The "Most Relevant" Sort Order Is Here — Better Product Discovery for Your Shopify Store

Introduction

How your products are ordered inside a collection has always had a direct impact on what customers find and what they buy. Shopify has offered sorting options for years, from best selling to newest to price.

On April 15, 2026, a new option changed this approach entirely. The Most Relevant sort order is now available for all Shopify collections, transforming how product discovery works.

Here is everything you need to know about what it is, how it fits alongside existing options, and when it makes sense to use it.

What Is the Most Relevant Sort Order?

Shopify has introduced Most Relevant as a new collection sort option. Your existing sorting methods remain unchanged, and this new option appears alongside Best Selling, Price, and Newest.

Instead of relying on a single fixed metric like total sales or creation date, Shopify now surfaces products using a combination of signals that reflect what is most relevant to the shopper at that moment.

This includes sales performance along with additional relevance factors, helping customers discover products that better match their intent.

By default, new collections are now sorted using Most Relevant, indicating Shopify’s shift toward smarter product discovery.

How It Differs from Best Selling?

This is the most common comparison merchants will make.

Best Selling ranks products based on all time order counts. It is a historical metric. Products that performed well in the past may continue to rank high even if they are no longer trending.

Most Relevant takes a dynamic approach. It considers performance signals along with recency and other factors, allowing currently trending products to rise to the top.

This makes it especially valuable for stores with seasonal inventory, trending products, or a mix of new and evergreen items.

Where to Find It and How to Apply It?

Applying the new sort order is simple and requires no technical setup.

• Go to Shopify Admin

• Navigate to Products and then Collections

• Select the collection you want to edit

• Find the Sort dropdown in the Products section

• Choose Most Relevant

No apps or additional configuration are required.

For developers using the GraphQL Admin API, the MOST_RELEVANT value is available in API version 2026-07 and above.

Which Stores Will Benefit Most?

While all stores can use this feature, certain business types will benefit more significantly.

• Large Catalog Stores: Helps customers quickly find the most useful products among hundreds of options

• Seasonal or Trend Driven Stores: Surfaces products that are currently performing well

• New Stores: Does not rely solely on historical sales, making it ideal for low data environments

• Multi Channel Retailers: Works well with unified inventory setups including Shopify POS

What You Should Do Now?

Start by reviewing your key collections and evaluating whether Most Relevant is a better default than your current sorting method.

If your collections feel outdated or if new products are not getting visibility, this is worth testing.

• Switch one collection to Most Relevant

• Monitor performance using Shopify analytics

• Compare conversion rate and add to cart behavior

This approach helps you make data driven decisions without impacting your entire store.

Final Thoughts

Product sorting is often overlooked, but it plays a major role in how customers browse and buy.

The introduction of Most Relevant sorting is a strong step toward smarter ecommerce experiences. Shopify has even made it the default for new collections, highlighting its importance.

Whether you are running an existing store, planning a migration, or launching a new Shopify project, optimizing your collection sorting can lead to better product discovery and improved conversions.

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