Variants are versions of the same product which only vary based on colors, materials, patterns, or sizes. Examples include dresses of different sizes and colors, digital cameras of different colors, and food items of different size capacities.
Submit one item per variant.DotFeed will manage the creation of these "items" for you.For example, if you offer a t-shirt in 4 colors and 5 sizes, you need to submit 20 items (if you offer all color size combinations). Don’t submit the master item as a separate listing, only all "child" or variant items. Each variant must have a unique id value, but must share the same value in the item group id attribute. Each variant within the group must have the same set of variant attributes, and the combination of values of those attributes must be unique.
Important:When naming your variant products, be sure to include the title common to all variant items, as well as the variant attributes, such as color and size. Titles must not be identical across variant items in the same 'item group id' group, but should also contain the common title of the items.
The four possible variant attributes are 'color', 'material', 'pattern', and 'size'. The variant attributes cannot be given multiple values if the item group id attribute is supplied is supplied for that item. For example:
If one item in a group of variants supplies the values "Blue" and "L" for the color and size attributes, all other items in the group must have values for color and size, and each item must have a different combination of values for those attributes.
You might sell a sofa in different colors and fabrics, and two different lengths. The material attribute can have values like "Canvas" and "Twill", the color attribute can have values like "Cherry Red" and "Sand", and the size attribute can have values "Sofa" and "Long Sofa".
You might offer USB flash drives in different colors and sizes (capacities). In this case, the size attribute can have values like "16 GB" and "32 GB" and the color attribute could have values like "Blue" and "Charcoal".
For US merchants:It is required to provide the following variant attributes for all apparel products. Please seethis articlefor more information on submitting variant apparel products.
item group id [item_group_id] - Shared identifier for all variants of the same product
DotFeed will extract and feed this information for you.
All items that are color/material/pattern/size variants of the same product must have the same item group id. If you have a “Parent SKU” that is shared by all variants of a product, you can provide that as the value for 'item group id'.
When to include:Required for variant apparel products in the US. Recommended for all other categories and countries submitting variant products.
Important:
The values provided for item group id must be unique between products, and only shared by items that are variants of the same product.
If an item group id is supplied, at least one variant attribute must also be supplied for the group of items.
DotFeed will extract and feed this information for you.
Note: This attribute is also described in the section on Apparel Products. Please do not submit two versions of this attribute per item.
DotFeed will take care of this for you.
This defines the dominant color(s) of an item. When a single item has multiple colors, combine them with ‘/’ in order of prominence (dominant color first, then accent colors). For example, a black shoe with green accents should have a color value of 'Black / Green'. This attribute can also be used for finishes as well (e.g., 'Mahogany' vs. 'Stainless Steel').
When to include:Required for all apparel items in the 'Apparel & Accessories' product category in feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories (might become required in the future).
Important:
Use consistent names of colors across variants of the same product, as well as across multiple products of the same category.
Only provide the color(s) of one item - do not list the colors of all variations of the product in one item.
The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.
If you're using XML, you must represent the '/' with /
If you sell apparel, you will need to use the DotFeed rules engine to populate this information.
The material or fabric that a product is made out of. For example, a sofa might have values of "Canvas", "Twill", "Velvet", etc.
When to include:Required for all apparel items in feeds that target the US that differ by material. Recommended for non-apparel products and feed targeting other countries (might become required in the future).
Important:
Only provide the material of one item - do not list the materials of all variations of the product in one item if you are providing the item group id attribute. If you are not able to submit variant items, you may list the materials of all the variations as long as you do not include the item group id attribute.
The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.
If you sell apparel, you will need to use the DotFeed rules engine to populate this information.
The pattern or graphic print featured on a product. For example, a t-shirt might have a logo of a sports team and have pattern values of "Bears", "Tigers", etc. A dress might come in two prints, and have pattern values of "Polka Dot", "Striped", "Paisley", etc.
As a rule of thumb, if a user can choose to select different patterns on the landing page of your product, include all variant items in the same item group. Otherwise, use separate item groups.
When to include:Required for all apparel items in feeds that target the US that differ by pattern. Recommended for non-apparel products and feed targeting other countries (might become required in the future).
Important:
Only provide the pattern of one item - do not list the patterns of all variations of the product in one item if you are providing the item group id attribute. If you are not able to submit variant items, you may list the patterns of all the variations as long as you do not include the item group id attribute.
The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.
DotFeed will extract and feed this information for you.
Note: This attribute is also described in the section on Apparel Products. Please do not include two versions of this attribute per item.
DotFeed will take care of this for you.
This indicates the size of a product. You may any provide values which are appropriate to your items. Examples are:
"XS", "S", "M", "L", "XL" for garments
"17/36 Tall" for a men's dress shirt
When to include:Required for all variant apparel items in the 'Clothing' and 'Shoes' product categories in feeds that target the US. Recommended for other countries and product categories (might become required in the future).
Important:
The values you provide may be displayed to users, so provide values that they will be able to understand.
Only provide the size of one item - do not list all the available sizes of all variations of the product unless you are not a US merchant and are not able to provide the appropriate variant images and data.
If sizes are complex, condense them into one value (e.g., "16/34 Tall" for neck size 16 inches, sleeve length 34 inches, and "Tall" fit).
Use consistent size values across variants of the same product, as well as across multiple products of the same category. For example, within a group of t-shirts, use "S", "M" , and "L" as sizes, not "S", "Medium", and "Lrg".
