What are 'Sections' in Sequence sorting

What are Sections?

Sequence sections are configurable zones within a collection's sequence (also available in Smart Widgets and GSOs). They let you divide a single sequence into up to five distinct sections, with each section having its own sequencing logic, rules, and filtering criteria.

Instead of applying the same sequencing rules across an entire sequence, Sections let you split the sequence into separate blocks, each with its own configuration. 

There are two types of Sections available within the Sequence tab of collection pages:

• Custom Sequence Section: Build sections using custom sequencing, filters, and merchandising rules. (Covered in this article.)
• Attribute Sequence Section: Organise products into hierarchical sections based on product attributes (such as Product Type, Fabric, and Color). As new attribute values are added to your catalog, they are automatically included in the appropriate section without requiring any manual updates. 

This article focuses on Custom Sequence Section and how you can use them to create flexible merchandising strategies within your collections.

How to create a Section

To configure a new section in a sequence, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Collections: Open your dashboard and go to Collections. Select the collection you wish to edit. 

2. Open the Sequence tab to view your sequence layout
   
   

   

3.  Add a Section by clicking + Custom Sequence Section. 
   
   

   

4. Configure Sequence: Choose between creating a Sequence or a Sequence Shortcut.

   For this example,  select Sequence.  Define your product criteria (e.g., Color = Blue and Product Type = Tops), set the rule to switch to the next sequence after 1 product, and click Add.
   
   

   

5. Add Additional Sequences (Optional): Within this section, you can add multiple sequences byclicking + Sequence, + Sequence Shortcut, or using the Clone icon on an existing sequence.

   For this example, click + Sequence to configure a second sequence within the section.

   

6.  Save and Apply Changes: Once you have configured your sequences, click Save and then Save Collection to make your updates live. 

Section Settings

Each section offers granular controls to customise how products appear

• Limit Section by: Sets the maximum number of products this section applies a sequence to.  In this example, select limit sections by Count of products (including pinned products) 
• Maximum number of products: Sequences can be applied to  up to 1000 products across all sections. In this example, select 250 products.
• Products per sequence: Sets how many product display the merchandising condition for each of the sequences within this section. In this example, select 1 product 
• Sort order: Sets the sort order for this particular section. In this example, select default sort order
  
  

How you can use Custom Sequence Sections:

• Filter products at the section level. Create a section that only includes product matching specific criteria.  For example, you can create a section that only includes in-stock products so that products meeting those conditions are handled in that specific section without needing to add manual conditions to every individual sequence.
  
  
• Control where sequencing changes. For example, Section 1 can manage product positions 1–48, while Section 2 begins from position 49 onward, each using different sequencing rules. 
  
  
• Create a dedicated section for demoted products: The final section in a sequence can be designated to sequence and sort demoted items, allowing you to establish distinct hierarchy levels (e.g., prioritizing products with full size availability before limited size products)
• Reuse your configuration: Sections can be drag and dropped to reorder, cloned, copied to a GSO, and replicated across grouped stores.

Note: You can create up to 5 sections per sequence, supporting a maximum of 50 custom sequences and 1,000 sequenced products across all sections.