Product targeting controls which products display your option groups. Apply options to your entire catalog or select specific products—giving you flexibility in how customization is offered across your store.
Application Scope
When creating or editing an option group, choose a scope under Apply to:
Specific products - Only products you select show these options
Products not in other groups - A default group that applies to any product not covered by another option group
All products - Every product in your store shows these options
Products in a collection - Products in a Shopify collection you choose
Products with a tag - Products carrying a tag you enter
Products of a type - Products matching a product type you enter
Products by vendor - Products from a vendor you enter
Apply to All Products
Use this when options should appear universally:
Gift wrapping available on everything
Rush shipping for all orders
Terms acceptance checkbox
All products automatically include the group’s options. New products added to your store will also show these options.
Specific Product Selection
Use this when options only apply to certain products:
Engraving on jewelry only
Custom sizing on furniture
Personalization on gifts
You manually select which products receive the options.
Targeting by Collection, Tag, Type, or Vendor
Instead of picking products one by one, target them by an attribute they already share:
Products in a collection - Click Select collection and pick a collection with the collection picker. Every product in that collection shows the group’s options.
Products with a tag - Enter a tag in the Tag field. Any product carrying that tag matches.
Products of a type - Enter a product type in the Product type field.
Products by vendor - Enter a vendor name in the Vendor field.
Matching happens live on the storefront against the product being viewed, and it’s case-insensitive — “Gifts” matches “gifts”. If you add a tag to a product, change its type or vendor, or add it to the targeted collection, it starts showing the options immediately. No re-sync is needed, and removing the attribute stops the options just as quickly.
The option groups list shows the chosen criterion in the scope column (for example, the collection name or the tag), so you can see each group’s targeting at a glance. When you export option groups, the targeting settings are included, and importing restores them.
Using the Product Picker
For specific product targeting:
Open the option group
Click the Products link (or the product count)
Click Add Products
Search or browse to find products
Select products to add
Click Add to confirm
Products immediately start showing the group’s options.
Removing Products
To remove a product from an option group:
Open the option group’s products list
Find the product to remove
Click the remove icon
Confirm removal
The product no longer shows those options.
Best Practices
Start specific, expand later - It’s easier to add products than remove them. Start with specific targeting and expand if needed.
Use collections, tags, types, or vendors - If your catalog is already organized in Shopify, target by that attribute instead of picking products manually. New products that match are covered automatically.
Combine groups - A product can belong to multiple option groups. A jewelry item might have both “Engraving” and “Gift Services” groups.