Setting Up a Product Collection

Setting Up a Product Collection

Product Collection Configuration

"Product Collections" allows you to curate and display specific sets/groups of products in your online store, creating a more organized and personalized shopping experience for your customers. Product collections could be new launches of products, products that contain similar characteristics, products that are back in stock, etc.
Product Collection supports two collection types: Manual (grouping the products) & Dynamic (utilizing the sales performance data).

Where can product collection records be utilized? 
Product collection records can be utilized to design your online store's home page using the Page Template menu in the Store Admin section.
When designing the home page, you can customize the layout by managing widgets and features. Consider using Collections widgets to present product collections as a horizontal scroll bar or incorporate them into banner/image sliders for a visually appealing layout. These collection records can be managed in the Product Collection section within the Control Center configuration.

This KB article will walk you through the steps to set up product collections, define rules for product inclusion or exclusion, and understand the rule combinations "Any Are True" and "All Are True."

1. Reaching "Product Collections"

To reach "Product Collections," navigate to Point of Sale -> Pricebook -> E-Commerce.
By clicking the "E-Commerce" menu on the left panel, you will reach the listing of the product collections by default.

Figure 1.1 - Product Collection Records Listing

2. Adding a Product Collection

To add and set up a new product collection, simply click the "Add New" button. If you want to modify the existing record, click on that specific record or click on the Modify icon.
You need to set up the following sections for the product collection:

1. Collection Details
Name: Enter the name of the collection that will be displayed in the selection of collection records.
Description: Enter a brief description to identify the purpose of the collection.

2. Meta Information
  1. Meta Title: Enter the title of the collection.
    It is displayed on search engine results pages (SERPs) and in browser tabs. Keep it under 60 characters for optimal display on search engines.
  2. Meta Description: Enter a description (details) that provides a brief overview of the content on the page.
    Limit it to around 150-160 characters for effective details and include the relevant keywords.
  3. Meta URL Slug: Enter the URL details. The Meta URL Slug is the part of the URL that identifies the page's content.
    It contributes to SEO and user understanding. Use hyphens to separate words for readability (e.g., "new-collection" instead of "productcategory").
  4. Meta Keywords (Comma Separated): Enter the relevant keywords. Meta keywords are used for SEO. Enter a few relevant keywords, separated by commas.
  5. Image: Upload an image relevant to the product collection.
  6. Image Alt Text: Enter a short description of an image to help screen readers and search engines understand what the image shows.

Figure 2.1 - Product Collection Details

3. Collection Items - Types

Product Collection supports two collection types:

  • Manual – Continue using the existing setup by selecting products through attributes and conditions.
  • Dynamic – Automatically populate products based on sales performance.

NotesNote: Dynamic Collections do not require manual product attribute or condition mapping. The product listing may change automatically as sales performance changes.

When Dynamic is selected, configure Collection Source.
  • Best-Selling Products – Identifies products based on sales performance.
  • Trending Categories – Identifies top-performing categories based on product sales.

2.1 Manual Collection

To create a group of the products for a collection, you can select the product records from the given attributes in the Rule Type attribute.
Figure 2.1.1 - Manual Collection

2.1.1 Adding Rule Type

Select a Rule Type from the available attributes: Products, Departments, Department Group, Category, Manufacturer, Brand, or Tags.

Figure 2.1.1.1 - Select Rule Type (Attribute)
Follow these steps to manually configure the products to be included in a collection:
Products: Displays the list of products.
  1. Select a Product attribute from the Rule Type drop-down. 
  2. Click on a selection button under Values/Option column.
  3. The Manage Filters window will open with the list of products.
  4. Select the required products and move them to the Selected List.

Figure 2.1.1.2 - Products
Category: Displays categories in a parent-child hierarchy.
  1. Select a Category attribute from the Rule Type drop-down.
  2. Click on a selection button under the Values/Option column.
  3. The Manage Filters window will open with the list of products.
  4. Select the Categories i.e. Parent or specific Child and move them to the Selected List.
  5. Products associated with the selected categories will be considered for the collection.

Figure 2.1.1.2 - Categories

Department: Displays the list of departments.
  1. Select a Department attribute from the Rule Type drop-down.
  2. Click on a selection button under  the Values/Option column.
  3. The Manage Filters window will open with the list of products.
  4. Select the Departments and move them to the Selected List.
  5. Products associated with the selected departments will be considered for the collection.

Figure 2.1.1.3 - Departments
  1. Same selection to configure the collection for all other attributes.
  2. Once attribute records are selected, click "Apply" to save the selection.
Multiple Attributes Selection
To combine multiple attributes, click "Add Rule" and configure additional rules as needed.

Figure 2.1.1.4 - Multiple Rules

2.1.2 Setting Up Operator & Rule Combination

Operator:
In: The products/attributes will be considered for the collection.
Not In: The products/attributes will be discarded (excluded) for the collection.
Use operators to include or exclude products from the collection. For example, if a category or department is selected but certain products must be excluded from the collection, add those products as a separate rule and select "Note In" as the operator.

Figure 2.1.2.1 - Operator

Rule Combination:
Any Are True: Products will be included if they meet at least one of the specified conditions.
All Are True: Products must meet all specified conditions to be included.

2.2 Dynamic Collection

No manual product attributes or conditions are required. Products are automatically selected based on the configured Collection Source—Best-Selling Products or Trending Categories—and the selected Performance Period.


Figure 2.2.1 - Dynamic Collection Mapping

During Page Template Design in Store Admin, simply select the configured Collection record in the Collection Widget to display it on the storefront.

3. Selecting a Product Collection for the Home Page Design

When designing your online store's home page, consider selecting the appropriate collection records for widgets such as horizontal scrolling collections, banners, and image sliders.
You can design image sliders by selecting collections, categories, discounts, or products to set up on a slide.

Figure 3.1 - Collection Selection
If you choose the "Collection" option, a pop-up named Select Collection will appear with the list of all available collections that have been set up in Product Collections (Control Center side). You can then select the desired one from the list.
1. Age-Restricted Label
If the collection includes age-restricted products, it will be displayed with an Age Restricted label. You can choose a collection record for the collection widget to showcase products as a horizontal slider on the home page of your online store.

Figure 3.2  - Collection Identification

2. Manual & Dynamic Collection

When selecting a collection, the Store Admin can now identify whether the collection is Manual or Dynamic.
For a Dynamic Collection, the Admin can click the mapped product count to review the dynamically selected products/categories.

Figure 3.3 - Mapped Products
Notes
Dynamic Collections automatically display products based on the configured performance criteria. The products shown may change over time as sales performance data is updated.
Info
To know more about Home Page Template Design, review Store Appearance KBs: FTx Commerce | Home Page Template & Category Banner Knowledge Base
In this way, you can create an engaging and visually appealing online shopping experience for your customers by setting up product collections.