New Shopify Collection Rules: How to Build More Precise Product Groups

Shopify collections are one of those features everyone uses but few take full advantage of. Until now, a collection worked simply: one set of conditions, products added automatically or manually. On July 16, Shopify introduced a new collections model that changes this fundamentally.

A collection can now have multiple different sources, target specific variants precisely, and even merge several existing collections into one. Here's how it works and who benefits most.

Four Source Types in One Collection

The new model lets you build collections from four different source types - and combine them:

• Products - automatically or manually by conditions, as before
• Variants - targeted inclusion of specific variants with their own conditions
• Collections - merging existing collections into a new group
• Apps - product lists generated by third-party applications

A single collection can now draw from multiple sources at once - for example, automatically including all products with a certain tag while also manually adding specific variants on top.

Variant Collections: The Precision That Was Missing

This is one of the most practical benefits of the new model. Previously, if you wanted a collection of only red products for Valentine's Day or only XS-S sizes for a clearance sale, you needed workarounds or separate product duplicates.

Now you can create a collection that includes only specific variants based on their attributes: colour, size, material, or any other variant parameter. For example: a "Red Accessories" collection automatically pulls only the red colour variants from across your store - not all products that happen to have a red variant somewhere.

Nested Collections: Combine What You Already Have

If your store already has collections called "Teapots", "Tea Strainers", and "Tea Cups", you can now create a new "Tea Accessories" collection that automatically combines all three. No need to duplicate conditions or manually sync products.

A single collection can nest up to 50 existing collections. When any of them changes, the parent collection updates automatically.

AND / OR Logic Across Condition Groups

The new model lets you specify whether a product must meet all listed conditions (AND) or just any one of them (OR) - and this can be configured separately for each condition group.

Example: an organic coffee collection with two condition groups - the first includes products tagged "organic" and priced under €50, the second includes products with a "ceramic" materials metafield priced over €30. Both groups act as separate OR blocks, with AND logic applied within each.

Existing Collections Update Automatically

If your store already has collections, you don't need to rebuild them. Shopify automatically migrated existing collections to the new model, preserving all previous conditions. New functionality is available immediately when you edit any existing collection.

Who Benefits Most

The new collections model is most valuable for stores with large and varied catalogues - clothing, furniture, sporting goods - anywhere there are many variants and a need to precisely curate what customers see in a given context. It's also useful for anyone looking to reduce manual work: instead of dozens of separate collections, a few well-structured combining ones.

If you'd like to review and optimise your existing collection structure or need help with a store audit, get in touch: BBOLD contacts.