Using smart collections for advanced product linking

The app’s auto-sync supports four sync methods out of the box: by vendor, collection, location, and SKU prefix. But what if you need to sync products by tags, product type, price range, or other criteria?

The answer is Shopify smart collections. Create a smart collection with any conditions you need, then use “By collection” as your sync method in the app. The products will link automatically — and stay in sync as your catalog changes.

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Step 1: Create a smart collection in Shopify

1. In your Shopify admin, go to Products → Collections
2. Click Create collection
   
3. Under “Collection type”, select Smart
4. Add one or more conditions. Common options include:

Condition	Example	Use case
Product tag	Tag is equal to supplier-acme	Link all products you’ve tagged for a specific supplier
Product type	Product type is equal to T-Shirt	Link all products of a certain type
Vendor	Vendor is equal to Nike	Same as the app’s “By vendor”, but combinable with other conditions
Price	Price is greater than $20	Link only products above a price threshold
Compare at price	Compare at price is not empty	Link products that are on sale
Inventory stock	Inventory stock is greater than 0	Link only in-stock products
Weight	Weight is greater than 1 kg	Link products by physical attributes

5. Choose whether products must match all conditions or any condition:

   • All conditions — Products must match every rule (e.g. tagged supplier-acme AND product type is T-Shirt)
   • Any condition — Products need to match at least one rule (e.g. tagged supplier-acme OR tagged supplier-acme-outlet)

6. Give the collection a clear name (e.g. “Supplier - Acme Co.”) and click Save

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Step 2: Use the smart collection in the app

1. Open the app and navigate to the Suppliers page
2. Create a new supplier or open an existing one
3. In the Products card, click Add linking (on new suppliers) or Configure (on existing suppliers)
4. Select Auto-sync products → By collection
5. Select the smart collection you just created
6. Configure property mapping if needed
7. Click Save (or Save & Apply when editing)
8. Optionally click Sync now to import matching products immediately

That’s it — the app will now sync every product in that smart collection to the supplier.

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Real-world examples

Sync all products tagged for a supplier

Problem: You tag products with supplier-acme but the app doesn’t have a “By tag” sync method.

Solution:

1. Create a smart collection with the condition: Product tag is equal to supplier-acme
2. In the app, set the supplier to auto-sync By collection and select this collection

Every product you tag with supplier-acme will automatically link to the supplier.

Sync products by multiple tags

Problem: A supplier fulfills products from two different lines, tagged line-summer and line-winter.

Solution:

1. Create a smart collection matching any of these conditions:
   • Product tag is equal to line-summer
   • Product tag is equal to line-winter
2. Use this collection as the sync source in the app

Both product lines will stay synced to the supplier.

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Tips

• Smart collections update in real time. When you add a tag to a product in Shopify, it’s automatically included in the matching smart collection. The app picks it up on the next sync.
• Use “Sync now” after creating a new smart collection to import matching products immediately instead of waiting for the scheduled run.
• Name your collections clearly. A naming convention like “Supplier - [Name]” makes them easy to find when configuring auto-sync in the app.
• You can combine this with property mapping. The smart collection controls which products are linked; the Map properties section controls how their data maps to supplier fields (SKU, price, tax, metafields).

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For general setup instructions, see How to link Shopify products to a supplier. To understand the benefits of linking, see Why link Shopify products to suppliers?.