Most products come in choices: a kurta in four sizes, a phone case for thirty phone models, a ring in gold and silver. In Mercayo each choice is an option (Size, Colour, Phone model) with its values (S, M, L), and every combination of values is a variant with its own price, SKU, stock and weight. This guide explains how options and variants work in the Product Editor, with examples, and what shoppers see when they choose.
Options, Values and Variants
| Term | What It Is | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Option | A choice the shopper makes | Colour |
| Value | One answer to that choice | Black, Navy, Maroon |
| Variant | One combination of values, the thing you actually stock and sell | Navy / M |
A product without options is sold as one item and has exactly one variant, called Default. You still set its price and stock in the Variants card.
A product can have up to 3 options, each with up to 250 values, and up to 2,048 variants in all.
How Variants Are Made
You never add variants one by one. The editor makes one variant for every combination of values, as soon as you add or remove a value:
- A saree seller in Surat with Colour (Red, Green, Blue) and no other option has 3 variants.
- A clothing brand with Size (S, M, L, XL) and Colour (Black, White) has 4 × 2 = 8 variants.
- A phone-case brand in Jaipur with Phone model (30 models) and Finish (Matte, Glossy) has 60 variants.
An option with no values yet is skipped until you give it one. If a change would make more than 2,048 variants, the editor refuses it with "That would make more than 2048 variants."
How to Add Options
- Open the product in the Product Editor.
- In the Options card, press ADD OPTION.
- Type the Option 1 Name, for example Size (up to 60 characters).
- In "Add a value, then press Enter", type S and press Enter. Then M, L, XL. Each value can be up to 100 characters.
- For a second option, press ADD OPTION again (up to 3).
- Look at the Variants card: there is now one row per combination.
- Fill in the prices and stock (see below) and press SAVE.
The editor checks the options before saving: every option needs a name ("Name the option, like Colour or Phone model"), two options cannot share a name ("Two options have this name"), each needs at least one value ("Add at least one value") and a value cannot appear twice ("“M” is listed twice").
How to Price and Stock Each Variant
The Variants card has one row per variant:
| Column | What to Type |
|---|---|
| Price (₹) | The selling price, like 899 or 899.50 |
| Compare-at (₹) | The MRP or "was" price, higher than the price, or empty |
| SKU | Your stock code, unique in your store |
| Stock | Units on hand (needs the right to edit inventory) |
The Shipping and Stock card below has, for each variant, Weight (g), Cost (₹), Barcode, Track Stock and Keep Selling When Out of Stock. Field rules are in the Product Editor article.
New variants start with an empty SKU and stock 0.
How to Change Options Later
- Add a value (a new size, a new phone model): one new variant appears for each combination with it. Existing variants keep their prices, SKUs and stock.
- Remove a value with its ×: the variants with that value go when you save.
- Add a whole option to a product that has variants (for example adding Finish to a case): each old variant carries over to the first new combination it matches, with its price, SKU and stock, and the other combinations are added as new variants.
- Remove a whole option with REMOVE: variants that become the same combination are merged, and the first of them keeps its price, SKU and stock.
Nothing is saved until you press SAVE, so you can look at the Variants card before you decide. DISCARD puts everything back.
Phone Models and the Fit List
When an option is about phones (its name says phone, mobile, model or device) and your store has brands and models in its Fit List, the Options card helps you:
- ADD FROM PHONE LIST opens a window with your brands and models and a search ("Search, like iPhone 16 or Galaxy S24"). Tick the models and press ADD PHONES: each becomes a value already linked to its model.
- Each value shows a small phone icon. Click it to choose "Which Phone Is “…” For?" and link or change the model.
- The line under the values says how many are linked: "Every value is linked to a phone, so shoppers find this product by their phone." or "2 of 12 values are not linked to a phone yet. Linked values show this product on that phone's page."
A model can be linked to only one value per option. Linking matters because a shopper who picks their phone sees only the products that fit it, and the product page opens on their model when Settings › Online Store › Shop by Fit › Choose the Shopper's Pick on Product Pages is on.
Photos for a Value
A photo can be linked to the values it shows, so a shopper who picks Navy sees the navy photos. Open a photo in the Photos card and tick the values under Shown for These Choices. Values added since the last save can be linked once the product is saved. See Product Photos.
What Shoppers See
- Each option shows its values as buttons, with the chosen value beside the option's name. A value with a colour swatch (swatches come in with some imports; the editor keeps them) shows the colour.
- A value that cannot be bought with the shopper's other choices is marked "(sold out)" but can still be picked, so the shopper sees it.
- On a phone, an option with many values (more than nine) shows as one card that opens the whole list in a sheet, with a search when the list is long.
- Until every option is chosen, the price shows "From ₹…" when variants differ in price, and the stock line says "Choose your options to see if it is in stock". ADD TO BAG then asks for the missing choice: "Size: choose one to continue."
- Which choices are made for the shopper when the page opens is set by Settings › Product Page › Options Chosen for the Shopper: Single (the default) chooses only options that have one value and lets the shopper pick the rest; First available chooses the first variant in stock.
- Once a variant is chosen, the page shows its price, compare-at price and stock: "In stock", "Only a few left. Order soon" (when it has Low Stock Note or fewer left, default 5, on Settings › Product Page), or "Sold out" with a SOLD OUT button.
Variants Elsewhere in Mercayo
- Inventory lists every variant that counts stock, with on hand, held and available. See Inventory.
- Exchanges: a shopper exchanging an item picks a different variant of the same product.
- Discounts can be limited to some option values or some variants (in the discount editor's product picker).
- CSV: one row per variant, with
option1_nametooption3_value. See Products CSV.
Good to Know
- Up to 3 options, 250 values per option, 2,048 variants per product.
- Option names up to 60 characters; values up to 100.
- Two variants can never be the same combination, and every variant picks exactly one value of each option.
- SKUs and barcodes are unique across the store.
- A value cannot be renamed in place: removing it and adding the new spelling makes new variants, with stock 0.
Questions
How do I sell a product in only some combinations?
Every combination is a variant. For one you do not sell, set its stock to 0 with Track Stock on: shoppers see it as sold out. If most combinations do not exist, it can be simpler to make separate products.
Can each variant have its own price?
Yes. Every row of the Variants card has its own Price (₹) and Compare-at (₹).
Can each variant have its own photos?
Yes. Link photos to values in the Photos card. A photo linked to no value shows for every choice.
Why can't I add a fourth option?
A product has at most 3 options. Combine two choices into one option (for example "Size / Fit") or make separate products.
I added a value but the photo dialog will not let me link it. Why?
A value added since the last save has no record yet. Press SAVE, then link the photo.
Do I need SKUs?
No, they are optional. They help if you work with a warehouse, an accounting tool or a marketplace, and they make imports match the right variant.