Group products automatically using collections

Use a collection automation when each color or style is a separate Shopify product and you organize related products into collections. Each matching collection becomes a product group.

Automations are available on Advanced and Premium. If you only need to connect a few products, you can create a group manually.

Prepare your Shopify collections

Create one collection for each set of products shoppers should switch between. Add a shared prefix to the collection titles. For example:

• Group: Linen shirt contains the different colors of your linen shirt.

• Group: Canvas trousers contains the different colors of your canvas trousers.

The prefix in this example is Group:. The resulting groups are named Linen shirt and Canvas trousers.

Use a prefix followed by a distinct name for each collection. Entering the whole collection title as the prefix leaves no name for the resulting group.

Create the automation

1. Open Product groups > Automations in Color Swatches.

2. Select Create automation.

3. Set Automatically group products using to Collections.

4. Enter Group: in Collection name prefix, or the prefix you used in Shopify. Match its spelling and capitalization.

5. Under Group attributes, choose Group displayed on. Select Product and collection widget to use the groups in both places.

6. Enter an Option name, such as Color. This is the heading shoppers see above the swatches.

7. Choose a Swatch type and Swatch name source, using the guidance below.

8. Select Create, then Activate to start grouping products.

Leave Group position at its default unless you need to order several groups displayed on the same product. It does not control the order of products within a group.

Choose the swatches and their names

For Swatch type, choose:

• Product image to use product photos.

• Auto-detect to match names to existing color or image swatches in your Library. If there is no match, the app uses a product image.

• Image with text or Pill / Button to display the configured swatch name beside an image or as a text button.

For Swatch name source, choose Product title, or choose Product metafield and select a Swatch name metafield containing each product's color or style name.

If product titles include a shared model name, see using part of a title as the swatch name in the metafield automation guide. Those naming controls work with both automation types.

To set a custom swatch order, select an integer Swatch position metafield and give products positions such as 1, 2, and 3 in Shopify. Products without a position use the default order.

Keep the groups up to date

Active automations run every 60 minutes. After changing collection membership, wait for the next run or open the automation and select Run now when no run is in progress. Use Last run and Groups in the automation's overview to check the result.

Add or remove products in the source Shopify collection to change membership. An automation can recreate a group you delete manually while its source still matches.

Skip groups with a single product prevents one-product groups from being created. It also removes a managed group if it is reduced to one eligible product.

After the groups are created, enable the swatches widgets in your theme. If products are missing or the automation fails, follow Troubleshoot an automation that stopped or skipped products.