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How to manage Product Variants in Odoo

How to manage Product Variants in Odoo


Manage your product variants both internally and on your webstore


How to manage Product Variants in Odoo

Time management is such an important part of modern business, so we know the value of time saving technology and apps. The good news is that you can save a lot of time simply by changing how you manage different products on your eCommerce store.

Ready to change the way you do business? Keep reading to learn about effective product variant management with Odoo.

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Working with Product Variants

Manufacturers often produce the same product in different sizes or colors. Some examples to illustrate:

  • A pair of jeans is made in different sizes
  • Brands produce sweaters and socks in many colors and sizes

These are called product variants: the different versions of a product.

Using variants is a very helpful way to manage your products that influence other Odoo apps. Starting with Manufacturing, create only a BoM for the product template, adding relevant information for the variants.

For eCommerce, customers can view and select the variant they wish to purchase. For clarity, let’s list the terminologies with examples.
If you sell socks, you’ll have the following:

  • Templates: Socks A, Socks B and Socks C.
  • Variant: Socks A in color black, of a size M.
  • Attributes: The color and size.

The product variants have an impact on other features:

  • Inventory: The inventory displays all the variants of the products. Examples may be “Socks A, Pink, S”, “Socks A, Pink, M”, “Socks C, Yellow, XL” etc.
  • Price: The prices can be the same for both templates and variants. Alternatively, you can charge extra for the variants, with the template’s price as a base. Socks A = 10€; Socks A, Black = 15€ (+ 5€).
Odoo - Extra Price
  • Barcode: Every variant can have its own barcode/SKU. The code and barcode are associated with the variants, not the templates.
  • Picture: The variants can have their own picture of inventory and eCommerce.
  • Other: Updating the template’s fields, the variants are automatically updated as well.

In the sections below, we’ll help you manage the product variants with Odoo’s Sales and Website product variant management applications.

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Configuration and Management

To ensure you manage your products effectively, ensure accuracy in configuring and setting up your system. Here’s a step-by-step process:

  • Activation: Activate the product variants in the Sales application’s Settings, under the Configuration menu. Tick the Attributes and Variants box and save.
  • Attributes: Click the link to be automatically taken to the Attributes page or, in the same menu as above, select Attributes. Create attributes such as color, size or other options in line with your products.
  • Values: Go to Attribute Values from the Configuration menu and select Create. On the attribute line choose one attribute created earlier and type in the value, for example, Blue, XL, 8GB.
  • Variants: The variants are ready to be included in the product’s form. Select the product from Products on the Catalog menu, hit Edit and on the Variants tab click on Add an Item.
Odoo - Socks Product Variant

The app contains many helpful features and automated tasks to improve your product management. If you follow product configuration management best practices and use the product variant management app effectively, you’ll streamline your workflow considerably. Here are some examples and tips.



Best Practices

  • Associate different barcodes and internal references to each variant by going to the Catalog menu, then Product Variants. Select the product and edit the information on the form.
  • In the Products main page, you can see how many variants a product has under its name.
Odoo - Product main page
  • To change the prices on product variants, click the Variant Prices button, under Save.
  • Locate the attribute and edit the price by hand on the last column.
  • To publish product variants on your online shop, go to the Products page and on the form click on the Unpublished tab on top.
  • You’ll be redirected to a page on your website with the variants.


Helpful Features

  • In the Products main page, you can see how many variants a product has under its name.
  • The way the variants are arranged on the website can be changed.
Odoo - Socks Variant
  • From version 11.0 onwards you can decide if you want to create variants or not. You can also create the condition of selling the product.
  • This can be very useful if you don’t have stock for all the SKUs. You can have that option on the website without the burden of a long list of products that you’ll probably never use.
Odoo - Socks Attributes
  • In the Attributes page, the Type filter determines the way we see the variants:
    • Radio is a simple round icon for selection
    • Select will show a drop-down list
    • Color separates different color attributes in small colored squares

Remember: when you’ve made adjustments, always save the changes.



How to Modify the Page to Your Liking

All businesses differ so you’ll have certain preferences for your products pages. For easy product variant management according to your requirements, follow this method:

  • Custom features: Hit the Customize button and a drop-down menu with options will appear. Activate or deactivate accordingly. For example, you can add ratings and payment options.
  • Layout: Use the Edit button on the top right of the page. After everything is done, publish the page by activating the Unpublished button next to New and Edit.
  • Product removal: In the Product Variants page all the products and their variants can be seen. Select the intended product, click on Action and Archive.
  • You can also undo this by selecting the Archived option on the Filter icon. Tick the boxes needed, Click Action and Unarchive.

Using the Catalog

The Website application’s Catalog only lists the products that are published. However, in the store’s online page all your products are shown. This isn’t something to worry about, because they are only there to facilitate the publishing products.

Important note: titles in bold mean they are published.

All the variants, are listed on the Catalog menu, as well as Attributes and Attribute Values in Configuration. These can also be edited and created in the product variant management application.

Working with product variants is very useful for many types of industries, whether you manufacture, manage or sell goods. As with many Odoo apps, once the initial configuration is done, it is fairly easy to add new information to existing forms.



How to Create Exceptions in your Product Variants

While dealing with your different product templates that have different variants, you might need to create exceptions. For example you may have products that you can’t produce with certain aspects that do exist in others. Luckily, it’s simple to manage with Odoo’s ecommerce product variant database design features.

Let’s stick with the example we’ve been using: we assume now that you have a new color sock called “Rainbow” and this color can be produced in any size except for the size S. It’s not hard to understand here that our exception will be “Sock Rainbow S”. This product template, as we called it before, won’t be available for people to buy it. Save yourself lots of time by creating this simple exception:

  • Go to the product you wish and configure the Variants you previously added
  • In this page you can set the Extra Price as mentioned above
  • Create the exclusions you need

In the example below you can see an exception for the Color Rainbow with the size S for the product Sock.

Odoo - Product Color

Yes, managing eCommerce variants can be this easy! Going forward you never have to worry about repeatedly answering the same questions again. All exclusion and extra price settings are created for the website when you set it up on the backend of Odoo.



Final Thoughts

No matter what type of business you have, product configuration management best practices can transform you company for the better. But you DO need product variant management apps and software to empower you.

Want to know what’s best for YOUR business? Talk to our team, or schedule your free assessment.

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Odoo is a management software that fits all sizes. This software is for small, medium and large companies. Your company's information is all in one place. You don't have to go back and forth to check something. All apps have real-time access to your database.

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