Variants and Product Status

Product variants allow you to sell different versions of one product (for example, a different color or size) without creating separate products. This guide will show you how to manage variants and their statuses.

Path: Admin > Products > [Your product] > Variants

What Are Variants and When to Use Them

Variants are used when you have a product available in different versions:

• Colors — red, blue, green version of one t-shirt
• Sizes — XS, S, M, L, XL of the same clothing
• Weights — 250g and 500g packaging of the same product
• Material — cotton or polyester of the same shirt
• Variations — appearance, technical specifications, or packaging

Each variant has its own SKU, stock quantity, price, and attributes.

Managing Variants — Variant List

When you open the Variants tab for a specific product, you see a table of all variants:

Table Columns

• VARIANT — variant name (automatically generated from attributes)
• SKU — unique code for inventory
• PRICE — variant selling price
• STOCK — number of units in stock
• STATUS — active, sold out, on order
• ACTIONS — buttons for editing, duplicating, and deleting

Creating a New Variant

Path: Admin > Products > [Your product] > Variants > New Variant

What Happens Automatically

When creating the first variant, the system automatically:

• Copies the price, SKU, barcode, and other data from the main product into the first variant
• Adjusts the main product so that variant-level data is managed at the variant level

Requirements for Variants

WARNING

For variants to work correctly, make sure the product has a filled-in SKU and Attributes (e.g. Size, Color). Without a filled-in SKU and attributes, variants may not function correctly.

Basic Information

In the first section of the form, you fill in the basic variant details:

• SKU — unique variant identifier (e.g. "TRIC-M-RED-001")
• Barcode — barcode for inventory
• EAN — European product code
• GTIN — global product code
• UPC — North American product code

Status

Select the active status of the variant:

• Active — the variant is displayed on the e-shop and can be purchased
• Requires shipping — check this to indicate that this variant requires physical shipping (as opposed to digital products)

Variant Attributes

In this section, select the attribute values that define this variant:

• If you selected the Color attribute, select a specific color (e.g. "Red")
• If you selected the Size attribute, select a specific size (e.g. "M")
• If you selected the Weight attribute, select a specific weight (e.g. "500g")

Each attribute has its own dropdown menu with previously defined values.

Variant Pricing

Set prices for this specific variant:

• Regular price — selling price including VAT
• Discount — fixed price or percentage
• Discounted price — automatically calculated final price
• Cost price — your purchase price (visible only in the administration)

Inventory

Set stock details:

• Stock quantity — number of units of this variant in stock
• Allow negative stock — checking this allows sales even when stock quantity is negative

Labels and Tags

Assign labels and tags specific to this variant, for example:

• New — if this variant is new
• Recommended — if you want to recommend this color/size

Variant Images

Upload images specific to this variant (e.g. photos of a red t-shirt):

• Click Upload images
• Or check Use main product images and the system will use images from the main product

Editing an Existing Variant

Path: Admin > Products > [Your product] > Variants > [Click on a variant]

After clicking on a variant in the table, a form with its details opens. You can change:

• Attributes (color, size, etc.)
• Prices and discounts
• Stock quantity and availability
• Images
• SKU and barcodes

After making changes, click the Update button.

Variant Actions

For each variant in the table, you will find three buttons:

Edit

Opens the form for editing the variant.

Duplicate

Copies the variant with the same attributes and prices. Only the SKU changes. This feature is very useful if you want to quickly create a similar variant (e.g. the same color in a different size).

Delete

Deletes the variant from the product. This operation is irreversible — make sure you really want to delete the variant.

Product Archiving

Instead of deleting a product, we strongly recommend archiving it:

• The product URL stays active — no 404 errors for customers or search engines
• The product is hidden from search results and product listings
• It remains accessible via direct link if needed

Why Archive Instead of Delete?

If a product has already been indexed by search engines or has generated sales, deleting it causes 404 errors. Archiving avoids this and protects your SEO ranking.

Featured Products

Any product can be marked as Featured. Featured products are displayed in higher positions in the product listing, giving them better visibility to customers.

Workflow: How to Efficiently Create a Product with Variants

If you want to create a product with multiple variants, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create Attributes

Path: Admin > Attributes

First, define the attributes that your variants will have (e.g. Color, Size). More information can be found in the Attributes section.

Step 2: Create the Main Product

Path: Admin > Products > New Product

Create the main product and assign the attributes you created in step 1.

Step 3: Go to the Variants Tab

After creating the product, click on the Variants tab.

Step 4: Create Variants

Click New Variant and create individual variants. Each variant must have:

• A unique SKU
• Selected attribute values
• Its own price (if it differs from others)
• Its own stock quantity

Step 5: Duplicate for Speed

If you have many variants, create the first variant completely, then duplicate it and:

• Change the SKU
• Change the attributes
• Change the stock quantity (if needed)

Important Notes About Variants

Inheritance from the Main Product

Variants inherit some information from the main product:

• Product name
• Description
• Image gallery (if you do not specify specific ones)
• Categories
• Labels and tags

Automatically Generated Names

Variant names are created automatically from attribute values. If you have:

• Product: "T-shirt"
• Attributes: Color = Red, Size = M

The variant is automatically named: "T-shirt - Red - M"

Duplication for Speed

If you have 10 variants with similar properties, create the first one completely, then duplicate it 9 times and only change the necessary fields.

Check SKU

Each variant must have a unique SKU. The system will warn you if you try to save a variant with an SKU that already exists.

Variant Images

The best practice is to have specific images for each variant. For example, different photos of a red and blue t-shirt. If all variants look the same, you can use Use main product images.

Variant Statuses

In the STATUS column, you can see the current variant status:

• Active — the variant is available for purchase
• Sold out — the variant has no stock quantity and cannot be purchased
• On order — the variant is not in stock but can be ordered
• Inactive — the variant is not displayed on the e-shop

More Information

• How to create attributes: Attributes
• How to set stock quantities: Creating Products - Step 5
• How to manage categories: Categories