Product variants
A variant is one exact version of a product, the one you actually stock, scan and price. Inventory, Sales and Purchasing all work with variants.
Where: inside the product form (Catalog → Products → Create product, or the pencil on a
product), section Product variants.
Who: catalog.product.create or catalog.product.update.
Plan your variants
List every combination you really sell. Each one becomes a variant with its own SKU.
| Small | Medium | Large | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blue | (not sold) | TS-BLU-M | TS-BLU-L |
| Red | (not sold) | TS-RED-M | (not sold) |
Only create the combinations you sell: three variants here, not six.
PRODUCT-COLOUR-SIZE in short letters: TS-BLU-L means T-shirt, Blue, Large. Staff can read it
without looking it up, and it sorts nicely.
Variant fields
Identity
| Field | What to enter | Example | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Variant Code | Short code within the product | BLU-L | Required |
| Name | Readable name | Blue, Large | |
| SKU | Stock-keeping code | TS-BLU-L | Required; unique across all products |
| EAN | 13-digit retail barcode number | 5012345678900 | Unique across all products |
| Barcode | Any other barcode you scan | BHS000123 | Unique across all products |
| Reference | Free reference, such as the supplier's code | SUP-TS-4471 | |
| Status | Draft, Active, Inactive or Discontinued | Active | Required |
Attributes (lists from master data)
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Color | Blue (or None) |
| Size | Large |
| Shape | Round (useful for mugs and plates) |
Size and weight
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Length, Width, Height | The item's own size | 72, 54, 1 |
| Dimension Unit | Unit for the item's size | Centimeter |
| Package Length / Width / Height | Size of the packed item | 30, 25, 3 |
| Package Dimension Unit | Unit for the package size | Centimeter |
| Weight | Weight of one unit | 0.18 |
Prices and order
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Cost Price | What one unit costs you | 5.20 |
| Sale Price | Your normal selling price | 12.00 |
| Sort Order | Position in lists; lower first | 1 |
| Variant Notes | Internal notes | Best seller |
Flags
| Flag | Meaning | Usually |
|---|---|---|
| Default | The main variant. Ticking it on one variant unticks it on the others. | The best-selling version |
| Stockable, Saleable, Purchasable | As on the product, per variant | ✓ |
| Trackable | Track stock movements for this variant | ✓ |
The product register shows a Price Range built from the variants' sale prices: for example
"$12.00 - $14.00". It always shows a $ sign, whatever your currency.
Add a variant to an existing product
- In the product register, open the product's row and select Add Variant (or the pencil).
- The product form opens. Select Add variant. A new Variant N appears at the bottom.
- Fill it in and select Save changes.
Example: Bright Home Supplies starts selling Blue / Medium. Add a variant with code BLU-M, SKU
TS-BLU-M, Color Blue, Size Medium, Sale Price 12.00.
Edit a variant
Select the pencil next to the variant (Edit Variant). The whole product form opens. Change the variant's fields and select Save changes.
Examples:
- Price rise: change Sale Price from 12.00 to 13.00 on each variant.
- Stop selling Red / Medium: set that variant's Status to Discontinued.
Remove a variant
Select the bin next to the variant (Delete Variant). This opens the product form; it doesn't delete anything by itself. In the form, select the bin (Remove variant) on that variant's card, then Save changes.
After Save changes, the variant is gone. The system doesn't check whether it has stock or appears on orders. Before removing a variant, check Inventory Balance shows no stock for it. For a variant you've stopped selling, set its Status to Discontinued instead.
A product must keep at least one variant. Removing the last one shows "At least one variant is required."
Rules the system checks when you create a product
| Rule | Message |
|---|---|
| At least one variant | "At least one product variant is required." |
| No two variants of the product with the same colour and size | "Duplicate variant combination found for color 'Blue' and size 'Large'." |
| No repeated SKU, EAN or barcode within the form | "Duplicate SKU 'TS-BLU-L' found in request." |
| SKU, EAN and barcode not already used by any other variant | "SKU 'TS-BLU-L' already exists for this tenant." (and the same for EAN and barcode) |
Capitals and spaces at either end are ignored when comparing: ts-blu-l and TS-BLU-L count as the
same SKU.
When you edit a product, only the SKU is checked against other products: a duplicate fails with an error. Duplicate colour and size combinations, EANs and barcodes aren't caught on edit, so check them yourself.
How variants connect to the rest of the system
When you add stock, transfer, reserve or count in Inventory, you choose the Product and then the Variant. That is why each variant needs a clear name and SKU.
Images
Product and category images can be stored by the system, but there is currently no screen for adding them. The register shows an image only where one has been loaded by other means.