Creating and Setting Up a Product with Variants

Product variants let you offer multiple versions of the same product, such as different colors, sizes, or materials, without creating a separate product for each version. Each variant can have its own price, cost, SKU, barcode, image, and other settings while remaining grouped under the same product.

This guide explains how product variants work, how to add variant options and values, and how to configure the details for each variant you create.

Understanding Product Variants

Variants are created from options and option values:

• An option defines an attribute customers can choose, such as Color or Size.
• An option value represents a choice within that option, such as Red, Blue, or Green for Color.

SHOPLINE automatically creates a variant for each combination of option values. For example, if you add three colors and two sizes, SHOPLINE creates six variants, such as Red · Small, Red · Large, Blue · Small, and Blue · Large.

Use variants when customers need to choose between different versions of the same product. If your product doesn't have multiple options, you don't need to create variants.

Adding Variant Options and Values to a New Product

To create variants for a product, start by adding variant options and their values:

1. From your SHOPLINE Admin, go to Products, then click Create product.
2. Configure the other product information as needed, such as the product name, summary, description, and media.

3. Locate the Variants section and click + Add variant options (e.g., color or size).

   

4. Enter an option name, such as Color. The field is prefilled with Color by default, but you can change it as needed.

5. Enter the values for the option, pressing Enter after each value to separate them. For example, enter Red, Blue, and Green one at a time and press Enter after each to create three separate option values.

   Note: If you enter only one value for an option, Hide this variant option when buying products appears. Select this option if you don't want the option to be displayed to customers when they purchase the product.

6. To add another option, such as Size, click + Add variant option, then enter the option name and values.

   

7. The system will automatically generate all possible variant combinations based on the option values you enter. 
8. Continue to the following sections to configure each variant before saving your product.

Managing Variant Options and Values

After adding variant options and values, you can further update them and adjust the order in which they appear on your storefront:

• Edit option values: Click the pencil icon next to an option to edit its values. In the Edit option value window, you can:

  • Change each value's name.
  • Upload an image. Supported image formats include .jpg, .png, .webp, and .gif, with a maximum file size of 20 MB and a recommended size of 96 × 96 px.
  • Assign a color.

  

• Reorder options and values: Click Sort options to adjust their display order. 

  • Reorder options: Drag the six-dot handle next to an option up or down to move it to the desired position.
  • Reorder option values: Drag the six-dot handle next to a value left or right to change its order within the option.

  Click Done when you finish.

  

• Delete a variant option: Click the trash icon next to an option, then click Delete in the pop-up window to confirm. 

  Warning: Deleting an option also deletes all corresponding products generated from that option. This action cannot be undone, so please proceed with caution.

  

Configuring Details for Individual Variants

For each variant, you can configure its image, pricing, tax and shipping settings, weight, SKU, and barcode:

1. In the Variant list, locate the variant you want to configure.

2. To add an image to the variant, click the image icon, then select an existing product image or upload an image from your device.

   

3. Enter the variant's Price directly in the Price field.

   

4. To configure additional details, click the variant name to open the Edit window, where you can configure the following options:

   

   • Price
   • Compare at price
   • Product cost
   • Charge tax on this product
   • Shipping required
   • Weight
   • SKU
   • Barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN, etc.)

   Note: Variant pricing and shipping settings follow the same general logic as products without variants. For detailed instructions, refer to: Setting Prices, Costs, and Tax for a Product Setting Up Shipping Details for a Product

5. If you don't need a variant, click the trash icon next to it to delete it.
6. Once you've configured the details for each variant, continue to the next section to configure variant inventory.

Setting Inventory for Variants

Set the inventory quantity for each variant at the locations where you plan to stock it: 

1. In the Variant list, open the location dropdown in the top-right corner.

   

2. Select the inventory location where you want to add stock.

   Notes: You can't configure inventory when All locations is selected. Select a specific available location to enter inventory quantities. Fulfillment locations and deactivated locations aren't available for selection.

3. Enter the inventory quantity for each variant in the Inventory field.

   

4. Repeat these steps for any other locations where you want to stock the variants. 

Configuring Variants in Bulk

To configure multiple variants more efficiently, use Bulk select and Filter by conditions to find and select the variants you want to update.

Selecting Variants

In the Variant list section, find and select the variants you want to configure using any of the following methods:

• Select variants using checkboxes: Select the checkbox next to each variant you want to configure, or select the checkbox at the top of the list to select all variants.
• Bulk select: Click Bulk select, then select one or more option value labels, such as a color or size, to select all variants containing those values.
• Filter by conditions: Click Filter by conditions, then select one or more values under the available options. All variants containing the selected values are automatically selected.

Click reset to clear your bulk selections or filter conditions. To deselect all currently selected variants, deselect the checkbox at the top of the variant list.

Once you've selected the variants, use any of the following bulk actions as needed.

Editing Inventory

To update inventory for the selected variants:

1. Click Edit inventory.

   

2. Select the inventory location you want to update, then click Continue.

3. To set the inventory quantity for individual variants, enter a new quantity for each variant in the On hand column.

   

4. Alternatively, use one of the following bulk edit methods to update multiple variants at once:

   • Change to a specified inventory quantity: To set the same quantity for all selected variants, enter the quantity in the field under Change to a specified inventory quantity, then click Apply to all.
   • Adjust according to the original inventory: Choose whether to increase or decrease the existing inventory by a specified quantity, enter the quantity, and click Apply to all.

   

5. Click Confirm.

Editing Prices

To update pricing for the selected variants:

1. Click Edit price, then select the pricing field you want to update:

   • Edit price
   • Edit the compare at price
   • Edit costs

   

2. Choose how you want to update the selected field:

   • Change to a specified price: Enter a new value to apply to the selected variants.
   • Adjustment based on price: Increase or decrease the existing value by the specified amount.

   

3. Click Update to apply the changes.

Configuring Additional Settings

To update other settings for the selected variants, click More actions and choose from the following options:

• Set image: Change or delete the variant image.
• Inventory tracking: Enable or cancel inventory tracking.
• Shipping Information: Edit or remove the package, edit product weight, HS code, or country/region of origin.
• Tax: Collect or cancel tax for the selected variants.
• Continue selling when out of stock: Enable or cancel continued selling when inventory reaches zero.
• Edit SKU code: Update the SKU codes for the selected variants.

Follow the on-screen instructions to configure the selected setting.

Deleting Variants

To delete multiple variants at once:

1. Select the variants you want to remove.

2. Click Delete.

   

3. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

Reviewing and Saving the Product

After configuring your variants, review the product information and variant settings to make sure everything is correct.

When you have unsaved changes, the following options appear at the top of the product edit page:

• Save: Save your changes and create the product and its variants.
• Discard: Discard all unsaved content and exit the creation process.

Click Save to finish setting up the product and its variants.

After saving a product with variants, each variant has its own variant edit page, where you can update and manage its details. For detailed instructions on managing variants after saving, refer to"Updating and Managing Product Variants."