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What are Product Variants? 

Variants are best explained using the style / colour / size scenario for a product range.

Imagine that product 12345 is a hi-vis safety vest. It's available in several sizes and colours. In fact, when you list all the possible colour and size combinations, you might have upwards of 20 SKUs just for this product!

But instead of putting all 20+ products on the web, you can put one product (the 'master' product) online, and then allow your customers to select from available variants (the 'child' products).

This guide will step you through the process of maintaining variants online via the CMS.



Prerequisites

Before you can take advantage of Product Variant functionality in the CMS, you'll need the feature enabled. Contact Commerce Vision to have us switch this on for your website.

 

1. Configure Feature Settings

First, you'll want to ensure the Product Variant feature is configured correctly for your site. 

  1. Login to the CMS. 
  2. Navigate to Settings → Feature Settings.  
  3. Edit the Product Variant feature.
  4. Switch the Product Variant Mode to 'Online'. 
  5. Select the 'Default Display Type'. This will determine the interface for users when selecting options.
    • Dropdown List
    • Radio Buttons
  6. Toggle 'Allow Product Matrix Mode' on/off as required. This will allow individual products to be set to matrix display mode, using the Product Attribute Grid Widget.
  7. Toggle 'Allow Display Type Override' on/off as required. This will allow the default display type (that you just set in Step 5) to be overridden on a product by product basis. 
  8. Toggle 'Allow Child Products As Note Line' on/off as required. The will allow child products to be marked so that the selected variants are added to the sales order as a note line against the product. 
  9. Click 'Save'. 

The Product Variant feature has now been configured and is ready to use in Product Maintenance. 

 

2. Edit Variants

The CMS stores a list of Variants (e.g. 'Size') and their associated Values (e.g. 'Small', 'Medium', 'Large') in a table. This lookup table is referenced when you add a variant to a master product. You'll see an example of how a bit later; for now let's look at populating the data. 

  1. In the CMS, navigate to Settings → Feature Settings
  2. Edit the Product Variant feature. 
  3. Hover over the 'Options' button and select 'Edit Variants'. 
  4. Click 'Add' and enter a Variant in the input field. 
  5. Click 'Save'. Once the variant has saved, the button will update to 'Values'. 
  6. Click 'Values' and then click 'Add' to add a value. 
  7. 'Save' and repeat to add another value. Continue until all values have been entered. 
  8. Click 'Back' to exit values maintenance and return to your Variant list. 
  9. You can repeat this process for any other Variants you may require, such as Colour, Capacity, Weight, Length, and so on. 
     

You'll also be able to enter new variants and values on the Product Maintenance screen, so don't worry if you haven't thought of EVERY option right away. Saving a new variant or value against a product will add the optoion(s) to these lists. 


3. Maintain Master Products

Now you're ready to set up some variants!

  1. In the CMS, navigate to Products & Categories → Product Maintenance
  2. Search for the required product and click 'Edit'. 
  3. At the bottom of the maintenance page, you'll find a new section labelled 'Master Product'.  
     
  4. Toggle the 'Is Master Product' setting on. Additional maintenance fields will appear.
  5. The 'Child Products' section is where you set up the child options for this master product. 
  6. To set up the first child, either search for the product code to be used as the child SKU, or leave blank to use the master code for pricing. 
  7. Enter the Variant name in the first Variant box. The dropdown list will be populated as you type, with data from the 'Edit Variant' screen we visited in section 2. Select the correct option, or enter a new one.
  8. Next, enter the Variant Value in the corresponding box. Again, the dropdown list will be populated from values in the lookup table. Handy! 
  9. If there is another variant applicable to this product, enter it on the next line, repeating steps 7 and 8. 
  10. If there is a third variant dimension available, click the 'Add Variant' button. 
  11. Once all variants have been entered, click 'Add Child Product'. 

 

 

 

Product Variant data can also be imported in bulk - especially handy if you're starting from scratch. A guide on importing variants can be found here XXXXXXLINKXXXXXX.

 

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