# Schedule a Shopify Collection Start and End Date: Variant Matching, Max Products and Group Sorting

> Schedule a Shopify collection's start and end date per product group, cap max products, choose variant matching and add tie-breaker sorts in Awsm Collections.

Collections · 5 min read · Updated 2026-10-10

Canonical: https://awsmcollections.com/docs/product-group-options

Without a date schedule, a collection's rules stay the same until someone edits them, so seasonal ranges and sale pages end up being switched on and off by hand. In Awsm Collections every **product group** inside a managed collection has its own options: **active from** and **active until** dates, **variant matching**, a **max products** cap, and its own sort with up to two tie-breakers. This guide walks through each one and shows how to combine them for seasonal and sale collections. If you haven't built a managed collection yet, start with *Build a rule-based collection*.

## 1. Open the product group you want to adjust

Scheduling, variant matching, max products and sorting are set **per product group**, not per collection. Open the managed collection and find the group you want to change under **Product groups** and click its header to expand it. **Variant matching** sits below the AND/OR and Include/Exclude choices, followed by one row with **Max products in this group**, **Rule group active from** and **Rule group active until**; the **Sorting** settings come after the group's rules. Each group already has its rules, its AND/OR logic and its **Include** or **Exclude** setting.

Because the options are per group, one collection can mix an always-on group with a scheduled one, or a capped best-seller group with an uncapped catch-all.

![Open the product group you want to adjust — Product group header highlighted](https://awsmcollections.com/docs-assets/img/product-group-options/01-open-group.png)

## 2. Set the active from and active until dates

Give the group an **active from** date (**Rule group active from**), an **active until** date (**Rule group active until**), or both. Outside that window the group is switched off: it adds no products to the collection and an Exclude group excludes nothing. Its products are added on the first sync once the window opens.

The change lands on the collection's next sync, not to the second. Collections re-sync automatically on a schedule that depends on size: about hourly under 1,000 products, every 3 hours under 10,000, every 6 hours under 20,000 and daily above that. Set the start date a little ahead of your launch: the dates are whole days with no time of day (both the start and end dates count as active), and they follow the app's server calendar rather than your store's time zone.

![Set the active from and active until dates — Rule group active from, Rule group active until highlighted](https://awsmcollections.com/docs-assets/img/product-group-options/02-schedule.png)

## 3. Build seasonal and sale collections from scheduled groups

A few patterns that work well:
- **Sale window:** an Include group matching on-sale products (the *on sale* property), active from the first day of the sale until the last.
- **Seasonal range:** an Include group on a tag such as `summer`, scheduled for the season, next to an unscheduled group for your core products.
- **Temporary exclusion:** an Exclude group with an active window, for example to hold back a vendor's products for a few weeks. Excludes win, so while it is active those products stay out even if another group matches them.

A group with no dates set stays active all the time. Leave either date empty to keep that side of the window open.

## 4. Choose how variants are matched

**Variant matching** decides how rules on variant properties (variant price, SKU, options, inventory quantity, compare-at price and so on) are checked when a product has several variants. It applies to groups set to **AND**; in an **OR** group each rule is checked on its own and this setting is ignored. Pick one of three:
- **Any variant — each variant rule matches if any variant qualifies** (the default): each variant rule can be met by a different variant.
- **Same variant — one variant must satisfy all variant rules**: one single variant must meet all the variant rules together.
- **All variants — every variant must satisfy the variant rules**: every variant must meet every variant rule.

Example: *Variant Option Name* Size equals M AND *Variant Inventory Quantity* greater than 0. With Any variant, a shirt with a sold-out M and an in-stock L still matches, because some variant is M and some variant is in stock. With Same variant, it only matches when the M itself is in stock. With All variants, every variant would have to be an M in stock, so a shirt that also comes in L never matches.

![Choose how variants are matched — Variant matching highlighted](https://awsmcollections.com/docs-assets/img/product-group-options/03-variant-matching.png)

## 5. Cap the group with max products

Set **Max products in this group** to limit how many products the group can add to the collection. Leave it empty (or 0) for no limit. This suits short, focused lists such as a short best-seller feature or a compact sale highlight.

The cap keeps the top of the group's sort order: the app sorts the group's matches first (moving out-of-stock products to the bottom if that option is on) and then keeps the first products up to the cap. Pair it with a sort that puts the products you want first, such as units sold in the last 30 days. The cap only counts products this group adds: a product that a higher group in the list already matches belongs to that group. If a specific product must always appear, use **pinned products**, which place products in fixed positions regardless of the rules.

![Cap the group with max products — Max products in this group highlighted](https://awsmcollections.com/docs-assets/img/product-group-options/04-max-products.png)

## 6. Sort the group and add tie-breakers

Each group has its own sort. Options include title, vendor, price, compare-at price, cost, inventory, variant count, dates, sales (units or revenue, all-time or last 30/60/90 days), margin, a metafield, discount %, trending momentum, similarity to a product, random, and the **Smart** revenue-optimized sort.

Add up to **two tie-breaker sorts** (**Then sort by (tie-breaker)**) for products that score the same, for example sales over 30 days, then discount %, then title. Sorting by a metafield or by similarity to a product only works as the main sort, because a tie-breaker has no box for the metafield or the product. Turn on **Push out-of-stock products to the bottom** so sold-out items don't sit at the top of a sale page.

Similarity to a product relies on product embeddings that only the Pro and Enterprise plans build. On Starter the editor doesn't offer it.

![Sort the group and add tie-breakers — Sort, Then sort by (tie-breaker), Push out-of-stock products to the bottom highlighted](https://awsmcollections.com/docs-assets/img/product-group-options/05-sorting.png)

## 7. Save and check the safety net

Save the collection. The app syncs right after saving and then keeps re-syncing on its schedule.

When a scheduled group ends or you tighten a cap, the collection's product count can fall sharply in one sync. The collection's **Safety net**, a **Minimum products** floor and a **Max product drop (%)**, holds a sync like that for review. It doesn't matter why the count falls, so a scheduled end is held like any other drop. If a large sale group is about to expire, check those values so the planned drop goes through, or keep them strict if you want to review it first.

![Save and check the safety net — Minimum products, Max product drop (%) highlighted](https://awsmcollections.com/docs-assets/img/product-group-options/06-safety-net.png)

## FAQ

### Can I schedule a Shopify collection to start and end on specific dates?

Yes, through product groups. Each group in an Awsm Collections managed collection can have an active from and an active until date, so it only adds products during that window. Schedule every group if you want the whole product list to follow the dates. The change applies on the collection's next sync, so allow some lead time.

### What happens to the products when the end date passes?

The active until date itself still counts as active. From the first sync on the following day, the group stops contributing products, and products that only that group matched are removed from the collection. Products matched by another active group stay. If a lot of products leave at once, the Safety net (Minimum products and Max product drop %) can hold the sync for review.

### What is the difference between any variant, same variant and all variants?

They control how variant-level rules are checked on products with several variants. Any variant lets different variants satisfy different rules, same variant requires one variant to satisfy them all, and all variants requires every variant to match. The setting applies to AND groups. Same variant is the one to use for rules like "size M and in stock".

### Does max products keep my best sellers?

It keeps the first products in the group's sort order, up to the number you set (after moving out-of-stock products to the bottom, if that option is on). To keep best sellers, sort the group by units sold or revenue (all-time or last 30/60/90 days) before setting the cap. Pinned products are the way to guarantee a specific product a position.

### Can I push sold-out products to the bottom of a collection?

Yes. Each group's sort has an option to move out-of-stock products to the bottom. The Smart sort also sinks sold-out products, and on Pro and Enterprise you can make a whole collection self-optimizing.

### Which plan do I need for these group options?

Scheduling, variant matching, max products and tie-breaker sorts belong to the rules engine, which every plan includes: Starter ($299/month), Pro ($499/month) and Enterprise ($699/month), each with a 7-day free trial. Sorting by similarity to a product needs the AI toolkit on Pro or Enterprise.

## Related

- [Build a rule-based collection](https://awsmcollections.com/docs/build-a-managed-collection.md)
- [Self-optimizing collections (smart sort)](https://awsmcollections.com/docs/self-optimizing-collections.md)
- [Bulk-edit rules across many Shopify collections at once](https://awsmcollections.com/docs/bulk-actions.md)