Collections are groups of products in Shopify. They matter for Atlas because bundles can target a collection, which means new products picked up by that collection get the bundle automatically. Getting your collections right is the difference between maintaining bundles by hand and having them maintain themselves.
In this article:
The two types of collection
Type | How products join | Best for |
Manual | You add them one by one | Small, curated sets that do not change |
Automated | Products matching conditions join automatically | Anything that grows |
💡 For bundle targeting, prefer automated collections. A new product that matches the conditions joins the collection and picks up the bundle without you doing anything.
Creating a manual collection
In your Shopify admin, go to Products, then Collections.
Select Create collection.
Give it a title.
Under Collection type, choose Manual.
Save, then add products.
Creating an automated collection
Go to Products, then Collections, and select Create collection.
Give it a title.
Under Collection type, choose Automated.
Set the conditions, for example product tag equals
bundle-eligible, or product type equalsSkincare.Choose whether products must match all conditions or any of them.
Save.
Products matching the conditions join immediately, and future products join as they are created.
Why this matters for bundles
A bundle can target All products, Specific collections, or Specific product(s).
Collection targeting is the middle ground that scales: different offers for different categories, without maintaining a product list by hand.
Targeting | Maintenance |
All products | None, but blocks every other bundle |
Specific collections | None, if the collection is automated |
Specific products | Every new product must be added by hand |
💡 A tag-based automated collection is the most flexible setup. Create a collection for products tagged bundle-skincare, target your bundle at it, and from then on adding the tag to a product is all it takes to include it.
Avoiding overlapping collections
⚠️ Only one active bundle may apply to a given product. Two bundles targeting different collections still conflict if a product belongs to both, and automated collections make that easy to do accidentally.
To keep bundles conflict-free:
Make sure each product falls into only one bundle-targeted collection
Use dedicated tags for bundle targeting rather than reusing your merchandising collections
Check the conditions on automated collections, since broad conditions catch more than intended
If a conflict appears, see Why am I getting a bundle conflict error?
Checking a product's collections
Open the product in Shopify.
Look at the Collections field in the right-hand column.
This lists every collection the product belongs to, manual and automated. It is the fastest way to find an unintended overlap, and the first place to look when a bundle conflict makes no sense.