Properly configuring your Shopify backend ensures accurate reporting, clean data management, and streamlined integration with Retail Orbit. This guide outlines the three key field types in Shopify and best practices for setup and organization.

1. Understanding Shopify Field Types

Shopify uses three main field types for organizing and categorizing products:

2. Best Practices for Each Field Type

A. Collections

• Use Collections to group products for customer-facing categories.
• Examples:
  • New Items: For recently added products.
  • Live Sale Items: For items promoted during live events.
• Collections are visible on your storefront and help customers browse efficiently.

B. Tags

• Tags guide where products appear on your website.
• Multiple tags can be applied to a single product but over-tagging can create duplication issues.
• Example Tags:
  • “Long Sleeve Top”
  • “Spring Collection”
  • “Sale”
• Tip: Regularly audit and clean tags to prevent inconsistencies and duplication.

C. Product Types

• Product Types are critical because they drive most of the reporting and directly impact RetailORBIT data.
• Mirror your buying/planning classes for consistent reporting and accurate product classification.

Guidelines for Product Type Setup:

1. Case Sensitivity: Product Types in Shopify are case-sensitive. Ensure consistent capitalization and spelling to prevent duplication.
   • Example: “Dresses” ≠ “dresses”
2. Avoid Misspellings: Double-check spelling during entry to prevent errors.
3. Use Numeric Codes: Add a numeric prefix to Product Types to reduce duplication and simplify organization.
   • Example:
     • 101 – Denim
     • 102 – Knit Tops

3. Using the Bulk Editing Tool

The Bulk Editing Tool in Shopify allows you to quickly update Product Types and other attributes across multiple products.

To use the Bulk Editing Tool:

1. In your Shopify Admin, go to Products.
2. Select the products you want to update.
3. Click More Actions → Edit Products.
4. Use the bulk editor to modify fields like Product Type, Collections, and Tags.
5. Save changes once updates are complete.

✅ Pro Tip: Use the Bulk Editing Tool when setting up or reorganizing your Product Types to ensure consistency across your catalog.

4. Final Review Checklist

Before completing your Shopify backend setup, confirm the following:

✔ Collections are properly grouped and customer-facing.
✔ Tags are clear, relevant, and free of duplication.
✔ Product Types align with buying/planning classes and follow naming conventions.
✔ Bulk Editing Tool is used for efficient product updates.

By following these guidelines, you’ll maintain a clean and organized Shopify backend while ensuring accurate reporting in Retail Orbit.