Not every research task requires scraping an entire store. Collection-based scraping lets you target specific product categories, saving time and storage while getting exactly the data you need. This guide shows you how to leverage this powerful ShopifyMate feature.

Why Collection-Based Scraping?

Full store scraping has its place, but collection-based scraping offers several advantages:

Faster Results

Scrape 50-200 products instead of 5,000+. Get results in seconds instead of minutes.

Focused Research

Target exactly the product category you're researching. No noise from unrelated products.

Efficient Storage

Use less storage space. Important for Free and Basic tier users with storage limits.

Better Organization

Products are already categorized by the source store's collection structure.

How to Scrape Collections

Step 1: Add the Store

First, add the target Shopify store to ShopifyMate:

Go to Stores in the main navigation
Click "Add Store"
Enter the store URL (e.g., example.myshopify.com)
Select "Scrape Collection" instead of "Full Store"

Step 2: Browse Available Collections

ShopifyMate fetches the store's collection list, showing you all available categories:

Collection name and handle
Number of products in each collection
Collection description (if available)

Step 3: Select and Scrape

Choose one or more collections to scrape:

Click on a collection to select it
Select multiple collections if needed
Click "Scrape Selected" to begin
Watch real-time progress as products are extracted

💡 Pro Tip: Collection URLs

If you already know the collection URL (e.g., from browsing the store), you can paste it directly. ShopifyMate will recognize it as a collection and scrape only those products.

Common Collection Types to Target

Most Shopify stores organize products into predictable collection patterns:

High-Value Collections

Bestsellers / Top Sellers - Products with proven demand
New Arrivals - Latest products, often trending
Featured - Store's highlighted products
Sale / Clearance - Price comparison opportunities

Category Collections

Product type collections - "T-Shirts", "Accessories", "Electronics"
Brand collections - Products by specific vendor
Gender/demographic - "Men", "Women", "Kids"

Seasonal Collections

Summer Collection - Seasonal products
Holiday Gift Guide - Curated gift items
Back to School - Seasonal promotions

Collection Scraping Strategies

Competitor Bestseller Analysis

Goal: Identify top-performing products across competitors

1. Add 5 competitor stores
2. Scrape only "Bestsellers" collection from each
3. Merge all bestsellers in Catalog view
4. Analyze pricing, vendors, and product types
5. Identify patterns and opportunities

New Product Discovery

Goal: Stay updated on new market trends

1. Identify trend-setting stores in your niche
2. Weekly: Scrape "New Arrivals" collection
3. Compare new products to previous scrapes
4. Identify emerging trends early

Price Monitoring by Category

Goal: Track pricing in specific product categories

1. Scrape the same category from multiple competitors
2. Export to spreadsheet for price comparison
3. Identify price leaders and outliers
4. Inform your own pricing strategy

When to Use Full Store vs. Collection Scraping

Use Full Store Scraping When:

• You need comprehensive competitor data
• The store has < 500 products
• You're building a complete catalog backup
• You want to analyze entire store structure

Use Collection Scraping When:

• You're researching specific categories
• The store has 1,000+ products
• You want quick, focused results
• Storage space is a concern

Adding More Collections Later

You can always add more collections to an existing store:

Find the store in your Stores list
Click the "Scrape Collection" action
Select additional collections
New products are added to your existing catalog

Avoiding Duplicates

If a product exists in multiple collections, ShopifyMate handles this intelligently. Products are identified by their unique handle, so you won't get duplicates when scraping overlapping collections.

Conclusion

Collection-based scraping is a powerful technique for focused product research. By targeting specific categories, you get faster results, use less storage, and maintain cleaner data for analysis.

Whether you're monitoring competitor bestsellers, tracking new arrivals, or researching specific product categories, collection scraping gives you the precision and efficiency needed for effective e-commerce research.

Collection-Based Scraping: Targeted Product Research for Shopify