Product variations
If your product has options, you can create variations for it. Variations are unique sets of options (such as size, color, material, etc.) that exist for this particular product.
For example, if a t-shirt comes in two sizes (small and medium) and two colors (yellow and gray), it has four variants:
You can create variations for products that have two or more options with different values (like in the example above). You can also create variations for products that have only one option with several values (e.g., sizes S, M, and L). You can create as many variations as you like.
Product variations can help you:
- Assign different images for every set of options your product has (frequently used for apparel and shoes)
- Automatically adjust prices depending on the options your customer selects
- Track inventory with unique SKUs for each set of options to prevent overselling
- Specify weight, length, width, and height for each combination of options your product has to get more precise shipping rates at checkout
Adding product variations
Each product can have an unlimited number of options. Based on them, you can create an unlimited number of variations for this particular product. The combinations of options, as well as the options themselves, can vary from product to product. For example, one product has different sizes and colors, while another has different styles and materials.
To create a product variation:
- From your store admin, go to Catalog → Products.
- Create a new product or choose an existing product that comes with different options (such as colors, sizes, shapes, etc).
- Go to the Options tab and click Add Product Options to add an option and its parameters. You can use the Drop-Down List, Radio Buttons, or Size types for each option, so you can further create variations. As you can then set fixed prices for each variation, we do not recommend using price modifiers when creating options.
In our example, we add "Red" and "White" for "Color" and "Small" and "Medium" for "Size":
If your product has only one option, but this option has more than one value (for example, size S and size M), you can also create variations for it. This way, every option value will become a separate variation that can have its own image, weight, SKU, etc. - Switch to the Variations tab.
- Click + New Variation.
- Select values of options for this variation. In our example, it's the values of color and size:
- (optional) Set the SKU, Price, Weight, Length, Width, Height, UPC, Brand, and a different image for the variation. You can also set the cost price if it's enabled in your store.
- (optional) In the Price section, set "compare to" price, price per unit, and/or bulk discount pricing for the variation.
- (optional) Click on the arrow icon next to Stock Control to set the stock of the product variant. Set the number in stock, quantity for the low stock notifications, behavior when out of stock, and purchase quantity limits.
Learn more about stock tracking for variations →
- Click OK.
- Repeat the steps for all the necessary variations.
- Click Save.
- From your iOS app, go to Products.
- Create a new product or choose an existing product that comes with different options (such as colors, sizes, shapes, etc).
- Scroll down and tap Add more product features → Product Options, then tap Add New Option to add an option and its parameters. You can use the Drop-down List, Radio Buttons, or Size types for each option, so you can further create variations. As you can then set fixed prices for each variation, we do not recommend using price modifiers when creating options.
In our example, we add "Red" and "White" for "Color" and "Small" and "Medium" for "Size". - On the product page, tap Add more product features.
- Select Product Variations. To generate all the possible variations, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner → Generate Variations.
- Tap Add New Variation.
- Select the color and size for this variation and tap Create Variation:
- (optional) Tap on the created variation to set its SKU, price, weight, image, stock, etc.
- Tap Done.
Currently, you can only manage the variations that already exist in your store from the app for Android. To create variations, please open your store admin in browser.
That's it! Now your customers can choose from options and see corresponding pictures and prices while browsing. This is how variations can look in the storefront:
Editing product variations
You can use several tools to update product variations in your store:
- First, you can always update variations for a product on the product editing page in Catalog → Products, in the Options → Variations tab. This way, you can update all the properties for a chosen variation.
- Second, you can update product variations in bulk using the Bulk Product Editor tool. Just choose the products you need for editing in Catalog → Products, enter the Bulk Product Editor and scroll the table down to edit their variations.
- Third, you can use the built-in import tool to re-upload updated data on product variations using a CSV file.
- You can also use the Bulk Product Editor app from the App Market. Along with other features, this app has a wide variety of settings that can help you update product variations in your store.
FAQ
Here is a shortlist of answers to frequent questions along with some tips to use variations effectively in your store.
If I add a variation to a product, does that count as an additional product?
No. You can add as many product variations as you need, they don't count towards product limits. We count products based on the number of products shown on the Products page in your store's admin.
Can I have different stock for each product size?
An item should have its own SKU and stock quantity so that its stock level can be automatically reduced upon sales. You can set a separate SKU and quantity in stock for every product variation in your store, i.e. for every combination of different options (usually it’s a combination of color and size).
Let’s say, you sell shoes and offer them in certain colors (Black, Red) and sizes (5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 7, or Large, Small, Medium, etc). You want to track the inventory level of every variation of the product (e.g., Red 7) to know when it’s time to replenish its stock and make this variation unavailable for online purchase when its stock reaches zero. For this, first, add options Color and Size to that product and create Color + Size variations out of these options’ values, then assign a unique SKU and specify the stock quantity and out of stock behavior ("Show on storefront") for every product variation.
Learn more about managing the stock of products with options (variations).
What if variation options differ between products?
There may be cases when you do not have consistent options across variations. For example, you have white t-shirts in sizes XS, S, M and L, and red t-shirts only in size S and M. You need to make sure your customers do not order red t-shirts in XS or L sizes.
For such situations we recommend that you create the variations for unavailable combinations of product options (for red t-shirts in XS and L in our example) and mark them as "Out of Stock":
Is it possible to use the same SKU for the base product and its variations?
Yes, you can use the same SKU for a product and its variations if you don't need to track inventory for variations separately. However, your store will prompt you to set a unique SKU once you change a variation stock, price, or weight. Once the variation is treated as a separate item, it should have its own SKU.
How to set the default variation?
A default product variation is the set of options your clients see as preselected when opening a product details page for the first time. It appears based on the default set of option values that you’ve set for this product. For example, if "White" is the default option for "Color" and "S" is the default for "Size", then your customers see "White, S" values highlighted on the product page. Read more about preselected values →
To set a default value for an option, choose it in the Value selected automatically dropdown for each of the product options in the Options tab where you edit product details:
If you do not need any preselected defaults, just choose the None. Require customers to select setting.
Is it possible to use bulk discounts for variations?
Yes, you can offer tiered pricing for each variation based on quantity tiers. You can find the detailed instruction here: Bulk discount pricing for product variation.
How can I add color swatches to product variations?
You can add color swatches using apps from the App Market. For example, Color Swatch or Advanced Product Options.