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Add a variant

A variant is the unit of sale — see how the catalogue works. This recipe adds one to a product that already exists; to create a product and its first variants together, see create a product.

Add the variant​

  1. Go to Catalogue → Products and open the product.
  2. In the Variants section, select New variant.
  3. If the product has options, choose a value for each one — every option needs a value before the variant can be created.
  4. Fill in the SKU (required), Weight (g), Status, and tick or untick Tracks inventory.
  5. Select Add variant. On success you're returned to the product page with a toast confirming the variant was created, and it appears in the Variants table.

If the SKU you entered is already in use elsewhere in the organisation, the variant isn't created and the error names the clashing SKU.

Set its classification and other details​

The new-variant form only covers SKU, weight, status and stock tracking. Everything else is set afterwards, from the variant's row in the Variants table: select its ⋯ menu, then Edit variant, to open its detail sheet.

Saves as you change it — no Save button, each takes effect immediately:

  • Status — the inline badge, here or in the table.
  • Tax category — the VAT class the variant is charged at.
  • Accounting category — which account its revenue and cost post to.
  • Taxable — the "Charge tax / sync to Shopify" checkbox.
  • Rotation strategy — None, FIFO or FEFO. See product and variant fields for what each one actually changes at receiving and at picking.

Saves together, on the sheet's Save button — SKU, title, weight, country of origin and HS code all commit in one action:

  • Change any of them, then select Save. Clearing the SKU is caught before it reaches the server — you'll see "SKU is required" and nothing is sent.
  • A successful save shows a "Variant updated" toast and closes the sheet; a failed one shows the error and leaves the sheet open with what you typed still in place.
  • If nothing in this group changed, the button reads Done and just closes the sheet — no request is sent.

The sheet also holds units of measure and barcodes, each managed as its own section — see add a unit of measure and add barcodes to a variant.