Add sub collections to your Shopify store to make navigation more intuitive, help people discover more products, and drive more sales from key customer touch points.
How to Create Sub Collections Using Shopify Admin
- Go to Products › Collections in your Shopify admin and click “Create Collection”. Fill in title, description, image, and select products. Save. Do this for each sub-collection.
- Create the parent collection similarly, but **don’t** add products to it—it will serve as a folder/container for sub collections.
- Make a new template in your theme editor: open Online Store › Themes › Customize › go to Collections templates, then select “Create template” or base it on the existing one. Name it and create.
- Edit that template: add a Collection List section, insert your sub-collections via Collection blocks. Adjust heading, number of columns, color scheme, and re-order other sections if needed.
- Finally, assign the new template to your parent collection: in Collections, open the parent collection, in its settings under “Theme template” select the new template you made. Save.
Editing Collection Pages Using Shogun
- Install Shogun, then in Shopify admin go to Apps › Shogun.
- Go to Shogun’s “Pages” tab › Shopify sub-tab, find a collection page, filter by type “Collection”, import the page you want.
- Use “Shopify 2.0 sections” layout when importing so most sections are editable in Shogun.
- Once imported, open the page in Shogun visual editor. Replace or remove original sections if needed.
- Add a “Collection” element for each sub-collection you want displayed. It auto-populates product data (names, images, prices).
- You can use pre-built blocks like Featured Boxes to display sub-collections in styled layouts. Drag, drop, customize background images, headings, links, etc.
Why Use Sub Collections?
- Organized navigation helps customers browse more easily and discover products they might otherwise miss.
- Cleaner storefront improves engagement and time on site.
- Better presentation of product categories can help SEO by creating landing pages for sub categories.
Tips & Best Practices
- Keep number of sub-collections under a parent manageable so it doesn’t overwhelm visitors.
- Use clear naming and descriptive images for each sub-collection to help customers understand what belongs where.
- Ensure theme templates support Collection List blocks or equivalent so layout is consistent.
- Test how it looks on mobile vs desktop; nested collections could push scroll length or affect load times.
- Maintain consistency in styling and hierarchy so customers intuitively understand the site structure.
Conclusion
Creating sub collections in Shopify (via admin + theme templates or via Shogun) is a powerful way to improve navigation, product discovery, and ultimately sales. With thoughtful planning and good design, sub collections help both your store’s UX and brand’s credibility.
