How to Create Variants

Creating product variants in Flawless POS allows you to offer customers multiple options (e.g., size, color) under a single product listing. This makes managing product variations simpler and more organized, enhancing the shopping experience and speeding up the product creation process. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to create a basic variant for a ring with different size and color options.

You may refer to this video for a step-by-step guide for Creating Variants on Flawless POS: 

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H--6CTwBLHI

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWnU9LU0rf8

Why Use Product Variants?

Product variants enable you to group similar products under one listing, allowing customers to easily choose between different options like color or size. This improves your inventory management and at the same time, it would also simplify your customers’ shopping experience.

Step 1: Access the Product Details

To begin creating variants for an existing product, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to Product Details: Start in the Product Details section of the product you wish to convert to a variant. In this example, we are working with a ring named 14K Yellow Diamond Engagement Ring - 1ct Round Cut
   
   

2. Go to the Variants Tab: Click on the product that you wish to customize and head over to the Variants tab in the product details. You will see an overview of any variants created for this product. If no variants exist, the screen will be empty.
   
    
   
   
   

Step 2: Configuring Variants

Now let’s begin creating the variant options:

1. Click on 'Configure Variants': Press the Configure Variants button to open the variant setup dialog.
   
   

2. Add Variant Options: To start, click the Add Variant Option button. You can choose either a predefined option or a Blank Option if you want to create a custom attribute. For this example, we will select the Blank Option to create custom variants for color and size.
   
    
   
   
   

Step 3: Setting Up Color Options

1. Name the Variant Option: For the first option, set the Option Name to "Color."
   
   

2. List Behavior: You’ll be prompted to choose the list behavior. The default option, Group Items, will display the product as a single item in list views, allowing customers to rotate between the options on the same page. The other option, List All, will display each variant as a separate item in the list. In this article, we will stick with the default Group Items behavior.
   
   

3. Display Option: Choose how the variant will appear on the Product Details page. For this article’s example, we will select Swatch Only for color display as variants with the color option usually only need to be selected via swatch and it makes it easier for customers to see which color they want to choose.
   
    
   
   

Step 4: Adding Color and Size Variants

1. Add Color Options: We will now add two colors through the Add Option Value. The colors will be Rose Gold and Yellow Gold. Set the variant value codes to "rg" for Rose Gold and "yg" for Yellow Gold. These codes can be used in the future to build item SKUs.
   
   

2. Add Size Options: Next, add a variant option for Size, with values for 4, 5, and 6. For size display, select the Dropdown Option.
   
   
    

NOTE: After selecting “Swatch Only” as the display option, please do not forget to set the respective color by clicking on the gray swatch located beside the option value. This will display a color palette in which you may be able to select your desired color for the swatch as shown on the image below.

3. Save the Options: Once satisfied with your color and size options, press OK to save.

Below is an example of how it would look like when the color and size for the variant has been set:

Additionally, here is an example of how it would look like for the Text Only and Swatch & Value Option Displays.

Text Only - In this example, you’ll see that the options for the color are in text format inside a rectangular box.

Swatch & Value - In this example, you’ll see that the options for the color contains the swatch along with the text that was set on the option name.

Step 5: Generating Variant Permutations

With the variant options configured, it’s time to auto-generate the combinations of color and size:

1. Auto Generate Variants: Click on the Add Variant button, followed by the Auto Generate button. Flawless POS will then prompt you to set up the SKUs for these variants.
   
   

2. Configure SKU Template: Use the provided placeholders to create a template for the variant SKUs. In this guide, we will use the default SKU template. After clicking OK, the system will automatically generate the six possible combinations of color and size for the ring.
   
   
   
    
   
   

Step 6: Updating Titles and Descriptions

Once the variants are generated, you can further customize the titles and descriptions for each one:

1. Modify Title Template: Save and close the product, then refresh the product list. Next, select one of the newly created variants.
   
   

2. Configure Title Template: In the Product Tab, click Configure Template next to the product title. A dialog box will open, allowing you to edit the title. Drag the variant option (e.g., Color or Size) from the right panel into the title template.
   
   

In the example below, I will be dragging the color and size options at the very end of the title. Doing so ensures that all the color and sizes of the variants will be added at the very end of each title.

3. Save Changes: Click OK and then save the product. The variant option values (e.g., Yellow Gold, 4) will now display in the product titles instead of the placeholder text.
   
   

4. Verify Changes: Close the product details and refresh the product list. You should now see the updated product titles, reflecting the new variant options.
   
    

Creating a New Variant from Scratch

To create a variant from scratch, follow these steps:

1. Access the Variants Tab: Start by navigating to the Variants tab for your product.
   
   

2. Add a New Variant: Click on the Add Variant button and select Create New Variant from the dropdown menu.
   
    

3. Select a Custom View: You will see a list of your previously created Custom Views. If you need assistance creating and managing these views, refer to our separate guide on Custom Views. For this example, we will use the Create Default Product view.
   
   

4. Fill in the Product Details: In the Add New Variant dialog, you will find standard product creation options with some fields pre-filled (e.g., name, SKU) based on the selected product. These fields should be adjusted according to the new variant you’re creating.
   
   

Note: It is important to note that fields marked with a red asterisk on top of their names        mean that these are required fields and as such, you would need to ensure that there are values in these respective fields.

Additionally, The fields are as follows:

Title: The title / product name of the selected product variant

Inventory Type: The inventory in which the product should be sorted to (e.g. Finished Product, Raw Materials)

SKU: The identifier of the product which is used to track, manage, and differentiate products in inventory, sales, and customer service efficiently.

Vendor SKU: Similar to the SKU but serves as a tracker for the Vendor

Barcode: The number which is directly related to the SKU of the specific product.

Vendor: The customer/company responsible for the distribution of the product

Designer: The person responsible for the design of the product

Retail/Wholesale: The price of the products 

Cost: May be manually set or automatically calculated based on the components of the product

Components Template: A template that may be used to automatically display the components of the product.

Jacket # : The Jacket ID of a certain product

Item Size: The size of the product.

Metal: The type of Metal used by the product (e.g KG,KR,KTC)

Product Line: The type of product that belongs to a certain company/group

Shape: The shape of the stone used by the product (e.g. round, oval)

Center Stone Size:  The size of the center-stone that is used by the product

Weight: The weight of the product in Carat.

UPC: 

Style Type: The type of style used by the product(e.g. Pendant, Pin, Bangle)

Related SKUs: Any SKU that is similar to the product 

Measurement: The measurement of a product in terms of its Length, Width, and Height

Images: Any images pertaining to the product

Files: Any files or documents that may be used together with the product

Notes: Any additional information regarding the product

Types: The type of the product

Category: The category that the product falls under(e.g.Clasps,Rings,Tassels)

Materials: The materials that were used in the creation of the product

Colors: The color of the product

Internal Tags: The tags that are being used internally by you and your company

Pricing Type: The pricing type of a product separated by three choices, Individual Pricing, Unit of Measure, Items Unit of Measure

Components: Components may also be manually added here should there be no available component template.

5. Finalize the Creation: Once you have entered all necessary information, click OK. You should now see the new variant entry in the list. 

Modifying Variant Options

After creating the new variant, you’ll want to specify its unique attributes:

1. Change Color and Size Options: For this variant, select a variant combination that has yet to be added(you may also choose to create a new option for the variant). This will differentiate it from other variants have been created.
   
    
   
   

Converting Existing Products into Variants

The second method for creating variants is to convert existing products. Here’s how to do it:

1. Select Add Variant: Click the Add Variant button and choose the Convert Existing Product option.
   
   

2. Pick Product Dialog: A dialog will open where you can select the product you want to convert into a variant. Click the checkmark button next to the desired item. You can select multiple items if needed.
   
   

3. Confirm Your Selections: Once you’ve selected the items, click OK to add the variants.

4. Import Variant Options: In the Import Variant dialog, you’ll need to choose the values for the options you configured earlier. For this example, we’ve selected Rose Gold for color and 7 for size.
   
   

5. Finalize the Conversion: After making your selections, click OK to complete the conversion. You will see the newly created variant listed alongside the others.
   
    
   
   
   

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues while trying to create Variants, please reach out to  Flawless POS customer support for technical assistance.