Working with collections: create, share, and import them

Collections are how a Shopify store groups products together, like Summer Sale or New Arrivals. SyncTec lets a source store build collections once and share them, and lets destination stores import them into their own store. Here is how it works for both sides.

The two types of collection

Shopify (and SyncTec) has two kinds of collection, and the app labels them clearly:

• Manual — you hand-pick the exact products that belong in it
• Smart — products are auto-matched by rules you set (for example, any product tagged summer, or priced under a certain amount)

On the Collections page each collection shows a Type badge (Smart or Manual) and a Sort Order badge (how its products are ordered, such as Best Selling or A-Z).

For source stores: create and share a collection

Only source stores can create collections. On the Collections page, click Create Collection, then:

1. Enter a Title (for example, Summer Sale).

2. Choose a Collection Type: Manual (Hand-pick products) or Smart (Auto-match by rules).

3. For a Manual collection, search and select the Products to include. For a Smart collection, set your Automation Rules (add one or more conditions, and choose whether to match ANY condition or ALL of them).

4. Under Stores, pick which of your destination stores this collection should be available to.

5. Click Create Collection.

You can change a collection later with the Edit button, though the collection type itself cannot be changed after it is created.

For destination stores: import a collection

On the Collections page you will see two tabs, Not Imported and Imported, plus a set of summary cards: Total Collections, Imported, and Not Imported. To bring a collection into your store:

1. Stay on the Not Imported tab and find the collection you want (use Search collections if needed).

2. Click Import. The button shows Importing while it works, and you will get a Collection imported successfully message when it is done.

3. The collection now appears in your Shopify store, and it moves to your Imported tab.

You can preview any collection first with the View button.

Sync your products first

A collection is a grouping of products, so it can only include products that actually exist in your store. Before importing a collection, sync the products you want it to contain (see the guide Syncing products). If you import a collection before syncing its products, the collection will come in but may look empty or partial until those products are synced.

Why some collections cannot be imported yet

Sometimes a collection shows a short amber note under its title and the Import button is greyed out. This usually happens with Smart collections whose rules rely on custom data (metafields or metaobjects) that your store does not have yet. The note tells you what is missing. Once your store has what the rules need, the collection becomes importable. Manual collections almost never hit this, because they are just a list of products.

Keeping a collection up to date: Re-import

If a source store changes a collection after you imported it, you can refresh your copy. On the Imported tab, click Re-import on that collection (it shows Re-importing while it works, then Collection re-imported successfully). Re-import updates the collection you already have rather than creating a new one.

A note on how membership works

For Manual collections, SyncTec matches the products you have synced and adds them to the collection. For Smart collections, the collection carries its rules, and your Shopify store decides membership automatically based on the products in your store that match those rules. Either way, the products themselves come from syncing (covered in Syncing products), and the collection simply organizes them.

Getting help

• Email: support@synctec.io
• Contact us: use the Contact Us link in your dashboard