> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://uxsmart.gitbook.io/velare/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://uxsmart.gitbook.io/velare/customize-your-pages/collections.md).
# Collections
**Collections** is the group of sections that put your categories in front of shoppers instead of leaving them buried in the menu. Rather than showing individual products, these sections show the doors into them: a row of collection cards, a set of tabs, a highlight panel that changes as the shopper moves between categories. Shoppers meet them on the homepage and on landing pages, normally above the first product row, where they answer the question of what kind of thing this store sells.
Use this group when your catalogue is large enough that shoppers need to choose a direction before they start browsing products.
### Where to find it
{% hint style="success" %}
**Steps:**
1. Go to **Online Store > Themes > Customize**.
2. Open the template where the categories should appear, usually the homepage.
3. Click **Add section**.
4. Open the **Collections** group and choose the section you need.
5. Add a block for each collection you want to show, then drag the section into position.
{% endhint %}
*Result:* the collections you selected appear as cards or tabs, each linking to its collection page.
### Sections in this group
| Section | What it does | Use it when |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Collection list](/velare/customize-your-pages/collections/collection-list.md) | A straightforward row or carousel of collection cards, with the text over or under each image and an optional product count | You want the plainest, most reliable way to show several categories |
| [Explore collections](/velare/customize-your-pages/collections/explore-collections.md) | The same card layout with a lighter set of controls, aimed at a suggested or seasonal group of collections | You are pointing shoppers at a small, curated selection rather than the whole catalogue |
| [Collection tabs](/velare/customize-your-pages/collections/collection-tabs.md) | Tabs that switch between collections in place, so shoppers compare categories without leaving the page | Your categories are alternatives to one another, for example men and women, or by room |
| [Collection highlights](/velare/customize-your-pages/collections/collection-highlights.md) | A large image panel paired with a list of collections, switching on hover or click and able to cycle on its own | You want one category on show at a time, presented like an editorial feature |
### Suggested reading order
1. Start with [Collection list](/velare/customize-your-pages/collections/collection-list.md). Its image ratio, content position, and carousel settings repeat almost unchanged in the other pages of this group.
2. Read [Explore collections](/velare/customize-your-pages/collections/explore-collections.md) next, since it is the same layout with fewer decisions to make.
3. Then choose between [Collection tabs](/velare/customize-your-pages/collections/collection-tabs.md) and [Collection highlights](/velare/customize-your-pages/collections/collection-highlights.md) depending on whether shoppers should compare categories or admire one at a time.
4. Set up the collections themselves in your Shopify admin first. These sections can only show what already exists there, including each collection's image.
### Related pages
* [Products](/velare/customize-your-pages/products.md): the sections that show individual products once shoppers have picked a direction
* [Collection page](/velare/customize-your-pages/collection-page.md) and [Collection list page](/velare/customize-your-pages/collection-list-page.md): the templates shoppers land on after clicking a card
* [Collection mega menu](/velare/set-up-your-store/header-group/header/collection-mega-menu.md): the same job done from the header navigation
* [Colors](/velare/set-up-your-store/colors.md) and [Typography](/velare/set-up-your-store/typography.md): where the schemes and font presets come from
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