When using Shopify, efficiently managing product and collection data becomes important. However, Shopify's standard features don't let you export collection data for editing.
That's why this article explains in detail how to use the Shopify app "Matrixify" to bulk-edit collection data. This is especially recommended reading for those who want to efficiently manage data for smart collections and custom collections.
Shopify apps recommended for bulk-updating collection data
Matrixify
Matrixify is a Shopify app that lets you export all kinds of data on Shopify, such as products, blog posts, and collections, and use its import feature to bulk-update data.
We recommend introducing it for Shopify sites that carry many products or own a lot of content. On the free plan, you can import or export up to 10 items per run.
Price: Free~
The blog article below explains Matrixify's main features and pricing plans in detail. Please use it as a reference.
How to bulk update collection data
In this section, we'll show you how to use the Shopify app "Matrixify" to bulk-change collection data titles.
Preliminary check: Types of collections
There are two types of collections:
Manual collection
A collection where you add products one at a time, manually.
In Matrixify this is called a Custom Collection, so choose Custom Collections when selecting the collection you want to output.
Smart collection
A collection that automatically adds products matching the conditions you've set.
In Matrixify this is called a Smart Collection, so choose Smart Collections when selecting the collection you want to output.
Step 1: Export collection data with Matrixify
(1) Open the Matrixify app
(2) Click "New Export"
(3) From Format, select "Matrixify: CSV"
(4) Click Select Sheets
(5) From the displayed list, check "Smart Collections"
💡 In this example we want to bulk-change smart collections, so we've selected "Smart Collections." If you want to bulk-change manual collections instead, select "Custom Collections."
(6) Check the fields you want to output as CSV data
(7) Optional: From Filter, set the narrowing conditions for the collections you want to output
(8) Click "Export"
(9) A job to create the CSV runs, so wait until the status becomes "Finished"
(10) Once it switches to "Finished" status, click "Download Exported File"
Step 2: Edit the exported data
(1) Open the CSV file you exported in Step 1
💡 Here we're opening it in Google Sheets, but any tool you normally use (like Excel or Numbers) works fine too.
(2) Edit the data in the column named "Title"
(3) Once you've finished editing, export the file as a CSV
In Google Sheets, you can export a CSV file by clicking File > Download > Comma-separated values (.csv), in that order.
(4) Optional: Rename the exported CSV file to "Smart Collections.csv"
💡 Having the string "Smart Collections" in the file name means Matrixify will automatically recognize it as a file for smart collections when you import the file into Matrixify.
Step 3: Import the edited data into Matrixify
(1) Access the Matrixify top page
(2) Import the csv file you created in Step 2 into the Import section
After importing, the page automatically switches.
(3) From the select box in the Sheets section, select "Smart Collections"
💡 If you renamed the file as described in Step 2 (4), "Smart Collections" will be selected automatically.
(4) Click "Import"
(5) A job to bulk-update the data runs, so wait until the status becomes "Updated"
Once it becomes "Updated" status, you're done.
Step 4: Confirm the bulk update
Finally, let's confirm that the data has been bulk-updated as intended.
The attached images below show the collection list before and after the bulk update. If the collection data has been updated as intended, as shown in "After bulk update," you're finished.
Collection list before the bulk update
Collection list after the bulk update
In closing
The above is how to bulk-edit collection data using the Shopify app "Matrixify." Compared to manual editing, it dramatically reduces time and effort, making it extremely effective especially when managing a large number of products or collections. When exporting or importing data, paying attention to file names and setting items will help the process go smoothly.
Note that Matrixify's free plan limits you to 10 imports/exports per run, so if you're handling a lot of products or content, consider upgrading to a paid plan.
Use this article as a reference to further streamline your Shopify operations.
