Collections & filtering

Collections are how most customers browse. If collections are unclear, conversion suffers.

Collection structure that works

• Use high-level collections for top nav (e.g. "New In", "Men", "Women")
• Use smart collections for repeated patterns (e.g. "Under £100", "Best sellers")
• Keep overlaps intentional (a product can live in multiple collections)

Subcollections (when to use them)

Use subcollections to guide browsing without huge menus:

• "Men → Footwear → Trainers"
• "Women → Clothing → Knitwear"

Implement using:

• Navigation menus that mirror your hierarchy
• Optional subcollection links on collection pages (if your theme supports it)

Filtering (Shopify Search & Discovery)

Use Shopify's native filtering where possible:

• Size
• Colour
• Price
• Availability
• Product type / tags (carefully)

Best practices:

• Keep filters consistent across comparable collections
• Avoid 30+ filters (analysis paralysis)
• Use clear, human-friendly labels ("In stock" not "Availability: 1")

Sorting

Offer only a few useful sorts:

• Featured
• Newest
• Price: low to high / high to low
• Best selling (if your catalogue supports it)

Next step

Add helpful cues on product cards: Labels & badges