Fudge can build a featured categories grid

Quick design wins
Discovery & Browsing

AI 'Shop by Category' grid for Shopify — visual grid of your top categories below the hero with lifestyle imagery, product counts, hover lift, and direct links.

Try this prompt

Add a "Shop by category" grid below the hero. 4 cards with lifestyle images.

Want more control? See the expanded prompt

Add a 'Shop by category' grid below the hero. 4 large cards (Skincare, Body, Hair, Wellness), each with a lifestyle image, label, product count, and a hover lift.

Pattern
[Section] + [Placement] + [Behavior on action] + [Mobile / desktop scope] — Fudge fills in the rest (brand voice, fonts, photography, shipping, schema) from your store.
You say
Fudge fills in automatically
Shop by category grid
Section type and placement
4 cards with lifestyle images
Layout and visual
AUTO
Categories from your collections
AUTO
Product counts from your catalog data
AUTO
Hover lift animation
AUTO
Styling matching your brand
Key takeaways
  • Pulls collection imagery and live product counts.
  • Hover lift + subtle image zoom on each card.
  • Mobile collapses gracefully to a 2x2 grid.
  • Customizable card sizes per collection (hero categories get bigger).

What you're trying to do

Mega menus are great for users who know what they want. A category grid converts the rest — visual cues guide undecided shoppers into the right collection. For brands with strong visual identity per category (skincare vs body vs supplements), this is essential homepage real estate.

Things to watch out for

  • Image quality — Fudge warns if collection images are below 800px.
  • Empty categories — Fudge handles this: collections with zero products are auto-hidden.
  • Naming — Fudge can override Shopify's collection title with display copy.
  • Hover only — Fudge handles this: touch devices get a tap-to-navigate fallback.
Want this built for you? Fudge does it in minutes.
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How Fudge does it

Fudge duplicates your live theme into a draft, builds the section as an editable Shopify section with the placement and behavior your prompt requires, and wires it to your real product data and brand styling. Everything starts in draft — preview on your store, tweak via the Theme Editor, and publish only when you're ready. Your live store stays untouched.

Why “Shop by Category” grids reduce homepage bounce

Most homepage visitors don’t know what they want — they want to be guided. A category grid below the hero gives them four to six clear paths into the catalog, reducing bounce and lifting deeper-funnel engagement.

When this is worth building

Build the category grid if you have meaningful category distinctions in your catalog. Skip for single-category brands where everything is the same category.

What makes one great

  • Lifestyle imagery per category — not product cutouts.
  • 4 cards visible above the fold on desktop — paralysis-free choice.
  • Product count per card — helps shoppers calibrate browsing time.
  • Hover lift animation — small detail, real conversion lift.
  • Categories pulled from your actual collections — not made up for the homepage.

Pair this with shop by occasion tiles and hover reveal collection.

Common questions

Can I show different categories on mobile vs desktop?
Yes — Fudge can hide secondary categories on mobile so the grid stays scannable.
Can I add a 'Shop all' card at the end?
Yes — Fudge will add a CTA card linking to your full catalog.
Does it update when I add a new collection?
Yes — Fudge re-runs the layout query each time the page renders.

Try Fudge free

Install the Shopify app and run this exact prompt in under a minute.