Adding Catalog in Shopify Store: A Step-by-Step Guide

A well-structured product catalog makes it easier for customers to explore and purchase items from your Shopify store. By organizing products into collections and categories, you create an easy shopping experience. This helps customers find exactly what they need.

This guide walks through everything from basic questions like “What is a Shopify catalog?” to advanced customer‑specific and B2B catalogs. This guide will walk you through the process of adding a catalog for your customers on Shopify.

While maintaining variable products for your catalog preparation, it is beneficial to receive professional guidance either during the process or before you begin. Let’s start!

What Is a Product Catalog in Shopify?

In simple words, a product catalog is the organized list of products your customers can browse and buy. It usually includes:

• Product names and descriptions
• Prices and variants (size, color, etc.)
• Images and media
• Availability and inventory
• Categories or collections that customers use to navigate

In Shopify, there are two layers to understand:

Data layer (Products)

All products live under Products in your admin. This is where you manage titles, media, prices, stock, and basic attributes.

Browsing layer (Collections and the catalog page)

Customers rarely browse through a raw product list. Instead, they see products on:

• Collection pages (e.g., Men’s Shirts, New Arrivals).
• The default /collections/all page, which acts as a complete catalog for many stores.

When merchants say “Shopify catalog,” they usually mean the overall structure of products and collections that customers browse. Or

A specific group of products shown to a certain audience (like wholesale buyers or B2B customers).

Shopify Catalog vs Collection: What’s the Difference?

Many merchants are confused about the difference between a catalog and a collection. Shopify uses collections as a practical tool for building what most people call a catalog.

Here is the difference in simple terms:

Concept	In Shopify terms	What does it mean in your store
Catalog	High-level idea	The full set of products (or a big chunk of them) that customers see.
Collection	Actual feature	A specific group of products built with rules or manual picks.

Key points:

Collections are the building blocks of your Shopify catalog.

Each category page customers see is a collection page.

You can have:

• One global catalog (e.g., /collections/all)
• Several smaller catalogs by audience (e.g., retail, wholesale, region‑specific)

On Shopify Plus with B2B, “catalog” is also a formal object: a set of products and prices tied to a B2B company profile.

Think of it like this:

• Use collections to group products.

Combine and expose those collections smartly to build your Shopify catalog experience.

How to Prepare Products Before Creating a Shopify Catalog?

A catalog is only as good as the product data behind it. If titles, tags, or images are messy, your collections, filters, and B2B catalogs will always feel broken.

Before you design your Shopify catalog, do this groundwork.

Clean up basic product information

Go to Products → All products and review:

• Titles: Clear, searchable, and consistent (e.g., “Men’s Cotton T‑Shirt – Black” instead of “Tee blk M”).
• Descriptions: Simple, benefit‑focused, and scannable.
• Prices and compare‑at prices: Correct and in the right currency.
• SKUs & barcodes: Unique and meaningful if you manage inventory seriously.

This step reduces confusion when you later sort, filter, or export your catalog.

Standardize product images

For a clean catalog page:

• Use consistent aspect ratios (e.g., all square or all 4:5).
• Keep the background style similar across products.
• Compress images to load quickly while maintaining sharpness.

Consistent media makes your Shopify catalog look professional and improves conversions, especially on mobile.

Set the correct inventory and availability

Within each product, ensure inventory is tracked properly and enable/disable locations as needed. Under Sales channels and apps, confirm where the product should appear (e.g., Online Store, B2B, POS).

Nothing frustrates customers more than seeing products in your catalog that cannot actually be bought.

Define product types, vendors, tags, and options

These fields help you build automated collections, create filters (size, color, material, etc.), and keep your catalog scalable as your product range grows. Also focus on:

• Product type: High‑level category (e.g., T‑Shirts, Laptops).
• Vendor: Brand or supplier.
• Tags: For conditions and filters (e.g., summer-2025, wholesale-only, bestseller).
• Options and variants: Sizes, colors, and styles.

This is very important as the key to a great product lies in the details.

Plan your catalog structure (taxonomy)

Before building collections, sketch your structure on paper or in a simple doc:

1. Main categories (e.g., Men, Women, Kids, Electronics)
2. Sub‑categories (e.g., Men → Shirts, Pants, Shoes)
3. Any special groupings (New Arrivals, Sale, Bestsellers, Bundles)

This map makes it easier to build clear, logical collections and avoids having to rebuild everything later.

To save time and ensure professional quality, we recommend hiring expert Shopify developers from BrainSpate. We specialize in setting up product details, variants, and media to optimize the customer experience.

How to Add Product Catalogs in a Shopify Store?

A product catalog in Shopify is a structured way to display and organize your products, making it easier for customers to find and purchase items. It serves as a digital storefront, allowing customers to browse, filter, and explore products by category, attribute, or collection.

Key Features of Shopify Product Catalogs

Shopify product catalogs bring a range of benefits, including:

• Collections for Organization: Shopify allows merchants to group products into manual or automated collections, making it easy to categorize and display related products together.
• Product Variants: If a product is available in multiple sizes, colors, or materials, Shopify lets you add variants to ensure a streamlined shopping experience.
• Custom Navigation & Menus: The navigation tools in Shopify let you integrate your catalog into menus, making it easily accessible on your storefront.
• Customer-Specific Catalogs: Shopify Plus and various third-party apps enable merchants to create custom catalogs for different customer groups (e.g., retail, wholesale, or VIP customers).
• SEO Optimization: Shopify provides SEO-friendly URLs, meta descriptions, and structured data to help your catalog rank better in search engines.
• Mobile & Responsive Design: Shopify ensures that your catalog looks great across all devices, improving accessibility and engagement.

Simply put, with the features product catalogs provide, Shopify store owners can create dynamic, engaging catalogs tailored to their target audience, ensuring a seamless shopping experience.

Our team offers end-to-end Shopify development services to design responsive, conversion-focused catalogs that look perfect on any device and perform seamlessly across platforms.

How to Create Collections for Your Catalog on Shopify?

Collections are the backbone of a well-organized catalog on Shopify. By grouping similar products together, you make it easier for customers to browse and find what they are looking for.

Shopify allows two types of collections:

• Manual Collections: You add products individually.
• Automated Collections: Products are added based on set conditions.

Steps to Create a Collection:

1. From your Shopify admin, go to Products > Collections.
2. Click Create collection.
3. Enter a Title and Description for the collection.
4. Under Collection type, choose either Manual or Automated.
5. For Automated, set conditions like Product tag is Summer or Price is greater than $50.
6. Upload a collection image if desired.
7. Click Save.

With your collections set up, you have laid the groundwork for a structured catalog that is both user-friendly and visually appealing. The next step is to organize these collections within the navigation of your store. This ensures customers can easily find and explore the products you have grouped together.

Steps to Organize the Catalog in Shopify

Organizing your catalog effectively ensures that customers can navigate your store with ease. Shopify provides intuitive navigation tools to organize your catalog logically and user-friendly. Once collections are created, you can organize them into a catalog format that is easy for customers to navigate.

Using the Navigation Menu:

1. Go to Online Store > Navigation.
2. Click on the Main menu or create a new menu.
3. Click Add menu item.
4. Enter a Name (e.g., “Catalog” or “Shop by Category”).
5. Link it to the appropriate collection.
6. Click Add and then the Save menu.

By strategically organizing your catalog, you create a seamless shopping experience that encourages product discovery and boosts conversions. Regularly review and refine your catalog structure to keep it aligned with customer preferences and business goals.

Customizing the Catalog Page

A visually appealing catalog page enhances the shopping experience and keeps customers engaged. Shopify themes and customization options let you design a catalog that reflects your brand while ensuring easy navigation and product discovery.

Steps:

1. Go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Click Customize on your active theme.
3. Navigate to the Collection pages section.
4. Adjust the layout, number of products per row, and sorting options.
5. Use the Theme settings to modify colors, fonts, and other design elements.
6. Click Save when you are satisfied with the design.

For more advanced customizations, you can edit the code of themes (Liquid templates) or use Shopify apps that offer catalog-building features. The next step is to organize these collections within the store navigation. This guarantees customers can easily find and explore the products you have grouped together.

Adding Catalogs for Specific Customers (Wholesale or B2B)

For businesses catering to wholesale buyers or B2B clients, offering a specialized catalog ensures a tailored shopping experience. Shopify allows you to create exclusive catalogs with custom pricing, restricted access, and targeted product selections for different customer groups.

If you want to offer specialized catalogs for certain customer groups (e.g., wholesale clients), you can use the Shopify customer segmentation and apps.

Steps:

1. Tag customers based on their group:

• Go to Customers in the admin panel.
• Click on a customer, then Edit and add a Tag (e.g., “Wholesale”).

2. Create collections specific to these customer tags.
3. Use apps such as Shopify Plus, B2B Wholesale Club, or Locksmith to restrict access to specific collections.
4. Customize pricing and product visibility based on customer tags.

Promoting Your Product Catalog

Once your catalog is ready, promote it to your customers to drive traffic and sales.

Tips:

• Share links to collections in email newsletters.
• Highlight collections on your homepage.
• Use social media to showcase new catalog items.
• Leverage the Shopify SEO tools to optimize product and collection pages.

Monitoring and Updating Your Catalog

Regularly updating your catalog ensures it remains relevant and accurate.

Steps:

1. Periodically review collections and products for accuracy.
2. Add seasonal collections or featured products.
3. Monitor sales and customer behavior through Shopify Analytics.
4. Adjust your catalog based on performance metrics.

By setting up catalogs for specific customers, you can streamline the buying process and strengthen relationships with wholesale or B2B clients. Regularly updating these catalogs ensures they remain relevant and aligned with customer needs.

Ending the Discussion on Adding a Catalog on Shopify

A thoughtfully designed product catalog does more than display products; it shapes the customer journey. By structuring your catalog with well-organized collections, clear navigation, and appealing visuals, you create an effortless browsing experience that keeps shoppers engaged and encourages purchases.

For businesses catering to wholesale or B2B customers, customized catalogs ensure the right products are accessible to the right audience. Strategic organization, customer segmentation, and targeted promotions help maximize the effectiveness of your catalog.

If you are looking for expert assistance in building or optimizing your Shopify store, explore our Shopify development services and contact us today!

FAQs on Product Catalog in Shopify