Product Variants
Product variants are used to manage products with multiple characteristics and features. Each alternative of the main product option will be a variant. Variant products will have their own SKU and stock details while the other details will be inherited from the main product.
For example, a shop selling shoes will present the following multiple options.
- Colour - Black, White
- Size - 42, 43, 44
For these shoes Black - 42 will be a variant product. The shoe will have 8 variant products including this option.
The new release allows you to set up variants for products. This will make it easier to keep track of the product stocks, understand consumer preferences, and provide your customers with a variety of options.
Each variant of a product comprises unique features and characteristics, that differ from the main product. Let’s familiarise ourselves with these features to enjoy their maximum benefit.
- Variants can have their own price, images, and descriptions
When variants are featured under the main product, they can be displayed with their own price, images, and product description and you can update this information individually. If not provided with an individual description, the variant products will also have the same description and information as the main product
- The base product quantity and price are not editable after variants are defined
You will not be able to make further changes in the base product’s price and quantity once the variant products are added to maintain consistency of the information.
- Shoppers have to select variant attributes before adding them to the cart
Shoppers are not allowed to add a base product to the cart until they specify their choice by selecting a product variant. Once the variants are selected, the “Add to Cart” button will be enabled.
- Offers for a particular product variant will only be displayed once the variants are selected
If any offers are assigned to a variant, shoppers can view these offers once they select those variants. A product can increase its demand based on these offers.
- Product variants will behave as individual products
The variants of a product are treated as individual products by the order management system. These products have a price and a quantity like every other product. Therefore, they do not limit themselves to variant products.
- The base product will display the lowest price
The base product will feature the lowest price of the product. Once variants are chosen by the shopper, the price will change based on the selected variants.
- Variant product offers are applied over the main product offer
Any offers assigned on a variant product will be displayed with the base product. This will happen even if the base product has a separate offer. If a customer selects a variant product without an offer, the offer allowed on the base product will be applicable to that choice.
All these updates done with variant products require support from the backend. The new release has made several changes to the admin console to support these updates.
- Products variants can be managed from the backend
Now you can easily set up and manage product variants through the admin console. First, they are established as attributes. The process of adding variants can be performed on any product that comprises a variety of product options.
- Forms to create and edit product have been updated to support variants
Your new backend has separate tabs named ‘General’, ‘Images’, ‘Attributes’, and ‘Variants’. The ‘Variants’ tab contains all the variant product information. It can also be used to create new variant products.
- Main Variant Products are featured as Configurable Products
The product list featured in the admin console has been updated to display the main products with variants as configurable products. This is mentioned under the “Type” column in the product list.
- Admins can Filter the Products List
The newly updated Admin Console provides you with the ability to filter out Variant Products. This can be done using the “Hide Variant Products” option found above the list.
We have also updated the APIs parallel to this release.
