Can I display items from my Collection in a random order?

Absolutely! Webflow makes it easy to showcase items randomly. When you add a collection (database) to a page, you'll find "random order" as one of the sorting options.

Keep in mind that different types of content may warrant different sorting methods. For example, news articles might be sorted by date, products by popularity or relevance, and team members by seniority or department.

Here are some situations where random sorting can be beneficial:

1. Voting or Contests: In scenarios where users are voting on options, displaying entries in a random order helps prevent bias towards items listed at the top or bottom. It ensures a fair chance for all entries to be considered.‍
2. Showcasing Diversity: If you want to showcase a diverse range of content on each visit, random sorting can be effective. This is common in features like "Recommended for You" sections where the goal is to expose users to a variety of options.
3. Featured or Spotlighted Content: When highlighting featured or spotlighted content, using random sorting can give each item an equal opportunity to be prominently displayed. This is particularly useful for promotions, special offers, or showcasing a variety of products.
4. User Engagement and Discovery: Random sorting can enhance user engagement and encourage exploration. Users may find it more enjoyable to encounter different content each time they visit, creating a sense of novelty.
5. User-Generated Content: Platforms that rely on user-generated content, such as forums or community-driven websites, can benefit from random sorting to provide equal visibility to different contributions.

It's important to note that Webflow caches your site pages on a Content Delivery Network (CDN) for faster loading times. Because of that the random sort on published sites will refresh approximately every 12 hours. On the positive side, this ensures consistency, as everyone viewing the site during that time frame will see the same random order.