Most products come in more than one flavor. A tee is offered in multiple sizes and colors. A hoodie can be unisex or fitted. A tumbler can be 12oz or 20oz. We organize all of this with two simple ideas: variants and options.
#Variants
A variant is a specific configuration of a base product. Same item, different version.
A unisex tee in Black, size Large is one variant. The same tee in Heather Grey, size Medium is another. Each variant has its own stock, its own decoration setup, and its own price.
You will see variants any time a product comes in more than one of something — color, size, fit, capacity, finish.
#Options
Options are the choices that make up a variant. Think of them as the dropdowns you pick from when you are configuring an order.
A tee might have two option groups:
- Size — XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL
- Color — Black, White, Heather Grey, Navy
You pick one from each group, and the combination resolves to a specific variant.
#How variants show up on an order
When you place an order, you select the quantity per variant. For apparel, that usually means a size run — for example, 5 Smalls, 10 Mediums, 10 Larges, 5 XLs of the same color. Each line on the order represents one variant.
#Mixing variants in a campaign
For campaigns where recipients pick their own size or color, you do not have to commit to a size run up front. Recipients choose their variant during redemption, and the order builds itself based on what they pick.
#Availability
Not every variant is in stock at every moment. If a specific color or size is unavailable, your account team will flag it before you place the order and suggest the closest match.
#Decoration across variants
Decoration usually applies the same way across every variant of a product — for example, a left-chest embroidery on the tee in every color. If you need decoration to change between variants (different thread color on different shirt colors, say), call that out when you set the product up. See Customization and decoration.