Admin / New feature

Collections now support "multi-source"
and "variant-level" building

Automated conditions, manual selections, exclusions, other collections, and app-provided sources can now be combined into a single collection. Collections can also be built at the variant level — by size or color, for example — and reused in workflows such as discounts and taxes. There are no breaking changes to existing collections.

What's on this page
  1. What actually changes (30-second version)
  2. How it works: the multi-source merge flow
  3. The 6 new capabilities
  4. Old collections vs. new collections
  5. How variant-level collections behave
  6. What happens to existing collections, and what to do
  7. 5 points developers should know
  8. 3 use cases you can put to work
  9. A one-line summary for your pitch

1What actually changes

Until now, a collection could only be built as either an automated condition set or a manual product selection — nothing in between.
With this release, multiple sources can be mixed into a single collection , and you can now also build collections at the variant level rather than the product level .
Automated Manual

Before: one or the other, no mixing

You picked either an automated collection or a hand-picked one. When you wanted both behaviors, you needed workarounds — maintaining duplicate lists or installing a third-party app.

Now: merge them into one

Automated conditions, manual selections, exclusions, other collections, and app-provided sources can all be bundled into a single collection. The duplicate lists and external apps you built as workarounds are no longer needed.

Shopify's stated goal is to make complex merchandising strategies workable without workarounds. Setups held together by duplicate lists and third-party apps can move onto native functionality.

2How it works: the multi-source composition flow

Sources (one or more) Automated conditions Manually selected products Exclusions Other collections App-provided sources A single collection Products Variants Display order is set here too Where it's used Collection page Filtering supported Sales channels Online store / POS and more Discount and tax settings Reused across supported workflows Parent collection Automatically follows changes on the source side Can be nested = reused as a building block

3The 6 new capabilities

1. Multiple sources in one collection

Automated conditions / manually selected products / exclusions / other collections / app-provided sources can all be combined within a single collection.

2. Variant-level collections

Build collections around specific variants such as size or color. The variants you group show up on collection pages, in filtering, and in supported sales channels (including the online store and POS).

3. Use collections as building blocks

You can add one collection as a source for another. When the source collection changes, the parent collection stays in sync.

reuse

4. Reuse across the business

The same collection can be applied in supported workflows such as discounts and taxes.Variant-level collections are included too.

5. Redesigned admin UI

You get a visual grid with drag-and-drop reordering and bulk moves, a list view for details, and controls over the order customers see on the collection page .

6. Sidekick support

Use Sidekick to create and update collections from the admin and on mobile.

4Before vs. new collections

ItemBeforeAfter this release
How they're built Two options Automated conditions or manual selection Composable Mix automated conditions, manual picks, exclusions, other collections, and app sources
Granularity Product level Variant level also supported Size, color, and so on
Relationships between collections Independent (no nesting) Nesting supported Parent stays in sync with changes to the source
Reuse in other features Not documented Can be applied in supported workflows such as discounts and taxes (including at the variant level)
Admin Previous UI Grid view (drag to reorder, bulk move) plus list view, with control over the customer-facing sort order
How to build complex setups Workarounds Duplicate lists / third-party apps Built-in Can be set up without workarounds
AI assistance Not documented Create and update with Sidekick (admin / mobile)

5How variant-level collections work

The biggest structural change here is that you can put a "specific variant" into a collection instead of the "product." A variant you add shows up in the following three places.

Select by variant Red Blue Size S Size L Example: color and size Collection page The selected variants are listed here Filtering (filters) Also appear in filters Supported sales channels OnlineStore POS Includes the online store and POS
Variant-level collections can also be used in supported workflows such as discounts and taxes— that much is stated explicitly. Requirements like "put only this color on sale" or "apply a different tax category to only this size" can now be expressed without splitting the product.
Beyond the online store, POS, discounts, and taxes, exactly how far "supported sales channels" and "supported workflows" extend is not stated. Plan availability, regional availability, and rollout timing are not stated either.

6What happens to existing collections / what you should do

There are no breaking changes to existing collections. Existing collections keep working as before and are automatically updated to the new admin experience. There is no need to delete or rebuild them.
1

Leave existing collections as they are

They keep working and are migrated to the new UI automatically. No rebuild needed.

2
2026-07

Move your apps to API 2026-07

If you have third-party or custom apps that work with collections, ask their developers to update them to API version 2026-07.

3

Take stock of your workarounds

Review whether setups you built with duplicate lists or external apps can now be moved onto native functionality.

The update to API version 2026-07 is described as being "to support the new features". There is no mention of existing behavior breaking, but for apps that handle the new features (multi-source / variant-level), updating is a prerequisite. See the developer instructions in the original post for details.

7Five points engineers should know

2026-07

1. Apps need API 2026-07

Third-party and custom apps that integrate with collections must be updated to API version 2026-07 in order to support the new features. If you run your own app, scoping that work comes first.

variant prod

2. Collections are no longer made up of products alone

Variants can now be members of a collection. Themes, apps, and data integrations that assume everything under a collection is a product may have that assumption broken — worth checking up front.

3. Nesting is a "synced reference"

A collection added to a parent is a reference, not a copy, so when the source changes the parent stays in sync with it.Keep one shared source collection and reference it from everywhere— that kind of design is now possible.

4. "Exclusions" became a first-class source

Because exclusions are treated as a first-class source, the classic requirement of "pull in a broad automated set, then drop a few items" can be expressed without maintaining a duplicate manual list.

5. The order shown to customers is now controlled from the admin

In addition to drag-and-drop reordering and bulk moves, the new admin UI controls the actual order customers see on the collection page can be controlled. This overlaps with custom sort logic built into themes and with apps installed just for reordering, so on replatforming projects, check that you aren't ending up managing the same thing twice.

8Three use cases you can put to work

USE CASE 1

Retiring "duplicate lists" and sorting apps

Problem
Every time a requirement called for mixing automated conditions with manual picks, the workaround was to create a second collection or add a third-party app.
Approach
Bundle automated conditions, manual selection, and exclusions back into a single collection and drop the duplicate lists. Apps added purely for sorting now overlap with the sort-order controls in the new admin UI, so take inventory of them.
Impact
Fewer collections and less sync work, plus less app dependency — exactly what the original post is after: running complex merchandising without workarounds.
Technical notes
If you keep custom apps that integrate with collections, they need to be updated to API version 2026-07. Decide the order of deprecation and updates up front.
By color / size
USE CASE 2

Run "this color, this size only" campaigns without splitting products

Problem
You want to feature or discount only certain colors or sizes, but because collections work at the product level, teams resorted to awkward workarounds like splitting products apart.
Approach
Create a variant-level collection containing only the target variants, and apply that collection to supported workflows such as discounts.
Impact
Only the intended variants appear on collection pages, in filtering, and across supported channels including the online store and POS. No need to split product data to fit a campaign.
Technical notes
Because collection members are no longer necessarily products, verify in advance that your theme and integrations don't assume product-level membership. The original post doesn't spell out the full range of supported channels and workflows (not stated), so confirm it hands-on.
Source coll. Parent coll. A Discounts Taxes
USE CASE 3

Build one "source of truth" collection and reference it everywhere

Problem
The definition of the same product set — "on sale," "new arrivals" — gets copied separately into collection, discount, and tax settings, so updates get missed.
Approach
Create a single source collection that holds the definition and add it as a source for other collections (nesting). Apply that same collection to supported workflows such as discounts and taxes.
Impact
Update the source collection and the parent collections stay in sync, giving you a single definition and preventing missed updates.
Technical notes
Nesting is a synced reference, not a copy. How many levels deep you can nest and how circular references are handled aren't stated in the original post, so check in the admin before rolling this out.

9A one-line summary you can use in a pitch

"Collections now support multi-source composition, variant-level membership, and nesting , and can be reused for discounts and taxes as well.
Setups that were getting by on duplicate lists and external apps can move to native functionality, andexisting collections migrate to the new UI automatically with no breaking changes.
There's only one thing to do:upgrade any app that touches collections to API 2026-07— that's it."