You can offer products with multiple variant-types, like size, color, and cut, using the Variant Group feature. Variant Groups allow you to create up to three dropdown menus on each product listing so customers can easily select and cart the exact product they are looking for. You can even set different prices for variants within a product once those Variant Groups are listed.
See the Steps section below for Web, iOS, and Android-specific guides.
Create Variant Groups
As you’re adding or editing products in the Products section, you’ll see a button that says Add Variant Group. Select that button, and you’ll see a space to name your Variant Group.
If you are selling t-shirts that come in a variety of sizes, for example, you can name the first Group “Size,” and then under that group header, you can include all the variants you want to offer, like Small, Medium, Large, etc.
If those t-shirts also come in different colors, you can create a second Group and name that “Color.” Then you’ll list all your color variants under that group.
Once you’ve saved your Variant Groups, you’ll see those different groups combine to create one list of variant combinations. You can then set specific quantities for each specific variant combination, and if some are more expensive than others, you can set a unique price for each variant combination, too.
Convert a list of single Variants to Variant Groups
If you already have product listings where you opted to use the single Variant list for different types of variants, you can convert to using Variant groups instead using the Convert tool found under the action menu. This tool will let you switch from using one variant dropdown menu in your storefront to up to three dropdown menus, making it easier for customers to select several different variants for one product.
If you’ve been with Big Cartel for a long time, the theme you are using may not support Variant Groups. If that’s the case, you will want to follow the steps in our Reset to the default version of your theme guide for steps on updating your theme. Once you’ve updated your theme, you’ll be able to use Variant Groups on new products and convert old product individual Variants to Variant Groups.
Steps
- Go to the Products tab in your Big Cartel admin.
- Click the + to add a new product or select an existing product to edit.
- Under the Variants section, click Add Variant Group.
- Give your first Group a name, liked "Size."
- Once you enter a Group name, you’ll see a new field appear where you can add a name for your first variant. Name your first variant, like small, medium, or large.
- Click the + button to add and name additional variants in the first Group.
- Once you have listed all variants in group 1, click the Continue button.
- To add an additional Variant Group, click the + button under your first group and repeat steps 4-7.
- Click Done to save your Groups.
- Once you’ve saved your groups, you can select individual variant combinations to edit quantities and prices.
- Click Save.
To convert an existing product listing from individual variants to variant groups, take the following steps:
- Click the product listing you'd like to edit.
- Choose the action menu in the top right and select Convert variant to groups.
- Your combined variants will be separated and you'll give each group a name, like "Size" or "Color", for example, in the Group name field.
- Click Continue and Done after all variant groups are added.