization accurate across pages and communications.

• More discoverability: Adding SEO titles and descriptions to collections improves search engine visibility.

• Reusable components: A single collection can be placed on multiple pages, included in emails, and referenced in automations.

Manual collections: curated and precise

Manual collections are handpicked lists of products. We use them when we need precise control over which items appear together. Examples include seasonal promotions, themed bundles, limited-time assortments, or specially curated selections for a campaign.

When to use manual collections

• Seasonal or holiday promotions where specific SKUs must be highlighted.

• Custom assortments, for example a “Gift Guide” with hand-selected items.

• When products need to be removed or added for quality checks, bundling, or special pricing.

How to create a manual collection (step-by-step)

1. Open the platform and navigate to the products area. Choose collections from the product menu.

2. Click Create new collection and choose the manual option.

3. Give the collection a clear, short name. For example, Hoodies — Winter 2025.

4. Upload an image that represents the collection visually.

5. Use the product search field to add products to the collection by selecting each item you want included.

6. Write an SEO title and SEO description so search engines and customers can find it easily.

7. Adjust the handle if needed and save the collection.

We can edit the collection later to add or remove items manually. Manual collections are ideal when every included product must be chosen deliberately.

Smart collections: automated and scalable

Smart collections automatically pull in products that match predefined rules or conditions. They are perfect when we want the catalog to reflect product attributes like price, title, inventory level, or variant details without manual upkeep.

Common use cases for smart collections

• Sale sections that include all items currently priced under a threshold.

• Low-stock collections for monitoring or triggering restock alerts.

• Category groupings based on product title or tags, such as all products whose title contains "hoodie".

• Time-limited condition-based groups, like limited editions or promotional pricing.

How smart collections work

When creating a smart collection we define one or more conditions. Each condition checks a product attribute. The platform evaluates products against these conditions and automatically adds matching items to the collection.

There are two evaluation modes:

• Any conditions — a product is included if it matches at least one of the conditions.

• All conditions — a product must match every condition to be included.

Creating a smart collection (example)

Example: we want a collection that shows only hoodies priced at $10.

1. Create a new collection and select the smart option.

2. Add a condition: Price equals 10.

3. Add another condition: Title equals hoodie.

4. Set the evaluation mode to All conditions so only items that are both hoodies and priced at $10 are included.

5. Add an image and SEO fields, then save.

Smart collections will refresh automatically within a few minutes as product data changes. Note that we cannot manually add or remove items in a smart collection; everything is controlled by the conditions.

Useful condition examples

• Title contains hoodie

• Price greater than or equal to 50

• Inventory less than 2 (helpful for low-stock alerts)

• Variant title equals Large

• Tag equals new-arrival

Key rules and practical limitations

There are a few important behaviors to keep in mind when working with collections:

• Collection type is permanent. Once we create a collection as manual or smart, the type cannot be changed. If we need the other behavior we must recreate the collection.

• Products can belong to multiple collections. A single product may appear in many collections as long as it matches the criteria for each one.

• Smart collections can be empty. A smart collection with no matching products will remain empty until a product satisfies the conditions.

• Update timing. Smart collections typically update automatically within a short period after product changes. Manual collections update immediately when we edit them.

Where collections show up

Once created, collections can be used across the storefront and beyond:

• Place collection elements on store pages to showcase curated or automated groups.

• Include collections in email templates to promote specific assortments.

• Reference collections in automation workflows to trigger notifications or inventory checks.

Adding a collection to a page (quick guide)

1. Open the site editor and choose the page to edit.

2. Click the add element icon and search for collection.

3. Drag the collection list into the page layout.

4. In the element settings choose the desired collection from the dropdown.

5. Save the page. Smart collections will populate automatically and manual collections will display the items we selected.

SEO and discoverability tips

Collections are an opportunity to support organic search and make pages easier to navigate. We recommend these best practices:

• Write clear SEO titles that include the main product keyword and a concise value proposition.

• Use descriptive SEO descriptions that summarize what the collection contains and why customers should browse it.

• Optimize handles so URLs are friendly and include primary keywords when possible.

• Use images consistently so collection pages look polished and encourage clicks.

Practical workflows and automations

Smart collections pair well with simple automations that save time and reduce errors. Here are a few ideas we can implement right away:

• Low-stock alert: Create a smart collection for products with inventory less than a threshold, then trigger an email to the purchasing team.

• Sale promotions: Use a smart collection for items below a price and schedule promotional emails to customers who bought similar products.

• New arrivals: Tag new items and use a smart collection to populate a new-arrivals section automatically.

Checklist before publishing collections

• Confirm collection type is correct—manual or smart.

• Choose a descriptive name and upload a representative image.

• Verify product membership for manual collections.

• Test conditions and evaluation mode for smart collections using a small sample of products.

• Fill out SEO title and description fields.

• Place the collection on a test page and verify appearance and behavior.

• Set up automations or notifications if the collection ties into workflows.

Troubleshooting common issues

If a collection is not behaving as expected, check these common causes:

• Smart collection is empty: Confirm conditions are correct and that evaluation mode (any versus all) matches the intent.

• Wrong items in the collection: Review each condition and check product metadata such as title, tags, price, and inventory.

• Manual changes not visible: Make sure edits were saved and refresh the store editor or page cache.

• SEO fields missing: Add SEO title and description to improve visibility and avoid duplicate or generic page titles.

“Using smart collections cut our manual tagging time in half and kept our sale pages accurate even as prices changed.” — a small-business owner

“Manual collections let us feature exact SKUs for seasonal lookbooks. We love the creative control.” — a merch manager

Best practices summary

• Use manual collections when curating specific assortments or when precise control is essential.

• Use smart collections when you want automated, rule-based grouping that scales with inventory and pricing changes.

• Combine both across the storefront: use manual collections for featured promotions and smart collections for dynamic sections like sales or low-stock alerts.

• Keep SEO in mind for every collection to improve discoverability.

• Build simple automations around smart collections to notify teams or trigger marketing actions.

Next steps for your team

Start by reviewing your current product catalog and identify quick wins:

• Create a manual collection for a current promotion or seasonal feature.

• Set up a smart collection for discounted items or low inventory tracking.

• Place one manual and one smart collection on a live page to compare how each behaves and measure impact.

• Document any automations that rely on collections so the rest of the team understands how product changes flow through the system.

Frequently asked questions

What is the main difference between manual and smart collections?

Manual collections are handpicked lists where we choose each product. Smart collections are rule-based, automatically including products that match conditions like price, title, tag, or inventory.

Can a product be in more than one collection?

Yes. A single product can belong to multiple collections as long as it meets the conditions for each smart collection or is manually added to multiple manual collections.

Can we change a collection from manual to smart later?

No. Once a collection is created as manual or smart, the type is fixed. To switch types you need to create a new collection with the desired setting.

What happens if a smart collection has no matching products?

The smart collection stays empty until a product satisfies the conditions. It will automatically populate when matching items are added or updated.

How quickly do smart collections update?

Smart collections typically refresh within a few minutes after product data changes, though timing can vary slightly depending on the platform processing cycle.

Can we use collections in emails and automations?

Yes. Collections can be added to email templates, referenced in workflows, and used to trigger notifications or other automated actions.

How should we optimize collections for search engines?

Use clear SEO titles and descriptions, friendly handles, and representative images. Include relevant keywords naturally and avoid duplicate or overly generic text.

What conditions are commonly used in smart collections?

Common conditions include price thresholds, title or tag matches, inventory levels, variant attributes, and creation date for new arrivals.