Exclusive AMA: Optimizing your Inventory Management with Shopify Experts!

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Hi @jennibrand ,

I have never personally done it, but I have seen others do it. What I usually see is a separate Shopify store which is only available to “VIP” customers who have access to a password protected site where these products are present.

Alternately, if you want to do this within your same store, here is the result from a question I asked ChatGPT:

In Shopify, you can create a collection of products that are only available to specific customers by using one of the following methods:

1. Use Shopify Scripts (For Shopify Plus)

If you are on Shopify Plus, you can use Shopify Scripts to hide or restrict collections based on customer tags or other criteria during the checkout process. Here’s how:

  1. Tag your customers: Assign specific tags to customers (e.g., “VIP” or “Wholesale”).
  2. Create a collection: Add products to a new collection that will only be available to the tagged customers.
  3. Write a custom script: Use Shopify Scripts to check for customer tags and adjust the product availability during checkout, allowing only tagged customers to access the collection.

2. Use an App

If you’re not on Shopify Plus, you can use a third-party app to manage customer-specific collections. Here are some popular apps that can help:

  • Locksmith: Allows you to lock certain collections and make them accessible only to specific customers, such as those with certain tags.
  • Wholesale Club: Allows you to set up customer-specific pricing and collections for wholesale customers, which can be restricted to certain groups.
  • Bold Custom Pricing: Offers features to restrict access to collections based on customer groups.

3. Manual Password Protection (Basic Method)

For a more manual approach:

  1. Create a hidden collection: Set up a new collection, but do not link it in your store navigation.
  2. Create a separate page with a password: Use a page with a password to give specific customers access to the collection link.
  3. Email or communicate the password to customers you want to grant access to, so only they can view the collection.

While not fully automated, this method allows some control over who can access the collection.

4. Customer Accounts with Tagged Access1. Enable Customer Accounts: In Shopify settings, enable customer accounts.

  1. Tag Customers: Manually or automatically tag customers based on specific criteria (like “VIP” or “Wholesale”).
  2. Use Custom Liquid Code: Modify your Shopify theme to restrict access to certain collections or products by checking customer tags. This will require some development work, but it provides flexibility to display collections only to tagged customers.

These methods will allow you to restrict a collection’s visibility and availability to specific customer groups based on your store’s plan and needs.