Shoopy Categories vs collections — which to use
Categories drive your storefront menu. Collections curate homepage marketing blocks. Here is how to pick.
Categories vs collections is one of the first questions a new merchant hits. Both group products, but the two serve very different jobs. Categories are the browsable taxonomy your shoppers see in the storefront menu; collections are curated marketing blocks you place on the homepage. Both live under Catalog in the sidebar, so it is easy to confuse them.
For adding products end-to-end, see Adding a product in Shoopy.
The headline difference
| Question | Categories | Collections |
|---|---|---|
| What is it for? | Browse taxonomy — the menu and category pages | Marketing — curated blocks on the homepage |
| How does the shopper reach it? | Storefront menu, breadcrumbs, category pages | Scrolls the homepage |
| Can it nest? | Yes — two levels (parent → child) | No — every collection is flat |
| How are products attached? | Each product picks its categories on the product form | Either pick specific products, or pull all products from one category |
| What does it look like on the storefront? | A standard product grid under the category name | Banner, video, product row, HTML block — depends on type |
| Plan gate? | None — every plan | Most types on every plan; Video Card needs Basic, HTML Collection needs Business |
The rule of thumb is simple. If you are answering “where does this product live?” use a category. If you are answering “what should the homepage feature this week?” use a collection.
Categories — the browse taxonomy
Categories live at Catalog → Categories in the Shoopy admin sidebar. The page header reads Category and the primary action is Add Category.
What a category is
A category is a node in your store’s product taxonomy. Each category has a name, a slug, a thumbnail image, SEO fields, and an optional parent. A hierarchy looks like this:
- Apparel
- Shirts
- Trousers
- Footwear
- Sneakers
- Sandals
Shoopy supports two levels — a parent and one level of subcategories. You cannot nest Sneakers further into Mens-Sneakers and Womens-Sneakers as sub-subcategories. If you need that depth, model the deeper split as a collection, or use a product attribute.
How products attach to a category
You assign a product to a category from the product form. Open a product, pick one or more categories, then save. A single product can belong to several categories at once — for example, “Cotton Shirt” can sit under both Apparel → Shirts and New Arrivals.
What categories control on the storefront
- The storefront top menu and any nav drawer
- The breadcrumb trail on a product page
- A dedicated browse page at
/category/{slug}listing every product in that category - Product visibility — hiding a category hides every product underneath it from browse
When to reach for a category
Use a category when the grouping is structural and long-lived. “Mens Shirts”, “Industrial Pumps”, “Frozen Snacks”, “Skin Care” are all category material.
For setup steps, see Creating and nesting categories in Shoopy.
Collections — the marketing block
Collections live at Catalog → Collections. The page header reads Collections and the primary action is Create Collection.
What a collection is
A collection is a homepage block you design. The first thing Shoopy asks when you click Create Collection is Select Collection Type, and the choice of type changes what the block looks like on the storefront.
The available types are:
| Type | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Banner and Products | A banner image, then a row of products under it |
| Multi Row Product Grid | A product grid spanning multiple rows |
| Single Row Product List | A horizontal scroll of products |
| Banner Collection | A banner with a title; tap to open a product list |
| Mini Banner Collection | A small banner that takes about a third of the row width |
| Video Card | A YouTube video with a thumbnail; tap to play |
| Generic Collection | A versatile layout combining banners, videos, and product cards |
| HTML Collection | A free-form HTML block for full creative control |
The same word — collection — covers very different visual outputs. The look depends on the type you pick.
How products attach to a collection
After you pick the type, the form asks Assign Products with two choices:
- Specific Products — manually pick the SKUs you want in this collection.
- From Categories — pull every product in one category into this collection automatically.
The From Categories mode is the easiest way to keep a collection in sync with a category. Add a new Mens Shirt to the Shirts category and it shows up in the Featured Shirts collection automatically.
What collections control on the storefront
- The order and content of the homepage — every collection becomes a block on the home screen
- Any banner, video, or HTML you want to splash on the homepage
- Curated lineups for sales, new arrivals, or seasonal pushes
Plan gating on collection types
Most collection types are available on every plan, but two have plan gates:
- Video Card — needs the Basic plan or higher.
- HTML Collection — needs the Business plan.
If you pick a gated type on a lower plan, Shoopy shows an upgrade prompt instead of opening the form.
When to reach for a collection
Use a collection when the grouping is editorial and visual. “Diwali Sale”, “Founders Picks”, “Bestsellers This Month”, “New Arrivals Banner” are all collection material.
For setup steps, see Building collections in Shoopy.
Side-by-side decision guide
Use this checklist when you are unsure:
| If you need to… | Use |
|---|---|
| …add a node that the storefront menu will show | Category |
| …show a product in the breadcrumb trail | Category |
| …feature five products on the homepage with a banner | Collection (Banner and Products) |
| …show a YouTube video on the homepage | Collection (Video Card) |
| …organise the entire catalogue into Apparel / Footwear / Accessories | Category |
| …set up a “Diwali Sale” homepage block that ends after the festival | Collection |
| …let shoppers filter by product type from the menu | Category |
| …auto-pull every product from one category into a homepage block | Collection (with the “From Categories” assignment) |
| …design a custom HTML section with brand styling | Collection (HTML Collection) |
They work together
Categories and collections are not either-or. The typical Shoopy storefront uses both.
- The store’s catalogue is divided into a handful of long-lived categories that drive the menu.
- The homepage is built from collections — several of them pulling their products from those same categories using the From Categories assignment mode.
You only need to maintain the category list; the collections automatically refresh as you add products to those categories.
Tips for getting the split right
- Keep categories shallow. Two levels is a hard cap. Use broad parents (Apparel, Electronics) and a focused child layer (Shirts, Trousers, Laptops, Phones).
- Don’t spin up a category for a one-off promotion. A two-week sale belongs in a collection. Categories live in the menu and stick around.
- Use the “From Categories” collection mode whenever you can. It removes the busy work of re-adding new products by hand.
- Reserve HTML Collection for real creative needs. A standard Banner Collection covers most homepage banners without the upgrade or the maintenance.
- Audit your categories quarterly. Empty categories clutter the menu. Merge or remove them when a vertical winds down.
Troubleshooting
My products show up in the menu but not on the homepage
That is by design. The menu is built from categories; the homepage is built from collections. Create a collection (for example, “Featured” or “Bestsellers”), then either pick the products manually or pull them from a category.
My homepage block is empty
Open the collection and check the Assign Products mode. If it says Specific Products, the SKU list is empty — add products. If it says From Categories, the linked category is empty — add products to that category, or pick a different one.
I want a third level of category nesting
Shoopy supports two levels only. Model the third level as a collection that pulls from the relevant subcategory, or use a product attribute that shoppers can filter on.
The collection type I want says I need to upgrade
Two types are gated: Video Card needs the Basic plan, and HTML Collection needs the Business plan. Either pick an ungated type that solves the same job, or upgrade your plan.
Hiding a category also hides products elsewhere
Hiding a category removes its products from browse, even if the same products sit in other visible categories. If you only want to retire one taxonomy node without de-listing products, move the products to another category first, then hide the empty one.