This guide shows you how to manage a product’s variants in Composerie. A variant is one specific version of a product, like a black mug or a large blue t-shirt. You work with all of them in a single table on the product page: the option axes, the cost and price of each variant, which ones are visible, and which print provider fulfils each one. It is written for merchants who already have a product with more than one variant.
Read the variants table
The variant table lives in Catalog on the product page. Open a product from your product list, then scroll to that section or use the Catalog tab under the header. For the wider context of that page, see the product page.
The Catalog header shows how many variants the product has and the range of their prices. Once you hide a variant, it also counts the hidden ones. The material count sits in the page header, next to the variant count. A SKU identifies a variant; materials are not the same as the number of external providers.
An option axis is one dimension of choice, such as Size or Color. The table supports up to three axes. Under the Catalog header, the Options row sums them up: each axis name with the number of values it has. Select Edit on that row to open the axis editor, where you rename values, add an option, and reorder axes. Select Done to close it. The editor locks the first axis, using Material when no first-axis name is stored; this is not limited to products with multiple providers.
The table stays a plain list until it has something to filter. A toolbar appears above the rows when it does:
- The “All”, “Active”, and “Hidden” tabs appear once at least one variant is hidden. Active means the variant is visible to shoppers. Hidden means it is not.
- On a product with nine or more variants, a Search variants box appears. A “Provider” filter joins it when the variants come from more than one provider, and a “Group by” control when there is more than one way to group the rows.
- When variants from a print provider have no cost yet, a chip counts them (for example, “2 without cost”). Select it to show only those rows.
When the variants fall into several groups of more than one, the rows are grouped by the first option axis unless you choose otherwise with “Group by”. Each group header shows a provider chip, the group value, the variant count, and the price range. Otherwise the table shows one flat list.
Each row shows a photo slot, the variant’s option values, an inline Cost field, an inline Price field, and a read-only Margin. The margin is the gap between cost and price, shown as a percent and an amount. It is coloured only when it drops below 30% or turns into a loss.
Edit variant prices and routing
Most edits happen right inside the table. Routing decides which print provider makes each variant, so it is worth getting right. To understand routing across a whole catalog, read route orders across providers.
Edit a cost or price
Click a Cost or Price field on any row and type the new amount. The Margin updates as you type, so you can see the result before you save. To give every print-provider variant in a group the same cost, open the group and select Set cost for group in its header, then type the amount once.
Update many prices at once
Open the Catalog actions menu (the three dots in the Catalog header) and choose Bulk update prices. Paste SKU and price pairs, and review the matched rows before applying. Apply sends the price updates immediately; it does not stage them for the page savebar. Check the success and failure counts because some rows can succeed while others fail.
Hide or show a variant
Point at a row and select the eye at its end to hide that variant from shoppers. On a touch screen the eye is always visible. A hidden variant stays in the table, dimmed, with a Hidden pill and its eye, so you can bring it back the same way. On a phone, open the row instead and use the Show in store switch. The change stages in the page savebar.
Some rows also show a currency menu at the end. It manages the purchase currency for that variant’s cost; it is not a provider-routing menu.
Add a photo to a variant
Select the photo slot at the start of a row to open the media library, then upload a new photo or pick one you already have. The photo stages in the page savebar like the other row edits.
Review product materials with Add materials
Add materials in the Catalog footer opens the Materials & providers picker; the same picker is in the Catalog actions menu. Review the intended material and provider mapping before making changes. It is not a bulk dropdown that moves existing variants to any provider, and it does not rewrite an existing order’s saved route.
Save your changes
Inline table edits stage in the page savebar. Save those pending changes, then update the intended publication before checking the storefront. Bulk price updates are separate and write on Apply.
Common questions
What is the difference between an option and a variant?
An option is a dimension of choice, like Size or Color. A variant is one combination of those options, like Large and Blue. Each variant has its own SKU, cost, and price.
Why is my first axis locked to Material?
The Catalog axis editor locks its first axis and uses Material as the fallback name. This also applies when the product has only one provider.
What does the margin column mean?
Margin is the difference between the cost you pay the provider and the price the shopper pays, shown as a percent and an amount. It updates live as you change either field.
What happens when I hide a variant?
Use the eye at the end of the row to hide it, save, and update the intended publication. Check the storefront result. The variant remains in your table with a Hidden pill.
Where are the All, Active and Hidden tabs?
They appear once at least one variant is hidden. With every variant visible there is nothing to filter, so the table shows a plain list.
For pricing rules, compare-at prices, and stock settings, read pricing and inventory.
Next: pricing and inventory.