How can I set the default arrangement order for Shop All to Newest ?

[whitepencil]

Hi,

I have categories that have the order I have set for items. However for the my default Shop all view (which shows all items in all categories), the default arrangement seems to be Popularity.

I would like to have this default sorted to Newest (as I thought it was set to when I first created the site). For some reason, I note it is now sorted by Popularity.

How is this even determined when my items are all unique and can only be bought once, not multiple times? Is it worked out by number of people who have viewed it?

As a workaround, I have made the two items (which for some reason keeps popping up at the top) to Unavailable just so it wouldn't show ahead of newly added items. But this is not ideal as I want people to know those two items WERE there but now sold out (but not appear at top of Shop All items).

Anyone able to help answer my queries? Main one is how to set default arrangement order for Shop All to Newest. The question on how Popularity is worked out is secondary.

Thanks all

[Laurie_]

Hey there, @whitepencil, 

This is a great question and if I'm being completely honest, I'm not sure what classifies a 'popular item' in this case but I'd be happy to confirm this with our Square Online team.

In terms of the default search filter, the expected behaviour is to show 'Popularity' over 'Newest' and as far as I'm aware there isn't an option to switch this. I can certainly run this by our team as well but I doubt they will be able to offer an alternative to the expected behaviour - but we'll give it a shot!

What may be helpful as a workaround is removing the 'Sort and filter' menu and instead arranging your items in your preferred order. Although it's a manual step it would mean you have control over which items your customers see at the top of the page.

In the meantime, I'll keep a lookout for a response from this team.

[whitepencil]

Thanks @Laurie_. Until I hear of a better option, I will stick to my work around of making it unavailable for now as there were only two sold items that seemed to stay up top for some reason. If more of them behave this way I may have to consider the removal of the sort and filter functionality but really I'd like the customers to have that flexibility.

Looking forward to hearing how Popularity is calculated over items only sold once! 🙂

[Laurie_]

Hello again, @whitepencil, sorry for the wait here! 

I haven't forgotten about you, we've just had a few people out of office recently so we're playing a bit of catch-up. I've flagged this with the Square Online team again and expect to have an update for you by the end of the weekend. 👍

[Laurie_]

Howdy, @whitepencil 👋,

I'm back with an update from the Square Online team!

So, firstly, I can now confirm that the popularity score is based on various factors, including past orders, add-to-cart action (but not purchased) and page view of items.

If you wish to change the default search filter from the 'Sort and filter' menu, you can open your Site Editor and navigate to your Item List > Arrange & Add Items. Here, you can toggle off or click and drag the filter options to suit your preferences.

I had the Square Online team update this for your site to show 'Newest' items as the default but it's handy knowing this can be changed anytime!

I believe that covers everything we discussed but if anything else comes up, feel free to let me know. 🤗

[whitepencil]

That's fabulous! I did actually know about Item List > Arrange & Add Items. However when I tried it (prior to asking my question), I could pick any of the options but thought it always defaulted to Popularity regardless (default didn't stick). But I am very glad it is working now, and thanks to team for updating it in my site. Much appreciated!

I even tested it now and removed my workaround and it still defaults to Newest as I preferred. Yay! 

Thanks again!

[BodegaCards]

Hey Laurie, Can I get this newest default for all my categories too please!!

[Katie_SQ]

Hi @BodegaCards! Just stepping in for Laurie here. 👋

Please follow the below steps to set the default search filter to Newest:

1. Sign in to your online Square Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Sales Channels > Online > Website > Edit Site.
3. In the Site Editor, use the pages dropdown panel on the left to navigate to the Shop All page.
4. Click on your Item List.
5. Select View Items.
6. Under Arrangement, click the dropdown and ensure Newest is selected.
7. Click Publish.

If you have any other questions, please let us know. 😊

[BodegaCards]

this did nothing for the category arrangement. 

Only made the shop all tab sorted by newest. But all the categories still default to popularity. 

Please advise.

[Katie_SQ]

Sorry for the confusion, @BodegaCards! 

To rearrange your category links, please follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your Square Dashboard and go to Sales Channels > Online > Items & Orders > Items > Categories.
2. On the Categories page, click the Rearrange button in the top right corner.
3. Drag and drop your categories into your preferred order, then click Done Rearranging.
4. Refresh your website to check if the changes are visible. If not, republish your site and clear your browser’s cache.
   
   

I hope this helps! If you have any further questions, feel free to reach out.

[BodegaCards]

This also isnt what we want. I want all of my categories to default display the items in the category by recency. They sort items but "popular" which is the dumbest thing ever.

Im not trying to move my categories order like you gave me instructions for. 

[Katie_SQ]

Thanks for clarifying, @BodegaCards. 

Currently, the ability to change the default filter for individual category pages isn’t a feature that’s available in Square Online. The default sorting option can only be adjusted for the Shop All page.

I recommend taking a look at the Ideate Board to see if there is an existing Feature Request for this functionality. If so, please add your use-case and feedback to support it. If you don’t see an existing thread, feel free to submit your own and invite other Sellers to share their thoughts.

In the meantime, you might find Laurie’s workaround useful:

What may be helpful as a workaround is removing the 'Sort and filter' menu and instead arranging your items in your preferred order. Although it's a manual step it would mean you have control over which items your customers see at the top of the page.

To disable the Sort and Filter menu:

1. From your Square Dashboard, navigate to Sales Channels > Online > Website > Edit Site.
2. In the Site Editor, use the dropdown panel on the left to navigate to the Shop All page.
3. Click on your Item List and toggle off the Sort and Filter menu.
4. This will disable the Sort and Filter menu from your Shop All page and all category pages.
5. Hit Publish.

To rearrange items within categories:

1. From your Square Dashboard, go to Items & Orders > Categories.
2. Select the category you wish to edit.
3. Under Items, click Rearrange.
4. Use the drag-and-drop feature to arrange the items in your preferred order.
5. Once satisfied with the arrangement, click Done.
6. In the top right corner, click Save.

Please let us know if you have any other questions. 🙂

[SeasonalThr]

Hi, It is now 2025, and I have been reading this feed from 2023- Just wondering if Square has now rectified the issue of arranging items on websites, so by default the "newest" items will be shown first?? It is still doing the "popularity" default and it really is frustrating. Even if you sort and rearrange the categories, it still jumbles everything up on the website, via the shop now button as it goes back to "popularity"- Every other website you look at, always shows the newest arrivals etc first. I don't know why Square cannot move on with this?? 

[Katie_SQ]

I appreciate your frustration, @SeasonalThr, and I wish I had more news for you.

Unfortunately, I don't have a timeline to share, nor can I comment on our internal development priorities. 

We'll continue to forward all feedback we receive about this to our Product team. If there are any updates in the future, we'll be sure to post them here.