HOWTO: Setup Variants / Variant Matrix

Step by step of how to enter variants and then turn the variant matrix on at a global level. Last Update : 2009/03/23 Rating :

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What are Variants?

Variants are options for a product, such as Color, Size, Shade, etc.  They provide the benefit of consolidating a long list of the same product that varies a small amount.  Examples: Hanes Blue shirt vs. Hanes Red shirt or a Hanes Shirt in Large vs. a Hanes Shirt in medium.

In AmeriCommerce these options are setup using Variant Groups and Variant Options. The examples below explain what variant groups and options are:

Examples of Variant Groups and Variant Options:

Example 1: If you sell a t-shirt in different colors:

• The Variant Group is Color
• and Variant Options could be Red, Blue, Green, Yellow etc

Example 2: If you sell a t-shirt in different sizes

• The Variant Group is Size
• and Variant Options could be Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large etc

Size and Color are Groups. A group is nothing more than a container for the variants within. The name of the group typically depends on the variants it contains.

You can define as many variant groups and variant options as you need.

Display Options for Variants:

1. Display each variant group separately as:

• Checkbox List
• Drop-down List
• Quantity Grid (Single Grid)
• Radio Button List

Here is a sample of how the above 4 display options look like:

2. Display two variant groups in a Matrix Style
   
   If you have 2 associated variant groups (for example Size and Color) then you can use the Variant Matrix display to create a simple yet effective interface for your customers:

 

The matrix also allows a visitor add multiple products with different options by accepting quantity input in each of the combination cells.

All these options are explained in detail further in this article.

 

Setting up Variants:

Both types of variants (each variant group displayed separately or two variant groups displayed as a matrix) are setup in the same way. The Variant Matrix for two variant groups involves a few additional steps which are outlined after completion of the setup.

There are two steps to setting up variants:

1. Define Variant Groups
2. Setup Variant Options

Step 1: Define Variant Groups

To create a new Variant Group, browse to Catalog > Variant Groups.


 


To create a new Variant Group enter its name and click on the icon.


 



In this case we have added a variant group called Color.

Once you have added the group it will be displayed as shown below and you can define variant group settings:


 

You can now edit the various elements of this variant group as well its basic behavior.

Variant Group Settings

The following settings can be edited for the Variant Group

• Variant Group Name
  This is the name of the group as it is displayed on the Product Details page next to the variants.
• Display Type
  Select how the variants in this group will be displayed.

Four Display Options are available:

1. CheckBoxList: The variants are displayed with checkboxes. This allows the user to select multiple variants within a variant group. 
   
   Note:
   • You can only use the checkbox option for Non-Inventory variant groups.
   • The DefaultText is not used when displaying the variant group as a checkbox list.

Below is the snapshot of a checkbox list variant group with a HTML Header and Footer




2. DropDown: The variants are displayed in a drop down list. Only 1 variant in the group can be selected.
   
   

   Selecting the DropDown display option will display the Variants as a dropdown list as shown below:

    

   
   Note:

   • The Default Text (Please Select a Color), if entered is populated automatically at the top of the list.
   • Adding Default Text makes the variant a required option. Customers will have to make a selection from this dropdown to be able to add an item to the cart.


3. QuantityGrid: Variants are displayed in a single option grid style where the user can enter a quantity for each variant in the group. The default quantity box for this product is not displayed. Customers can order multiple colors, that is 3 of Red and 4 of Green by entering the quantity in the grid cells.

This option will result in the following display of a grid of quantity boxes:



4. RadioButtonList: Displays the variants in a set of radio buttons and the user can only choose one option.

The RadioButtonList option results in a similar layout as for the CheckBoxList except that radio buttons are used instead of checkboxes and the DefaultText needs to be kept blank. Note: If you use DefaultText, it will display as an option as shown below:

 

To display the Radio Button list of variants correctly leave the DefaultText blank and change the VariantGroupName to the default text as shown below:


 


When set up as shown above, the variants will display correctly as shown in the snapshot below: 



 

This wraps up the four different display types for displaying each variant group separately.

 

• Non-Inventory
  
  Enable this option when using a CheckBoxList type variant group or if the variants in this group are not subject to inventory rules.
• Default Item Text
  
  This option should only be used with the DropDown display option for the variant group.
  
  Drop down lists often have the default display option as: "Please Select a Color", etc. Entering this value ("Please Select a Color") in the Default Text. This will show up in the drop down list by default.
  
  Do not enter anything descriptive here if you are using the RadioButtonList display type because the Default Text is displayed as one of the options in the radio button list.
• Public Description
  A public description of the variant group.
• Header HTML
  A brief HTML text that you can select to show before the list of variants in the group. You can use simple HTML tags like <br>, <b>, etc.
• Footer HTML
  A brief HTML text that you can select to show after the list of variants in the group. You can use simple HTML tags like <br />, <b>, etc.
• Sort
  Some products can use multiple variant groups (like Size, Color, Delivery Option). Use the arrow keys to arrange your variant groups. They will display in the same order as you see them in the matrix in the Admin Console.
• Hide
  Enable this option to hide the entire Variant Group. The Variant Group and related variant options will not display on any products using the variant group.
  
  Use this option with caution. If you use a Variant Group across different categories, it is a good idea to verify the categories affected when the variant group is turned off. 

Step 2: Setup Variant Options

Variant Options are setup at the product level and can vary for each product.

Open the relevant product in the Product Editor and Select the Variant/Custom tab.





Enter the variant settings and click on the on the right to add the variant to the product.

Product Variant Settings

• Group
  The variant group for which you are adding variants
• Sort
  The sort order in which the variants inside that group will be displayed on the product details page.
• Label
  The variant name that will be displayed on the product details page. For example: In this case the variant group is Color so the colors, White, Red, Green and Blue are the labels. Use a descriptive label that will be clear to your customers.
• Surcharge
  In case the variant needs to affect the price of the item then you can specify that surchage here and then select the type of surcharge from the adjoining drop down list.
  
  These are the available surcharge options:
  • total The specified surcharge becomes the total value of this item when this variant is selected
  • + percent The value you entered will be used to calculate the precentage of the base price of the product and that percentage is added to the item cost when this variant is selected.
  • + dollars The specified surchage is added to the base price of the product
  • + dollars once If you only want to add the surcharge once, regardless of the quantity ordered, use this option
  • - dollars The specified surchage is deducted from the base price of the product
  • - dollars once If you only want to deduct the surcharge once, regardless of the quantity ordered, use this option
  • - percent The value you entered will be used to calculate the precentage of the base price of the product and that percentage is deducted from the item cost when this variant is selected.
• Weight
  Specify the weight for this variant and then select whether this will become the total weight for this item or will it be added to the main weight specified in the product editor. Weight is used to calculate shipping.
• Item # Ext/Sort
  This value is appended to the end of the item number when added to the cart. Used for identification and inventory tracking.
  
  The Sort column is used to set the order that the extensions are applied to the base item number. This is typically useful when you have multiple variant groups and would like to sort the order in which the extension is applied.
  
  Examples:
  
  VariantGroup1 ext: A  Sort: 1
  VariantGroup2 ext: B  Sort: 2
  VariantGroup3 ext: C  Sort: 3

  Result: ITEMNRABC
   

  VariantGroup1 ext: A  Sort: 3
  VariantGroup2 ext: B  Sort: 2
  VariantGroup3 ext: C  Sort: 1
  

  Result: ITEMNRCBA

• Attribute
  Select the attributes for this variant here.
  
  Use the following links to read more about attributes:
  How are attributes used in AmeriCommerce?
  What is the difference between "categories" and "attributes" in AmeriCommerce?
• Hide
  Use this option to hide selected variants within a group. This is typically used when you want to temporarily hide a variant option.
• Delete
  Permanently deletes that particular variant.

Note: If you have a large number of Variants, you can import the variants in a .csv file. Please review the knowledgebase article on Importing Variants




Additional Steps for the Variant Matrix Display

If you have two variant groups that you would like to display as a variant matrix, you can do so with a few additional steps outlined below.


For example, consider the following set up of variants:





There are 2 variant groups: Size and Color.

After setting up the variants as above you need to open the active Theme for your store by browsing to:





Scroll down to the section titled Catalog Settings and you will see the following options:





The snapshot below is of the product on the storefront:




The variant matrix allows for ordering of multiple products in different combinations. Example, with the above setup, a customer can add 3 Small White t-shirts, 2 Medium Green t-shirts and 1 Large Blue t-shirt by entering the quantity in the grid cells.


This is how the matrix is arranged based on Theme Settings and Variant Group settings:





To change the appearance of the variant matrix, open the active theme and browse to the Product Details page.

Expand Colors, Fonts, Layout and scroll down till you see these sections: