How to add Product Type in Shopify: Your 5-minute hack

how-to-add-product-type-in-shopify

Having a Shopify store in today’s eCommerce era can be confusing. Too much to remember that you forget one important thing: managing your product catalog. Maybe your customers are unable to find that perfect pair of socks because everything’s jumbled up. That’s when you realize the importance of learning how to add product type in Shopify! Product types are like little labels that categorize your store – it makes everything easier to find. This tutorial breaks down all about using product types in Shopify with steps so simple, that even your low-tech uncle can follow along.

1. Product Type on Shopify: At a Glance

1.1. What is it & How does it work?

A product type in Shopify is a label that helps categorize your products. Basically, it is like a tag you attach to your products. And those labels can help you group similar products in your Shopify store.

With Shopify multiple product types, you can save your customers from drowning in a sea of random items. These tiny details also make a huge difference in how you manage your inventory. Plus, Shopify saves these tags for you to reuse, which is beneficial in the long run.

1.2. Why does your store need product type?

Learning how to add product types in Shopify is more important than you may realize. Because those “labels” can give you:

  • Easier filtering: Find products faster than you can say “Where did I put that?”
  • Smarter inventory management: Keeps your stock in line, is easier to manage.
  • Improved SEO: Makes it easier for search engines to become familiar with your products.
  • Improved online shopping: By making your Shopify product organization higher, your customers can search fast for what they’re seeking.
  • Faster product management: Makes bulk edits a breeze.
  • Better reporting: Pinpoint your profitable product categories, then take suitable actions to improve the conversion rate.

👉 Check out how to launch a Shopify store – another detailed guide to creating your online store with no sweat!

1.3. Shopify Categories vs. Collections vs. Product Types: What’s the Difference?

Confused about these three? Let’s clear it up with this simple comparison:

Shopify categories
Shopify collections
Shopify product types
Definition
Categories are standard labels assigned to products based on Shopify’s Standard Product Taxonomy.
Collections are groups of products that you create to organize your store’s inventory.
Product types are custom categories that you can define for your products.
Purpose
They help in determining tax obligations and exemptions for products and are used for better product management.
Collections make it easier for customers to browse products by category on your online store.
The standard categories might not be a good fit for your products all the time. So, it’s when the product type can help.
Usage
Categories are primarily used for tax calculations and can help in filtering products in your store.
There are two types of collections:
– Smart Collections: Give a condition, and all the products that meet will be added automatically. 
– Manual Collections: You manually select which products to include.
Each product can have only one product type, which helps in organizing products within your store.
Example
A product category could be Apparel & Accessories > Clothing > Clothing Tops > Shirts. This categorization helps in managing products and determining tax rates.
– For manual collection: Summer Sale which includes selected products like sunglasses, beach towels, and swimsuits. 
– For smart collection: all products tagged with “New Arrivals” can be included.
A product type could be “Graphic T-Shirts” for a line of t-shirts that feature unique designs. This allows you to classify these t-shirts separately from other types of clothing like “Hoodies” or “Pants”.

You now are good to go with all the foundation. Let’s move on to the next part to learn how to create product type in Shopify with just 4 steps.

‼️An important note this guide assumes that you already have your glamorous Shopify store built. However, if you haven’t, snag the deal Shopify 3 months for $1 to kick things off cheap. 

2. How to add Product Type in Shopify?

Ready to get your product types sorted? Here’s how to add product type in Shopify in four easy-peasy steps:

Step 1: Shopify Admin > Product

Log into your Shopify admin, and click “Products” on the left sidebar. 

How to add product type in Shopify Step 1: Go to Products tab

Step 2: Add a new product or pick an existing one to edit

Option A: Add a new product: 

  • Hit “Add Product” at the top right. 
  • Fill in the details like title, description, images, and price.
  • Don’t forget to click “Save” before moving on to step 3.
How to add product type in Shopify Step 2: Add new product

Option B: Edit an existing product: 

  • Spot the product in the list
  • Click its name to tweak it.
How to add product type in Shopify Step 2: Edit an existing product

Step 3: Head to the product organization section > Add product type

Scroll to the “Product Organization” section on the right side of the screen. Then click in the “Type” box, from here you can:

  • Pick a Shopify standardized product type from the dropdown.
  • Or type a new one. New types auto-save for future use.
How to add product type in Shopify Step 3: Product Type Box

Step 4: Click Save

Hit “Save” at the top or bottom.

How to add product type in Shopify Step 4: Save Button 

You’ve just learned how to create a product type in Shopify! And your store’s one step closer to Shopify Plus-level awesomeness!

3. How to edit Product type in bulk?

While it is very simple to add product types in Shopify, as a Shopify store owner, we don’t have much time to edit everything one by one! So here’s how to edit product type in Shopify for many at once:

Step 1: Shopify Admin > Products 

Back to “Products” in your admin. You’ll see all your full inventory list.

Step 1 in Shopify bulk edit product type: Open product list

Step 2: Select your products

Now is the time to choose which products need a new type:

  • To edit one product: Tick the box next to it.
Step 2 in Shopify bulk edit product type: Edit one product

  • To edit some products: Tick multiple boxes for the ones you want.
Step 2 in Shopify bulk edit product type: Edit multiple products

  • To edit all products: Tick the top box to grab everything on the page (or click “Select all in this store” if you have more than 50 products in your store).
Step 2 in Shopify bulk edit product type: Edit all products

Step 3: Click Bulk Edit

Hit “Bulk Edit” on the right top bar. This will bring you to a big table where you can tweak stuff fast.

Step 3 in Shopify bulk edit product type: Bulk Edit

Step 4: Add the Product Type Column

If “Product Type” isn’t there > click “Columns” > tick the “Product Type” box to make it shown in the table.

Step 4 in Shopify bulk edit product type: Add Column

Step 5: Pick or add types

Now you can update product types for all selected items. You have two options:

  • Choose an existing type: Click on a cell to open the dropdown and pick a type.
Step 5 in Shopify bulk edit product type: Choose type from the list

  • Add new type: Type something fresh and hit “Add product type” to save it.
Step 5 in Shopify bulk edit product type: Add New Type

Step 6: Click Save

Hit “Save” at the top right. Your Shopify bulk edit product type mission is complete!

Step 6 in Shopify bulk edit product type: Save Changes

4. Tips to Use Product Type Like a Pro

The eCommerce world is competitive, so let’s create your own advantages in this Shopify product organization game with these useful tips:

Tip 1: Keep it simple

Use clear names like “Shoes” or “Books”. Avoid the lengthy and too descriptive type that even you – the creator – do not want to look at twice.

Tip 2: Be specific

While simple is key, too generic Shopify type might be confusing. Don’t just use “Clothing.” Use “Men’s T-Shirts” or “Women’s Dresses.”

Tip 3: Stay Consistent

Stick to one style, one format. “T-Shirts” or “Tees” or “Shirts”, just choose one way. No typos, no variations. Otherwise, instead of helping you easier organize your store, those custom product types Shopify will make the game even harder.

Tip 4: Match your customers’ brains

Pick types that your customer properly might search for, like “Hoodies” instead of “Sweatshirts with Hoods.” This is not only helpful for the online shopping experience but also good for SEO.

Tip 5: Analyze and adjust

One hit might not solve all the problems. Sometimes you need to modify product type Shopify back and forth to optimize it. Track which product types perform best, and peek at your types every few months to keep them fresh and useful.

Tip 6: Leverage product type for SEO

Search engine optimization is the important purpose guiding every action of the eCommerce store owner, and product types can assist you in boosting those ranking. You can:

  • Create blog content around your most popular product types to boost SEO.
  • Use product types in your URL structure for better search engine visibility.
  • Build internal linking strategies based on product types.

5. Conclusion

There you go, everything you need to know about how to add product type in Shopify has now become your superpower! With these steps, your Shopify store will be tidier – everything has its place and is easy to find! Product types aren’t just for show – they give your store a checkout optimization and finally crank up your conversion rate. 

Need more tricks? Pop over to eComStart for more guides, tips, and resources to grow your online business! That way, you are one step closer to setting yourself up for eCommerce success.

6. FAQs

Kathy Ella is an eCommerce expert with nearly 5 years of experience helping businesses start and grow online stores. She gives simple advice to make launching and managing an online store easier for everyone.
See her LinkedIn profile here