Product Variations

Variations are similar items that have different attributes, such as color, shape, and size. Variations are grouped together with their variants on a single product page.  The parent is the actual product, and the children are the variants. For example: “green M-sized T-shirt” and “red S-sized T-shirt”.

Terminology #

Variation group—a few similar products that differ from each other only in one or several features.

Variation—a product that belongs to a variation group. A product can belong only to one group at the same time, but it’s easy to change the product’s group. If a variation is removed from the group, it becomes a standard product.

Catalog item—a single spot on the product list. Until variations existed, “catalog item” meant the same thing as “product”. But now variations may or may not occupy a place on the product list, hence the new term.

Every variation is a product, but not every product is a variation. 

A T-shirt comes in 3 colors, and each color has 5 sizes. That means 15 products. If we want to add switching between these products, we’ll put these products into a variation group that is based on the “Color” and “Size” features. Now we have 15 variations, and customers can switch between them on the product page.

Working with Variations #

Creating a New Variation Group #

Before adding Variations you must first complete and save your listing by adding all necessary information, which includes, shipping, features, video link, etc.

Let’s say you have added a new product to your store, and now you want to create variations for it. You can do it right on the product page:

1. Open the Variations tab on the product page 
2. Click Add variations.
3. Enter the name of a feature in the Create new products tab. If a feature exists in your store, you’ll be offered to use it. Not all the features appear among suggestions. It depends on what Purpose has been specified in the features’ settings.
4. Add Variants for your features.
5. Delete any variant that you do not wish to create a variation for 
6. Modify the variation to be created
   • Uncheck any variation that you do not wish to add to the product
   • Update the name, price, or quantity of the new variants before adding them (you can also do this later on the product page under variation)
7. Click Create. The variations will be generated automatically.

Сombining Products into a Variation Group #

Let’s say you have imported products to your store, and now you want to put some of them in one group. It will allow your customers to choose a product while switching between the variations, and not to get confused by identical products with different feature variants. To do this:

1. Open the Variations tab on the product editing page.
2. Click Add variations.
3. Go to the Use existing products tab. You can see all of the identical products here. The list will display the products that meet the three following conditions:
   • same category;
   • same features, but different variants;
   • appropriate purposes specified in the features’ settings.
4. Select the products you need, and click Add variations.

Management and Removal #

Once a variation group is created, all products from the group will appear on the Variations tab of any product in the group. On this tab you can:

• See which variations have their own catalog item, and which don’t. A variation that doesn’t appear on the product list has a smaller icon.
• Choose which of the variations to display by default as the catalog item. Other variations will borrow many of their properties from the variation that is selected as default.
• Remove a variation from the group; this will turn the variation into an independent product.
• You can also delete the variation.
• Change the group code—you can use it later to add other products to this group as a variation. A group code can contain only digits, Latin characters, and the following signs: - and _.
• Add more variations to the group.
• Switch to the product list to edit variations there—that way you’ll be able to edit and remove variations in bulk.
• Disband the group—turn all its variations into independent products and remove the ability to switch between them on the product page.