What Are Product Variants?

Product variants allow you to sell one product with multiple options:

Example: T-Shirt Product

• Parent Product: "Classic T-Shirt"
• Variants:
  • Red / Small
  • Red / Medium
  • Red / Large
  • Blue / Small
  • Blue / Medium
  • Blue / Large

Each variant has its own:

• Unique SKU
• Stock status
• Lead time (optional)
• Images (optional)

When to Use Variants

Use variants when you have a product that comes in multiple options:

✅ Good use cases:

• Clothing (sizes, colors)
• Products with different finishes (matte, glossy)
• Items sold in different quantities/sizes
• Products with material options (wood, metal, plastic)

❌ Avoid variants for:

• Completely different products
• Products with different pricing structures
• Unrelated items (use separate products instead)

Creating Variants Manually

1. Create Parent Product

   First, create the main product with basic information:

   • Name (required) - e.g., "Classic T-Shirt"
   • Description (optional) - Product details
   • SKU (optional for variant products) - Not needed if you'll add variants

   The parent product acts as a container for variants.

2. Add First Variant

   Click "Add Variant" and specify:

   • SKU (required, must be unique) - e.g., "TS-RED-S"
   • Variant options (e.g., Color: Red, Size: Small)
   • Stock status - In Stock, Out of Stock, etc.
   • Lead time (if applicable)

3. Add More Variants

   Continue adding variants for each combination of options

4. Publish Product

   Once all variants are added, publish the product to make it visible

Creating Variants via CSV

The CSV upload automatically detects and creates variants:

CSV Format:

Name,SKU,Color,Size,Stock
T-Shirt,TS-R-S,Red,Small,In Stock
T-Shirt,TS-R-M,Red,Medium,In Stock
T-Shirt,TS-R-L,Red,Large,In Stock
T-Shirt,TS-B-S,Blue,Small,In Stock

Learn more about CSV upload →

Variant Options

BearOrders supports these variant option types:

You can use any combination of these options for your variants.

Managing Variant Stock

Each variant has independent stock status:

Stock Status Options:

• In Stock - Available now
• Low Stock - Limited availability
• Out of Stock - Temporarily unavailable
• Backordered - Available with lead time

Updating Stock:

1. Navigate to the product
2. Click on the variant you want to update
3. Change the stock status
4. Save changes

Variant Pricing

Currently, BearOrders uses product-level pricing:

• All variants of a product share the same RRP
• Pricing type (RRP, Hidden, Contact for Price) applies to all variants

Future Enhancement: Variant-specific pricing is planned for a future release, allowing different prices for different sizes or options.

Variant Images

You can add images to individual variants:

• Upload images when creating/editing a variant
• Customers see variant-specific images when they select options
• If no variant image exists, the parent product image is shown

Best Practice: Add images showing the actual color or style for each variant to help customers make the right choice.

Editing Variants

To edit an existing variant:

1. Find the Product

   Navigate to your Products page and locate the parent product

2. View Variants

   Click "View Variants" or expand the variant list

3. Edit Variant

   Click the edit icon next to the variant you want to modify

4. Update Information

   Change SKU, options, stock status, or other details

5. Save Changes

   Click "Update Variant" to save

Deleting Variants

To remove a variant:

1. Navigate to the product's variant list
2. Click the delete icon next to the variant
3. Confirm deletion

Important:

• You cannot delete variants that have been ordered
• Deleting a variant is permanent and cannot be undone
• Consider hiding the variant instead if you might need it later

Variant Display Options

Control how variants appear to customers:

Matrix View (for 2 dimensions):

• Shows a grid of options (e.g., colors on one axis, sizes on other)
• Easy for customers to see all combinations at once
• Best for products with 2 variant types (Color × Size)

List View:

• Shows all variants as a list with dropdowns
• Better for products with many options or 3+ variant types
• More compact display

The display style is automatically chosen based on your variant structure.

Best Practices

Variant Limitations

Current limitations (planned for future releases):

• No variant-specific pricing
• No variant-level descriptions
• Maximum 6 variant option types per product
• No inventory quantity tracking (status only)

Bulk Variant Updates

Currently, variants must be updated individually. For bulk updates:

1. Use CSV re-import - Upload updated CSV with new stock status
2. Manual updates - Edit each variant individually
3. Future: Bulk edit tool - Planned for upcoming release

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Clothing Store

Product: Hoodie Variants:

• 12 variants (4 colors × 3 sizes)
• Each variant has its own stock status
• Shared product images + color-specific variant images

Scenario 2: Wholesale Packaging

Product: Gift Box Variants:

• 6 variants (2 materials × 3 sizes)
• Different lead times per variant
• SKUs: BOX-CARD-S, BOX-CARD-M, BOX-CARD-L, etc.

Scenario 3: Art Prints

Product: Landscape Print Variants:

• 4 variants (different sizes)
• Same image, different dimensions
• All in stock

Troubleshooting

Variants not showing on storefront

• Check that parent product is published
• Ensure at least one variant exists
• Verify variant has valid SKU

Can't add variant with specific SKU

• SKU might already be used by another product/variant
• Check for typos or duplicates

Variant images not displaying

• Verify image URL is correct and accessible
• Check file format (PNG, JPG supported)