Understanding Key Product Concepts
Every product you sell in SHOPLINE is built around several core concepts: products, variants, SKUs, collections, and inventory locations. Understanding how these concepts work together helps you organize your product catalog, manage inventory accurately, and present products effectively in your storefront.
This article introduces each concept, explains how they relate to one another, and provides an overview of where you'll encounter them when managing products.
How Products and Variants Work
A product is the main listing you create in Products. It contains the information that describes what you're selling, such as the product name, description, images, and pricing.
If a product has different options, such as Size or Color, you can create variants. Each variant represents a specific combination of those options and can have its own:
- Price
- SKU
- Inventory quantity
Although all variants belong to the same product, they are managed independently. For example, a T-shirt product may include three variants — Black / Small, Black / Medium, and White / Small — with each variant having its own price, SKU, and inventory quantity.
| Note: On the Products list, products with multiple variants display the number of variants (for example, 4 variants) instead of a single price because each variant can have its own price. |
How SKUs and SPUs Identify Products
A SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) is a unique code used to identify a specific product variant. Because each variant is tracked independently, each variant typically has its own SKU.
In inventory and supply chain management, the overall product is often referred to as an SPU (Standard Product Unit). An SPU represents the main product, while SKUs identify its individual variants. In SHOPLINE, you manage the overall item as a product. If needed, you can assign an SPU code to the product for identification, while each variant has its own SKU for inventory tracking and fulfillment.
You can enter a SKU in the SKU code field under the Inventory section of the product edit page.
| Note: A SKU is different from a barcode. A product variant can have both a SKU code and a Barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN, etc.). A SKU is used for internal inventory management, while a barcode is typically used for scanning during checkout or in physical stores. |
How Collections Organize Products
A collection groups related products together to improve storefront navigation and merchandising. For example, you can create collections for Summer Dresses, Best Sellers, or New Arrivals.
SHOPLINE supports two types of collections:
- Manual collections: You select the products to include.
- Smart collections: Products are added automatically based on the conditions you define.
A product can belong to multiple collections at the same time.
How Inventory Locations Track Stock
An inventory location represents a place where inventory is stored, such as a warehouse, retail store, or fulfillment center.
If you manage inventory across multiple locations, SHOPLINE tracks inventory for each product variant independently at every location.
For each location, the Inventory section of the product editing page displays:
- Unavailable: Inventory reserved for draft orders or otherwise unavailable for sale.
- Committed: Inventory reserved for existing orders.
- On-hand: Total inventory currently at the location.
- Available: Inventory currently available for sale.
- Incoming: Inventory expected to arrive from transfers or purchase orders.
Related Product Management Guides
For detailed instructions on managing products, refer to the following articles:
- Creating and Setting Up a Product
- Creating and Setting Up a Product with Variants
- Creating and Setting Up Product Collections
- Managing Inventory Across Multiple Locations
- Creating and Updating Products in Bulk Using Product Files
- Bulk Updating Products from the Product List