A user reports that Shopify’s automatic “Suggested Product Category” feature, which previously appeared within 10 minutes of creating new products in their old store, is no longer functioning in their newly opened store. Despite using identical product data and having the Google & YouTube Channel installed, new products show empty category fields with no recommendations.
Key Questions Raised:
Whether the feature can be manually enabled or triggered
If Shopify deploys this capability gradually across stores
What requirements (product count, apps, plan type) might activate it
Community Response:
A developer confirms experiencing similar issues and explains that:
The feature relies on Shopify’s internal algorithms analyzing product data (titles, descriptions, tags)
No manual trigger or setting exists to force-enable it
Shopify frequently implements gradual rollouts, meaning newer stores may not have immediate access
Factors like product inventory size, app integrations, plan tier, or region could influence availability
Recommended Workaround:
Manually assign product categories until the automated suggestion feature becomes available, ensuring proper classification for Google Shopping and other integrations.
Status: The issue remains unresolved with no confirmed method to activate the feature.
Summarized with AI on October 27.
AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
In my old store, whenever I created a new product, Shopify would automatically generate a “Suggested Product Category” within about 10 minutes. I didn’t need to do anything — the recommendation just appeared under the “Product Category” field, and I could choose to apply it.
However, I’ve recently opened a new Shopify store, and this automatic suggestion no longer appears. All new products just show an empty “Product Category” field with no recommendations at all.
I’m using the same kind of product data (titles, tags, product types), and I’ve also installed Google & YouTube Channel in the new store just like before.
Question:
Is there a way to manually enable or trigger the Suggested Category feature in the new store?
Does Shopify roll out this feature gradually to certain stores?
Are there any known requirements (like number of products or installed apps) to activate this?
Shopify’s Suggested Product Category feature usually works automatically, like you said. It looks at your product data (title, description, tags, etc.) and recommends a category, especially useful for Google listings and SEO. However, it’s important to note that this feature isn’t guaranteed to appear for every product or in every store. Shopify uses internal algorithms that can vary across stores, so it’s possible that your new store isn’t triggering the same logic — at least not yet.
2. No Manual Trigger
Unfortunately, there’s no manual setting to enable or trigger the Suggested Category feature. It’s entirely controlled by Shopify’s backend, and there’s no documented way to force it.
3. Gradual Rollout and Store Factors
Yes, Shopify often rolls out features gradually across stores and accounts. There’s a chance your old store had this feature enabled, while your new one doesn’t yet. It could also depend on:
How much product data is in your store (e.g., more products = more signals)
App integrations (though you mentioned Google & YouTube Channel is installed)
Your Shopify plan or region, though this is less likely
4. Best Practice: Manually Set Product Categories
Until the Suggested Category feature reappears, the safest option is to manually assign categories. It’s a bit more work, but it ensures your products are properly classified for Google Shopping and other integrations.