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How To Change Product Order In Shopify: A Merchant’s Deep Dive

Changing the order of products in your Shopify store might seem trivial, but it’s a critical aspect of visual merchandising and user experience. Get it wrong, and you risk burying your bestsellers, confusing customers, and ultimately impacting sales. So, how do you actually do it? Let’s cut to the chase.

The most straightforward method for changing the product order in Shopify is through manual sorting within your collections. Here’s the breakdown:

Navigate to Products > Collections in your Shopify admin panel.
Select the collection you want to reorder.
Find the “Products” section within the collection details.
Click on the “Sort” dropdown menu. It likely defaults to “Featured.”
Choose “Manually” from the dropdown options.
Now, you’ll see a grid of your products. Click and drag each product to its desired position.
Save your changes.

It’s that simple! But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. This manual method offers fine-grained control, but it’s not always the most efficient, especially for large collections. Let’s delve deeper into other options, their nuances, and potential pitfalls.

Understanding Shopify Collection Sorting Options

Shopify offers a range of sorting methods beyond manual, each with its own strengths and weaknesses:

Featured: This is often the default. It prioritizes products designated as “featured” within the collection. However, unless you actively manage the “featured” status of products, this can lead to an unpredictable order.
Best Selling: This dynamically sorts products based on their sales performance. Ideal for highlighting popular items, but it constantly fluctuates as sales patterns shift.
Price: Low to High: Sorts products from the lowest price to the highest. Useful for budget-conscious shoppers.
Price: High to Low: Sorts products from the highest price to the lowest. Appealing to customers seeking premium or luxury items.
Date: Oldest to Newest: Displays products in the order they were added to the collection, with the oldest items first.
Date: Newest to Oldest: Shows the most recently added products first. Perfect for highlighting new arrivals.
Alphabetically: A-Z: Sorts products alphabetically by title, from A to Z.
Alphabetically: Z-A: Sorts products alphabetically by title, from Z to A.
Manually: This is what we covered initially, allowing you to drag and drop products into any order you desire.

Choosing the right sorting method depends entirely on your business goals and customer behavior. For instance, a fashion boutique might prioritize “Newest to Oldest” or “Featured” to showcase seasonal collections, while a discount retailer might use “Price: Low to High” to attract bargain hunters.

Advanced Techniques and Workarounds

While the manual method is often sufficient, some scenarios demand more sophisticated solutions. Here are a few advanced techniques:

Using a Shopify App: The Shopify App Store is brimming with apps designed to enhance collection management. Some apps allow for bulk reordering based on various criteria, advanced filtering, and even A/B testing of product order. Apps like “Reorder Collection,” “Smart Product Filter & Search,” and “Boost Product Filter & Search” offer a wealth of features to optimize product placement.
Leveraging Product Tags: While not directly related to sorting, product tags can be used in conjunction with collection filters to create custom product groupings within a collection. This can indirectly influence the perceived order.
Employing Custom Liquid Code: For experienced developers, custom Liquid code provides ultimate flexibility. You can modify your theme’s collection template to implement custom sorting logic based on product metafields, inventory levels, or any other data point. This requires a strong understanding of Shopify’s templating language.

Potential Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Reordering products isn’t always smooth sailing. Here are some common pitfalls to watch out for:

Mobile Inconsistency: Always check how your product order appears on mobile devices. The layout can differ significantly from desktop, potentially negating your careful arrangement. Use Shopify’s theme editor to preview your store on various screen sizes.
Impact on Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Changing product titles frequently to manipulate alphabetical sorting can negatively impact your SEO. Stick to natural, keyword-rich titles and rely on other sorting methods.
Broken Links: If you’re changing product URLs as part of a product reorganization, ensure you set up proper redirects to avoid broken links and lost traffic.
Over-Reliance on Manual Sorting: While manual sorting offers precise control, it can become time-consuming for large collections. Consider using automated methods or apps to streamline the process.
Ignoring Analytics: Don’t make changes in a vacuum. Track your sales, conversion rates, and bounce rates after implementing changes to your product order. This data will reveal whether your efforts are paying off.

Conclusion: Master the Art of Product Placement

Changing product order in Shopify is more than just dragging and dropping items. It’s a strategic decision that can significantly impact your store’s performance. By understanding the different sorting options, exploring advanced techniques, and avoiding common pitfalls, you can create a visually appealing and user-friendly shopping experience that drives sales and builds customer loyalty.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 12 frequently asked questions about changing product order in Shopify, designed to provide comprehensive answers to common concerns:

1. Can I change the product order on my Shopify homepage?

Yes, you can. Your homepage typically features collections or individual products. If showcasing collections, adjust the product order within those specific collections. If displaying individual products directly, the theme editor should allow you to rearrange the order of those product sections.

2. How do I feature a product in a Shopify collection?

When using the “Featured” sort order, products marked as “featured” will appear at the top. To designate a product as featured:

Go to Products and select the product.
In the “Collections” section, ensure the product is added to the relevant collection.
Shopify does not have a direct “featured” option. A workaround involves naming the product with a special character so that it appears first alphabetically. Or, use a third-party app for managing featured products

3. How can I reorder products based on inventory levels?

Shopify doesn’t natively offer sorting by inventory levels. You’ll need to use a Shopify app or custom Liquid code. Apps like “Reorder Collection” often provide inventory-based sorting as a feature. For custom code, you’d need to access the product’s inventory data and implement a sorting algorithm within your theme.

4. Will changing the product order affect my SEO?

Potentially. Changing product titles frequently solely to manipulate alphabetical sorting can harm SEO. Avoid keyword stuffing or unnatural alterations. Focus on optimizing product descriptions and using relevant keywords naturally. Reordering via manual sorting or other methods won’t directly impact SEO.

5. How do I change the order of collections on my Shopify store?

The method for reordering collections depends on your theme. Often, it involves customizing the navigation menu or specific sections within your theme editor. Look for options to drag and drop collections within the desired menu or section.

6. Can I A/B test different product orders in Shopify?

Yes, you can. However, Shopify doesn’t offer built-in A/B testing for product order. You’ll need to use a third-party app that specializes in split testing or implement custom JavaScript code to dynamically change the product order for different user segments.

7. How do I ensure my product order is consistent across all devices (desktop, mobile, tablet)?

Always preview your store on various devices using Shopify’s theme editor. Some themes have responsive design issues that can cause inconsistencies. If you encounter problems, consider hiring a Shopify developer to fix any theme-specific issues.

8. What happens if I delete a product from a collection?

Deleting a product from a collection simply removes it from that specific collection. It doesn’t delete the product from your Shopify store entirely. The remaining products in the collection will automatically adjust their positions.

9. Can I schedule product order changes in advance?

Shopify doesn’t natively support scheduled product order changes. You’ll likely need a third-party app or custom code. Some apps offer scheduling features for collection updates, allowing you to automate product order changes for promotions or seasonal events.

10. How do I revert back to the default product order after making changes?

If you’ve been using manual sorting, simply switch back to another sorting method like “Featured,” “Best Selling,” or “Newest to Oldest.” The products will automatically reorder based on the selected criteria. If you want to revert to a previous manual order, you’ll need to manually re-arrange the products again, unless you’ve kept a record of the previous order.

11. Is it possible to assign specific product positions within a collection?

While Shopify doesn’t have a direct “assign position” feature, you can achieve a similar effect using product tags and collection filters. Create a tag for each desired position (e.g., “Position 1,” “Position 2”) and assign them to the respective products. Then, filter the collection based on these tags to control the order.

12. What are the best practices for optimizing product order in Shopify?

Prioritize Best Sellers: Showcase your top-performing products prominently.
Highlight New Arrivals: Keep your store fresh and exciting by featuring new items.
Consider Seasonal Trends: Adjust your product order to align with seasonal demands.
Group Similar Products: Make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for by grouping related items.
Analyze Customer Behavior: Track your sales data and adjust your product order based on what’s working.
Regularly Review and Update: Don’t set it and forget it. Continuously evaluate and optimize your product order for maximum impact.