Product Variants

When to Use Variants

Use variants when a single product comes in multiple options that each need their own price and stock count: for example a T-shirt in sizes S/M/L, or a phone case in three colours.

Products without variants continue to work exactly as before. Variants are entirely opt-in.

Setting Up Variants (Admin Only)

Option A: Generate from an Attribute Matrix (Recommended)

1. Go to Products and click the Variants icon (layers icon) on the product row.
2. Click Generate from attributes in the toolbar below the variants list.
3. Enter a dimension name, e.g. Size, and options: S, M, L.
4. Click Add dimension for another attribute, e.g. Colour, options: Red, Blue.
5. Click Preview combinations: a grid shows every combination, each with a name, a Code/SKU, a price, a cost, a margin, and a stock box.
6. Adjust the name, price, cost, or opening stock of any row before saving. Leave the price or cost blank for a variant to use the product's own.
7. Click Add all N variants to save.

Example: Two dimensions, Size (S, M, L) and Colour (Red, Blue), give 6 combinations. Each Code/SKU is built from the product's code plus a short piece of each dimension and option, for example SHIRT-001-SIS-CORED. You can type over any of them.

Option B: Add a Single Variant Manually

1. Click Add manually in the toolbar below the variants list.
2. Fill in Name, Code/SKU (leave it blank and one is generated for you), Price override (leave blank to use the product's price), Cost (leave blank to use the product's cost), and Initial stock.
3. Click Add variant.

Editing and Managing Variants

• Edit: click the Pencil icon on a variant row. The row expands into an edit form where you can change the name, Code/SKU, price override, cost, and Active status.
• Cost and margin (Admin only): each variant row shows its own cost next to the price, and a colour-coded margin (green for profit, red when the selling price is below cost). See Cost Price & Margin Tracking for how a variant's cost updates when you receive stock.
• Deactivate: toggle Active off to hide a variant from the POS without deleting it. Can be re-activated at any time.
• Delete: click the Trash icon and confirm. Blocked if the variant has been sold. Deactivate it instead.

Stock is set once, at creation

You enter a variant's opening stock when you add it, whether you add it manually or through the combination generator. After that the Stock field in the edit form is locked.

To change a variant's stock from then on, either receive a purchase order that includes the variant, or record a stock adjustment against it. Both are recorded, so you keep a full history of every movement. This is the same way products without variants already work.

Seeing Variant Stock at a Glance

Each row in the variants list shows that variant's own stock, with a red Out badge when it has run out and an amber Low badge at 5 units or fewer. The Products page shows the same picture from the outside: the combined stock of the active variants, plus a red 1 out or amber 2 low badge counting the variants that need restocking.

Selling Variant Products at the POS

1. Tap the product tile, search and press Enter, or scan a barcode.
2. The Variant Picker dialog opens showing all active variants with prices and stock levels.
3. Greyed variants at the bottom are out of stock and cannot be selected.
4. Variants with stock ≤ 5 show an amber Low badge.
5. If only one in-stock variant exists, it is added automatically without opening the picker.

Multiple variants of the same product can be in the cart simultaneously as separate lines.

Cashiers can pin a single variant to the front of the POS grid using the star on its row in the Variant Picker, or by adding it in Manage favourites. See Favourite Products.

Scanning Variant Barcodes

Each variant has its own Code/SKU field, which acts as its barcode.

Scanned Code	Result
Variant Code/SKU	That variant added to cart immediately
Parent product code (when variants exist)	Picker opens
Product code with no variants	Product added directly (unchanged behaviour)

Stock Adjustments for Variant Products

1. Click the Adjust stock icon on the product row.
2. A Variant selector appears. Select the variant to adjust.
3. Complete the adjustment and save.

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FAQ

Q: Can I add variants to a product with existing sales history?

A: Yes. Past sales are unaffected and display as simple product lines.

Q: What happens to the parent product price/stock once variants are added?

A: They become informational only. The POS shows "from {lowest variant price}" on the product tile, and the Stock column shows the combined total of the active variants, marked "(combined)", with badges for any variant that is low or out.

Q: Can a cashier sell an out-of-stock variant?

A: No. Out-of-stock variants are greyed and non-selectable in the Variant Picker.

Q: I cannot delete a variant. Why?

A: It appears on one or more completed sales. Historical data must be preserved. Deactivate the variant instead.

Q: Can I hold a cart with variants and resume it later?

A: Yes. Held sales preserve the variant ID and name for each item.

Q: Does the dashboard low-stock count include variant stock levels?

A: Yes. For variant products, each active variant with stock ≤ 5 is counted individually.

Q: Can I change the auto-generated Code/SKU?

A: Yes. The Code/SKU field can be edited when you create a variant and when you edit it later. Each one must be unique across the whole store.

Q: Why can't I type a new stock figure when editing a variant?

A: Stock is set once, when you create the variant. After that it is locked. Raise it by receiving a purchase order for the variant, or change it either way from the Adjust stock icon on the product row. Every increase and decrease is then recorded with a reason and a date.

Q: Can I find products where only one variant has run out?

A: Yes. On the Products page, the Out of Stock filter lists products with at least one active variant that has run out, and Low Stock lists products with at least one active variant down to its last few units.

Q: A product shows a Variants badge but the dialog shows 0 active variants. What happened?

A: All variants were deactivated. Reactivate one or delete all (if none have sales) to return to simple mode.

Q: Do all variants of a product share the same cost price?

A: No. Each variant can carry its own cost and its own weighted average, separate from the product and from its other variants. A variant with no cost of its own uses the product's cost. See Cost Price & Margin Tracking.