Manual Product Sorting on Product List Page in Ecommerce Stores
Control Your Product Display Order
Take charge of your store's merchandising by using Manual Product Sorting. This feature allows you to dictate the exact sequence in which products appear on your store's main product list page. By setting a custom order, you can ensure your most profitable, new, or seasonal items are the first things your customers see.
Understanding Manual Product Sorting
Manual Product Sorting is a CRM feature that gives you direct control over the arrangement of products on your Product List Page. Instead of relying on automatic sorting like alphabetical or by date, you assign a priority number to each product. Products with lower priority numbers are displayed first, allowing you to strategically position items to maximize visibility and sales.
Key Advantages
Using manual sorting provides several significant benefits for your store management:
- Strategic Placement: Promote bestsellers, new arrivals, or sale items by placing them at the top of the list.
- Campaign Alignment: Arrange products to support your current marketing initiatives and sales goals.
- Consistent Tie-Breaking: If multiple products share the same priority number, they are automatically sorted alphabetically for a predictable order.
- Simple Management: Update your product lineup quickly by changing a single number for each item.
- New Store Default: For any new store you create, the "Featured" sorting method is the default, making setup straightforward.
- Error Reduction: The system only accepts whole numbers, which simplifies data entry and prevents mistakes.
- Instant Results: See your changes reflected immediately after saving, so you can preview the final look.
How to Set Up Manual Product Sorting
Follow these steps to configure a custom product order for your store.
Step 1: Open Your Store Editor
Log in to your CRM account. From the main navigation menu, select Sites. Then, click on Stores to view your Ecommerce stores. You can either create a new store by clicking + New Store or edit an existing one by clicking on its name or the three-dot menu and selecting Edit.
Step 2: Navigate to the Products List
Once inside the store editor, click on the Products tab. This will display a list of all products currently associated with this store.
Step 3: Assign Display Priorities
In the product list, locate the Display Priority column. For each product, enter a whole number into this field to set its display order.
- Lower numbers indicate a higher priority and will appear first (e.g., 1 is the highest).
- Higher numbers (2, 3, 4, etc.) will appear further down the list.
After entering your desired priorities, click the Save Changes button. Please note that you must use whole numbers only; decimals or letters will not be accepted and will result in an error.
Step 4: Preview the Changes
To check your new product order, go to the Pages tab in the store editor. Click the Preview Link button for the Product List page. Your products will now be arranged according to the priority numbers you assigned.
Step 5: Configure the Sorting Method in the Builder
For the manual sorting to take effect on your live store, you must configure the page builder. Click on the Edit or Edit in a New Tab option for the product list page. Select the Product List element. In its settings, find the Sort & Filter options and set the Default Sorting Option to Featured. Click Save to apply this setting.
As a helpful tip, you can also adjust the Layout settings in the same element to increase the number of products displayed per page, up to a maximum of 100, which can be useful for stores with large catalogs.
Mobile User Behavior
On mobile devices, shoppers have the ability to change the sort order using a sort menu (for example, to sort by price). To ensure your manually curated order is the first thing they see, it is crucial to keep the Default Sorting Option set to Featured. The page will load with your custom order before a user selects an alternative.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if two products have the same display priority?
Products assigned the same priority number will be sorted alphabetically by their name (from A to Z) as a secondary method to determine their final order on the list.
Can I use decimals or text in the Display Priority field?
No. The system is designed to accept only whole numbers. Any entry containing a decimal point, letter, or other character will be rejected with an error message.
Will changing to manual sorting affect my existing store?
No. Existing stores will maintain their current sorting settings until you actively change the Default Sorting Option to Featured in the page builder.
How are out-of-stock products handled?
Products that are out of stock will automatically be moved to the end of the Product List Page, regardless of the display priority number you have assigned to them.
Is the Featured sorting option available for all stores?
Yes, the Featured sorting method is available for every store. It is set as the default for any new store you create.
Can I switch back to a different sorting method later?
Absolutely. You can change the default sorting option at any time through the Advanced Settings of the Product List element in the page builder.
Does manual sorting affect search results?
No. This feature only controls the order of products on the main Product List Page. The sorting of search results is managed separately.