When a product has variants, each combination is its own item on the shelf. Shop+ lets you give every combination its own stock count, its own SKU or barcode and its own image. This article shows where those fields are and how they behave.
The end result
A Cardinal Cafe Hoodie in four sizes and two colors, eight combinations in total. Each one has 5 available and its own SKU, such as CC-HOODIE-XL-NVY.
Step 1 – Create the variant options
Open the product (Shop+ → Products → Edit) and scroll to Product Variants. Click Add option, type the Option name (Size) and enter the Option values, pressing Enter after each one. Add a second option for Color. Shop+ generates a row for every combination in the Variant combinations table.
Step 2 – Turn on inventory tracking
Scroll to Inventory Management at the bottom of the form and turn on Track inventory for this product. In the row that appears, enter the cost per item, unit, total count and a product-level SKU. The per-variant Available boxes only accept counts once tracking is on.
Two switches sit under the inventory row: Vendor payout, which calculates vendor payouts for each fulfilled order, and Continue selling when out of stock. Both are off unless you turn them on.
Step 3 – Enter Available and SKU for each combination
Go back to the Variant combinations table and scroll it to the right. Each row has:
Available: how many of this exact combination you have.
SKU: the code for this combination. If you scan barcodes, enter the barcode from the item's tag here so a scan finds the right size and color.
In this example each of the eight rows has 5 available, which adds up to the 40 entered at product level.
Step 4 – Optional: add an image per variant
The first column of each row is an Image slot. Click it to add a picture for that combination, such as the navy hoodie on the navy rows, so customers see the right item when they choose it.
Step 5 – Save and check the result
Click Update Product. When the product is rung up, Size and Color are both marked Required and the item cannot be added until one value of each is chosen.
What happens at 0 available
With tracking on and Continue selling when out of stock left off, a combination with 0 available cannot be selected. This is the most common reason a size or color looks greyed out. Open the product and enter an Available count for that row.
For the same reason, fill in Available for every combination you want to sell as soon as you turn tracking on. A row left empty is treated as none in stock.
A SKU scheme that scales
If your items do not come with barcodes, build SKUs from the product code plus a short code for each option value: CC-HOODIE-S-BLK, CC-HOODIE-S-NVY, CC-HOODIE-M-BLK. Staff can read the size and color from the code, and the list sorts sensibly.
Changing options later
You can add a value to an option at any time, for example adding XXL. Shop+ adds the new rows to the table. Enter a price, Available and SKU for each new row. Use the red × beside an option to remove the whole option. Removing an option or a value removes its rows, so note any counts you need before you do it.
Common questions
Can each size have its own stock count? Yes. Turn on inventory tracking and enter Available on each row.
Can each variant have its own barcode? Yes. Enter it in that row's SKU box.
Why can't a customer select a size? Its Available count is 0. Enter a count on that row.
Why is the Available column not accepting numbers? Inventory tracking is off. Turn on Track inventory for this product.
How many combinations will I get? Multiply the number of values in each option. Four sizes and two colors make eight.