This guide shows you how one Composerie product can sell variants from more than one print provider, and how each variant finds its way to the right partner at order time. It is for merchants who already have at least one provider connected and want to offer the same design across materials that different partners print best. If you are new to providers, start with connect a provider.
How multi-provider products work
A single Composerie product does not have to live with one provider. It can be a bundle. Some of its variants can come from one partner, and others from another. Composerie tracks this as a set of provider links on the product, one link per catalog product you bring in.
Each variant remembers two things: which provider it belongs to, and which catalog product at that provider it maps to. That pairing is stored on the variant itself.
At order time, Composerie reads the routing stored on each variant and sends that line to the matching provider. It resolves this from Composerie’s own database, not from Shopify. So the partner that prints a line is the one saved on the variant the shopper actually bought.
This is useful when one design suits several materials. A ceramic tile might print best with one partner, while a framed poster of the same artwork prints best with another. You can offer both under one product, and let each variant route to the partner that handles it well.
In the catalog region of a product page, the variants that come from different providers show up as provider chips. When a product pulls from more than one provider, you also get a provider filter so you can view one partner’s variants at a time.
Add another provider to a product
You can bring a second (or third) provider into a product that already exists. You do not rebuild it. You add the provider’s catalog product and its variants to the product you already have. This action is limited to admins.
Open the product and find the Catalog region
Open the product in your dashboard. Scroll to the Catalog region. It is the card titled Variants, with a count of SKUs and providers under the title.
Open Manage routing
In the footer of that card, find the row that reads Printed by, followed by the number of providers. Click Manage routing next to it. This opens the picker for adding another provider product.
Pick the catalog product and its variants
Choose the provider’s catalog product you want to add. Select the variants you want to bring into your product. These are the materials or sizes this provider will print.
Confirm to link the new provider
Confirm your choice. Composerie links the new provider product to your item and adds its variants alongside the ones already there. The product is not rebuilt, and your existing variants stay as they are.
After you add a provider, the footer count and the provider chips update to show the new partner. To explore what a partner offers before you add it, see browse a provider catalog.
Manage how variants route
Each variant routes to one provider. The Manage routing control is where you set or change that. Open it from the Catalog region footer, the same control you use to add a provider.
When you change a variant’s provider, Composerie re-checks the variant’s catalog product id against that provider. It does not trust an old id from the previous provider. This matters because the catalog product id from one partner is meaningless to another, and a stale id would send the order to the wrong place.
If the provider you pick owns only one catalog product on this item, Composerie sets the routing for you. There is no ambiguity, so the variant maps to that single catalog product.
If the provider owns more than one catalog product on this item, the routing is ambiguous. Composerie cannot guess which one you mean. It asks you to pick the catalog product that applies before it saves. For example, if one partner prints both a 15x15 tile and a 20x20 tile on the same product, you choose which size that variant maps to.
Common questions
Can one product sell variants from two different providers at the same time?
Yes. A product can be a bundle of several provider products. Each variant carries its own provider and catalog product, and each line routes on its own.
Why does Composerie ask me to pick a catalog product when I change a variant's provider?
Because that provider owns more than one catalog product on this item. The routing is ambiguous, so you choose which catalog product the variant maps to before it saves.
I changed a variant's provider but did not touch anything else. What happens to its catalog product id?
Composerie re-resolves the catalog product id against the new provider. If that provider owns exactly one catalog product here, it is set for you. If it owns several, you are asked to pick.
Why can I not remove a variant?
A variant tied to open orders cannot be removed until those orders are done. Close or fulfill the open orders, then try again.
Do I need to rebuild the product to add a second provider?
No. Adding a provider links its catalog product and variants to your existing product. Your current variants stay as they are.
If a line does not reach the expected partner, check the variant’s routing in Manage routing first, then see orders not reaching provider. If you get stuck, contact support.
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