Product Variants

Learn how to create and manage product variants to group related products by color, size, material, and other attributes

Overview

Product variants allow you to group related products together so customers can easily select their preferred option. For example, a t-shirt might have variants for different sizes (Small, Medium, Large) and colors (Red, Blue, Green), or a mug might have variants for different materials (Ceramic, Glass) and designs (Plain, Patterned).

Variants help organize your catalog and make it easier for customers to find and compare options. Each variant group has a type (like Colour, Size, Material) and contains multiple products that share that characteristic. You can create multiple variant groups per product, but each group type can only exist once per product.

Accessing Variant Management

To manage variants for a product:

Navigate to Products in the sidebar navigation
Find and click on the product you want to manage variants for
Click on the Edit button or tab
Scroll to the Variants section

Alternatively, you can view variants on the product's View page, where they are displayed in a read-only format showing all variant groups and their associated products.

Understanding Variant Groups

Variants are organized into groups. Each group represents a type of variation (e.g., Colour, Size, Material) and contains multiple products that share that characteristic. You can have multiple variant groups per product, but each group type can only exist once per product.

Available Variant Group Types

You can create variant groups with the following types:

Colour: For products with different color options (e.g., Red, Blue, Green)
Size: For products with different sizes (e.g., Small, Medium, Large)
Material: For products made from different materials (e.g., Wood, Metal, Plastic)
Style: For products with different style variations
Pattern: For products with different patterns or prints
Design: For products with different design options
Shape: For products with different shapes
Feature: For products with different feature sets

Tip: Choose the variant group type that best describes how your products differ. For example, use "Colour" for color variations, "Size" for size variations, and "Material" for material differences.

Creating a Variant Group

To create a new variant group for a product:

Navigate to the product's edit page and scroll to the Variants section
Click the Add Variant Group button (plus icon)
A modal window will appear asking you to select the Group Type
Choose the appropriate type from the dropdown (e.g., Colour, Size, Material)
Click Create to create the variant group

Note: You cannot create duplicate variant groups of the same type for the same product. If you try to create a group type that already exists, you'll see a warning message. Instead, add products to the existing group.

After creating a group, the current product will automatically be added as the first variant in that group. You can then add more products to the group.

Adding Products to a Variant Group

Once you've created a variant group, you can add other products to it:

Find the variant group you want to add products to
Click the Add Product Variant link or button next to the group name
A modal window will appear with a product selector
Search for products by SKU, product name, or platform SKU
Select the products you want to add (you can select multiple products at once)
Click Add Products to add them to the variant group

Important Notes:

You can only add products that belong to your supplier account
Products already in the group will not appear in the selection list
The current product cannot be added to its own variant group (it's already included as the first variant)
After adding products, you can edit their variant values to describe what makes them different

Tip: When adding multiple products at once, make sure they all share the same variant characteristic. For example, if creating a Colour variant group, only add products that differ by color.

Editing Variant Values

Each variant in a group can have a variant value that describes what makes it different. Variant values help customers understand the differences between options and are displayed on the product page. For example:

In a Colour group: "Red", "Blue", "Green"
In a Size group: "Small", "Medium", "Large"
In a Material group: "Ceramic", "Glass", "Wood"

To edit a variant value:

Find the variant in the variant group table
Click the Edit icon (pencil) next to the variant value
Enter the new variant value in the text field
Click Save to apply your changes

Tip: Use clear, descriptive variant values that customers will easily understand. Keep them short and consistent across your catalog.

Reordering Variants

You can change the order in which variants appear within a group. This is useful for displaying the most popular or default options first:

Find the variant you want to move in the variant group table
Use the up arrow (↑) button to move it up in the list
Use the down arrow (↓) button to move it down in the list

Note: The first variant (sort order 0) cannot be moved up, and the last variant cannot be moved down.

Tip: Place your most popular or default option first in the list, as customers often select the first option they see.

Removing Variants from a Group

To remove a product from a variant group:

Find the variant you want to remove in the variant group table
Click the Delete icon (trash) next to the variant
Confirm the removal if prompted

Important: Removing a variant does not delete the product itself—it only removes it from the variant group. The product will still exist in your catalog and can be added to other variant groups or managed independently.

Note: If you remove all variants from a group except one, the group will still exist. You can add more products to it later or delete the entire group if it's no longer needed.

Editing Variant Group Type

To change the type of an existing variant group:

Find the variant group you want to edit
Click the Edit Group link or icon next to the group type name
Select a new type from the dropdown
Click Save to apply your changes

Warning: Be careful when changing group types, as this may affect how variants are displayed to customers on the website. Only change the group type if you're certain it better represents the variation between products.

Viewing Variants

You can view all variants for a product in two ways:

In the Edit Form

When editing a product, the Variants section shows:

All variant groups for the product
Each group displays as a card with:
- Group type (e.g., "Colour", "Size")
- A table listing all variants in that group
- Product information (SKU and name) for each variant
- Variant values (editable)
- Actions to add, edit, reorder, or remove variants

In the View Page

On the product's View page, variants are displayed in a read-only format showing:

All variant groups
Products in each group with their variant values
This view is useful for quickly reviewing variant relationships without making changes

Creating Variants from the Product List

You can also create variant groups directly from the product catalog page using bulk actions:

Navigate to Products in the sidebar navigation
Select multiple products using the checkboxes next to each product
A toolbar will appear at the top showing available bulk actions
Click Group as Variants from the bulk actions menu
A modal will appear asking you to choose the variant group type
Select the appropriate type (e.g., Colour, Size, Material)
Click Group as Variants to create the group

This will create a new variant group of the selected type and add all selected products to it. The first product in your selection will become the main product, and the others will be added as variants.

Tip: This is a quick way to create variant groups when you have multiple related products already created. After grouping, you can edit individual products to set their variant values.

Best Practices

Organizing Your Variants

Use descriptive variant values: Clear values like "Red" or "Large" help customers understand their options at a glance
Group logically: Create variant groups that make sense for your product type and how customers shop
Keep groups focused: Don't mix unrelated variations in the same group. Each group should represent one type of variation
Order matters: Place the most popular or default option first in each group
Be consistent: Use the same variant value names across similar products (e.g., always use "Small" not "S" or "SM")

Choosing Variant Group Types

Colour: Use for products that come in different colors (e.g., Red, Blue, Green)
Size: Use for products with size variations (e.g., Small, Medium, Large for clothing or containers)
Material: Use for products made from different materials (e.g., Wood, Metal, Plastic, Ceramic)
Style: Use for products with different style variations
Pattern: Use for products with different patterns or prints
Design: Use for products with different design options
Feature: Use for products with different feature sets

Managing Large Variant Sets

If you have many variants, consider creating multiple variant groups to organize them better
Use clear, consistent naming conventions for variant values across your entire catalog
Regularly review and remove variants that are no longer available or discontinued
Keep variant values short and descriptive—avoid abbreviations that customers might not understand
Consider the customer experience: too many variants can be overwhelming, so group logically

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: T-Shirt with Size and Colour Variants

To create a t-shirt with both size and color options:

Start with your base product (e.g., "Classic T-Shirt")
Create a Size variant group
Add products: Small T-Shirt, Medium T-Shirt, Large T-Shirt
Set variant values: "Small", "Medium", "Large"
Create a Colour variant group
Add products: Red T-Shirt, Blue T-Shirt, Green T-Shirt
Set variant values: "Red", "Blue", "Green"

Customers will be able to select both size and color when viewing the product.

Scenario 2: Mug with Material and Design Variants

To create a mug with different materials and designs:

Start with your base product (e.g., "Coffee Mug")
Create a Material variant group
Add products: Ceramic Mug, Glass Mug
Set variant values: "Ceramic", "Glass"
Create a Design variant group
Add products: Plain Mug, Patterned Mug
Set variant values: "Plain", "Patterned"

This allows customers to choose both the material and design they prefer.

Scenario 3: Adding a New Colour to an Existing Product Line

To add a new color option to an existing product line:

Create the new product with the new color (e.g., "Blue Widget")
Navigate to any product in the existing Colour variant group
Click Edit and scroll to the Variants section
Find the Colour variant group
Click Add Product Variant in the Colour group
Search for and select the new "Blue Widget" product
Set the variant value to "Blue" to match your naming convention

The new color will now appear as an option alongside your existing colors.

Troubleshooting

Cannot Create Variant Group

Issue: You see a warning that a group of this type already exists.

Solution: Each product can only have one variant group of each type. If you need to add more products, add them to the existing group instead of creating a new one. To add products to an existing group, click Add Product Variant in that group.

Product Not Appearing in Selection

Issue: A product doesn't appear when trying to add it to a variant group.

Possible causes and solutions:

Product already in group: The product already exists in this variant group. Check the group to see if it's already listed.
Wrong supplier account: The product belongs to a different supplier account. You can only add products from your own account.
Same as current product: The product is the same as the current product you're editing. The current product is automatically included and cannot be added again.

Variant Value Not Saving

Issue: Changes to variant values don't persist after editing.

Solution:

Make sure to click Save after editing the variant value
Check that you have permission to edit the product
If the issue persists, refresh the page and try again
Ensure you're not in read-only view mode

Cannot Remove Variant

Issue: The remove button doesn't work or the variant reappears after removal.

Solution:

Ensure you have permission to edit the product
Make sure you clicked Save after making changes
Try refreshing the page and attempting the removal again
If you're trying to remove the last variant in a group, you may need to delete the entire group instead

Variants Not Displaying on Website

Issue: Variants are set up but not showing on the product page.

Possible causes:

Products may not be added to the relevant sites
Products may have inactive status
Variant values may be missing (add descriptive values for each variant)
Products may be pending review

Important Notes

Variants don't delete products: Removing a variant from a group does not delete the product itself. The product remains in your catalog and can be added to other variant groups or managed independently.
Sort order matters: Each variant has a sort order that determines its display position. Use the up/down arrows to reorder variants within a group.
Variant values are recommended: While variant values are optional, they're strongly recommended for better customer experience. They help customers understand the differences between options.
One group type per product: Each product can only have one variant group of each type. For example, you can't have two "Colour" groups for the same product.
Products must be added to sites: For variants to appear on the website, all products in the variant group must be added to at least one site and have active status.