SA Variants lets you connect your individual product listings together as variant swatches, so customers can browse related products without leaving the page, all while keeping each listing as a separate, SEO friendly product with its own URL.
Once you have created a group, you may find that the products inside it naturally fall into smaller categories, for example by flavor, type, or shade. Category lets you organize a long list of grouped products into clearly labeled sections, making it much easier for customers to find what they are looking for. Categories also give you a way to highlight or push specific products by grouping them under an appealing label.
If you have not yet created a group, start there first, see our guide on creating a product group before continuing with this article.
Step 1: Open a group to add category
Open the group you want to organize. You will see all the products currently in the group listed together. To start organizing them into categories, click Add category.
Step 2: Add names fo each category
A modal will appear asking you to name your new category. Enter a name that reflects how you want to organize this set of products, for example a flavor name, a type, or a shade name, then click Create category.
You can create only 5 categories in a group. The category name cannot exceed 25 letters.
Step 3: Review all categories and set display preferences
Once created, your categories will appear as color coded tags above the product list, making it easy to see all categories at a glance. At this point, you should review the following:
Choose a display style — select from 3 available styles for how categories appear on the storefront. If you want to show all the categorised products at once, select stacked list in style settings.
Reorder your categories — the order you set here determines the order they appear in on your storefront. Drag the category name to reorder them.
Decide whether to show an "All products" category — this lets customers view all products in the group regardless of category. An All category will appear on the store front if this is enabled.
Set a default category — if a new product is added to the group without being assigned to a category, it will automatically appear in the default category you select from the dropdown.
Step 4: Add products to a category
To add products to a category, click on the color coded tag for that category. You can then move products into it using one of two methods:
Move products — select existing products already in the group and move them into the category
Add product — add a new product directly into the category
Once you click move products, a modal will appear letting you filter by category or option values to narrow down your search. Select the checkboxes next to the products you want to move into the category, then click Move. Once you are done, click Save at the top of the page to confirm your changes.
If needed, you can also filter the product list by Product status or Option values within any category view, making it easier to find specific products to assign.
Make sure to review and assign every product in the group to a category. Any product not explicitly assigned to a category will automatically fall into the "All" category or the default category you have set, which may not be where you intend it to appear on your storefront.
Step 5: See it live on the storefront
Once your categories are set up and saved, customers will see the categories displayed on the product page, allowing them to filter the grouped products by category. Selecting a category filters the swatches shown underneath it, helping customers quickly narrow down to the products they are interested in.
Common use cases
Categories can be used creatively to organize and merchandise your grouped products. Some popular use cases include:
Flavors or scents — group products by flavor (such as Watermelon, Blueberry Acai, Cucumber Lime) so customers can quickly browse by taste preference
Shade families in beauty products — organize shades into categories like Nude Tones, Wheatish Tones, or Fair Tones, helping customers find the right match faster
Limited edition or seasonal collections — create a category to highlight limited edition colors or seasonal variants, drawing attention to time sensitive products
Standard vs premium ranges — separate your standard product line from a premium or upgraded line within the same group, helping customers compare tiers easily
Product type or format — for groups with multiple formats such as Gel, Gummies, and Drink, categories make it easy for customers to jump straight to the format they prefer