TUTORIAL: Introduction to Variations

Variations make it easy to manage different versions of the same product, like candles in various scents or bracelets in multiple finishes, without cluttering your product list. With variations, you can track inventory, recipes, and costs separately for each option - all while staying organized and in control.

We’ll cover:

What are Variations?
Locating your Product
Creating Variation Attributes & Values
Add your First Variation
Adding a Recipe to a Variation

Time to complete: Around 20 minutes

What are Variations?

If you sell products that come in different versions - for example, a handmade candle in three scents or a necklace in silver and gold, variations will be your best friend. Instead of creating a separate product for each scent or finish, you create a single product with variations.

Each variation will have its own stock count, price, SKU, and even its own recipe. This saves time, keeps your product list cleaner, and helps you avoid inventory headaches like overselling one version without realizing it.

You can add a new variation in two ways:

Variations will pull in automatically from many of our supported Integrations.
You can also add a Variation manually, using the Add Variation form (which we focus on in this guide)

We’ll walk through how to set up variations for a product called “Scented Candle” that comes in three scents: Lavender, Vanilla, and Unscented.

Locating your Product

In the left-hand sidebar of the Overview page, click Products.
From your product list, find and click on your existing product. For this example, we will use “Scented Candle”.
You’ll land on the product detail page.

Navigate to the Variations tab

At the top of the product detail page, click the Variations tab.
This will redirect you to the variation section where you’ll add and manage all variations.

Creating Variation Attributes & Values

Attributes define what makes each variation unique (e.g., Scent, Size, Color).

For this tutorial, we’ll create an attribute called Scent with three values: Lavender, Vanilla, and Unscented.

From the Variations tab, click Manage Attributes -> Add Variation Attributes.
This will bring you to the New Variation Attribute form
Enter the Attribute details
a. Name - This is the name used to group your attributes. In this case, the attribute will be Scent
b. Values - These are the possible options for the attributes. In this case, we have Lavender, Vanilla, and Unscented
Once all Scent values are added, click Save.

This attribute now defines the different options your customers can choose from, and each one will be trackable separately.

Now, the Variation Attributes page should look similar to this;

Tip: You can always edit attribute values later by clicking the + or edit icon next to each Attribute.

Add your First Variation

Now that we have the attributes all set up - we can move on to setting up a variation for the Unscented variation. Click the Add Variation button in the upper right-hand side of the variation page.

This opens the “Add Variation” form, where you will notice some key fields:

Attributes: This is the unique value of your product variation, you can also create a new attribute value directly from this field.
SKU: If you use stock-keeping codes to identify your variation, you can key it here. These codes are fully searchable in the system, making it a quick way to find your variation without typing the full name.
Image: This allows you to upload an image that represents the variation. This is optional, but it can be a good way of quickly identifying the variation in your variation list.

Variation Sales Information

Auto Manufacture: If Auto Manufacture is on, all new orders for this variation will automatically have a manufacture created. Auto Manufactures will only be created for orders created after this option is switched on.
Default Sale Price: This will be set as the default price when you create a new manual order for this variation and can be changed on the order form if different. This value doesn't modify imported orders.
Low Stock Limit: This allows you to define the minimum quantity of this variation that should be in stock before it is marked with a stock status of "low stock." This is a helpful way to stay on top of low stock levels and avoid running out unexpectedly.
State: This defines the status of this variation. Active variations will display in your lists by default, whereas Archived variations will be hidden until explicitly searched for.

Additional Details

Notes: Add any notes or extra information not covered elsewhere

Selecting Save will now create a row for the Unscented Scent in your Variations list, with a unique SKU and inventory tracking for each.

We can follow the same process for the other 2 attributes to create the rest of our tracked variations;

Adding a Recipe to a Variation

Let’s say the Vanilla candle uses a special fragrance oil that the other versions don’t.

In the Variations list, find “Scented Candle - Vanilla”.
Click the ⋯ (three-dot) menu to the left of the name, then select Create Recipe.
The new recipe page will preload the base recipe from your original candle product.
Add Vanilla Fragrance Oil as an additional material.
Click Save.

This recipe now tracks only for the Vanilla scented variation - so your costs and material usage are accurate, variant by variant.

It is a good idea to create the product's recipe by listing any common materials before creating your variation recipes. This way, you won't need to re-add the common materials between variations each time.

Wrap-Up 🎉

And that’s it! You’ve now successfully set up variations for your candle product. With each version managed in one tidy place, you’ll get:

Clear inventory tracking per scent or version
Accurate recipes and costings
Clean product organization that makes fulfillment and reporting much simpler

Variations are especially helpful for makers of body products, jewelry, or any product line that comes in multiple options. It’s a big step toward better inventory clarity with less busywork.

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