Adding new Child Variants to existing Parent Variations

Adding new Child Variants to existing Parent Variations

As you update your site on an ongoing basis, you may find that you need to add new child variants to an already existing parent variation product. This article explains 2ways you can easily accomplish this task.

Example Scenarios

  1. Example: you begin manufacturing a red dress in sizes 20, 22 and 24 to add to the range. 
  2. Example: your wholesaler has just released a t-shirt in new colours Purple, Pink and Turquoise to add to the standard set.

Considerations

When creating a child variant item, the steps are normally to:
  1. Create the Parent item with its essential information (Name, Brand, Images, Description)
  2. Create a range of variant attributes (colours: red, blue, white; sizes: 8, 10, 12 etc), that a Child Variant can later be grabbed from
  3. Create the individual child variant choosing the single/combination of variation attributes e.g. Red and 12, Red and 14, Blue and 10
These steps can be done manually within the admin, or via an export/import process (note: the need to associate the parent and child in the export/import process)

When the Parent Item is already created

The process here is slightly different.

Add the Parent Variation Options available

First of all, you need to add the variant attribute options to the Parent Variation item.

There are 2 options here:

1 - Manually add

This can be done manually via the Shopit Admin screens



Original Set
Updated Set

2 - Using the Export/Import feature

- Export all items.
- Remove every line except the parent variation line
- Update the Option cell with the variant options (see image below)
- Reimport as an update, ONLY that parent line




Create the Child Variants from thee new options

Then you need to create new child variant records from these new attribute options (with their additional information of price, visibility etc) i.e.:
  1. Purple size 20
  2. Purple size 22
  3. Purple size 24
  4. Pink size 20
  5. Pink size 22
  6. etc

There are 2 options here:

1 - Manually add
  1. Go to your Shopit admin and the product record
  2. Click Add Variant
  3. Choose the combination that matches the new child variant record e.g. Purple, 20

2 - Using the Export/Import feature

- Export all items
- Delete all other product record lines except the Parent Variation and child variants in question
- Insert a new line for each child variant combination, including all necessary price, SKU and visibility information. You do not need to include the Product ID, or the Parent ID number.
- Import just the new child records as 'Import New Products'

This has now created those records but they are not yet associated with the parent, but a new Product Id will have been created

- Export all items
- Remove all product records except the new child items (likely at the bottom of the spreadsheet)
- Edit the Parent ID to match the Product Id of the parent (this will associate them)
- Import these new lines as an 'Update Products'






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