Shopify Auto Sort Collections: Automated Product Ordering

Auto sorting collections helps maintain optimal product ordering without manual intervention. This guide explains how to set up and use automatic sorting effectively.

Benefits of Auto Sorting

• Keeps collections organized automatically
• Highlights best sellers or new arrivals
• Saves time on manual reordering
• Improves product discoverability

Built-in Sorting Options

Shopify offers these standard sorting options:

• Best selling: Top performers appear first
• Alphabetically: A-Z or Z-A by title
• Price: Low to high or high to low
• Date: Newest or oldest first
• Manual: Custom order you set

Choosing the Right Sort Order

Best Selling

• Shows proven products first
• Updates automatically with sales data
• Good for general browsing collections

Newest First

• Highlights recent additions
• Works well for New Arrivals collections
• Encourages return visits

Price-Based

• Helps price-conscious shoppers
• Useful for sale or budget collections
• Low-to-high often performs better

Setting Up Auto Sort

1. Go to Products > Collections in Shopify admin
2. Select the collection to configure
3. Find the Sort dropdown option
4. Choose your preferred sort order
5. Save the collection

Using Tags for Custom Sorting

Tags can supplement auto sorting:

• Tag products for priority placement
• Combine manual pinning with auto sort
• Create featured product sections

Best Practices

• Use "Best selling" for general category collections like "Women's Shoes" — it surfaces proven products first
• Use "Date: newest first" for "New Arrivals" collections — customers expect to see what's fresh
• Use "Price: low to high" for sale or clearance collections — price-conscious shoppers want to see deals first
• Check Shopify Analytics > Online Store > Sessions by landing page to see which collection pages get the most traffic, then optimize those sort orders first

Troubleshooting

• Sort not updating: Check for theme caching issues
• Best selling not working: Requires sales history
• Products out of order: Verify sort setting saved correctly

Conclusion

Auto sorting collections reduces manual work while keeping products organized effectively. Choose sort options that match each collection's purpose and review performance regularly to optimize results.

Related Resources

• Shopify Help: Collections
• What is a Shopify Collection?
• Using Tags Effectively