Shopify is well known for being easy to use even if you don’t know the technique or the technology. However, some features will take a while for you to know how to do and easily go wrong if you are inexperienced. Thus, this article will save you time and effort, detailing how to add sub-collections in Shopify for your store.

Sometimes you need to know how to tailor the platform according to our requirements and needs. Sub-collections are things that make your shop different from the other Shopify stores. They are used to organize site structures so that those child collections are nested in parent collections. These child collections are referred to as sub-collections.

Why need to add sub-collections to the Shopify store?

There are many reasons that you should create Shopify nested collections. The first is the creation of a sub-collection that helps your website to increase UX and improve UI. In other words, it is easier and more convenient for customers to shop on your website. They don’t need to spend too much time on the item they are looking for. From there, you will have more customers, and of course, you will increase revenue and conversion rates by optimizing the user experience.

Moreover, creating Shopify sub-collections or Shopify sub-categories is quite simple; after the detailed tutorial of this article, We believe you will be able to do it yourself without spending too much time and effort.

Here are 3 ways you can add a sub-collection to the Shopify store, but before we get started, let’s create a collection tree to understand the overall structure of the entire site.

Use link lists to create a collection tree before add in Shopify

Before creating sub-collections, to ensure that you understand the desired structure, let’s create a collection tree using link lists.

Here is what your categories and subcategories will be like:

Use link lists to create a collection tree before you start

One thing that is especially important when creating a Shopify sub-collection is handling parent categories, in other words, large and major categories.

The principle of creating subcategories for the collection tree is quite simple; you only need to do two basic steps: create all parent categories, then create a hierarchy using the navigation linked list. Specific work will be:

  • Create all collections, then create the hierarchy with a navigation link list.
  • Next, Create a new collection and take note of the collection handle (parent collection).
  • Then, create all your sub-collections as standard Shopify collections.
  • The next step you need to do is go to the navigation page in Shopify and create a new linked list.
  • Give it a related name and provide a handle that corresponds to the parent collection. (TIP: You can prepend the handle with a “collection-“ so that you don’t deal with namespaces in the future. For Example: “collection-food.”
  • Finally, Add all your sub-collections to the list.

Add all your sub-collections to the list

Shopify does not impose any restrictions on adding or creating sub-categories. So you can create anything in any way you want, depending on the quality of the product and how your website is designed. You can also choose to add sub-categories manually or add them according to specific criteria.

Since there are no rules and restrictions in place, you can name your Shopify sub-collections whenever a new variation of a product is available and decide its order easily. And you have finally finished creating your sub-categories and can start adding them to the Shopify store.

 

How to create sub-collections in Shopify?

This article will summarize the 3 most popular and easiest ways to create sub-collections for you. Each method will have its pros and cons; read and choose the one that best suits you.

How to create Shopify sub-collections?

Create Shopify sub-collections via the navigation menu

The first and also the simplest way doesn’t require you to know any techniques. All you have to do is just a few clicks, and you will have Shopify nested collections as you like.

With the admin panel, you can easily change the website’s structure and its visual appearance. Go to the “Navigation” section and perform these actions.

To make the changes, you should take the following steps:

Step 1: Log in to your Shopify store

First, log into the Shopify store with your credentials.

Step 2: Click on the “Navigation”

After successfully logging in, click on the “Navigation” section.

Shopify navigation dashboard

Step 3: Click on “Add menu”

There are two cases in this step:

If you have already created the menu option, you can edit it and skip this step. In this case, all you need to do is click on it and go to the menu editing page.

If you don’t yet have the main menu, your first step is to create it. To do this, you need to click on the ‘Add menu.’

Shopify navigation dashboard

Step 4: Add menu items

In step 4, you need to add menu collections. You can achieve this by clicking ‘Add menu item’ and selecting the required collection. Here’s how you create a parent collection.

Shopify navigation bar

Step 5: Add collections

After creating the parent collection, you should add the sub-collections you planned to in the collection tree.

Add the sub-collections you planned into the collection tree

Step 6: Drag the Shopify sub-collections

To turn the collections you just added into sub-collections, drag them with your mouse and nest them into the parent collections in the correct order as the collection tree.

How to add sub collection to your Shopify store

Step 7: Save the menu

And finally, you need to save all the operations performed by clicking on the “Save menu.”

Shopify collection and sub-collection menu

Pros: Quick and easy. You can create menu items and nest necessary collections instead of creating a parent collection.

Cons: There are certain limits; it is difficult to expand opportunities when it comes to sub-categories creation.

>>> Discover more: Shopify Store Login For Admins and Customers: All You Need To Know

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Feature collections within a collection

In this section, we will learn how to add Shopify collections within collections. The two ways to create the sub-categories below will be slightly different from the first. Such methods are more difficult to implement, but they allow you to expand your chances of creating Shopify sub-collections.

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Option 1: Create a collection page

Different from the above, in this case, we will create a separate page to perform the function of the parent collection.

To do this, read and follow the instructions below carefully

Step 1: Create a new page

Create a new page in Shopify admin. In the “Content” part, write only the handle of the menu we have just created.

Then, in the bottom right box, “Templates,” choose the template “page.list-collection”

For example:

page.list-collection in Shopify

Step 2: Add the template for the page.list-collection.liquid page.

After creating the page, go to “themes,” then select “action” to edit the code.

How to add sub-collection to your Shopify store

Find the templates directory and click on the collection-grid-item-liquid below:

How To Add Sub Collections In Shopify?

Then, click “Add a new template” on the left of your screen, and choose to create a new template for “Page” called list-collection.

How To Add Sub Collections In Shopify?

Step 3: Create a menu

In this step, you go back to “Navigation” and select the Add menu. Then type the title and pay attention to the handle.
Then firstly, create the collection.

Step 4: Link to the items to feature

Link the sub-collection you created with the parent collection you want

Link the sub-collection you created with the parent collection

Step 5: Save

Finally, you need to save, and you’ll now have a collection page that will feature other collections.

Pros: Customize the actual page by adding images, and changing the name,…

Cons: More complex, need knowledge about HTML if you want to achieve more extensive customization.

>>> Read more: What You Need To Know About Shopify Product Badges?

Option 2: Use a template called ‘collection.sub-collections.liquid’ with a collection

This approach is the most difficult because it requires some knowledge of HTML.

To do this, you will need to follow the steps below.

Step 1: Products

Visit your product page and check if all of your products have tags.

NOTE: A product can have multiple tags and can be in multiple sub-collections.

Step 2: Theme settings

You need to check if your theme is available with the drop-down menu. Many themes have the option to enable a drop-down menu to filter collections based on the product tag.

To do this, go to “Online Store” and select “Themes.”

You should see the ‘Collection Pages’ tab in the theme editor when viewing the collection page. Click on the ‘Collections page.’ If your theme includes the option to enable filtering by tag, there will be an option that reads something like ‘Enable Filtering By Tag’ and a checkbox next to it. Check the box and then click on ‘Save.’ This should enable the filtering and create Shopify sub-collections for your store.

best themes for shopify

Step 3: Edit code

After checking the theme and seeing that your themes do not have the above option, you need to add code to the theme files to add this option.

To do this, select “Actions,” then choose “Edit Code” like the second method.

Step 4: Templates

Click on “Add a new template” and create a new collection.sub-collections.liquid template by manually writing code for the entire structure.

Step 5: Adding the code

This section requires you to have some coding knowledge

{{ collection.title }}
{% assign collection_handle = “collection-” | append: collection.handle %}
<ul>
{% for link in linklists[collection_handle].links %}
{% assign sub_collection = link.object %}
<li><a href=”{{ link.url }}”>{{ link.title }}</a></li>
{% endfor %}
</ul>

Source: spur-i-t.com

Step 6: Replace the default template with “collection.sub-collections”

Follow this step in settings. If you follow the steps correctly, you will see the selected collections will be split into sub-collections.

Tip: Take a look at the Shopify Doc for more details.

Pros: Easily reorder sub-collections, advanced customization,…

Cons: It is tough for people who do not know about programming

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Conclusion

This article has compiled and provided tips on the three most popular ways to create sub-collections for Shopify stores. Please read carefully the instructions and the pros and cons of each to choose the method that suits you best.

However, if you are struggling with adding sub-collections in your store, BSS Shopify Development Service would be more than happy to help you out. BSS Shopify Commerce has been the top provider of Shopify website development services; our professional developers will listen, consult, and make your requirements come true.